The Bavarian Cavalry Division (Bayerische Kavallerie-Division) was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army, part of the German Army, in World War I.[a] The division was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was disbanded in 1919, during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was raised and recruited in Bavaria.
| Bavarian Cavalry Division (Bayerische Kavallerie-Division) | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Staff of a Division (1871–1918) | |
| Active | 2 August 1914-1919 |
| Disbanded | 1919 |
| Country |  Bavaria /  German Empire |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Size | Approximately 5,000 (on mobilisation) |
| Engagements | World War I |
Combat chronicle
The division was formed on mobilization for World War I on 2 August 1914. It was assigned to III Cavalry Corps, which preceded 6th Army on the Western Front. Between November 1914 and January 1915, the division took part in occupation duties in Belgium. After a period of training in Germany, it transferred to the Russian Front from April 1915 to November 1917, when it moved to Romania. In April 1918, the division moved to the Ukraine / Crimea.[1]
A more detailed combat chronicle can be found at the German-language version of this article.
Order of Battle on mobilisation
On formation, in August 1914, the component units of the division were:[2]
- 1st Bavarian Cavalry Brigade (from I Bavarian Corps District)
- 4th Bavarian Cavalry Brigade (from II Bavarian Corps District)
- 5th Bavarian Cavalry Brigade (from III Bavarian Corps District)
- Horse Artillery Abteilung of the 5th Royal Bavarian Field Artillery "King Alfons XIII of Spain" Regiment
- 1st Bavarian Cavalry Machine Gun Detachment
- Bavarian Cavalry Pioneer Detachment
- Bavarian Cavalry Signals Detachment
- Bavarian Light Wireless Station 1
- Bavarian Light Wireless Station 2
- Bavarian Heavy Wireless Station 3
- Bavarian Heavy Wireless Station 4
- Bavarian Cavalry Motorised Vehicle Column 1
Late World War I organization
From 25 November 1917 to 21 March 1918, the division was without any cavalry; and from 20 April 1918, it only had two Cavalry Brigades.[3]
- 4th Bavarian Cavalry Brigade became independent on 3 July 1917
Allied Intelligence rated the Division as 4th Class (of 4).[4] The organisation in 1918 was:[5]
- 1st Bavarian Cavalry Brigade
- 5th Bavarian Cavalry Brigade
- Horse Artillery Abteilung of the 5th Royal Bavarian Field Artillery "King Alfons XIII of Spain" Regiment
- 1st Bavarian Cavalry Machine Gun Detachment
- Bavarian Cavalry Pioneer Detachment
- Bavarian Cavalry Cyclist Detachment
- 30th Bavarian Ambulance Company
- Attached
- Landsturm Infantry Battalion Glatz (VI/9)[b]
See also
Notes
- ^ From the late 1800s, the Prussian Army was effectively the German Army as, during the period of German unification (1866-1871), the states of the German Empire entered into conventions with Prussia regarding their armies. Only the Bavarian Army remained fully autonomous and came under Prussian control only during wartime.
- ^ Landsturm Infantry Battalion Glatz (VI/9) was raised in the town of Glatz, Lower Silesia; it was the 9th Landsturm Infantry Battalion from the VI Corps District.
References
- ^ Ellis & Cox 1993, p. 126
- ^ Cron 2002, p. 301
- ^ Cron 2002, p. 105
- ^ AEF GHQ 1920, p. 12
- ^ War Office 1995, p. 230
Bibliography
- Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.
- Ellis, John; Cox, Michael (1993). The World War I Databook. Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85410-766-6.
- Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919. The London Stamp Exchange Ltd (1989). 1920. ISBN 0-948130-87-3.
- The German Forces in the Field; 7th Revision, 11th November 1918; Compiled by the General Staff, War Office. Imperial War Museum, London and The Battery Press, Inc (1995). 1918. ISBN 1-870423-95-X.