1st Division ( German Empire ) The 1st Division ( " 1 . Division " ) was a unit of the Prussia n / German Army . It was formed in Königsberg in March 1816 as a Troop Brigade ( " Truppen - Brigade " ) . It became the 1st Division on September 5 , 1818 . From the corps ' formation in 1820 , the division was subordinated in peacetime to I Army Corps ( " I . Armeekorps " ) . The 1st Division was disbanded in 1919 , during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I . The 1st Division and its regiments fought in the Austro - Prussian War against Austria in 1866 , including the Battle of Königgrätz . The division then fought in the Franco - Prussian War against France in 1870 – 1871 . Its regiments saw action in the Battle of Noiseville , the Battle of Gravelotte , the Siege of Metz , the Battle of Amiens , the Battle of Hallue , and the Battle of St . Quentin , among other actions . In World War I , the division initially served on the Eastern Front , seeing action at the battles of Stallupönen , Gumbinnen , and Tannenberg , and the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes . The division then fought in the Battle of Łódź and in the Gorlice - Tarnów Offensive of 1915 . In March 1916 , the 1st Infantry Division was transferred to the Western Front . One month later , it entered the Battle of Verdun . After several months ' hard fighting around Fort Vaux , the division was withdrawn from the line and returned to the Eastern Front , where it arrived in August 1916 . It then participated in the invasion of Romania , which had entered the war in 1916 on the Allied side . The division returned to Verdun at the end of 1917 . In 1918 , it took part in the Spring Offensive , which the Germans referred to as the " Kaiserschlacht " , the Second Battle of the Marne , and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line . 1870 organization . During wartime , the 1st Division , like other German divisions , was redesignated an infantry division . The organization of the 1st Infantry Division in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco - Prussian War was as follows : Pre - World War I organization . Many regiments were renamed and assigned to different divisions during the period from 1871 to 1914 . In 1914 , the peacetime organization of the 1st Division was as follows : August 1914 organization . 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in August 1914 , at the beginning of World War I , most divisional cavalry , including brigade headquarters , was withdrawn to form cavalry divisions or split up among divisions as reconnaissance units .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 1st Division was again renamed the 1st Infantry Division . Its initial wartime organization ( major units ) 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 1st Infantry Division ' s order of battle on February 19 , 1918 was as follows :