XVII. Army Corps (German Empire)

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General Command of the XVII. Army Corps in Gdansk

The XVII. Army Corps was a large unit of the Prussian Army from 1890 to 1919.

structure

The corps was subordinate to the First Army Inspection until the beginning of the First World War . The headquarters of the General Command was Danzig until it was dissolved in 1919 .

Peace structure 1914

history

The first commanding general of August von Lentze's corps

By law of January 27, 1890, the separation of the West and East Prussian provinces was also prepared in military terms. It stipulated that from April 1, 1890, the entire army of the German Reich should consist of twenty army corps. The AKO of February 1st, based on this, says: “The XVI. and XVII. Army Corps. The latter goes to the 1st Army Inspection and, from a military point of view, covers the area of ​​the Landwehr districts: Schlawe, Stolp, Konitz, Thorn, Graudenz, Danzig, Pr. Stargard, Neustadt, Osterode, Dt. Eylau and Marienburg. "

Since the 4th (half) battalions did not prove their worth, a request made by the Reich government to change the army command was accepted in August 1896. A new infantry brigade was to be set up in each army corps on April 1, 1897. Each division had to form a regiment of eight companies from the half battalions. In the area of ​​the XVII. Army Corps, the 87th Infantry Brigade was created for the 35th Division , which consisted of Infantry Regiments No. 175 and 176 .

First World War

In August 1914, the XVII. Army corps under General der Kavallerie von Mackensen as part of the 8th Army (General von Prittwitz-Gaffron ) in East Prussia and counted 24 battalions of infantry, eight squadrons of cavalry, with 160 guns. Chief of staff was Lieutenant Colonel von Duncker. The subordinate 35th Division led Lieutenant General Hennig and the 36th Division was under the command of Lieutenant General von Heineccius .

At the beginning of the war, the corps covered the line east of the Vistula in the Deutsch-Eylau area on the Thorn line to the west of Soldau , with the front facing south. During the first advance on August 13, Mława was temporarily occupied. Due to the more rapid threat to the eastern border from East Prussia, the corps was transported to Insterburg from August 14th to reinforce the threatened I. Corps . The now empty front was then secured by the Landwehr troops under Major General von Unger , who established the connection to the XX in the Ortelsburg area . Corps (Scholtz) held.

On August 19, 1914, the Russians attacked in several places in the Battle of Gumbinnen , but could be repulsed everywhere. The XVII. Corps had entered after a night march of 25 kilometers at Plicken (35th Division) and south of it at Girnen (36th Division). The German counterattack took place on August 20, and the attack by the 1st Army Corps on the north wing was successful. The right wing of the Russian 1st Army (20th Corps and parts of the 3rd) was pushed back. In the middle section on the Angerapp , after initial successes by the Russian 3rd and 4th Corps, Mackensen's Corps was thrown back into its starting position Walterkehmen-Perkallen-Plicken with heavy losses. The I. Reserve Corps held the right wing at Angerburg under von Below .

August von Mackensen

After General der Infanterie von Hindenburg took over the army on August 23, the corps was regrouped to the south and entered the battle of Tannenberg with the I. Reserve Corps . On August 25, the I. Army Corps marched on the right wing of the XX. on both sides of Neidenburg. In order to flank the enemy in the south, the XVII. Corps to take on a marching performance of 50 kilometers and marched through Groß-Schwansfeld with the 36th Division ahead on Bischofstein. The right wing corps of the Russian 2nd Army (6th Corps) marched north across Bischofsburg, i.e. directly to the XVII. Army Corps. On August 26, the enemy was met between Lautern and Gross-Koellen, and the I. Reserve Corps accompanying the right wing, with the 36th Reserve Division , also encountered the enemy on the north bank of Lake Dadey. After the necessary turning away of the Corps Below to strengthen the center at Allenstein , Mackensen continued his south march. Samsonov's right wing corps was defeated at Passenheim on August 27 and thrown back on Ortelsburg . On August 28, the advance guard in the area west of Willenberg reached the connection with the opposing I. Army Corps. The encirclement of the Russian 2nd Army was successfully completed by August 31.

On September 9, during the Battle of Masuria , the corps was in the Lötzen area on the southern wing of the 8th Army. The 35th Division was able to break through the positions of the Russians at Kruglanken in a difficult fight by evening. Starting north of Angerburg , the attack of the XX. Corps the entrance to the strait at Ogonken. Already on September 11th the bulk of the Russian 1st Army was on the retreat over the Angerapp, on the south wing the enemy stopped before the XVII. Corps stood longer for tactical reasons. In the evening the 8th Army stood on the Tolmingkehmen – Goldap (I. Corps) line via Gaweiten (XVII. Corps) to Szabienen-Darkehmen (XX. Corps) to Nemmersdorf (XI. Corps). The 35th Division reached Kleszowen in the evening, the 36th Division could not advance east and north of Szabienen.

In early November 1914, Lieutenant General von Pannewitz was appointed the new commanding general of the corps. In the association of the German 9th Army , the XVII. Corps in November 1914 near Kutno , in the battle of Łódź and on the Rawka and Bzura. As part of the Gallwitz Army Group , the corps was on the Narew Offensive from July 13, 1915 . The Pannewitz group was now subordinate to the 1st Guard Reserve Division , and Przasnysz was captured on the first day . Then the corps broke through the Bogate position, crossed the Narew between Różan and Pułtusk and were able to push back the Russian forces at Wonsewo in early August 1915. After further skirmishes and battles, the advance in the Lithuanian swamps came to a standstill. In October 1915 the corps entered the Western Front and was engaged in trench warfare between the Somme and Oise .

In the beginning of July 1, 1916 Battle of the Somme , the General Command of the XVII. Corps as "Gruppe Pannewitz" the section of the 2nd Army fighting south of the Somme . The subordinate 121st , 11th , 35th and 36th divisions defended the Estrees- Lihons - Chaulnes section as far as Andechy and were able to defend most of these positions in heavy defensive battles against the attacks of the inner wings of the French 6th and 10th armies claim towards Peronne .

On September 7, 1916 General Fleck took over the leadership of the XVII. Corps. At the beginning of November the corps with the subordinate 35th Division and 15th Reserve Division held the new line Chilly - Fouquescourt - Parvillers opposite the French X. Corps .

Between April 12, 1917 and March 5, 1918, the corps was known as " Gruppe Oise " and formed the left wing of the 2nd Army. In June 1917, the 208th Division and the 13th Landwehr Division were subordinate to the command.

On February 19, 1918 Lieutenant General von Webern took over the command of the corps in the section of the 18th Army, newly established on both sides of St. Quentin . In the course of the German spring offensive in 1918 , the " Gruppe Webern" formed the southern attack wing on March 21, together with the IV Reserve Corps ( Gruppe Conta ). The German attack pushed the British III. Corps ( Richard Butler ) over the Crozat Canal to the south and led the 36th and 238th Divisions , in the second line the 9th and 10th Divisions followed in a south-westerly direction on Guiscard. At the end of April, the General Command fought against French counterattacks in the area west of Lassigny . On June 9, the corps carried out the "Gneisenau attack" together with the VIII. Army Corps ( Schoeler Group ). The subordinate 3rd Reserve Division , the 19th and 227th Divisions conquered the hilly terrain east of the Oise and reached the Matz. On July 18, 1918, during the Battle of Soissons , the General Command was pushed in as Etzel Group with the 51st and 45th Reserve Divisions in the gap in the front of Ancienville between the Watter and Winckler groups, but the troops of the French 10. Don't stop the army .

Commanding general

General of the Infantry Georg von Braunschweig

The general command was under the leadership of a commanding general .

Rank Surname date
Lieutenant General /
General of the Infantry 		August von Lentze March 24, 1890 to April 1, 1902
Lieutenant General George of Braunschweig 0April 3 to October 17, 1902 (in charge of the tour)
Lieutenant General /
General of the Infantry 		George of Braunschweig October 18, 1902 to January 11, 1908
General of the cavalry August von Mackensen January 27, 1908 to November 1, 1914
Lieutenant General /
General of the Infantry 		Günther von Pannewitz 0November 2, 1914 to September 6, 1916
Lieutenant General Paul Fleck 0September 7, 1916 to February 18, 1918
Lieutenant General Richard von Webern February 19 to June 22, 1918
Lieutenant General Günther von Etzel June 23 to August 26, 1918 (in charge of the tour)
Lieutenant General Axel von Petersdorff August 27 to December 27, 1918
General of the Infantry Otto von Below December 28, 1918 to June 26, 1919

Flags / flag decorations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume II: The Liberation of East Prussia. ES Mittler and Son, Berlin 1925, p. 359.
  2. ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume II: The Liberation of East Prussia. ES Mittler und Sohn, Berlin 1925, p. 60.
  3. ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume II: The Liberation of East Prussia. ES Mittler and Son, Berlin 1925, p. 89f.
  4. ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume II: The Liberation of East Prussia. ES Mittler and Son, Berlin 1925, p. 297.
  5. ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914-1918. Volume XIII., ESMittler und Sohn, Appendix 2 a Classification of the Western Army from June 20, 1917
  6. ↑ 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. 80.