Higher Cavalry Command

Higher cavalry commands (HKK) existed during the First World War in the German army to lead the army cavalry at the corps management level . However, they were not referred to as corps as they did not have corps troops.

history

Lineup

In the mobilization in 1914 four Higher Cavalry commandos were formed under which only in the event of war from parts of the Division cavalry and horse artillery divisions of field artillery established cavalry divisions were merged as high speed large organizations. After movements on the western front came to a standstill, two HKK (2 and 4) were disbanded and two (1 and 3) were relocated to the eastern front. Two new higher cavalry commands (5 and 6) were set up for the 1915 offensive in the east. After Romania's entry into the war in 1916, the “Schmettow” cavalry corps was newly formed in Transylvania .

In the autumn of 1916, the units of the army cavalry were partly dissolved and partly reclassified into cavalry rifle divisions . The higher cavalry commanders were increasingly entrusted with the management of mixed large formations, the staffs were aligned with those of the normal corps and on November 20, 1916 renamed general commands for special use .

organization

Association membership

1914 at the start of the war
- HKK No. 1 with 4th Army , from November with 9th Army
- HKK No. 2 in the 2nd Army , dissolved in December 1914
- HKK No. 3 with 6th Army , from November with 9th Army
- HKK No. 4 in the 5th Army , disbanded in December 1914
1915
- HKK No. 1 with 9th Army
- HKK No. 3 January 8 to August 1, 1915 with Army Group Frommel
- HKK No. 5 with 9th Army
- HKK No. 6
1916
- HKK No. 1 → GenKdo z. b. V. 56
- HKK No. 3 → GenKdo z. b. V. 57
- HKK No. 5 → GenKdo z. b. V. 58
- HKK No. 6 → GenKdo z. b. V. 59
- from October 27, 1916 the newly established cavalry corps "Schmettow" in the Army Group " Kühne ", 9th Army
1917
- Cavalry Corps "Schmettow" (→ GenKdo z. B. V. 65 ) with 9th Army

structure

Higher cavalry commander
Staff with chief of the general staff , 1st general staff officer , two adjutants and the commandant of the headquarters.

Subordinate troops

One to three cavalry divisions were subordinate to the HKK

1914 at the start of the war
- HKK No. 1: Guard Cavalry Division , 3rd and 5th Cavalry Division ,
- HKK No. 2: 2. , 4 . and 9th Cavalry Division ,
- HKK No. 3: 7 , 8th Cavalry Division and Royal Bavarian Cavalry Division ,
- HKK No. 4: 6th Cavalry Division .
1915
- HKK No. 1: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and Royal Bavarian Cavalry Division (until July)

from August: 3rd, 4th Cavalry Division

HKK No. 3: 8th Cavalry Division (until July 1915), Royal Bavarian Cavalry Division (from July)
HKK No. 5 from August: 2nd, 6th and 8th Cavalry Division
HKK No. 6 from August: 1st Cavalry Division

September 1916
- “Schmettow” cavalry corps: 3rd Cavalry Division, 1st Austro-Hungarian Cavalry Division and 51st Hungarian Honved Division
from October 1916
- Cavalry Corps "Schmettow": 6th and 7th Cavalry Division

From 1916, the general commands were no longer subordinate to any major units .

Commanders

HKK GenKdo z. b. V.	Rank	Surname	Beginning of the appointment	End of appointment	comment
HKK No. 1 GenKdo z. b. V. 56	General of the Cavalry General of the Cavalry	Manfred von Richthofen Götz von König	0August 2, 1914 September 23, 1916	September 22, 1916 0March 5, 1918	on September 22, 1916 in the General Command z. b. V. No. 56 converted
HKK No. 2	General of the cavalry	Georg von der Marwitz	0August 2, 1914	December 23, 1914	previously inspector general of the cavalry, then commanding general of the XXXVIII. Reserve Corps
HKK No. 3	(Bay.) General of the Cavalry zD	Rudolf von Frommel	0August 2, 1914	November 25, 1916	from November 26, 1916 in the General Command z. b. V. No. 57 converted
HKK No. 4	Lieutenant General	Gustav von Hollen	0August 2, 1914	December 23, 1914
HKK No. 5 GenKdo z. b. V. 58	Lieutenant General	Egon von Schmettow	August 18, 1915 November 20, 1916	November 20, 1916 end of the war	on November 20, 1916 in the General Command z. b. V. No. 58 converted
HKK No. 6	Lieutenant General	Otto von Garnier	17th August 1915	0September 2, 1916	lastly General of the Cavalry and Commanding General of the VII Reserve Corps
HKK No. 6 GenKdo z. b. V. 59	Lieutenant General	Hermann Brecht	0September 3, 1916 November 20, 1916	November 20, 1916 end of the war	on November 20, 1916 in the General Command z. b. V. No. 59 converted
Cavalry Corps "Schmettow"	Lieutenant General	Eberhard von Schmettow	October 27, 1916	January 11, 1917	on January 11, 1917 in the General Command z. b. V. No. 65 converted

References

Web links

Senior cavalry commanders at www.deutsche-kriegsgeschichte.de (as of May 1, 2010)

literature

Hermann Cron: The organization of the German army in the world war , 5th issue of the research and representations from the Reichsarchiv , ES Mittler and son, Berlin. 1923
Walter Brenken: Use of cavalry according to the lessons to be learned from war history , Berlin 1928
Alfred Satter: The German cavalry in the First World War , Books on Demand GmbH Norderstedt, 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1564-9 [1]

Individual evidence

↑ War Ministry Decree No. 28660
↑ Sattler, p. 24

Remarks

↑ The position of higher cavalry commander was also abbreviated to HKK.
^ Initially and in the literature also called "Kavallerie-Korps Schmettow" (Egon Graf von Schmettow)
↑ The general commands remained constantly on the same section of the front. The divisions were alternately assigned to them by the Supreme Army Command .

[2] War Ministry Decree No. 28660

[5] Sattler, p. 24

[1] The position of higher cavalry commander was also abbreviated to HKK.

[3] Initially and in the literature also called "Kavallerie-Korps Schmettow" (Egon Graf von Schmettow)

[4] The general commands remained constantly on the same section of the front. The divisions were alternately assigned to them by the Supreme Army Command .