1st Guards Infantry Division (German Empire)

1st Guards Infantry Division
1. Garde-Infanterie-Division
1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß (Painting by Carl Röchling, 1894)
Active5 September 1818 – 30 April 1919
Country Kingdom of Prussia
 German Empire
Branch Prussian Army
 Imperial German Army
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
Part ofGuards Corps
Garrison/HQBerlin
EngagementsAustro-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
World War I
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Helmuth von Moltke the Younger
Prince Eitel Friedrich

The 1st Guards Infantry Division (German: 1. Garde-Infanterie-Division) was a unit of the Prussian (and later) Imperial German Army and was stationed in Berlin.

Origins

The division was created on September 5, 1818 when the guards brigades, which had been created in 1813 and were assigned to various commands, were grouped into a single formation.[1] Ernst Ludwig von Tippelskirch was appointed as the first commander of the division.

Austro-Prussian War

The division was active during the Austro-Prussian War. It was commanded by Generalmajor Constantin von Alvensleben and part of the Second Army.

Franco-Prussian War

During the Franco-Prussian War, the division was commanded by Generalmajor Alexander August Wilhelm von Pape. It was part of the Second Army, commanded by Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia. Throughout the war 4 officers, 70 men, and 10 horses were killed.[2][3]

Order of Battle: 1870

  • Divisional Troops
    • Guards Jäger Battalion
    • Guards Hussars
    • 1st Foot Battalion, Guards Artillery

Imperial German Army

By 1914 the division was subordinate to the Guards Corps of the Imperial German Army. At the outbreak of the First World War it was commanded by Gen-Lt. Oskar von Hutier. In April of 1915 Prince Eitel Friedrich took command of the division until October of 1918, when he was relieved by Eduard von Jena.

Order of Battle: 1914

  • 1st Guards Infantry Brigade
  • 2nd Guards Infantry Brigade
  • 1st Guards Field Artillery Brigade
    • 1st Guards Field Artillery
    • 2nd Guards Field Artillery
  • Guards Hussar Regiment (2nd, 3rd, and 5th Squadrons)
  • 1st Company, Guards Pioneer Battalion
  • 1st and 3rd Section, Guards Field Ambulance Company
  • 1st Guards Divisional Pontoon Train

References

  1. ^ "Diese Seite wurde auf Grund der DSGVO geschlossen - Es tut mir sehr leid. Aber wir sind erneut in der Diktatur angekommen".
  2. ^ II, Prussia (Kingdom) Armee Grosser Generalstab Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung (1876). The Franco-German War, 1870-1871 ... H.M. Stationery Office. p. 95.
  3. ^ Niemann, August (1872). The French Campaign, 1870-1871: Military Description. W. Mitchell & Company. p. 35.