World War I With the outbreak of World War I, the regiment (as part of the 5th Guard Infantry Brigade) was transferred to the 3rd Guard Infantry Division of the
Guards Reserve Corps. The regiment participated in the invasion of Belgium in August 1914; in late August the Guard Reserve Corps was transferred to the eastern theater of the war and the regiment took part in fighting in Poland, Russia and then later Lithuania. It was during this time that the regiment acquired the nickname "The White Devils" from the Russian because of the unit's distinctive white braid (
Litzen). In May 1915, the 5th Guard Infantry Brigade was used to form the new 4th Guard Infantry Division. This division would become one of the German army's best, and the regiment would find itself engaged in some of the most significant battles of the war. From November 1915, until the end of the war it fought on the western front, namely on the Somme, Arras, Flanders, and during the Spring Offensive of 1918. During the war, just over 4,000 men of the regiment were killed. Commanders during the war were
Oberst von Hülsen,
Oberstleutnant von Radowitz and Major von Kriegsheim.
Post-WWI In 1919, the last remaining soldiers of the regiment formed the "Detachement Maltzan", a
Freikorps ready for use in the Baltic. == Legacy ==