27th Division ( German Empire ) The 27th Division ( " 27 . Division " ) , formally the 27th Division ( 2nd Royal Württemberg ) ( " 27 . Division ( 2 . Königlich Württembergische ) " ) , was a unit of the Prussia n / German Army . It was headquartered in Ulm in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Württemberg . The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII ( Royal Württemberg ) Corps ( " XIII . ( Königlich Württembergisches ) Armeekorps " ) . The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I . The division was raised and recruited in the Kingdom of Württemberg . Among the most famous soldiers to serve in the division was the later - Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel , who fought as a lieutenant with the division on the Western Front before being transferred to the Württemberg mountain battalion . Evolution of the 27th Division . The 27th Division was formed in 1817 as Württemberg ' s 2nd Infantry Division . It was merged with Württemberg ' s 1st Infantry Division on July 27 , 1849 to form Württemberg ' s Infantry Division and was dissolved in 1868 . The division was reestablished after the Franco - Prussian War on December 18 , 1871 as the 27th Division ( 2nd Royal Württemberg ) , taking its new numbering as part of the Prussian Army structure . Combat chronicle . Although the 27th Division was not formed until 1871 , its predecessors saw action in the Austro - Prussian War of 1866 against Prussia and in the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 - 71 on the side of Prussia against France . The Württemberg Infantry Division saw action in the Main campaign in 1866 . During the Franco - Prussian War , the Württemberg Field Division fought at the battles of Wœrth and Sedan , and then participated in the Siege of Paris and the battles of Villiers ( November 30 and December 2 , 1870 ) . During World War I , the division served on the Western Front . In 1914 , it fought in the Allied Great Retreat . It fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Arras in 1917 . The division served in the 1918 German Spring Offensive and the subsequent Allied counteroffensives , including the Hundred Days Offensive and the Meuse - Argonne Offensive . Allied intelligence rated the division as one of the very best German divisions and described it as a first class shock unit . Pre - World War I organization . The organization of the 27th 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 27th Division was renamed the 27th Infantry Division . Its 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 27th Infantry Division ' s order of battle on March 20 , 1918 was as follows :