XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps
Encyclopedia
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
. It was, effectively, also the army of the Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
, which had been integrated in 1871 into the Prussian Army command structure, as had the armies of most German states. The corps was originally established as the Württemberg Corps Command (Korpskommando) in 1817. It became the XIII Army Corps when it was integrated into the Prussian numbering system on December 18, 1871, shortly after the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.
The corps saw action in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
, on the losing Austrian side, as the Royal Württemberg Division of the VIII German Federation Army Corps (VIII. deutschen Bundesarmeekorps). It was unable to stop a Prussian advance into north Württemberg at Tauberbischofsheim
Tauberbischofsheim
Tauberbischofsheim is a German town in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg on the river Tauber with a population of about 13,000. It is the capital of the Main-Tauber district....
, but this battle was not important in the war. In the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870-71, the corps served under the headquarters staff of the Württemberg Field Division of the Combined Württemberg-Baden Army Corps. The Württemberg Field Division saw action in the battles of Wörth and Sedan
Battle of Sedan
The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War on 1 September 1870. It resulted in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and large numbers of his troops and for all intents and purposes decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, though fighting continued under a new French...
, and in the Siege of Paris
Siege of Paris
The Siege of Paris, lasting from September 19, 1870 – January 28, 1871, and the consequent capture of the city by Prussian forces led to French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the establishment of the German Empire as well as the Paris Commune....
.
On mobilization in 1914, the corps was subordinated to the 5th Army and saw action on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. It was transferred to the 6th Army during the Race to the Sea
Race to the Sea
The Race to the Sea is a name given to the period early in the First World War when the two sides were still engaged in mobile warfare on the Western Front. With the German advance stalled at the First Battle of the Marne, the opponents continually attempted to outflank each other through...
. In October 1914, the corps headquarters formed Corps Fabeck, which by the end of the month had become a provisional army group, commanding XV. Army Corps, II. Bavarian Army Corps and Corps Urach. In November, the XIII Army Corps was transferred from the 6th Army to the 9th Army on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
. By 1916, the corps had returned to the Western Front and was subordinated to the 4th Army under Army Group Crown Prince Rupprecht. From April 1917 to March 1918, the corps commanded Group Caudry, another provisional command. In September 1918, it took over command of Group Ebene under Army Group Duke Albrecht of Württemberg, and commanded Group Ebene until war's end.
Pre-World War I organization
The organization of the corps on July 3, 1913 was as follows:- 26th Division (1st Royal Württemberg)26th Division (German Empire)The 26th Division , formally the 26th Division , was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII Corps The 26th Division (26. Division), formally the 26th Division (1st...
- 27th Division (2nd Royal Württemberg)27th Division (German Empire)The 27th Division , formally the 27th Division , was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Ulm in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII Corps The 27th Division (27. Division), formally the 27th Division (2nd...
- LandwehrLandwehrLandwehr, or Landeswehr, is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large scale, low strength fortifications...
Inspection Stuttgart - 13th Pioneer Battalion
- 13th Train Battalion
Organization on mobilization in 1914
On mobilization, the corps assigned engineers (pioneers) and trains to its subordinate divisions, and received aviation and other support units from army assets. The organization of the corps on August 17, 1914, shortly after mobilization for World War I, was as follows:- 26th Infantry Division (1st Royal Württemberg)26th Division (German Empire)The 26th Division , formally the 26th Division , was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII Corps The 26th Division (26. Division), formally the 26th Division (1st...
- 27th Infantry Division (2nd Royal Württemberg)27th Division (German Empire)The 27th Division , formally the 27th Division , was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Ulm in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII Corps The 27th Division (27. Division), formally the 27th Division (2nd...
- I. Battalion/13th Foot Artillery Regiment (heavy field howitzers)
- 4th Field Aviation Detachment
- 13th Corps Bridge Trains
- 13th Corps Telephone Detachment
- Searchlight Platoon/13th Pioneer Battalion
- Corps munitions columns and trains
Württemberg mountain battalion
In 1915 a Württemberg mountain battalion was also formed, on drafts from the Württemberg line regiments, which became a part of the Alpenkorps divisionAlpenkorps (German Empire)
The Alpenkorps was a provisional mountain unit of division size formed by the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was considered by the Allies to be one of the best units of the German Army.-Formation:...
in 1917. This was the unit in which the young Erwin Rommel distinguished himself on the Romanian and Italian fronts, winning the Pour le Mérite (Imperial German equivalent of the Victoria Cross) at the Batlle of the Isonzo in 1917.