XIII. (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps

The XIII. (Königlich Württembergische) Army Corps was established in 1871 after the military convention of the Kingdom of Württemberg with the North German Confederation from the Württemberg Army . With a few exceptions, this remained largely unchanged in its composition and structure. It was thus a large Württemberg association of the army of the German Empire , stationed in the entire Kingdom of Württemberg and the VI. Army inspection was subordinated.

Location of the general command

From 1871 to 1914 and 1919 in Stuttgart

To distinguish between troops from other German states, the Württemberg regiments were given the appropriate addition on October 2, 1871: "... Württemberg ... regiment". On December 18, 1871, all Württemberg regiments received additional numbers. These corresponded to the consecutive numbering of all regiments of the German Armed Forces, regardless of their affiliation to one of the contingents. The Württemberg infantry regiments received the numbers 119 to 126, the cavalry regiments the numbers 19 and 20 as well as 25 and 26 and the artillery regiments the numbers 26 and 27. On December 14, 1874 they were given the names in their final spelling and numbering: "... (x. Württembergisches) No. x “. Frequent spellings were also "... (x. Württemb.) No. x" or "... (x. Württ.) No. x".

structure

Troops of the XIII. Army Corps

In peacetime the following were subordinate to the army corps:

26th Division (1st Royal Württemberg) in Stuttgart
27th Division (2nd Royal Württemberg) in Ulm

further:

A detachment was assigned to Telegraph Battalion No. 1.

In addition, the commanding general of the army corps also supervised the infantry regiment "Grand Duke Friedrich von Baden" (8th Württembergisches) No. 126 , which was part of the 61st Infantry Brigade of the XV. Army Corps in Strasbourg was subordinate.

uniform

Armpit flaps of the XIII. Army Corps

According to article 10 of the military convention of 21./25. November 1870 were indeed the names, rank insignia and general administration in the Württemberg army the same as in the Prussian, the determination of the uniform was but reserved the King of Württemberg, where the ratios of the Federal Army " are borne the greatest possible account should be". Until 1891 the people of Württemberg wore a double-breasted tunic instead of the Prussian single-breasted one. The cockade was in the national colors of black and red and on the belt lock was the Württemberg motto "Feartlos und trew". The pennants of the cavalry were also black and red, those of the NCOs had the Württemberg coat of arms on one side . The epaulettes , armpit pieces and armpit flaps were - unless individual regiments wore special ones - red with number XIII.

history

Friedrich Franz von Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the commanding general in the war of 1870/71

In the Franco-Prussian War there was a XIII. Army Corps, consisting of the 17th and 22nd divisions . This association first served to secure the coast against a feared landing of French units, but was moved to Lorraine shortly after the start of the war . The unit reached Metz on September 1, 1870 and later fought as the Grand Duke's army group against the French Loire Army at Loigny and Poupry , Orléans , Beaugency and Le Mans, among others . Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was in command until 1871 .

First World War

Advance of the XIII. AK in the Argonne 1914

Location of the XIII. AK in the Lowicz area in December 1914

Location of the XIII. AK in Flanders in September 1916

The counterattack by the Caudry group (Gen. Kdo. XIII.) Southwest of Cambrai on November 30, 1917

At the beginning of the First World War , the corps was subordinate to General der Infanterie von Fabeck of the 5th Army on the Western Front . During the mobilization, a deputy general command remained in Stuttgart. At the beginning of the war, Lieutenant Colonel Fritz von Loßberg acted as Chief of the General Staff, who was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Walther Reinhardt on January 23, 1915 .

The XIII. Army Corps was at the center of 5th Army during the Battle of Longwy on August 22, 1914 . Between Sougery, Signeux and Musion, the troops reached the Talloncourt – Villancy – Gorcy line. Opposite French troops defended the heights north of Bleid-Baranzy. The 27th Division advanced between Tontal and Mussy la Ville on Reutte, on the right the 26th Division advanced on Ville Houdlemont, the villages Bleid and Baranzy were stormed, the line Grandcourt and Tellancourt was reached. The 26th Division encountered strong enemy forces at Baranzy early on - the 52nd Brigade suffered heavy losses from flanking fire. The corps advanced between Longwy and Montmédy on Longuyon , the 27th Division advanced from Chatillon via St. Leger to Bleiol. The 26th Division was sent to Baranzy via Willancourt. The corps advanced to Othainbach via Charancy on Marville. On the right wing of the corps, the 27th Division pushed against the Albandrelle – Villancy line, with the 26th Division on the left via Montigny sur Chiers on Longuyon. On August 23, the Othain was forced between Villette - Colmy, on August 24 the troops were advancing on the Chiers section via Vilette and Comey. The 26th Division was attacking Longuyon together with the 11th Reserve Division .

The XIII. The Army Corps had reached the Dombras-Merles-Mangiennes line on August 26th. After crossing the Meuse at the end of August, the corps fought in the battle between Varennes- Montfaucon at the beginning of September and advanced west of Verdun into the Argonne . On September 9, the corps carried out a night attack south of Sommaisne, but had to fall back on the Marne as a result of the German retreat.

In September 1914, the General Command with the 26th Division (1. Königlich Württembergische) (the 27th Division remained in the Argonne) was transferred to the 6th Army , which was moved north, during the race to the sea . The corps was in the Lille area between October 15 and 28 . At the end of October to mid-November 1914, the General Command was relocated to the area south of Ypres and deployed as the commanding "Gruppe Fabeck" (XIII., XV. And Bavarian II. Army Corps) in the First Battle of Flanders between Gheluvelt - Wervicq - Quesnoy .

At the end of November the corps was transferred to the eastern front in the section of the 9th Army ( Mackensen ) in Lowicz in northern Poland. The Corps Fabeck (26th Division and 25th (Hessian) Reserve Division with subordinate Württ. Field Artillery Regiment 132) advanced in December 1914 at Kozlow over the Bzura .

On March 9, 1915, General von Watter took over the command of the corps, which had been moved further north to the Gallwitz Army Group ( 12th Army from August ). A breakthrough on the Russian front was achieved in the second battle of Przasnysz between July 13 and 14 . Between July 23 and the beginning of August 1915 the corps wrestled with the 3rd and 26th Divisions and the 4th Guards Division in the Battle of the Narew , on July 24th the capture of Roshan (fortress Różan) and the passage there succeeded over the Narew . In mid-August 1915, fighting followed near Bielsk and, until the beginning of September, the advance towards Wolkowysk .

In September 1915, the corps moved back to the Western Front and was briefly used in the autumn battle in Champagne . In December 1915 the XIII. Army Corps with the 26th Infantry Division and the Field Artillery Regiment 13 relocated to the west of Ypres in Flanders, the 27th Infantry Division followed. After a six-week plan of attack to conquer Mount Sorrel (Hill 62) and Tor Top (Hill 61), this double height east of Zillebeke was stormed after effective fire on June 2, 1916 in battle with the Canadian 3rd Division, but was already gone lost again on June 13th. During the Battle of the Somme , the XIII. AK in August on the front line in front of the Delville Forest and in front of Ginchy in a major battle. The 26th Division fought at Longueval , the 27th Division defended the village of Guillemont . At the end of August 1916, the worn out corps was replaced by the Bavarian 2nd Corps, the general command went back to Flanders, but soon returned to the Somme. At the end of November 1916, the general command also took over the command of the 185th and 222nd divisions , it led the defense between Le Transloy, Sailly and Sailly-Sallisel .

After the German withdrawal to the Siegfried Line , the general commands of the army corps were converted into so-called group commands in March 1917. These troops were no longer permanently subordinate to them, but were assigned to them alternately at times by the Supreme Army Command . General Command XIII was between April 12, 1917 and March 1918. Army Corps as a group "Caudry" in the section of the 2nd Army . During the British tank attack at the Battle of Cambrai , the western apron of Cambrai at Ribecourt and Masnieres had to be abandoned. During the counterattack on November 30, the group "Caudry" between Crevecouer and Banteux with the newly added 28th , 30th and 220th divisions and the 9th reserve division managed to recapture the lost positions between Marcoing by December 7, 1917 and Gonnelieu.

During the Michael Offensive on March 21, 1918, General von Staabs led the "Watter" corps, which was placed in the center of the 2nd Army. The subordinate 107th Division reached the breakthrough at Gouzecourt and advanced with the 183rd Division on Épehy . In May 1918, the corps fought in the Soissons area during the Third Aisne Battle . At the beginning of July, AOK 9, newly introduced on the western Marne bend , took over command of this section and was also placed under the Watters group command. During the Battle of the Marne , the General Command was from July 18 together with its northern neighbor, the XXXIX. Reserve Corps ( von Staabs ) in the main field of attack of the French 10th Army . The front between the Sosieresbach and the Ourcq could not be held by the subordinate 10th Bavarian , the 40th and 115th Divisions and the 14th Reserve Division and collapsed. Until the end of July 1918, the corps was in the defensive battle between Soissons and Reims and then was in permanent defensive battles until the end of the war. For the last months until the end of the war, the corps wrestled with Army Division C (General Georg Fuchs ) in the Woëvre plain and on both sides of the Moselle.

Commanding generals

Rank	Surname	date
General of the Infantry	Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin	until October 18, 1871
prussia. General of the Infantry	Ferdinand von Stülpnagel	October 19, 1871 to December 23, 1873
prussia. General of the Infantry	Emil von Schwartzkoppen	December 24, 1873 to January 5, 1878
prussia. General of the Infantry	Hans von Schachtmeyer	January 26, 1878 to May 14, 1886
prussia. General of the cavalry	Gustav Hermann von Alvensleben	May 15, 1886 to October 25, 1890
Lieutenant General	Wilhelm von Woelckern	October 26, 1890 to June 28, 1891 (in charge of the tour)
Lieutenant General / General of the Infantry	Wilhelm von Woelckern	June 29, 1891 to March 21, 1895
prussia. General of the Infantry	Oskar von Lindequist	April 22, 1895 to March 24, 1899
prussia. General of the Infantry	Ludwig von Falkenhausen	March 25, 1899 to March 21, 1902
prussia. Lieutenant General	Conrad from Hugo	March 26 to October 17, 1902 (in charge of the tour)
prussia. Lieutenant General / General of the Infantry	Conrad from Hugo	October 18, 1902 to April 3, 1907
prussia. General of the Infantry	Joseph of Fallois	0April 4, 1907 to February 24, 1908
General of the cavalry	Albrecht of Württemberg	February 25, 1908 to February 28, 1913
prussia. General of the Infantry	Max von Fabeck	0March 1, 1913 to March 8, 1915
Lieutenant General	Theodor von Watter	0March 9, 1915 to August 17, 1916 (in charge of the tour)
General of the Infantry	Theodor von Watter	August 18, 1916 to March 17, 1918
prussia. Lieutenant General	Hermann von Staabs	March 17 to May 22, 1918 (entrusted with the tour)
General of the Infantry	Theodor von Watter	May 22 to December 20, 1918

References

literature

General Command XIII. (kw) AK: Pocket ranking list of the XIII. Army Corps. As of November 1, 1912. Printing house of General Command XIII. (KW) AK, Stuttgart 1912.
Hein: The little book about the German army. Verlag Lipsius & Tischer, Kiel and Leipzig 1901. as a reprint Weltbildverlag, Augsburg, 1998, ISBN 3-8289-0271-5 .
Otto von Moser : The Württemberg people in the world war. Stuttgart 1928.

Web links

Commons : XIII. Army Corps in World War I - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ Dermot Bradley (ed.), Günter Wegner: Occupation of the German Army 1815-1939 Volume 1: The higher command posts 1815-1939 . Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1990, ISBN 3-7648-1780-1 , p. 73.

Remarks

↑ During the war, the deputy commanding generals were responsible for maintaining peace and order in the civilian area of their corps districts and exercising executive power in place of the active mobile commandos. Their military mandate was the procurement and training of personnel replacements and their assignment to the field army.

[Wegner-2] Dermot Bradley (ed.), Günter Wegner: Occupation of the German Army 1815-1939 Volume 1: The higher command posts 1815-1939 . Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1990, ISBN 3-7648-1780-1 , p. 73.

[1] During the war, the deputy commanding generals were responsible for maintaining peace and order in the civilian area of their corps districts and exercising executive power in place of the active mobile commandos. Their military mandate was the procurement and training of personnel replacements and their assignment to the field army.