The 54th Corps () was a
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...
formation of the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. It was formed in September 1916 and was still in existence at the end of the war.
Chronicle
The 54th Corps (z.b.V.) was formed in September 1916. With the onset of trench warfare, the German Army recognised that it was no longer possible to maintain the traditional Corps unit, that is, one made up of two divisions. Whereas at some times (and in some places) a Corps of two divisions was sufficient, at other times 5 or 6 divisions were necessary. Therefore, under the
Hindenburg regime (from summer 1916), new Corps headquarters were created without organic divisions. These new Corps were designated
''General Commands for Special Use'' ().
By the end of the war, the Corps was serving on the
Western Front as part of
2nd Army, ''Heeresgruppe'' ''Kronprinz'' Rupprecht with the following composition:
*
21st Reserve Division
*
22nd Division
*
4th Division
*
113th Division
* 239th Division
*
12th Reserve Division
* Jäger Division
*
185th Division
Commanders
The 54th Corps had the following commanders during its existence:
Glossary
*''Armee-Abteilung'' or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army.
*''Armee-Gruppe'' or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task.
*''Heeresgruppe'' or
Army Group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organizatio ...
in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.
See also
*
German Army (German Empire)
The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Prussia, ...
*
German Army order of battle, Western Front (1918)
References
Bibliography
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:54
Corps of Germany in World War I
Military units and formations established in 1916
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919