X Corps (German Empire)
Military unit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The X Army Corps / X AK (German: X. Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the Prussian and German Armies before and during World War I.
Prussia / 
German Empire(on mobilisation in 1914)
| X Army Corps X. Armee-Korps | |
|---|---|
Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918) | |
| Active | 11 October 1866–1919 |
| Country | Prussia / German Empire |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | Approximately 44,000 (on mobilisation in 1914) |
| Garrison/HQ | Hannover/Adolf-Straße 2P |
| Shoulder strap piping | White |
| Engagements | Franco-Prussian War |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | X AK |
X Corps was one of three formed in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War (the others being IX Corps and XI Corps). The Corps was formed in October 1866 with headquarters in Hannover. The catchment area included the newly annexed Kingdom of Hanover (thereafter the Province of Hanover), the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg and the Duchy of Brunswick.[1]
During the Franco-Prussian War it was assigned to the 2nd Army.
In peacetime, it was assigned to the III Army Inspectorate.[2] which became the 2nd Army at the start of the First World War. It was still in existence at the end of the war,[3] in Armee-Abteilung B, Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg at the extreme southern end of the Western Front.[4] The Corps was disbanded with the demobilisation of the German Army after World War I.
Franco-Prussian War
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 the army corps fought under the command of General von Voigts-Rhetz in several battles including the Battle of Mars-la-Tour, Battle of Spicheren, Siege of Metz, Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande, Battle of Orléans and Battle of Le Mans.
Flags of the Line Infantry regiments
Due to the large number of Line Infantry regiments then in existence, on 18 December 1890, Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered that the flag colours were to be the same as that of the uniform epaulettes. This was to ensure that each corps attained uniformity. IX and X Corps wore white epaulettes. Notwithstanding this, the flags of the Jäger Battalions would be green.[5]
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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.[6] 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).[7]
Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more
| Corps | Division | Brigade | Units | Garrison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X Corps | 19th Division | 37th Infantry Brigade | 78th (East Frisian) Infantry "Duke Frederick William of Brunswick" | Osnabrück, III Bn at Aurich |
| 91st (Oldenburg) Infantry | Oldenburg | |||
| 38th Infantry Brigade | 73rd (Hannover) Fusiliers "Field Marshal Prince Albrecht of Prussia" | Hannover | ||
| 74th (1st Hannover) Infantry | Hannover | |||
| 19th Field Artillery Brigade | 26th (2nd Hannover) Field Artillery | Verden an der Aller | ||
| 62nd (East Frisisan) Field Artillery | Oldenburg, Osnabrück | |||
| 19th Cavalry Brigade | 19th (Oldenburg) Dragoons | Oldenburg | ||
| 13th (1st Hannover) King's Uhlans | Hannover | |||
| 20th Division | 39th Infantry Brigade | 79th (3rd Hannover) Infantry "von Voigts-Rhetz" | Hildesheim | |
| 164th (4th Hannover) Infantry | Hamelin, III Bn at Holzminden | |||
| 40th Infantry Brigade | 77th (2nd Hannover) Infantry | Celle | ||
| 92nd (Brunswick) Infantry | Braunschweig | |||
| 20th Field Artillery Brigade | 10th (1st Hannover) Field Artillery "von Scharnhorst"[9] | Hannover | ||
| 46th (Lower Saxony) Field Artillery | Wolfenbüttel, Celle | |||
| 20th Cavalry Brigade | 16th (2nd Hannover) Dragoons | Lüneburg | ||
| 17th (Brunswick) Hussars | Braunschweig | |||
| Corps Troops | 10th (Hannover) Jäger Battalion | Goslar | ||
| 10th (Hannover) Pioneer Battalion | Minden | |||
| 10th (Hannover) Train Battalion | Hannover | |||
| 6th Telegraph Battalion | Hannover | |||
| Hannover Defence Command (Landwehr-Inspektion) | Hannover |
World War I
Organisation on mobilisation
On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 19th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 9th Cavalry Division[10] and the 20th Cavalry Brigade was broken up. The 17th (Brunswick) Hussars was raised to a strength of 6 squadrons before being split into two half-regiments of 3 squadrons each; the half-regiments were assigned as divisional cavalry to 19th and 20th Divisions. Likewise, the 16th (2nd Hannover) Dragoons formed two half-regiments which were assigned as divisional cavalry to 17th and 18th Divisions of IX Corps. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, X Corps mobilised with 25 infantry battalions, 9 machine gun companies (54 machine guns), 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| X Corps | 19th Division | 37th Infantry Brigade | 78th Infantry Regiment |
| 91st Infantry Regiment | |||
| 38th Infantry Brigade | 73rd Fusilier Regiment | ||
| 74th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 19th Field Artillery Brigade | 26th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 62nd Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| half of 17th Hussar Regiment | |||
| 1st Company, 10th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 19th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 1st Medical Company | |||
| 3rd Medical Company | |||
| 20th Division | 39th Infantry Brigade | 79th Infantry Regiment | |
| 164th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 10th Jäger Battalion[12] | |||
| 40th Infantry Brigade | 77th Infantry Regiment | ||
| 92nd Infantry Regiment | |||
| 20th Field Artillery Brigade | 10th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 46th Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| staff and half of 17th Hussar Regiment | |||
| 2nd Company, 10th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 3rd Company, 10th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 20th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 2nd Medical Company | |||
| Corps Troops | II Battalion, 20th Foot Artillery Regiment[13] | ||
| 21st Aviation Detachment | |||
| 10th Corps Pontoon Train | |||
| 10th Telephone Detachment | |||
| 10th Pioneer Searchlight Section | |||
| Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps |
Combat chronicle
On mobilisation, X Corps was assigned to the 2nd Army forming part of the right wing of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914 on the Western Front.
It was still in existence at the end of the war[14] in Armee-Abteilung B, Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg at the extreme southern end of the Western Front.[15]
Commanders
The X Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[16][17][18]
| From | Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 30 October 1866 | General der Infanterie | Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz |
| 12 December 1873 | General der Kavallerie | Prince Albert of Prussia |
| 10 July 1888 | General der Infanterie | Leo von Caprivi |
| 24 March 1890 | Generalleutnant | Walther Bronsart von Schellendorff |
| 27 January 1893 | General der Infanterie | August Wilhelm von Seebeck |
| 4 April 1899 | General der Infanterie | August von Bomsdorff |
| 9 February 1908 | General der Infanterie | Dr. Alfred von Loewenfeld |
| 29 May 1909 | General der Infanterie | Otto von Emmich |
| 22 December 1915 | Generalleutnant | Walther von Lüttwitz |
| 21 August 1916 | Generalleutnant | Konstantin Schmidt von Knobelsdorf |
