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Movements of The
Fortieth "Sunshine" Division
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Oct 1917 |
Camp
Kearny, first draftees report to the 40th Division when
"fillers" came in from camps Funston and Lewis. |
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26 Jul 1918 |
Unit
entrained (departed by train) at Camp Kearny |
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01 Aug 1918 |
Arrived at
Camp Mills, Long Island, New York |
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08 Aug 1918 |
Embarked
at the Port of New York |
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20 Aug 1918 |
Arrived at
Liverpool, England |
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20 Aug 1918 |
Converted to the 6th Depot Division (Date division headquarters
arrived in France). |
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21 Aug 1918 |
Proceeded
to Winchester, England |
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23 Aug 1918 |
Entrained
for Southampton, immediately boarded a camouflaged ship moving
at night. |
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24 Aug 1918 |
Arrived at
Cherbourg, France in morning. |
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25 Aug 1918 |
Division
soldiers entrained on box cars buily for 4 men or 8 horses. |
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28 Aug 1918 |
Arrived at
La Guerche, France and remained on duty with division
headquarters to . |
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Sep 1918 |
1,500
replacements sent to 32nd Division from La Guerche |
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Sep 1918 |
2,000
replacements sent to 28th Division from La Guerche |
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Sep 1918 |
4,000
replacements sent to 77th Division from La Guerche |
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Sep 1918 |
1,000
replacements sent to 81st Division from La Guerche |
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Sep 1918 |
2,100
replacements sent to 80th, 82nd, & 89th Divisions from La
Guerche |
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26 Sep 1918 |
Note:
Meuse-Argonne offensive begins. |
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Oct 1918 |
900
specialists sent to 1st Depot Division, Aignan |
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31 Oct 1918 |
Entrained
for Revigny (Meuse), France |
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11 Nov 1918 |
Armistice,
war ends at 11:00 am on the 11th day of the 11th month. |
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Below are dates
of unit movements when Raymond Baer
was attached to the 40th division |
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1 Jan 1919 |
Corps
Provional Replacement Battalion near Paris at Chelle (Seine et Marne) taken
over by 158th Infantry & 144th MG Bn. |
| 6
Jan 1919 |
Leaves Revigny (Meuse)
in eastern France |
| 8
Jan 1919 |
Arrives at Castres
(Gironde) France, located on the sothern edge of the city of
Bordeaux |
| 19 Feb 1919 |
Unit leaves Castres
(Gironde) France |
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Apr 1919 |
Raymond embarks at
France in early April sailing home to U.S. |
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The 40th
Infantry "Sunshine" Division was converted to the 6th Depot Division on
August 20, 1918. It maintained only two officers and thirty
enlisted men per company as training cadre. They expected to
perform a combat role in France but instead, provided replacements for
other divisions that suffered horrendous casualties caused by powerful
German drives, and to fill ranks in preparation for the allied
Meuse-Argonne offensive that began on September 26, 1918.
The Division became replacements (skeletonized) when
it arrived in France and fell under the control of the 6th Depot
Division. Members of the unit were sent as indiviudals to units.
The division provided about 12,000 soldiers as replacements to other
divisions and processed tens of thousands through its camps and depots
while serving as a depot division.
After their trans-Atlantic crossing, the 40th was
transported by ship overnight from Southhampton, England and arrived at
Cherbourg, France the morning of August 24, 1918. They were all
transported by train to La Guerche (Cher) France and arrived on the 28th
of August. The unit remained on duty with division headquarters
until transported again by train to Revigny, France on October 31st.
Exerpts taken from book by: James D. Delk,
"The Fighting Fortieth, In War and Peace" (California : ETC
Publications, 1998) p.18-27
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Those
units who remained with the division set up camps to process soldiers.
This seems likely to have included Ray Baer's unit. Specifically, the 144th
MG Bn. was
in charge of a classification camp at Revigny about 20 miles south of
Verdun. Either before or
after they were at Castres, where it is assumed they were also
establishing camps.
On January
6, 1919 the 40th Division leaves Revigny (Meuse) in eastern France and
arrives January 8th, two days later at Castres (Gironde), France.
More than a month later the unit leaves Castres on February 19, 1919.
There is no record of Raymond's location between February 19 and the
time he departed France in early April 1919.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
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