XVI Corps (German Empire)

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

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

Formation

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 but joined the 5th Army at the start of the First World War.

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. 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).They formed the Guards Cavalry Division, the only peacetime cavalry division in the German Army. 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

+Peacetime organization of the Corps Corps Division Brigade Units Garrison XVI Corps 33rd Division 66th Infantry Brigade 98th (Metz) InfantryMetz 130th (1st Lotharingian) InfantryMetz 67th Infantry Brigade 135th (3rd Lotharingian) InfantryDiedenhofen 144th (5th Lotharingian) InfantryMetz 33rd Field Artillery Brigade 33rd (1st Lotharingian) Field ArtilleryMetz 34th (2nd Lotharingian) Field ArtilleryMetz 33rd Cavalry Brigade 9th (1st Hannover) Dragoons "King Charles I of Rumania"Metz 13th (Schleswig-Holstein) DragoonsMetz 34th Division 68th Infantry Brigade 67th (4th Magdeburg) InfantryMetz 145th (6th Lotharingian) King's InfantryMetz 86th Infantry Brigade 30th (4th Rhenish) Infantry "Count Werder"Saarlouis 173rd (9th Lotharingian) InfantrySt. Avold, III Bn at Metz 34th Field Artillery Brigade 69th (3rd Lotharingian) Field ArtillerySt. Avold 70th (4th Lotharingian) Field ArtilleryMetz, Saarlouis 34th Cavalry Brigade 14th (2nd Hannover) UhlansSt. Avold, Mörchingen 12th Jäger zu PferdeSt. Avold 45th Cavalry Brigade 13th (1st Kurhessian) Hussars "King Umberto of Italy"Diedenhofen 13th Jäger zu PferdeSaarlouis Corps Troops 11th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Diedenhofen 12th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Metz 13th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Metz 14th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Metz 15th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung Metz 8th (Rhenish) Foot ArtilleryMetz 12th (1st Royal Saxon) Foot ArtilleryMetz 16th (Lotharingian) Foot ArtilleryMetz, Diedenhofen 16th (1st Lotharingian) Pioneer BattalionMetz 20th (2nd Lotharingian) (Fortress-) Pioneer BattalionMetz 3rd (Fortress-) Telephone CompanyMetz 16th (Lotharingian) Train BattalionSaarlouis Metz Defence Command(Landwehr-Inspektion)Metz

World War I Organisation on mobilisation 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 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 Corps Division Brigade Units XVI Corps 33rd Division 66th Infantry Brigade 98th Infantry Regiment 130th Infantry Regiment 67th Infantry Brigade 135th Infantry Regiment 144th Infantry Regiment 33rd Field Artillery Brigade 33rd Field Artillery Regiment 34th Field Artillery Regiment 12th Jäger zu Pferde Regiment 1st Company, 16th Pioneer Battalion 33rd Divisional Pontoon Train 1st Medical Company 3rd Medical Company 34th Division 68th Infantry Brigade 67th Infantry Regiment 145th King's Infantry Regiment 86th Infantry Brigade 30th Infantry Regiment 173rd Infantry Regiment 34th Field Artillery Brigade 69th Field Artillery Regiment 70th Field Artillery Regiment 14th Uhlan Regiment 2nd Company, 16th Pioneer Battalion 3rd Company, 16th Pioneer Battalion 34th Divisional Pontoon Train 2nd Medical Company Corps Troops I Battalion, 10th Foot Artillery Regiment4 heavy artillery batteries (16 heavy field howitzers) 2nd Aviation Detachment 16th Corps Pontoon Train 16th Telephone Detachment 16th Pioneer Searchlight Section Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps

Combat chronicle At the outbreak of World War I, the Corps was assigned to the 5th Army. It fought on the Western Front in Lorraine.verwaltungsgeschichte.de page It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 3rd Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front.

Commanders The XVI Corps had the following commanders during its existence:German Administrative History Accessed: 12 May 2012German War History Accessed: 12 May 2012The Prussian Machine Accessed: 12 May 2012

Dates Rank Name24 March 1890 to 17 May 1903General der KavallerieGottlieb Graf von Haeseler18 May 1903 to 23 April 1906General der InfanterieLouis Stoetzer24 April 1906 to 28 February 1913General der InfanterieMaximilian von Prittwitz und Gaffron1 March 1913 to 28 October 1916General der InfanterieBruno von Mudra29 October 1916 to end of the warGeneralleutnantAdolf Wild von Hohenborn

XVI Corps (German Empire)

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