fbpx
Wikipedia

XVI Corps (German Empire)

October 15, 2023

For the equivalent formation in World War II, see XVI Army Corps (Wehrmacht).

The XVI Army Corps / XVI AK (German: XVI. Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the German Army before and during World War I.

XVI Army Corps
XVI. Armee-Korps
Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918)
Active1 April 1890 (1890-04-01)–1919 (1919)
Country German Empire
TypeCorps
SizeApproximately 44,000 (on mobilisation in 1914)
Garrison/HQMetz
EngagementsWorld War I
Battle of the Frontiers
Insignia
AbbreviationXVI AK

It was assigned to the VII Army Inspectorate,[1] which became the 5th Army at the start of the First World War. It was still in existence at the end of the war[2] in the 3rd Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front.[3]

Formation Edit

 
Headquarters, XVI Army Corps

By a law of 27 January 1890, it was decided to separate Alsace-Lorraine provinces in military affairs. It stipulated that from 1 April 1890 the entire power of the Army of the German Empire should be twenty army corps (Guards, I - XVII, I and II Bavarian). The All-highest Cabinet Order (Allerhöchste Kabinettsorder, AKO) of 1 February 1890 authorised the formation of the XVI and XVII Army Corps.

The XVI Army Corps was set up on 1 April 1890 in Metz as the Generalkommando (headquarters) for Lorraine. Its headquarters was in the fortress of Metz. It took command of 33rd Division (formerly 30th Division of XV Corps) and 34th Division formed on the same date. It was assigned to the VII Army Inspectorate[4] but joined the 5th Army at the start of the First World War.

Peacetime organisation Edit

The 25 peacetime Corps of the German Army (Guards, I - XXI, I - III Bavarian) had a reasonably standardised organisation. Each consisted of two divisions with usually two infantry brigades, one field artillery brigade and a cavalry brigade each.[5] Each brigade normally consisted of two regiments of the appropriate type, so each Corps normally commanded 8 infantry, 4 field artillery and 4 cavalry regiments. There were exceptions to this rule:

V, VI, VII, IX and XIV Corps each had a 5th infantry brigade (so 10 infantry regiments)
II, XIII, XVIII and XXI Corps had a 9th infantry regiment
I, VI and XVI Corps had a 3rd cavalry brigade (so 6 cavalry regiments)
the Guards Corps had 11 infantry regiments (in 5 brigades) and 8 cavalry regiments (in 4 brigades).[6]

Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more

Foot Artillery Regiment
Jäger Battalion
Pioneer Battalion
Train Battalion

World War I Edit

Organisation on mobilisation Edit

On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 33rd and 45th Cavalry Brigades were withdrawn to form part of the 6th Cavalry Division[8] and the 34th Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned to the divisions as reconnaissance units. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, XVI Corps mobilised with 24 infantry battalions, 8 machine gun companies (48 machine guns), 8 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries (144 guns), 4 heavy artillery batteries (16 guns), 3 pioneer companies and an aviation detachment.

Combat chronicle Edit

At the outbreak of World War I, the Corps was assigned to the 5th Army.[11] It fought on the Western Front in Lorraine.[12] It was still in existence at the end of the war[13] in the 3rd Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front.[14][15]

Commanders Edit

The XVI Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[16][17][18]

Dates Rank Name
24 March 1890 to 17 May 1903 General der Kavallerie Gottlieb Graf von Haeseler
18 May 1903 to 23 April 1906 General der Infanterie Louis Stoetzer
24 April 1906 to 28 February 1913 General der Infanterie Maximilian von Prittwitz und Gaffron
1 March 1913 to 28 October 1916 General der Infanterie Bruno von Mudra
29 October 1916 to end of the war Generalleutnant Adolf Wild von Hohenborn

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Cron 2002, p. 395
  2. ^ Cron 2002, pp. 88–89
  3. ^ Ellis & Cox 1993, pp. 186–187
  4. ^ Cron 2002, p. 395
  5. ^ Haythornthwaite 1996, pp. 193–194
  6. ^ They formed the Guards Cavalry Division, the only peacetime cavalry division in the German Army.
  7. ^ War Office 1918, p. 255
  8. ^ Cron 2002, p. 301
  9. ^ Cron 2002, pp. 312–315
  10. ^ 4 heavy artillery batteries (16 heavy field howitzers)
  11. ^ Cron 2002, p. 314
  12. ^ verwaltungsgeschichte.de page
  13. ^ Cron 2002, pp. 88–89
  14. ^ Ellis & Cox 1993, pp. 186–187
  15. ^ meuse-argonne.com
  16. ^ German Administrative History Accessed: 12 May 2012
  17. ^ German War History Accessed: 12 May 2012
  18. ^ The Prussian Machine Accessed: 12 May 2012

Bibliography Edit

  • Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.
  • Ellis, John; Cox, Michael (1993). The World War I Databook. Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85410-766-6.
  • Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1996). The World War One Source Book. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-351-7.
  • Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919. The London Stamp Exchange Ltd (1989). 1920. ISBN 0-948130-87-3.
  • The German Forces in the Field; 7th Revision, 11th November 1918; Compiled by the General Staff, War Office. Imperial War Museum, London and The Battery Press, Inc (1995). 1918. ISBN 1-870423-95-X.

October 15, 2023
corps, german, empire, equivalent, formation, world, army, corps, wehrmacht, army, corps, german, armee, korps, corps, level, command, german, army, before, during, world, army, corpsxvi, armee, korpsflag, staff, generalkommando, 1871, 1918, active1, april, 18. For the equivalent formation in World War II see XVI Army Corps Wehrmacht The XVI Army Corps XVI AK German XVI Armee Korps was a corps level command of the German Army before and during World War I XVI Army CorpsXVI Armee KorpsFlag of the Staff of a Generalkommando 1871 1918 Active1 April 1890 1890 04 01 1919 1919 Country German EmpireTypeCorpsSizeApproximately 44 000 on mobilisation in 1914 Garrison HQMetzEngagementsWorld War I Battle of the FrontiersInsigniaAbbreviationXVI AK It was assigned to the VII Army Inspectorate 1 which became the 5th Army at the start of the First World War It was still in existence at the end of the war 2 in the 3rd Army Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front 3 Contents 1 Formation 2 Peacetime organisation 3 World War I 3 1 Organisation on mobilisation 3 2 Combat chronicle 4 Commanders 5 See also 6 References 7 BibliographyFormation Edit nbsp Headquarters XVI Army CorpsBy a law of 27 January 1890 it was decided to separate Alsace Lorraine provinces in military affairs It stipulated that from 1 April 1890 the entire power of the Army of the German Empire should be twenty army corps Guards I XVII I and II Bavarian The All highest Cabinet Order Allerhochste Kabinettsorder AKO of 1 February 1890 authorised the formation of the XVI and XVII Army Corps The XVI Army Corps was set up on 1 April 1890 in Metz as the Generalkommando headquarters for Lorraine Its headquarters was in the fortress of Metz It took command of 33rd Division formerly 30th Division of XV Corps and 34th Division formed on the same date It was assigned to the VII Army Inspectorate 4 but joined the 5th Army at the start of the First World War Peacetime organisation EditThe 25 peacetime Corps of the German Army Guards I XXI I III Bavarian had a reasonably standardised organisation Each consisted of two divisions with usually two infantry brigades one field artillery brigade and a cavalry brigade each 5 Each brigade normally consisted of two regiments of the appropriate type so each Corps normally commanded 8 infantry 4 field artillery and 4 cavalry regiments There were exceptions to this rule V VI VII IX and XIV Corps each had a 5th infantry brigade so 10 infantry regiments II XIII XVIII and XXI Corps had a 9th infantry regiment I VI and XVI Corps had a 3rd cavalry brigade so 6 cavalry regiments the Guards Corps had 11 infantry regiments in 5 brigades and 8 cavalry regiments in 4 brigades 6 Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units This could include one or more Foot Artillery Regiment Jager Battalion Pioneer Battalion Train BattalionPeacetime organization of the Corps 7 Corps Division Brigade Units GarrisonXVI Corps 33rd Division 66th Infantry Brigade 98th Metz Infantry Metz130th 1st Lotharingian Infantry Metz67th Infantry Brigade 135th 3rd Lotharingian Infantry Diedenhofen144th 5th Lotharingian Infantry Metz33rd Field Artillery Brigade 33rd 1st Lotharingian Field Artillery Metz34th 2nd Lotharingian Field Artillery Metz33rd Cavalry Brigade 9th 1st Hannover Dragoons King Charles I of Rumania Metz13th Schleswig Holstein Dragoons Metz34th Division 68th Infantry Brigade 67th 4th Magdeburg Infantry Metz145th 6th Lotharingian King s Infantry Metz86th Infantry Brigade 30th 4th Rhenish Infantry Count Werder Saarlouis173rd 9th Lotharingian Infantry St Avold III Bn at Metz34th Field Artillery Brigade 69th 3rd Lotharingian Field Artillery St Avold70th 4th Lotharingian Field Artillery Metz Saarlouis34th Cavalry Brigade 14th 2nd Hannover Uhlans St Avold Morchingen12th Jager zu Pferde St Avold45th Cavalry Brigade 13th 1st Kurhessian Hussars King Umberto of Italy Diedenhofen13th Jager zu Pferde SaarlouisCorps Troops 11th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Diedenhofen12th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Metz13th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Metz14th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Metz15th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Metz8th Rhenish Foot Artillery Metz12th 1st Royal Saxon Foot Artillery Metz16th Lotharingian Foot Artillery Metz Diedenhofen16th 1st Lotharingian Pioneer Battalion Metz20th 2nd Lotharingian Fortress Pioneer Battalion Metz3rd Fortress Telephone Company Metz16th Lotharingian Train Battalion SaarlouisMetz Defence Command Landwehr Inspektion MetzWorld War I EditOrganisation on mobilisation Edit On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured 33rd and 45th Cavalry Brigades were withdrawn to form part of the 6th Cavalry Division 8 and the 34th Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned to the divisions as reconnaissance units Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters In summary XVI Corps mobilised with 24 infantry battalions 8 machine gun companies 48 machine guns 8 cavalry squadrons 24 field artillery batteries 144 guns 4 heavy artillery batteries 16 guns 3 pioneer companies and an aviation detachment Initial wartime organization of the Corps 9 Corps Division Brigade UnitsXVI Corps 33rd Division 66th Infantry Brigade 98th Infantry Regiment130th Infantry Regiment67th Infantry Brigade 135th Infantry Regiment144th Infantry Regiment33rd Field Artillery Brigade 33rd Field Artillery Regiment34th Field Artillery Regiment12th Jager zu Pferde Regiment1st Company 16th Pioneer Battalion33rd Divisional Pontoon Train1st Medical Company3rd Medical Company34th Division 68th Infantry Brigade 67th Infantry Regiment145th King s Infantry Regiment86th Infantry Brigade 30th Infantry Regiment173rd Infantry Regiment34th Field Artillery Brigade 69th Field Artillery Regiment70th Field Artillery Regiment14th Uhlan Regiment2nd Company 16th Pioneer Battalion3rd Company 16th Pioneer Battalion34th Divisional Pontoon Train2nd Medical CompanyCorps Troops I Battalion 10th Foot Artillery Regiment 10 2nd Aviation Detachment16th Corps Pontoon Train16th Telephone Detachment16th Pioneer Searchlight SectionMunition Trains and Columns corresponding to II CorpsCombat chronicle Edit At the outbreak of World War I the Corps was assigned to the 5th Army 11 It fought on the Western Front in Lorraine 12 It was still in existence at the end of the war 13 in the 3rd Army Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front 14 15 Commanders EditThe XVI Corps had the following commanders during its existence 16 17 18 Dates Rank Name24 March 1890 to 17 May 1903 General der Kavallerie Gottlieb Graf von Haeseler18 May 1903 to 23 April 1906 General der Infanterie Louis Stoetzer24 April 1906 to 28 February 1913 General der Infanterie Maximilian von Prittwitz und Gaffron1 March 1913 to 28 October 1916 General der Infanterie Bruno von Mudra29 October 1916 to end of the war Generalleutnant Adolf Wild von HohenbornSee also Edit nbsp Germany portal nbsp World War I portalGerman Army order of battle 1914 German Army order of battle Western Front 1918 List of Imperial German infantry regiments List of Imperial German artillery regiments List of Imperial German cavalry regimentsReferences Edit Cron 2002 p 395 Cron 2002 pp 88 89 Ellis amp Cox 1993 pp 186 187 Cron 2002 p 395 Haythornthwaite 1996 pp 193 194 They formed the Guards Cavalry Division the only peacetime cavalry division in the German Army War Office 1918 p 255 Cron 2002 p 301 Cron 2002 pp 312 315 4 heavy artillery batteries 16 heavy field howitzers Cron 2002 p 314 verwaltungsgeschichte de page Cron 2002 pp 88 89 Ellis amp Cox 1993 pp 186 187 meuse argonne com German Administrative History Accessed 12 May 2012 German War History Accessed 12 May 2012 The Prussian Machine Accessed 12 May 2012Bibliography EditCron Hermann 2002 Imperial German Army 1914 18 Organisation Structure Orders of Battle first published 1937 Helion amp Co ISBN 1 874622 70 1 Ellis John Cox Michael 1993 The World War I Databook Aurum Press Ltd ISBN 1 85410 766 6 Haythornthwaite Philip J 1996 The World War One Source Book Arms and Armour ISBN 1 85409 351 7 Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War 1914 1918 compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff American Expeditionary Forces at General Headquarters Chaumont France 1919 The London Stamp Exchange Ltd 1989 1920 ISBN 0 948130 87 3 The German Forces in the Field 7th Revision 11th November 1918 Compiled by the General Staff War Office Imperial War Museum London and The Battery Press Inc 1995 1918 ISBN 1 870423 95 X Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title XVI Corps German Empire amp oldid 1130152681, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.