Where to find WWI unit information??

[JMS1918]

Forgive me if I'm posting this in the wrong area, as I couldn't find one that dealt with this question??

I was trying to do a little research on a unit ID disk from a WWI Gew98 and so far I haven't come up with practically anything?
I'm curious as to the history of it,...what group, who were they,..where were they, etc? If only the rifle could speak!!!

Here is what is stamped on the rifle ID disc:

J.R. 352.7.K.47

Any help is GREATLY appreciated!!

[MauserKar98k]

Your Gew98 belonged to a soldier of Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 352, 7th Company, weapon #47.

IR 352 was recruited from Upper Silesia and constituted part of the German 88th Division. The 88th Division was stationed from September 1915 to September 1917 on the Eastern Front in the Drisviaty Lake sector, near the border of what is now Lithuania and Belarus. The 88th Division was taken off the line in September 1917, but remained in the area of what is now Daugavpils, Latvia. In 1917, IR 352 and the rest of the 88th Division were considered average troops by Allied Intelligence.

In January 1918, the 88th Division was moved by train to the Western Front and went into line in the St. Quentin/Cambrai region, Fresnoy sector. After a short period of training, the 88th Division attacked on 24 January and was noted as performing particularly well, especially for a division that "was considered unfit for combat upon its arrival from Russia." On 8 April, the 88th Division was forced to withdraw after suffering heavy losses during the advance, after which the division was moved into the line previously occupied by the 11th Division in the Champagne region, Rouvroy sector. It was relieved from this position on 25 June and underwent another period of retraining. The division went back into line on 13 July in the Tahure sector where they participated in a failed attack the next day, suffering heavy casualties "especially on account of gas." The 88th Division was taken off the line in September and moved into the Woevre region, Dampvitoux sector. It was relieved from this line on the night of 16 October. From there, IR 352 and the 88th Division went into line in the Meuse-Argonne region, Cunel sector, where they stayed until the signing of the Armistice. The 88th Division in 1918 was described by Allied Intelligence thusly: "In March the British wrote: 'From the bearing of prisoners of the 88th Division, recently captured, it appears that this formation, which from its composition might be expected to be indifferent is of a very fair quality and well-disciplined. Men and officers are mostly young and keen; many of the latter are active. As a fighting formation, the 88th Division thus appears to have been brought up to the standard of the majority of the German divisions in the western theater and in addition has a leader well acquainted with the conditions of warfare on this front.' Although its subsequent conduct was not such as to justify completely the above estimate, it did at least prove that its rating as a forth-class unit was too low."

Sources: Intellegence Section, U.S. Army General Staff. Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army Which Participated in the War (1914-1918). Washington D.C.: Washington Government Printing Office. 1920.

[JMS1918]

OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!
What's really interesting is that this is a Spandau dated 1915! So, quite possibly, it may have been made and issued right away! Wonderful!

Thank you SO much! This is great,....learning the history of something you own is one of the most rewarding and wonderful things,.. in my opinion anyway!! haha...

Again, thank you very much.

[MauserKar98k]

OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!
What's really interesting is that this is a Spandau dated 1915! So, quite possibly, it may have been made and issued right away! Wonderful!

Thank you SO much! This is great,....learning the history of something you own is one of the most rewarding and wonderful things,.. in my opinion anyway!! haha...

Again, thank you very much.

Don't mention it, glad to assist. I quite agree, learning the stories behind these silent witnesses of history is one of the best parts of this hobby. It's great that it was unit-marked, otherwise we would have never known.

[Chip M]

As an added note, the IR.352 was formed at the same time as the 88th division at beginning of August 1915 by the renaming of the Ersatz Infanterie Regiment Nr.7.

(Source: Handbuch der Verbände und Truppen des deutschen Heeres 1914-1918, Infanterie Band 1., Jürgen Kraus, Verlag Militaria p.312, 2007)

[JMS1918]

Thanks Chip,... much appreciated!!