This is the German Army order of battle on the outbreak of World War I in August 1914.
Commanders and locations of the German Army The overall commander of the Imperial German Army was Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Chief of the General Staff was Generaloberst Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, with General Hermann von Stein as Deputy Chief. The Departmental chiefs were Oberst Tappen (Operations Branch), Oberstleutnant Hentsch (Intelligence Branch), Major Nicolai (Secret Service), Oberst von Dommes (Political Section), Generalleutnant Siger (Field munitions), Major Thomsen (Air Service), Oberst Groner (Field Railways), General von Lauter(Foot Artillery), General von Claer was General of Engineers, and General von Schjerning (Medical Services). Generalmajor von Schoeler was Intendant-General (responsible for logistical supplies).
Homeland corps deployments (1871-1914) During times of war in Germany, all military forces came under the direct command of the German Emperor, via Article 60 of the Constitution of the German Reich (1871). From 1871 to 1918, the forces of the Emperor included those of the kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg, with all other states commanded by, or merged with his Prussian army.
Western Front
Cavalry
Four independent cavalry corps served on the Western Front. These had the following order of battle:
I Cavalry Corps (preceding 3rd Army)
Commander: General der Kavallerie Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen
Chief of Staff: Oberst von Raumer Guards Cavalry Division (General Adolf von Storch) 1st Guard Cavalry Brigade Gardes du Corps Guards Cuirassiers 2nd Guard Cavalry Brigade 1st Guards Uhlans 3rd Guards Uhlans 3rd Guards Cavalry Brigade 1st Guards Dragoons "Queen of Great Britain and Ireland" 2nd Guards Dragoons "Empress Alexandra of Russia"
5th Cavalry Division (General Karl von Ilsemann) II Cavalry Corps (preceding 1st and 2nd Armies)
Commander: General der Kavallerie Georg von der Marwitz
Chief of Staff: Major Hoffmann von Waldau 2nd Cavalry Division (General Friedrich FH von Krane) 4th Cavalry Division (General Otto von Garnier) 9th Cavalry Division (General Karl Hans von Bülow) III Cavalry Corps (preceding 6th Army)
Commander: General der Kavallerie Rudolf Ritter von Frommel
Chief of Staff: Major von Meiß 7th Cavalry Division (General Ernst von Heydebreck) 8th Cavalry Division (General Günther Graf von der Schulenburg-Hehlen) Bavarian Cavalry Division (Generalleutnant Otto von Stetten) IV Cavalry Corps (preceding 4th and 5th Armies)
Commander: General der Kavallerie Gustav Freiherr von Hollen
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Otto von Brandenstein 3rd Cavalry Division (General Kurt von Unger) 6th Cavalry Division (General Egon Graf von Schmettow) Each Cavalry Division consisted of 3 Brigades, each of 2 Cavalry Regiments (24 squadrons total), 3 horse artillery batteries (4 guns each) and an MG detachment (6 MGs).
First Army 1st Army had the following order of battle:
Commander: Generaloberst Alexander von Kluck
Chief of Staff: Generalmajor Hermann von Kuhl
Oberquartiermaster: Oberst Walter von Bergmann
HQ: Grevenbroich, Germany
Strength: 320,000
II Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Alexander von Linsingen
Chief of Staff: Oberst Hans von Hammerstein-Gesmold 3rd Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Kurt Eduard von Trossel) 4th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Günther von Pannewitz)
III Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Ewald von Lochow
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Hans von Seeckt 5th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Georg Wichura) 6th Infantry Division (Generalmajor Richard Herhudt von Rohden)
IV Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Friedrich Sixt von Armin
Chief of Staff: Generalmajor Leo von Stocken 7th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Johannes Riedel) 8th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Georg Karl August Hildebrandt)
IX Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Ferdinand von Quast
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Hans Sydow 17th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Arnold von Bauer) 18th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Max von Kluge)
III Reserve Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Hans von Beseler
Chief of Staff: Oberst Paul Meister 5th Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Richard Voigt) 6th Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Emil von Schickfus und Neudorf)
IV Reserve Corps Commander: General der Artillerie Hans von Gronau
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Friedrich von der Heyde 7th Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Bogislav Graf von Schwerin) 22nd Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Otto Riemann)
Other Forces 10th Mixed Landwehr Brigade (Werner von Lenthe) 11th Mixed Landwehr Brigade (Oberst Hans von Tippelskirch) 27th Mixed Landwehr Brigade (Viktor Dallmer) Pionier Regimentexpansion of pre-war 18th Btn
Second Army 2nd Army had the following order of battle:
Commander: Generaloberst Karl von Bülow
Chief of Staff: Generalleutnant Otto von Lauenstein
Oberquartiermaster: Generalmajor Erich Ludendorff
HQ: Monschau, Germany
Strength: 260,000
Guards Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Karl von Plettenberg
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Friedrich Graf von der Schulenburg 1st Guards Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Oskar von Hutier) 1st Guards Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Friedrich Leopold von Kleist) 2nd Guards Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Hans Karl Schach von Wittenau) 1st Guards Field Artillery Brigade (Generalmajor Friedrich von Buddenbrock) Leib-Garde-Husaren-Regiment (Oberst Georg von Brandenstein) 2nd Guards Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Arnold von Winckler) 3rd Guards Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Viktor Albrecht) 4th Guards Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Friedrich von Gontard) 2nd Guards Field Artillery Brigade (Generalmajor Joseph Trimborn) 2. Garde-Ulanen-Regiment (Oberstleutnant Leopold von Maltzahn)
VII Corps Commander: General der Kavallerie Karl von Einem
Chief of Staff: Oberst Hans von Wolff 13th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Kurt von dem Borne) 14th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Paul Fleck)
X Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Otto von Emmich
Chief of Staff: Oberst Gustav von der Wenge Graf von Lambsdorff 19th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Max Hofmann) 20th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Alwin Schmundt)
Guards Reserve Corps Commander: General der Artillerie Max von Gallwitz
Chief of Staff: Oberst Paul von Barttenwerffer 3rd Guards Infantry DivisionGiven by Edmonds as "3rd Guard Reserve Division". (Generalleutnant Henning von Bonin) 5th Guards Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Nikolaus von Below) 6th Guards Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Friedrich von Friedeburg) 3rd Guards Reserve Field Artillery Brigade (Generalmajor Hans Willibald Graf von Schweinitz und Krain Frh von Kauder) Guards-Reserve-Ulanen-Regiment (Major Johan Cesar Godefroy-Faerber) 1st Guards Reserve Division (Generalmajor Viktor Albrecht) 1st Guards Reserve Brigade (Generalmajor Hans Frh von Langermann und Erlenkamp) Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 1 (Oberstleutnant Max Friedrich von Schlechtendal) Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 2 (Oberstleutnant Wigand von Cramer) Garde-Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon (Major von Gluszewski) 15th Reserve Infantry Brigade (Oberst Hans von Below) Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 64 (Oberstleutnant Rudolf von Cramer) Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 93 (Oberst von Jena) Guards Reserve Field Artillery Brigade (Generalmajor Louis Mertens) Garde-Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment (Oberstleutnant von Bülow) 3. Garde-Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment (Oberstleutnant Goling) Garde-Reserve-Dragoner-Regiment (Major von Hofmann)
VII Reserve Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Hans von Zwehl
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Hans Hesse 13th Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Alfred von Kühne) 25th Reserve Infantry Brigade (Generalleutnant Andreas Wilhelm von Harbou) Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 13 (Oberstleutnant Johann Edler und Ritter von Braun) Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 56 (Oberstleutnant von Goetze) 28th Reserve Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Karl Johann Neuhauß) Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 29 (Oberstleutnant Eben) Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 37 (Oberstleutnant von Flottwell) Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 7 (Hauptmann von der Groeben) Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 13 (Oberstleutenant Reinecke) Reserve-Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (Major Hugo von Kayser) 14th Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Wolfgang von Unger) 28th Infantry Brigade (Oberst Hermann von Ziegesar) Niederrheinisches Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 39 (Oberst Walter von Schönberg) 8. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 159 (Obserst Karl von Kraewel) 27th Reserve Infantry Brigade (Generalleutnant Edwin Sunkel) Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 16 (Oberstleutnant Siegener) Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 53 (Oberstleutnant Bötterling) Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 14 (Major Wendt) Reserve-Husaren-Regiment Nr. 8 (Major Heyne)
X Reserve Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Günther Graf von Kirchbach
Chief of Staff: Oberst Gottfried Marquard 2nd Guards Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Richard von Süßkind) 19th Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Max von Bahrfeldt)
Other Forces 25th Mixed Landwehr Brigade (Georg Franz von Glasenapp) 29th Mixed Landwehr Brigade (Viktor von Rosenberg-Lipinski) 4 Mortar BattalionsII & III Btns, 4th Foot Regt; I & II Btns, 9th Foot Regt 10-cm Gun BattalionII Btn, 9th Reserve Foot Regt 2 Heavy Coastal Mortar Batteries1st & 5th Btys 2 Pionier Regimentsexpansion of pre-war 24th & 25th Btns
Third Army
3rd Army had the following order of battle:
Commander: Generaloberst Max von Hausen
Chief of Staff: Generalmajor Ernst von Hoeppner
Oberquartiermaster: Generalmajor Max Leuthold
Commander of Pioniere: Generalmajor Franz Adams
HQ: Prüm, Germany
Strength: 180,000
XI Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Otto von Plüskow
Chief of Staff: Oberst Traugott von Sauberzweig 22nd Infantry Division (Generalmajor Karl Dieffenbach) 43rd Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Walter von Hülsen) 44th Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Theodor Nordbeck) 22nd Field Artillery Brigade (Generalmajor Karl Max Gronau) 38th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Ernst Wagner) 76th Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Fritz von Versen) 83rd Infantry Brigade (Generalmajor Thilo von Hanstein) 38 Field Artillery Brigade (Generalmajor Otto Krahmer) 6th (Brandenburg) Cuirassiers "Emperor Nicholas I of Russia" (Oberst Alexander von Poten)
XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Karl d'Elsa
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Hans von Eulitz 23rd Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Karl von Lindeman) 32nd Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Horst Edler von der Planitz)
XIX (2nd Royal Saxon) Corps Commander: General der Kavallerie Maximilian von Laffert
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Georg Frotscher 24th Infantry Division 40th Infantry Division
XII (Royal Saxon) Reserve Corps Commander: General der Artillerie Hans von Kirchbach
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Konrad von Koppenfels 23rd Reserve Division 24th Reserve Division
Other Forces 47th Mixed Landwehr Brigade (Generalleutnant ch. Carlotto Graf Vitzthum von Eckstaedt) Mortar BattalionIII Btn, 1st Foot Regt Pionier Regimentexpansion of pre-war 23rd Btn
Fourth Army
4th Army had the following order of battle:
Commander: Generaloberst Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg
Chief of Staff: Generalleutnant Walther von Lüttwitz
Oberquartiermaster: Oberst Georg Weidner
HQ: Trier, Germany
Strength: 180,000
VI Corps Commander: General der Infanterie Kurt von Pritzelwitz
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Friedrich von Derschau 11th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Richard von Webern) 12th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Martin Chales de Beaulieu)
VIII Corps Commander: Generalleutnant Erich Tülff von Tschepe und Weidenbach
Chief of Staff: Oberst August von Cramon