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 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.
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 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:Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more
Corps | Division | Brigade | Units | Garrison |
XI Corps | 22nd Division | 43rd Infantry Brigade | 82nd Infantry | Göttingen |
83rd Infantry "von Wittich" | Kassel, III Bn at Arolsen | - | - | - |
44th Infantry Brigade | 32nd Infantry | Meiningen | - | - |
167th Infantry | Kassel, III Bn at Mühlhausen | - | - | - |
22nd Field Artillery Brigade | 11th Field Artillery | Kassel, Fritzlar | - | - |
47th Field Artillery | Fulda | - | - | - |
22nd Cavalry Brigade | 5th Dragoons "Baron Manteuffel" | Hofgeismar | - | - |
14th Hussars "Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Homburg" | Kassel | - | - | - |
38th Division | 76th Infantry Brigade | 71st Infantry | Erfurt, I Bn at Sondershausen | - |
95th Infantry | Gotha, II Bn at Hildburghausen, III Bn at Coburg | - | - | - |
83rd Infantry Brigade | 94th Infantry "Grand Duke of Saxony" | Weimar, II Bn at Eisenach, III Bn at Jena | - | - |
96th Infantry | Gera, III Bn at Rudolstadt | - | - | - |
38th Field Artillery Brigade | 19th Field Artillery | Erfurt | - | - |
55th Field Artillery | Naumburg an der Saale | - | - | - |
38th Cavalry Brigade | 2nd Jäger zu Pferde | Langensalza | - | - |
6th Jäger zu Pferde | Erfurt | - | - | - |
Corps Troops | 11th Jäger Battalion | Marburg | - | |
6th Machine Gun Abteilung | Metz | - | - | - |
18th Foot Artillery | Niederzwehren bei Kassel | - | - | - |
11th Pioneer Battalion | Hannoversch Münden | - | - | - |
11th Train Battalion | Kassel | - | - | - |
Erfurt Defence Command | 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, 6 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries, 4 heavy artillery batteries, 3 pioneer companies and an aviation detachment.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 Battalion | - | - | - |
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 Regiment | - | |
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.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: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 Soden |
21 November 1917 | Generalleutnant | Viktor Kühne |