The XVI Army Corps / XVI AK () 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 ...
before and during
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 assigned to the
VII Army Inspectorate, which became the
5th Army at the start of the
First World War
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 still in existence at the end of the war in the
3rd Army, ''Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz'' on the
Western Front.
Formation

By a law of 27 January 1890, it was decided to separate
Alsace-Lorraine provinces in military affairs. It stipulated that from 1 April 1890 the entire power of the Army of the German Empire should be twenty army corps (Guards, I - XVII, I and II Bavarian). The All-highest Cabinet Order (''Allerhöchste Kabinettsorder'', AKO) of 1 February 1890 authorised the formation of the XVI and
XVII Army Corps.
The XVI Army Corps was set up on 1 April 1890 in
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
as the ''Generalkommando'' (
headquarters
Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...
) for
Lorraine
Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
. Its headquarters was in the
fortress of Metz. It took command of
33rd Division (formerly
30th Division of
XV Corps) and
34th Division formed on the same date. It was assigned to the
VII Army Inspectorate but joined the
5th Army at the start of the
First World War
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 ...
.
Peacetime organisation
The 25 peacetime
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 ...
of the German Army (Guards, I - XXI, I - III Bavarian) had a reasonably standardised organisation. Each consisted of two
divisions
Division may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
* Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...
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).
Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more
:Foot Artillery Regiment
:
Jäger Battalion
:
Pioneer Battalion
:
Train
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
Battalion
World War I
Organisation on mobilisation
On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 33rd and 45th Cavalry Brigades were withdrawn to form part of the
6th Cavalry Division and the 34th Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned to the divisions as reconnaissance units. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, XVI Corps mobilised with 24 infantry battalions, 8 machine gun companies (48 machine guns), 8 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries (144 guns), 4 heavy artillery batteries (16 guns), 3 pioneer companies and an aviation detachment.
Combat chronicle
At the outbreak of
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 ...
, the Corps was assigned to the
5th Army. It fought on the
Western Front in
Lorraine
Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the
3rd Army, ''Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz'' on the
Western Front.
Commanders
The XVI Corps had the following commanders during its existence:
The Prussian Machine
Accessed: 12 May 2012
See also
* German Army order of battle (1914)
* German Army order of battle, Western Front (1918)
* List of Imperial German infantry regiments
* List of Imperial German artillery regiments
*List of Imperial German cavalry regiments
Cavalry regiments of Germany,
Regiments of the German Army in World War I,
Lists of military units and formations of World War I, German
Lists of military units and formations of Germany, Imperial German cavalry regiments ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:16th Corps (German Empire)
Corps of Germany in World War I
Military units and formations established in 1890
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919