200th Infantry Division (German Empire)
The 200th Infantry Division was a division of the Imperial German Army during the First World War. It was formed in the summer of 1916 and remained in existence until after the end of the war, being disbanded in 1919 during the general demobilization of the German Army.
Formation and structure
The division was established on 17 August 1916 as part of the sixth wave of new divisions raised by the Imperial German Army. Its original structure included:- 400th Infantry Brigade
- * Infantry Regiment No. 401
- * Infantry Regiment No. 402
- * Infantry Regiment No. 403
- 3rd Squadron, Saxon Reserve Hussar Regiment No. 1
- Artillery Commander 200
- Foot Artillery Battalion No. 87
- Pioneer Battalion No. 200
Combat history
The 200th Infantry Division spent much of its existence on the Eastern Front.After its formation, the division was deployed to Romania as part of Feldmarschall August von Mackensen's forces during the Romanian campaign. It participated in the Battle of the Argeș and the subsequent occupation of southern Romania.
Following the stabilization of the Eastern Front and the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918, the division was transferred to the Western Front. There, it served in a quiet sector along the Aisne River during the final months of the war and was not engaged in any major offensives.
According to Allied intelligence, the division was rated as a third-class formation, primarily due to its relatively late formation, lower cohesion, and limited combat experience on the Western Front.