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| XIV Army Corps XIV. Armee-Korps | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918) | |
| Active | 30 September 1870 - March 1871 1 July 1871 - 1919 |
| Country |  Baden / German Empire |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | Approximately 44,000 (on mobilisation in 1914) |
| Garrison/HQ | Karlsruhe/Werderpalais, Bismarckstraße 2 |
| Patron | Grand Duke of Baden |
| Shoulder strap piping | Red |
| Engagements | Franco-Prussian War |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | XIV AK |
TheXIV Army Corps / XIV AK (German:XIV. Armee-Korps) was acorps level command of theGermanArmy before and duringWorld War I. It was, effectively, also the army of theGrand Duchy of Baden, which, in 1871, had been integrated into the Prussian Army command structure, as had the armies of most German states. Both divisions and the bulk of the corps' support units were from the grand duchy. The corps was established in 1870, after theSiege of Strasbourg.[1]
It was assigned to theV Army Inspectorate,[2] which became the7th Army at the start of theFirst World War. It was still in existence at the end of the war[3] as part of the18th Army,Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on theWestern Front.[4]
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A siege corps was formed to besiegeStrasbourg during theFranco-Prussian War under the command ofGeneral der InfanterieAugust von Werder. After the fall of Strasbourg, these troops were formed into a new XIV Corps by the All-highest Cabinet Order (Allerhöchste Kabinettsorder, AKO) of 30 September 1870.
Werder defeated the French atDijon and atNuits and proceeded to besiegeBelfort. GeneralCharles Denis Bourbaki assembled an army intending to relieve Belfort, leading to theBattle of Villersexel. On 15 January 1871, Bourbaki attacked Werder along theLisaine River; however, after a three-day battle, he was repelled and his army retreated into Switzerland.
XIV Corps was disbanded in March 1871.
After the peace treaty, the XIV Corps was re-established on 1 July 1871 almost exclusively with troops from theGrand Duchy of Baden.
It was assigned to theV Army Inspectorate,[2] but joined the7th Army at the start of theFirst World War.
The 25 peacetimeCorps of the German Army (Guards, I - XXI, I - III Bavarian) had a reasonably standardised organisation. Each consisted of twodivisions with usually two infantry brigades, one field artillery brigade and a cavalry brigade each.[5] 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:
Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more
14th (Baden) Foot Artillery was partially garrisoned inStraßburg (as part ofXV Corps) andMüllheim (as part of XIV Corps). In addition, the66th (4th Baden) Field Artillery was stationed inLahr andNeubreisach as part of XV Corps.[citation needed]
On mobilization on 2 August 1914, the Corps was restructured. The 28th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the6th Cavalry Division[8] and the 29th Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned to the divisions as reconnaissance units. The divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. Unusually, the Corps retained its 5th Infantry brigade, making it the strongest active corps on mobilisation. In summary, XIV Corps mobilised with 30 infantry battalions, 10 machine gun companies (60 machine guns), 8 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries (144 guns), 4 heavy artillery batteries (16 guns), 3 pioneer companies and an aviation detachment.
| Corps | Division | Brigade | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| XIV Corps | 28th Division | 55th Infantry Brigade | 109th Life Grenadier Regiment |
| 110th Grenadier Regiment | |||
| 56th Infantry Brigade | 40th Fusilier Regiment | ||
| 111th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 28th Field Artillery Brigade | 14th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 50th Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| 5th Jäger zu Pferde Regiment | |||
| 2nd Company, 14th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 3rd Company, 14th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 28th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 2nd Medical Company | |||
| 29th Division | 57th Infantry Brigade | 113th Infantry Regiment | |
| 114th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 58th Infantry Brigade | 112th Infantry Regiment | ||
| 142nd Infantry Regiment | |||
| 84th Infantry Brigade | 169th Infantry Regiment | ||
| 170th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 29th Field Artillery Brigade | 30th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 76th Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| 22nd Dragoon Regiment | |||
| 1st Company, 14th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 29th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 1st Medical Company | |||
| 3rd Medical Company | |||
| Corps Troops | II Battalion, 14th Foot Artillery Regiment[10] | ||
| 20th Aviation Detachment | |||
| 14th Corps Pontoon Train | |||
| 14th Telephone Detachment | |||
| 14th Pioneer Searchlight Section | |||
| Munition Trains and Columns corresponding toII Corps |
At the outbreak ofWorld War I, the Corps was assigned to the7th Army on the left of the forces that executed theSchlieffen Plan[11] and fought in theBattle of the Frontiers. In September, it was transferred to the6th Army. From November 1916 to March 1917, the corps took command of Group Hardaumont of the5th Army. In March 1917, it was transferred to the3rd Army and took command of Group Prosnes. In May, it was transferred to the4th Army's control and took command of Group Dixmude. During this period, it fought in theBattle of Passchendaele.[12] Taking over from theXIX Corps[13] atWijtschate in November 1917, the XIV Corps formed a newGroup Wytschaete, which it commanded until December 1917, after which it took over Group Busigny in the 6th Army. It remained in command of this group into 1918.[12]
It was still in existence at the end of the war[3] as part of the18th Army,Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on theWestern Front.[4]
The XIV Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[14][15][16]
| Dates | Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 30 September 1870 | General der Infanterie | August von Werder |
| 15 April 1879 | General der Infanterie | Hugo von Obernitz |
| 10 August 1888 | General der Infanterie | Sigismund von Schlichting |
| 2 January 1896 | General der Kavallerie | Adolf von Bülow |
| 27 January 1901 | General der Infanterie | Max von Bock und Polach |
| 11 September 1907 | General der Infanterie | Ernst Freiherr von Hoiningen gen. Huene |
| 31 August 1914 | Generalleutnant | Theodor von Watter |
| 10 March 1915 | Generalleutnant | Karl von Hänisch |
| 12 August 1916 | Generalleutnant | Martin Chales de Beaulieu |
| 5 September 1917 | Generalleutnant | Alfred von Böckmann |
| 2 November 1917 | Generalleutnant | Friedrich von Gontard |
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