XV Corps (German Empire)

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

XV Corps served on the Western Front from the start of the war with the 7th Army. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 19th Army, Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg on the Western Front.

Formation With the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War and the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, the XV Corps was formed in March 1871 with responsibility for the new Imperial provinces. Headquarters was established in Strasbourg with the constituent units drawn from the armies of the various states of the German Empire. The Corps initially covered the entire district of Alsace-Lorraine, but from April 1890 a new XVI Corps was formed in Lorraine and the Corps was restricted to Alsace.

It was assigned to the V Army Inspectorate which became the 7th 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 XV Corps 30th Division 60th Infantry Brigade 99th (2nd Upper Rhenish) InfantrySaverne, III Bn at Phalsbourg 143rd (4th Lower Alsasian) InfantryStrasbourg, III at Mutzig 85th Infantry Brigade 105th (6th Royal Saxon) Infantry "King William II of Württemberg"Strasbourg 136th (4th Lotharingian) InfantryStrasbourg 30th Field Artillery Brigade 51st (2nd Upper Alsatian) Field ArtilleryStrasbourg 84th (Strasbourg) Field ArtilleryStrasbourg 30th Cavalry Brigade 15th (3rd Silesian) DragoonsHaguenau 9th (2nd Rhenish) HussarsStrasbourg 39th Division 61st Infantry Brigade 126th (8th Württemberg) Infantry "Grand Duke Frederick of Baden"Strasbourg 132nd (1st Lower Alsatian) InfantryStrasbourg 82nd Infantry Brigade 171st (2nd Upper Alsatian) InfantryColmar 172nd (3rd Upper Alsatian) InfantryNeuf-Brisach 39th Field Artillery Brigade 66th (4th Baden) Field ArtilleryLahr, Neuf-Brisach 80th (3rd Upper Alsatian) Field ArtilleryColmar, Neuf-Brisach 39th Cavalry Brigade 14th (Kurmark) DragoonsColmar 3rd Jäger zu PferdeColmar Corps Troops 8th (Rhenish) Jäger BattalionSélestat 14th (Grand Duchy Mecklenburg) Jäger BattalionColmar 9th Fortress Machine Gun AbteilungStrasbourg 10th Fortress Machine Gun AbteilungMutzig 10th (Lower Saxony) Foot ArtilleryStrasbourg 13th (Hohenzollern) Foot ArtilleryUlm, Breisach 14th (Baden) Foot ArtilleryStrasbourg 15th (1st Alsatian) Pioneer BattalionStrasbourg 19th (2nd Alsatian) (Fortress-) Pioneer BattalionStrasbourg 4th Fortress Telephone CompanyStrasbourg 4th Flying BattalionStraßburg, Metz, Freiburg im Breisgau 15th (Alsatian) Train BattalionStrasbourg

World War I

Organisation on mobilisation On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 30th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 7th Cavalry Division and the 39th 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, XV Corps mobilised with 26 infantry battalions, 10 machine gun companies (60 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 XV Corps 30th Division 60th Infantry Brigade 99th Infantry Regiment 143rd Infantry Regiment 85th Infantry Brigade 105th Infantry Regiment 136th Infantry Regiment 30th Field Artillery Brigade 51st Field Artillery Regiment 84th Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Jäger zu Pferde Regiment 1st Company, 15th Pioneer Battalion 30th Divisional Pontoon Train 1st Medical Company 3rd Medical Company 39th Division 61st Infantry Brigade 126th Infantry Regiment 132nd Infantry Regiment 8th Jäger BattalionWith a machine gun company 82nd Infantry Brigade 171st Infantry Regiment 172nd Infantry Regiment 14th Jäger BattalionWith a machine gun company 39th Field Artillery Brigade 66th Field Artillery Regiment 80th Field Artillery Regiment 14th Dragoon Regiment 2nd Company, 15th Pioneer Battalion 3rd Company, 15th Pioneer Battalion 39th Divisional Pontoon Train 2nd Medical Company Corps Troops II Battalion, 10th Foot Artillery Regiment4 heavy artillery batteries (16 heavy field howitzers) 3rd Aviation Detachment 15th Corps Pontoon Train 15th Telephone Detachment 15th 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 7th Army on the left of the forces that executed the Schlieffen Plan. It fought on the Western Front in Lorraine. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 19th Army, Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg on the Western Front.

Commanders The XV 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 Name 20 March 1871 General der Infanterie Eduard von Fransecky 1 November 1879 Generalfeldmarschall Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel 16 September 1885 General der Kavallerie Wilhelm von Heuduck 4 November 1890 General der Artillerie Alfred von Lewinski 1 April 1892 General der Infanterie Wilhelm Hermann von Blume 4 April 1896 General der Infanterie Kuno Freiherr von Falkenstein 22 May 1899 Generalleutnant Emil Freiherr von Meerscheidt-Hüllessem 6 June 1900 Generalleutnant Hans Anton Herwarth von Bittenfeld 1 April 1903 General der Infanterie Leopold Ritter Hentschel von Gilgenheimb 31 January 1910 General der Infanterie Max von Fabeck 1 March 1913 General der Infanterie Berthold von Deimling 25 May 1917 Generalleutnant Emil Ilse

XV Corps (German Empire)

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