27th Division (German Empire)
| 27th Division (27. Division); from August 2, 1914, 27th Infantry Division (27. Infanterie-Division) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1871-1919 |
| Country | Württemberg/Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry (in peacetime included cavalry) |
| Size | Approx. 15,000 |
| Part of | XIII. Army Corps (XIII. Armeekorps) |
| Garrison/HQ | Ulm |
| Engagements | World War I: Great Retreat, Battle of the Somme, Arras, Spring Offensive, Hundred Days Offensive, Meuse-Argonne Offensive |
The 27th Division (27. Division), formally the 27th Division (2nd Royal Württemberg) (27. Division (2. Königlich Württembergische)), was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Ulm in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps (XIII. (Königlich Württembergisches) Armeekorps). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was raised and recruited in the Kingdom of Württemberg. Among the most famous soldiers to serve in the division was the later-Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, who fought as a lieutenant with the division on the Western Front before being transferred to the Württemberg mountain battalion.
The 27th Division was formed in 1817 as Württemberg's 2nd Infantry Division. It was merged with Württemberg's 1st Infantry Division on July 27, 1849 to form Württemberg's Infantry Division and was dissolved in 1868. The division was reestablished after the Franco-Prussian War on December 18, 1871 as the 27th Division (2nd Royal Württemberg), taking its new numbering as part of the Prussian Army structure.
Although the 27th Division was not formed until 1871, its predecessors saw action in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 against Prussia and in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 on the side of Prussia against France. The Württemberg Infantry Division saw action in the Main campaign in 1866. During the Franco-Prussian War, the Württemberg Field Division fought at the battles of Wœrth and Sedan, and then participated in the Siege of Paris and the battles of Villiers (November 30 and December 2, 1870).
During World War I, the division served on the Western Front. In 1914, it fought in the Allied Great Retreat. It fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Arras in 1917. The division served in the 1918 German Spring Offensive and the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the Hundred Days Offensive and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Allied intelligence rated the division as one of the very best German divisions and described it as a first class shock unit.
...
Wikipedia