17th Division ( German Empire ) The 17th Division ( " 17 . Division " ) was a unit of the Prussia n / German Army . It was formed on October 11 , 1866 and initially headquartered in Kiel . It moved its headquarters to Schwerin in 1871 . The division was subordinated in peacetime to the IX Army Corps ( " IX . Armeekorps " ) . The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I . Recruitment . The 17th Division was one of the more mixed units of the German Army . It was formed by merging the contingents of the Hanseatic Cities with those of the Mecklenburg grand duchies . The division ' s 33rd Infantry Brigade was composed of the contingents of Hamburg and Bremen ( and until the formation of the 162nd Infantry Regiment in 1897 , that of Lübeck ) . The division ' s 34th ( Grand Ducal Mecklenburg ) Infantry Brigade was composed of the infantry contingents of the grand duchies of Mecklenburg - Schwerin and Mecklenburg - Strelitz . The 81st Infantry Brigade , formed in 1897 , included the newly raised Lübeck regiment and a Prussian regiment from Schleswig - Holstein . The divisional cavalry brigade was the 17th ( Grand Ducal Mecklenburg ) Cavalry Brigade , with two dragoon regiments from Mecklenburg - Schwerin and , at various periods in its history , attached Prussian cavalry . The 17th Artillery Brigade included a regiment from Holstein and a regiment from the two Mecklenburg grand duchies . Combat chronicle . In the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 - 71 , the division was initially part of the reserve of the Prussian Army . It was sent into action in September 1870 , beginning with the Siege of Metz and the Siege of Paris . The division then entered the Loire campaign , fighting in the battles of Loigny - Poupry , 2nd Orléans , Beaugency - Cravant , and Le Mans . During World War I , the division marched through Luxembourg , Belgium and France , in what became known to the Allies as the Great Retreat , culminating in the First Battle of the Marne . One of its brigades was detached for the Battle of Liège . In 1916 , it fought in the Battle of the Somme . It saw action in 1917 in the Battle of Passchendaele , also known as the Third Battle of Ypres and to the Germans as the Autumn Battle in Flanders . It participated in the 1918 German Spring Offensive and defended against the subsequent Allied counteroffensives , including the Hundred Days Offensive . Allied intelligence rated it a first class division , one of the best in the German Army . Order of battle in the Franco - Prussian War . During wartime , the 17th Division , like other regular German divisions , was redesignated an infantry division . The organization of the 17th Infantry Division in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco - Prussian War was as follows : Pre - World War I organization . German divisions underwent various organizational changes after the Franco - Prussian War . As noted above , a third brigade was added in 1897 . The organization of the 17th Division in 1914 , shortly before the outbreak of World War I , was as follows : Order of battle on mobilization . On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of World War I , most divisional cavalry , including brigade headquarters , was withdrawn to form cavalry divisions or split up among divisions as reconnaissance units . Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from their higher headquarters . The 17th Division was again renamed the 17th Infantry Division . The 81st Infantry Brigade was sent to the 17th Reserve Division . The 17th Infantry Division ' s initial wartime organization was as follows : Late World War I organization . Divisions underwent many changes during the war , with regiments moving from division to division , and some being destroyed and rebuilt . During the war , most divisions became triangular - one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments ( a " square division " ) . An artillery commander replaced the artillery brigade headquarters , the cavalry was further reduced , the engineer contingent was increased , and a divisional signals command was created . The 17th Infantry Division ' s order of battle on May 21 , 1918 was as follows : 4 . Eskadron / 2 . Hannoversches Dragoner - Regiment Nr . 16