XI Corps (German Empire)

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

XI Corps was one of three formed in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War (the others being IX Corps and X Corps). The Corps was formed in October 1866 with headquarters in Kassel. The catchment area included the newly annexed Province of Hesse-Nassau and the Thuringian principalities (Saxe-Weimar, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Waldeck).German Administrative History Accessed: 22 May 2012

During the Franco-Prussian War it was assigned to the 3rd Army.

The Corps was assigned to the VI Army Inspectorate but joined the predominantly Saxon 3rd Army at the start of the First World War. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 6th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front. The Corps was disbanded with the demobilisation of the German Army after World War I.

Franco-Prussian War During the Franco-Prussian War, the corps formed part of the 3rd Army. It participated in the battles of Wissembourg, Wörth and Sedan.

Between the wars Initially, the Corps commanded the 21st Division in Frankfurt and the 22nd Division in Kassel. In 1871 they were joined by the Grand Ducal Hessian 25th Division in Darmstadt. As the German Army expanded in the latter part of the 19th Century, a new XVIII Corps was formed on 1 April 1899 and took command of the 21st and 25th Divisions. The 38th Division was formed at Erfurt on the same date and joined the Corps.

The Corps was assigned to the VI Army Inspectorate but joined the predominantly Saxon 3rd 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 XI Corps 22nd Division 43rd Infantry Brigade 82nd (2nd Kurhessian) InfantryGöttingen 83rd (3rd Kurhessian) Infantry "von Wittich"Kassel, III Bn at Arolsen 44th Infantry Brigade 32nd (2nd Thuringian) InfantryMeiningen 167th (1st Upper Alsatian) InfantryKassel, III Bn at Mühlhausen 22nd Field Artillery Brigade 11th (1st Kurhessian) Field ArtilleryHad a third (Horse Artillery) Abteilung of three batteries of 4 guns.Kassel, Fritzlar 47th (2nd Kurhessian) Field ArtilleryFulda 22nd Cavalry Brigade 5th (Rhenish) Dragoons "Baron Manteuffel"Hofgeismar 14th (2nd Kurhessian) Hussars "Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Homburg"Kassel 38th Division 76th Infantry Brigade 71st (3rd Thuringian) InfantryErfurt, I Bn at Sondershausen 95th (6th Thuringian) InfantryGotha, II Bn at Hildburghausen, III Bn at Coburg 83rd Infantry Brigade 94th (5th Thuringian) Infantry "Grand Duke of Saxony"Weimar, II Bn at Eisenach, III Bn at Jena 96th (7th Thuringian) InfantryGera, III Bn at Rudolstadt 38th Field Artillery Brigade 19th (1st Thuringian) Field ArtilleryErfurt 55th (2nd Thuringian) Field ArtilleryNaumburg an der Saale 38th Cavalry Brigade 2nd Jäger zu PferdeLangensalza 6th Jäger zu PferdeErfurt Corps Troops 11th (Kurhessian) Jäger Battalion Marburg 6th Machine Gun Abteilung Metz 18th (Thuringian) Foot ArtilleryNiederzwehren bei Kassel 11th (Kurhessian) Pioneer BattalionHannoversch Münden 11th (Kurhessian) Train BattalionKassel Erfurt Defence Command(Landwehr-Inspektion)Erfurt

World War I Organisation on mobilisation On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 38th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 8th Cavalry Division and the 22nd Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 3rd Cavalry Division. The 6th Cuirassiers, formerly of the III Corps, 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 22nd and 38th Divisions. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, XI 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.

+Initial wartime organization of the Corps Corps Division Brigade Units XI Corps 22nd Division 43rd Infantry Brigade 82nd Infantry Regiment 83rd Infantry Regiment 44th Infantry Brigade 32nd Infantry Regiment 167th Infantry Regiment 11th Jäger BattalionWith a machine gun company. 22nd Field Artillery Brigade 11th Field Artillery Regiment 47th Field Artillery Regiment staff and half of 6th Cuirassier Regiment 1st Company, 11th Pioneer Battalion 22nd Divisional Pontoon Train 1st Medical Company 3rd Medical Company 38th Division 76th Infantry Brigade 71st Infantry Regiment 95th Infantry Regiment 83rd Infantry Brigade 94th Infantry Regiment 96th Infantry Regiment 38th Field Artillery Brigade 19th Field Artillery Regiment 55th Field Artillery Regiment half of 6th Cuirassier Regiment 2nd Company, 11th Pioneer Battalion 3rd Company, 11th Pioneer Battalion 38th Divisional Pontoon Train 2nd Medical Company Corps Troops I Battalion, 18th Foot Artillery Regiment4 heavy artillery batteries (16 heavy field howitzers) 28th Aviation Detachment 11th Corps Pontoon Train 11th Telephone Detachment 11th Pioneer Searchlight Section Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps

Combat chronicle The Corps was assigned to the VI Army Inspectorate in peacetime but joined the predominantly Saxon 3rd Army at the start of the First World War forming part of the right wing of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914 on the Western Front. It participated in the capture of Namur and was immediately transferred to the Eastern Front to join the 8th Army in time to participate in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. It was then transferred to the 9th Army and took part in the Battle of the Vistula River and then in the Bug–Narew Offensive.

It returned to the Western Front at the end of 1915.

It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 6th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front.

Commanders The XI Corps had the following commanders during its existence:German Administrative History Accessed: 19 May 2012German War History Accessed: 19 May 2012The Prussian Machine Accessed: 19 May 2012

From Rank Name 30 October 1866 General der Infanterie Heinrich Ludwig von Plonski 18 July 1870 General der Infanterie Julius von Bose 6 April 1880 General der Kavallerie Ludwig Karl von Schlotheim 22 March 1889 General der Infanterie Wilhelm Hermann von Grolman 11 August 1892 General der Infanterie Adolf von Wittich 24 April 1904 General der Infanterie Wilhelm von Linde-Suden 24 September 1905 General der Kavallerie Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg 25 February 1908 General der Infanterie Reinhard von Scheffer-Boyadel 1 January 1914 General der Infanterie Otto von Plüskow 12 March 1917 Generalleutnant Viktor Kühne 27 August 1917 General der Infanterie Franz Freiherr von SodenReplaced Kühne as commander of V Reserve Corps. 21 November 1917 Generalleutnant Viktor KühneReplaced by Soden as commander of V Reserve Corps.

XI Corps (German Empire)

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