17th Reserve Division

This Reserve Army unit was formed in August 1914

The 17th Reserve Division with the 18th Reserve Division formed the IX Reserve Corps.

81st Infantry Brigade
162nd Infantry Regiment, Formed on 31st March 1897, garrisoned in Lubeck
163rd Infantry Regiment, Formed on 31st March 1897, garrisoned in Neumunster
33rd Reserve Infantry Brigade
75th Reserve Infantry Regiment
76th Reserve Infantry Regiment
6th Reserve Hussar Regiment
17th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment
4/9th Pioneer Battalion

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.

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.