34th Division (German Empire)

34th Division (34. Division); from August 2, 1914, 34th Infantry Division (34. Infanterie-Division)
Active	1890–1919
Country	Prussia/Germany
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry (in peacetime included cavalry)
Size	Approx. 15,000
Part of	XVI. Army Corps (XVI. Armeekorps)
Garrison/HQ	Metz
Engagements	World War I: Great Retreat, Verdun, 2nd Aisne, Cambrai, Spring Offensive, St. Quentin, Oise-Aisne

The 34th Division (34. Division) was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was formed on April 1, 1890, and was headquartered in Metz (now in France). The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XVI Army Corps (XVI. Armeekorps). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited heavily in the densely populated Rhine Province and in the Province of Westphalia, as its primary recruiting and garrison area was Lorraine, whose German population was insufficient to support the divisions of the XVI Army Corps.

The 34th Infantry Division fought on the Western Front in World War I. It participated in the initial German offensive and the Allied Great Retreat. In 1916, it fought in the Battle of Verdun. In 1917, it participated in the Second Battle of the Aisne, also known as the Third Battle of Champagne (and to the Germans, as the Double Battle of Aisne-Champagne). It also saw action in the tank battle at Cambrai. In 1918, the division fought in the German Spring Offensive, including the First Battle of the Somme, 1918, also known as the Second Battle of the Somme (after the 1916 battle), and the Battle of St. Quentin. It then fought in the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the Oise-Aisne offensive. Allied intelligence rated the division as a good division, one of the best of the second class divisions, and the XVI Army Corps as one of the best in the German Army.

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