2nd Division (German Empire)

2nd Division (German Empire)

The 2nd Division (2. Division) was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was formed in Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) in March 1816 as a Troop Brigade (Truppen-Brigade). It became the 2nd Division on September 5, 1818. In 1890, the headquarters of the division was relocated to Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), then the capital of East Prussia. In 1899, the headquarters was moved to Insterburg (now Chernyakhovsk, Russia), further inland and closer to the border with the Russian Empire. From the latter's formation in 1820, the division was subordinated in peacetime to the I Army Corps (I. Armeekorps). The 2nd Division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.

The 2nd 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 1870-71. 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 served primarily on the Eastern Front, seeing action at the battles of Gumbinnen and Tannenberg, and the 1st and 2nd Battles of the Masurian Lakes. After Russia's defeat in the war, the division saw service on the Western Front in 1918, and ended the war occupying positions around Antwerp and along the Maas in Belgium.