II Royal Bavarian Corps
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Bavaria / 
German Empire| II Royal Bavarian Army Corps II. Königlich Bayerische Armee-Korps | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918) | |
| Active | 1869–1919 |
| Country | Bavaria / German Empire |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | Approximately 44,000 (on mobilisation in 1914) |
| Garrison/HQ | Würzburg/Ludwig-Straße 25 |
| Patron | King of Bavaria |
| Engagements | Franco-Prussian War |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | II Bavarian AK |
The II Royal Bavarian Army Corps / II Bavarian AK (German: II. Königlich Bayerisches Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the Royal Bavarian Army, part of the Imperial German Army, before and during World War I.[a]
As part of the 1868 army reform, the II Royal Bavarian Army Corps of the Bavarian Army was set up in 1869 in Würzburg as the Generalkommando (headquarters) for the northern part of the kingdom. With the formation of the III Royal Bavarian Corps in 1900 it was made responsible for Lower Franconia, parts of Upper Franconia and the Palatinate. Like all Bavarian formations, it was assigned to the IV Army Inspectorate[1] which became the 6th Army at the start of the First World War. The Corps was disbanded at the end of the war.
The II Royal Bavarian Corps (along with the I Royal Bavarian Corps) participated in the Franco-Prussian War as part of the 3rd Army. It saw action in the battles of Wissembourg, Wörth and Sedan, and in the Siege of Paris.
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.[2] 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).[3]
Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more
| Corps | Division | Brigade | Units | Garrison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| II Royal Bavarian Corps | 3rd Royal Bavarian Division | 5th Bavarian Infantry Brigade | 22nd Royal Bavarian Infantry "Prince William of Hohenzollern" | Zweibrücken, II Bn. Saargemünd |
| 23rd Royal Bavarian Infantry | Landau, II Bn. Germersheim, III Bn. Lechfeld | |||
| 6th Bavarian Infantry Brigade | 17th Royal Bavarian Infantry "Orff" | Germersheim | ||
| 18th Royal Bavarian Infantry "Prince Ludwig Ferdinand" | Landau | |||
| 3rd Bavarian Field Artillery Brigade | 5th Royal Bavarian Field Artillery "King Alfons XIII of Spain"[5] | Landau | ||
| 12th Royal Bavarian Field Artillery | Landau | |||
| 3rd Bavarian Cavalry Brigade | 3rd Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers "Duke Charles Theodore" | Dieuze | ||
| 5th Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers "Archduke Albrecht of Austria" | Saargemünd | |||
| 4th Royal Bavarian Division | 7th Bavarian Infantry Brigade | 5th Royal Bavarian Infantry "Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hessen" | Bamberg | |
| 9th Royal Bavarian Infantry "Wrede" | Würzburg | |||
| 8th Bavarian Infantry Brigade | 4th Royal Bavarian Infantry "King William of Württemberg" | Metz | ||
| 8th Royal Bavarian Infantry "Grand Duke Frederick II of Baden" | Metz | |||
| 4th Bavarian Field Artillery Brigade | 2nd Royal Bavarian Field Artillery "Horn" | Würzburg | ||
| 11th Royal Bavarian Field Artillery | Würzburg | |||
| 4th Bavarian Cavalry Brigade | 1st Royal Bavarian Uhlans "Emperor William II, King of Prussia" | Bamberg | ||
| 2nd Royal Bavarian Uhlans "King" | Ansbach | |||
| Corps Troops | 2nd Royal Bavarian Jäger Battalion | Aschaffenburg | ||
| 1st Royal Bavarian Machine Gun Abteilung | Landau | |||
| 2nd Royal Bavarian Foot Artillery | Metz | |||
| 2nd Royal Bavarian Pioneer Battalion | Speyer | |||
| 3rd Royal Bavarian Pioneer Battalion | Munich | |||
| 2nd Royal Bavarian Train Abteilung | Würzburg, Germersheim | |||
| Landau Defence Command (Landwehr-Inspektion) | Landau |
World War I
Organisation on mobilisation
On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 4th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the Bavarian Cavalry Division[6] and the 3rd 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.
The 8th Bavarian Infantry Brigade (4th and 8th Bavarian Infantry Regiments) remained in Metz as part of the 33rd Reserve Division on mobilisation. It was replaced in 4th Bavarian Division by the 5th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Brigade (5th and 8th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiments).[7]
In summary, II Bavarian Corps mobilised with 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| II Royal Bavarian Corps | 3rd Royal Bavarian Division | 5th Bavarian Infantry Brigade | 22nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment |
| 23rd Bavarian Infantry Regiment | |||
| 6th Bavarian Infantry Brigade | 17th Bavarian Infantry Regiment | ||
| 18th Bavarian Infantry Regiment | |||
| 3rd Bavarian Field Artillery Brigade | 5th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 12th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| 3rd Chevauleger Regiment | |||
| 1st Company, 2nd Bavarian Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 3rd Company, 2nd Bavarian Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 3rd Bavarian Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 1st Bavarian Medical Company | |||
| 3rd Bavarian Medical Company | |||
| 4th Royal Bavarian Division | 7th Bavarian Infantry Brigade | 5th Bavarian Infantry Regiment | |
| 9th Bavarian Infantry Regiment | |||
| 2nd Bavarian Jäger Battalion[9][10] | |||
| 5th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Brigade | 5th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment | ||
| 8th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment | |||
| 4th Bavarian Field Artillery Brigade | 2nd Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 11th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| 5th Chevauleger Regiment | |||
| 2nd Company, 2nd Bavarian Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 4th Bavarian Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 2nd Bavarian Medical Company | |||
| Corps Troops | I Battalion, 1st Bavarian Foot Artillery Regiment[11] | ||
| 2nd Bavarian Aviation Detachment | |||
| 2nd Bavarian Corps Pontoon Train | |||
| 2nd Bavarian Telephone Detachment | |||
| 2nd Bavarian Pioneer Searchlight Section | |||
| Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps |
Combat chronicle
On mobilisation, II Royal Bavarian Corps was assigned to the predominantly Bavarian 6th Army forming part of the left wing of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914. It was still in existence at the end of the war[12] in the 17th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front.[13]
Commanders
The II Royal Bavarian Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[14][15][16]
| Dates | Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 8 January 1869 | General der Infanterie | Jakob Freiherr von Hartmann |
| 24 April 1873 | Generalleutnant | Joseph von Maillinger |
| 5 July 1875 | General der Infanterie | Carl von Orff |
| 9 May 1890 | General der Infanterie | Otto von Parseval |
| 18 April 1895 | General der Kavallerie | Emil Ritter von Xylander |
| 23 March 1905 | General der Infanterie | Theophil Freiherr Reichlin von Meldegg |
| 18 November 1908 | General der Infanterie | Alfred Graf Eckbrett von Dürckheim-Montmartin |
| 22 April 1912 | General der Infanterie | Karl Ritter von Martini |
| 5 November 1914 | Generalleutnant | Otto von Stetten |
| 19 April 1918 | General der Infanterie | Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen |
| 20 December 1918 | Generalleutnant | Otto Ritter von Rauchenberger |
| 10 June 1919 | General der Artillerie | Hermann Ritter von Burkhardt |
