The V Army Corps / V AK (German: V. Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the Prussian and then the Imperial German Armies from the 19th century to World War I.
| V Army Corps V. Armee-Korps | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918) | |
| Active | 1815–1919 |
| Country |  Prussia /  German Empire |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | Approximately 44,000 (on mobilisation in 1914) |
| Garrison/HQ | Posen/Seeckt Straße 1 |
| Shoulder strap piping | Yellow |
| Engagements | Austro-Prussian War |
Originating in 1815 as the General Command for the Grand Duchy of Posen (later called the Province of Posen) with headquarters in Posen. Its catchment area included the Regierungsbezirk (administrative district) Posen and Regierungsbezirk Liegnitz from the Province of Silesia.[1]
The Corps served in the Austro-Prussian War. During the Franco-Prussian War it was assigned to the 3rd Army.
In peacetime the Corps was assigned to the VIII Army Inspectorate but joined the 5th Army at the start of the First World War.[2] It was still in existence at the end of the war[3] in Armee-Abteilung C, Heeresgruppe Gallwitz on the Western Front.[4] The Corps was disbanded with the demobilisation of the German Army after World War I.
Austro-Prussian War
editV Corps fought in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, seeing action in the Battle of Königgrätz.
Franco-Prussian War
editDuring the Franco-Prussian War the Corps joined the 3rd Army. It saw action in the opening battles of Weissenburg and Wörth, in the Battle of Sedan and in the Siege of Paris.[5]
Peacetime organisation
editThe 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
World War I
editOrganisation on mobilisation
editOn mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 9th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 5th Cavalry Division[10] and the 10th Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned to the divisions as reconnaissance units. 77th Infantry Brigade was assigned to the 10th Reserve Division with the V Reserve Corps. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, V Corps mobilised with 25 infantry battalions, 9 machine gun companies (54 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| V Corps | 9th Division | 17th Infantry Brigade | 19th Infantry Regiment |
| 58th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 18th Infantry Brigade | 7th Grenadier Regiment | ||
| 154th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 5th Jäger Battalion[12] | |||
| 9th Field Artillery Brigade | 5th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 41st Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| 1st Uhlan Regiment | |||
| 1st Company, 5th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 9th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 1st Medical Company | |||
| 3rd Medical Company | |||
| 10th Division | 19th Infantry Brigade | 6th Grenadier Regiment | |
| 46th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 20th Infantry Brigade | 47th Infantry Regiment | ||
| 50th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 10th Field Artillery Brigade | 20th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 56th Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| 1st Jäger zu Pferde | |||
| 2nd Company, 5th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 3rd Company, 5th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 10th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 2nd Medical Company | |||
| Corps Troops | I Battalion, 5th Foot Artillery Regiment[13] | ||
| 19th Aviation Detachment | |||
| 5th Corps Pontoon Train | |||
| 5th Telephone Detachment | |||
| 5th Pioneer Searchlight Section | |||
| Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps |
Combat chronicle
editOn mobilisation, V Corps was assigned to the 5th Army forming part of centre 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 C, Heeresgruppe Gallwitz on the Western Front.[15]
Commanders
editThe V Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[16][17][18]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ German Administrative History Accessed: 1 June 2012
- ^ Cron 2002, p. 393
- ^ Cron 2002, pp. 88–89
- ^ Ellis & Cox 1993, pp. 186–187
- ^ Cron et al., Ruhmeshalle; Wegner, pp.360
- ^ Haythornthwaite 1996, pp. 193–194
- ^ They formed the Guards Cavalry Division, the only peacetime cavalry division in the German Army.
- ^ War Office 1918, p. 244
- ^ Had a third (Horse Artillery) Abteilung of three batteries of 4 guns.
- ^ Cron 2002, p. 299
- ^ Cron 2002, pp. 314–315
- ^ With a machine gun company.
- ^ 4 heavy artillery batteries (16 heavy field howitzers)
- ^ Cron 2002, pp. 88–89
- ^ Ellis & Cox 1993, pp. 186–187
- ^ German Administrative History Accessed: 1 June 2012
- ^ German War History Accessed: 1 June 2012
- ^ The Prussian Machine Accessed: 1 June 2012
Bibliography
edit- Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.
- Ellis, John; Cox, Michael (1993). The World War I Databook. Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85410-766-6.
- Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1996). The World War One Source Book. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-351-7.
- Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914–1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919. The London Stamp Exchange Ltd (1989). 1920. ISBN 0-948130-87-3.
- The German Forces in the Field; 7th Revision, 11th November 1918; Compiled by the General Staff, War Office. Imperial War Museum, London and The Battery Press, Inc (1995). 1918. ISBN 1-870423-95-X.