42nd Infantry Division

This peacetime Army unit was formed in October 1912

Its Home Station was in Lorraine, part of the XXI Corps District

The 42nd and 31st Infantry Divisions combined to form the XXI Army Corps

59th Infantry Brigade
97th Infantry Regiment (1st Upper Rhine) formed on 24th March 1881, and garrisoned in Saarburg	Transfered to the 108th Infantry Division in September 1915
138th Infantry Regiment (3rd Lower Alsatian) formed on 11th March 1887, and garrisoned in Dieuze
65th Infantry Brigade
17th Infantry Regiment "Count Barfuß" (4. Westphalian) formed on 1st August 1813, and garrisoned in Morchingen
131st Infantry Regiment (2nd Lothringen) formed on 24th March 1881, and garrisoned in Morchingen
7th Westphalian Dragoon Regiment
42nd Field Artillery Brigade	8th Field Artillery Regiment 15th Field Artillery Regiment

 Also 2nd and 3rd Companies of the 27th Pioneer Battalion

The Division saw action at the Battle of the Frontiers as part of the 6th Army, and crossed into France in August 1914.

In September it was sent to reinforce the 2nd Bavarian Corps, at the end of September it was sent to Somme.  In January 1915 it was sent to the Eastern Front.  In March it took part in the battle of Mariampol, and entered Vilna on the 30th August 1915.

In 1916 it defended and took part in the battle of Lake Narotch, it continued to defend the area against sustained Russian attacks until April 1917, when it was sent to the Western Front.

However, at Warsaw it was diverted to the Galacian Front, where it saw action at Brzezany and Tarnopol.  In August 1917 it was transferred back to the Russian Front where it took part in the advance on Riga, and afterwards took part in the military operation to occupy the Baltic Islands.

In late December 1917 it was sent back to the Western Front, where it relieved the 4th Division at Armentieres.  It was in turn relieved by the 32nd Infantry Division in March 1918.  

In March 1918 it took part in the battle of the Lys, where it lost 50% of its strength.  It was relieved in mid April by the 12th Infantry Division.  It spent July absorbing reinforcements from the disbanded 211th Division.

In August 1918 it entered the line in Champagne where it remained facing the Americans until the end of the war. 

Note:  The 17th Infantry Regiment was named in honour of Hans Albrecht von Barfus a former Field Marshall of Prussia.