The Guards Reserve 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 ...

level command of the German

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 ...

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 ...

Formation

Guards Reserve Corps was formed on the outbreak of the war in August 1914 as part of the mobilisation of the Prussian Army. It was initially commanded by Max von Gallwitz, formerly Inspector General of Artillery. It was dissolved on 9 February 1915 as its headquarters was used to form the headquarters of (later 12th Army) on the Eastern Front. Temporary Corps Marschall was formed on 7 July 1915 and renamed Guards Reserve Corps on 18 April 1916. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 4th Army, part of Rupprecht on the Western Front.

Structure on formation

On formation in August 1914, Guards Reserve Corps consisted of two divisions. In general, reserve corps and reserve divisions were weaker than their active counterparts, but the Guards Reserve Corps was exceptional in that :the 3rd Guards Division, although new, consisted almost entirely of regular army units :the 1st Guards Reserve Division had a field artillery brigade of two regiments (most reserve divisions only had one regiment) :the corps troops were equivalent to an active corps, lacking only an aviation detachment The Guards Reserve Corps mobilised with 26 infantry battalions, 9 machine gun companies (54 machine guns), 6 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries (144 guns), 4 heavy batteries (16 guns) and 3 pioneer companies.

Combat chronicle

On mobilisation, Guards Reserve Corps was assigned to the 2nd Army as part of the right wing of the forces that invaded

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

as part of the

Schlieffen Plan The Schlieffen Plan (, ) is a name given after the First World War to German war plans, due to the influence of Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen and his thinking on an invasion of France and Belgium, which began on 4 August 1914. Schlieffe ...

offensive in August 1914. It participated in the capture of

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

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. On 9 February 1915, the Corps headquarters was upgraded to form the headquarters of Gallwitz (later the 12th Army). Temporary Corps Marschall was formed on 7 July 1915 and established as the Guards Reserve Corps on 18 April 1916. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 4th Army, Rupprecht on the Western Front.

Commanders

Guards Reserve 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.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:GR Corps of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1915 Military units and formations established in 1915 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918