XVIII Corps (German Empire)
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| XVIII Army Corps XVIII. Armee-Korps |
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|---|---|
Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918)
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| Active | 1 April 1899–1919 |
| Country |  German Empire |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | Approximately 44,000 (on mobilisation in 1914) |
| Garrison/HQ | Frankfurt am Main |
| Engagements | World War I |
The XVIII Army Corps / XVIII AK (German: XVIII. Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the German Army before and during World War I.
As the German Army expanded in the latter part of the 19th century, the XVIII Army Corps was set up on 1 April 1899 in Frankfurt am Main as the Generalkommando (headquarters) for the district of Wiesbaden and the Grand Duchy of Hesse.[1] It took over command of 21st Division from XI Corps and the previously separate 25th (Grand Ducal Hessian) Division. It was assigned to the VII Army Inspectorate,[2] but joined the 4th Army at the start of the First World War.
It was still in existence at the end of the war,[3] serving in the 17th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front.[4]
Contents
Peacetime organisation
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
World War I
Organisation on mobilisation
On mobilization, on 2 August 1914, the Corps was restructured. The 25th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 3rd Cavalry Division[8] and the 21st Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned to the divisions as reconnaissance units. The 168th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 25th Reserve Division in XVIII Reserve Corps. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, XVIII 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.
| Corps | Division | Brigade | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| XVIII Corps | 21st Division | 41st Infantry Brigade | 87th Infantry Regiment |
| 88th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 42nd Infantry Brigade | 80th Fusilier Regiment | ||
| 81st Infantry Regiment | |||
| 21st Field Artillery Brigade | 27th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 63rd Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| 6th Uhlan Regiment | |||
| 1st Company, 21st Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 21st Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 1st Medical Company | |||
| 3rd Medical Company | |||
| 25th Division | 49th Infantry Brigade | 115th Life Guard Infantry Regiment | |
| 116th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 50th Infantry Brigade | 117th Life Infantry Regiment | ||
| 118th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 25th Field Artillery Brigade | 25th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 61st Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| 6th Dragoon Regiment | |||
| 2nd Company, 21st Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 3rd Company, 21st Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 25th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 2nd Medical Company | |||
| Corps Troops | I Battalion, 3rd Foot Artillery Regiment[10] | ||
| 27th Aviation Detachment | |||
| 18th Corps Pontoon Train | |||
| 18th Telephone Detachment | |||
| 21st Pioneer Searchlight Section | |||
| Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps |
Combat chronicle
On mobilisation, XVIII Corps was assigned to the 4th Army forming part of the centre of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914. It was still in existence at the end of the war, serving in the 17th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front.[11]
Commanders
The XVIII Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[12][13]
| Dates | Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 25 March 1899 to 30 April 1904 | General der Infanterie | Oskar von Lindequist |
| 1 May 1904 to 12 September 1912 | Generalleutnant | Hermann von Eichhorn |
| 13 September 1912 to 20 January 1917 | General der Infanterie | Dedo von Schenck |
| 21 January 1917 to 26 August 1918 | Generalleutnant | Viktor Albrecht |
| 27 August 1918 to end of the war | Generalleutnant | Günther von Etzel |
See also
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- German 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 regiments
References
- ↑ German Administrative History Accessed: 12 May 2012
- ↑ Cron 2002, p. 395
- ↑ Cron 2002, pp. 88–89
- ↑ Ellis & Cox 1993, p. 187
- ↑ Haythornthwaite 1996, pp. 193–194
- ↑ They formed the Guards Cavalry Division, the only peacetime cavalry division in the German Army.
- ↑ War Office 1918, p. 257
- ↑ Cron 2002, p. 301
- ↑ Cron 2002, pp. 312–313
- ↑ 4 heavy artillery batteries (16 heavy field howitzers)
- ↑ Ellis & Cox 1993, p. 187
- ↑ German War History Accessed: 12 May 2012
- ↑ The Prussian Machine Accessed: 12 May 2012
- XVIII. Armeekorps (Chronik 1914/1918)
- Claus von Bredow, bearb., Historische Rang- und Stammliste des deuschen Heeres (1905)
- Günter Wegner, Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Heere 1815–1939. (Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1993), Bd. 1
Bibliography
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