about Marine Divisionen

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Volcano
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Re: about Marine Divisionen

#16

Post by Volcano » 19 Apr 2008, 11:37

Actually, I am not even sure that 1.Marine.Div had any artillery at all. Some sources like 251 Divisions puts Landwehr.Bde.37 & 38 under its command in 1914. Those two brigades were mixed (gemischt) which seems to have contained Ers.Art.Abt.26 (Ldw.Bde.37) and 1 & 2./Ldw.Art.Abt.X.AK (Ldw.Bde.38). Now, we all know how accurate 251 Divisions is 8O , but my copy of _Die Schlachten und Gefechte des Grossenkrieges 1914-1918_ (S und G) specifically lists those two gem.Ldw.Bdes separately from 1.Mar.Div when it is in AG.Beseler in October.

I am guessing that every source you consult has a different answer, but I wonder if the reality is that this division had no organic guns to speak of and that it instead operated closely with gem.Ldw.Bde.38 which had the guns that some sources list. This would also mean that 2.Mar.Div might have been in a similar situation(?). Or maybe 251 Divisions is correct and the gem.Ldw.Bde.37 & 38 was under the 1.Marine.Div but the artillery belonged to the brigades. Ahh, very confusing -- just how I like it. :roll:

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Volcano
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Re: about Marine Divisionen

#17

Post by Volcano » 24 Apr 2008, 21:24

FWIW, I think I have found the information through a combination of cross referencing S und G (primary) and Cron. It seems that the 1.Marine.Div had one single battery of guns assigned to it, which Cron refers to as the "Marine-artillerie Battery" of which, the 2.Marine.Div in late November also had one.

The 1.Marine.Div apparently operated closely with gem.Ldw.Bde.37 and 38, so closely that some sources go so far as to say that they were part of the division but S und G never states that they were (it consistently lists them seperately). These two mixed brigades had their own compliment of artillery and cavalry (and one Landsturm pio kompanie in gem.Ldw.Bde.37) which the division utilized since they were in close proximity. In late October (around Ypres), an Ersatz Brigade came on the scene and, again, operated in close proximity but S und G still lists it separately. Now this is where it gets interesting. According to just about every English source you reference about Ypres (including the Official History of the War series and... Osprey Books 8O ), they consistently refer to this brigade as Ersatz.Bde.2. However, S und G states that there was never an Ersatz Brigade 2, or 1 for that matter (there was a Guard.Ersatz.Bde.1), but instead this brigade was actually called "Reserve.Ersatz.Brigade.2" (and Res.Ers.Bde.1 as well). Neither of these seemed to be mixed and both seems to have been divided up into two regiments of sequential numbering (1-4 ResErsR) with (it seems) machine gun companies.

To make a long story short (and to hopefully answer the original poster's question --including my own), it seems like the actual organic guns to the two German Marine Divisions numbered a single battery of six 7.7cm FK 96. If anyone has anything different then please post. Thanks.


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