This week Sabine’s battlefield guide Saturday
How the French army reports on the German troops October 1914 in Belgium
Grand Quartier général des armées alliées, Grand Quartier général et missions militaires près les armées alliées **** 20 oktober 1914
Bulletin de rensignements 10 armee etat major 2é bureau à St Pol
20.10.1914
3 1/2 corpses are attacking in the north
26 th division area Menen
45&46th divisions Moorslede
43&44 th division Beerst
III corps & 4 ersatz divison St Joris( St George) – Westende
It would be appropriate, according to the prisoners, to add the XXVI and XXVII corps, also of a new creation. One prisoner, captured near Kortemark, who belonged to 210 RIR of the 45 division, was hunchbacked and had not received any military training until the 19th August last. he said many of the men in his regiment were 17 and 18 years old. it is likely that the artillery in these new formations is of an old model. But the heavy artillery had to be taken in front of Antwerp to reinforce it. The corps identified during the day on the army fronts are: from the north to the south
4th Ersatz and III reserve corps between the sea and Dikxmuide .XXIII corps from Diksmuide to Passendale. The XXIII corps attacked westwards in 5 columns from the Kortemark-Roeselare front. During the day it reached the Geluveld-Passendale line. Further back, there were reports of reinforcements in Bruges – Lichtervelde – Tielt – Gent and a lot of activity on the railways in the Lichtervelde – Torhout Kortemark triangle.
Bulletin 21.101914
A prisoner of the XXIII Corps states that the Germans are expecting an additional corps from Noyon. The 26 division of the XIII corps was formed from the 49 brigade of the XVIII RC and the 52 brigade of the XIII corps. Prisoners taken of the 213 RIR, 214 RIR, 215 RIR of the 44 DR which would have been formed a month ago.
identification of units ( translation of image )
the capture of prisoners has sometimes led to inaccuracies in the identification of units. The same regimental number can be carried by an active regiment, a reserve regiment, a landwehr regiment and even ersatz units (companies). An order of the German Minister of the war prescribed at the beginning of the campaign to remove any distinctive letter on the helmet cover (R or L) so it is necessary to identify the regiment of a prisoner to refer especially to the interior marks of clothing and to the inscriptions of the booklet in defect or as complement of verbal indication given by the prisoner
XXIII corps
Georg Friedrich von Kleist (born September 25, 1852 in Rheinfeld , † July 29, 1923 in Wusseken )
He was the son of the Prussian major general Fedor von Kleist and his wife Rosamunde
General Georg von Kleist was on August 25, 1914 appointed as the commanding general of the newly established XXIII. Reserve Corps. The troops were brought via Brussels to the northern section of the 4th Army of Duke Albrecht von Württemberg and immediately deployed in the battle of Ypres . The XXIII. Reserve Corps had rallied on October 20 with the 46th Reserve Division at Hooglede and the 45th Reserve Division at Kortemark to attack the line Bikschote-Nieuwkapelle from there. The 45th Reserve Division attacked on October 21 in two columns north of the Houthulst forest in the direction of the hamlets of St. Pieters and Nieuwe Stede. After fierce resistance, the two columns managed to advance to the Ypres – Dikmuide road by afternoon, but could not cross it at any point. The 46th Reserve Division tried all morning in vain to take the town of Bikschoote , but was repeatedly thrown back with considerable losses. After days of unsuccessful attacks, on the evening of October 24th an order was given to secure the positions reached and to hold them under all circumstances. On December 19, 1914, General von Kleist had to resign from command due to a heart condition.
From RIR 212 the division order :
Division befehl vom 18 oktober wird berichtet von kamfen des III res. corps an der yser und bei Diksmuide. Auch bei Merkem sind feindliche abteilungen festgestelt, ferner bei ieper und Poperinge, nach meldungen unsere kavallerie soll Kortemark von Franzosichen infanterie besetzt sein.
The division order of 18 October reports that the III Res. corps has been fighting by the Yser and near Diksmuide. Enemy detachments are also seen at Merkem, as well as at Ieper and Poperinge. According to reports from our cavalry, Kortemark is occupied by French infantry.
sources :
Geschichte des Reserve-Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 212 im Weltkriege 1914 – 1918 by Makoben, Ernst
Images : French map of the area, report on prisoners from the French archives