17th Infantry Division

This peacetime Army unit was formed in October 1866

Its Home Station was in Schwerin, part of the IX Corps District

The 17th and 18th Infantry Divisions combined to form the IX Army Corps

33rd Infantry Brigade
75th Infantry Regiment (Bremen) (1st Hanseatic), formed on 27th September 1866, garrisoned in Bremen
76th Infantry Regiment (Hamburg) (2nd Hanseatic), formed on 27th September 1866, garrisoned in Hamburg	Transferred to the 111th Division in March 1915.
34th Infantry Brigade
89th (Grand Duke Mecklenburg) Grenadier Regiment, formed on 3rd April 1782, garrisoned in Schwerin
90th (Grand Duke Mecklenburg) Füsilier Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, formed on 12th July 1788, garrisoned in Rostock
9th Lauenburg Jäger-Bataillon

It Also contained the 16th Dragoons, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, 24th and 60th Field Artillery Regiments, and the 1st Company of the 9th Pioneer Battalion.

The Division gave up its 81st Brigade to the 17th Reserve Division.

The Division as part of the German 1st Army took part in the siege of Liege, and the subsequent battles against the BEF in Belgium, and the battle of the Marne.

It remained in the line on the Oise.

In January 1915 the Division was still on the Oise, but in October it was transferred to the Champagne area.

In July 1916 the Division was sent to the Somme, and by September it had suffered heavy losses.  In October it was sent to Atrois.

In January 1917 the Division was once again on the Somme, and again suffered serious losses.  It then moved to the Artois sector, before moving to the Flanders area.  In September 1917 the Division was rested in the Lens area until February 1918.

In February the Division took part in the battle of Picardy.  In August it was in the Vesle sector, and after withdrawing through the Aisne-Ailette area, engaged in the Champagne battles in October, it ended the war in the Ardennes.