The 5th Ersatz Division was organized in the fall of 1915 with the name of Basedow Division. It comprised the 37th Landwehr Brigade (73d and 74th Landwehr); until then attached to the 26th Reserve Corps, and the 2d Reserve Ersatz Brigade (3d Ersatz Reserve and 4th Reserve Brigade), situated in the Dixmude sector. With the 4th Ersatz Division, the Basedow Division, which became the 5th Ersatz Division in 1916, constituted at the end of 1915 the Werde Corps. BELGIUM. 1. From January to October, 1916 the division remained in Belgium (region of Yser, then southeast of Ypres). However, the 4th Ersatz Reserve was transferred to the 206th Division at the beginning of September. SOMME. 2. Withdrawn from the Ypres front at the beginning of October, the division was sent to the Somme and engaged north of Courcelette from October 19 to 30. 3. In November it was sent to rest behind the Champagne front. RUSSIA. 4. At the beginning of December it was sent to Russia (the 73d Landwehr entrained December 11 northeast of Reims, via Dusseldorf-Hamburg- Koenigsburg-Tilsit-Poneviej. Detrained at Elovka the 16th). 1917. COURLAND. Sent into line in the Illukst sector (region of Dvinsk) at the beginning of January 1917 and remained in this country during the whole year (Illukst, Lake Stenten, Kchtchava). Its losses were very small—17 killed and 20 wounded in the 3d Ersatz Reserve from the end of December, 1916, to the end of August, 1917. Because the sector was so quiet the division had only small forces during the last months of 1917. The 73d Landwehr at the end of November had only 60 to 65 men per company (examination of Russians). VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE. The division remained for a long time in the quiet sectors of the Russian front and seems to have had only moderate fighting value. 1918. COURLAND. 1. The 5th Ersatz Division was still in the vicinity of Dvinsk in February. In March it exchanged the 3d Ersatz Regiment for the 8th Landsturm Regiment of the 87th Division, the latter being on the point of leaving for France. LIVONIA. 2. The division advanced into Livonia (in March) and remained in the Pskov-Ostrov region as late as June 27th. The 74th Landwehr Regiment was identified here on August 6, but the rest of the division was identified near Mitau during July. 3. Toward the end of October, it was reported that the division, having been refitted, had come to the Western Front via Trier and Rethel; however, the division was never actually identified on the Western Front. VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE. The division was rated as 4th class. 5th Landwehr Division. COMPOSITION.