31st Infantry Division

This peacetime Army unit was formed in April 1871

Its home station was in Lorraine, part of the XXI Corps area.

The 31st and 42nd Divisions formed the XXI Army Corps.

32nd Infantry Brigade
70th (8th Rhine) Infantry Regiment formed 5th May 1860, garrisoned in Saarbrucken
174th (10th Lothringer) Infantry Regiment, formed on 31st March 1897, garrisoned in Forbach
62nd Infantry Brigade	Transferred to the 218th Infantry Division on 23rd September 1916.
60th Infantry Regiment (Marquis Carl (7th Brandenburger), formed on 5th May 1860, garrisoned in Weissenburg
137th (2nd Lower Alsacian)  Infantry Regiment, formed on 11th March 1887, garrisoned in Hagenau
166th Infantry Regiment (Hessen-Homburg), formed on 31st March 1897, garrisoned in Bitsch
7th Ulhan Regiment 31st Field Artillery Brigade 1st Company, 27th Pioneer Battalion	31st Field Artillery Regiment 67th Field Artillery Regiment

At the beginning of the war the division was part of the 6th Army.  It saw action in Lorraine, where it suffered serious casualties.  In September it was sent to the Somme area, where it remained until September 1916.

In January 1915 the division, less the 60th Infantry Regiment was sent to the Russian front.  It saw action north of Grodno, and suffered serious casualties.  At the end of July 1915 it was in the line at Mariampol.  In August it took part in the offensive against Vilna, and saw action at Narotch.  A position it held until it was returned to the Western front in December 1917.

In January 1918 it took part in the battle of Ypres.  In April it took part in the battle of the Lys, where one battalion of the division lost 70% of its strength.  

It rested in the Woevre sector, before being committed to the battles of St Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne.  It was still fighting in that sector when the war ended.