Guard Corps

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Guard Corps (German: Gardekorps) was an Imperial German Army formation during the First World War consisting of Prussian Guard units. At the outbreak of war in 1914, the Guard Corps consisted of the 1st Guard Infantry Division and the 2nd Guard Infantry Division, and was commanded by Gen. d. Inf. Frhr. von Plettenberg.

At the beginning of the war, the following independent units were attached to the Guard Corps:

• 1st Battalion, 1st Guard Foot Artillery Regiment (I./1. Garde-Fußartillerie-Regiment)
• No. 1 Aerial Reconnaissance Section (Flieger-Abteilung 1)
• Guard Corps Engineers (Garde-Korps-Brücken-Train)
• Guard Corps Communications Section (Garde-Fernsprech-Abteilung)
• 1st Machine Gun Company (1. Machinegewehr Kompagnie)

Soon into the war, at the 1st Battle of the Marne, the Prussian Guard was bitterly defeated in an attempt to take French Positions

In 1917, the corps was stationed on the Aisne River as part of First Army, and played in important role in the German defense against the French offensive in that sector.

v • d • e Corps of the German Empire Regular Corps: Guard Corps | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI Reserve Corps: Guard Reserve Corps | I | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XII | XIV | XV | XVIII | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXXVIII | XXXIX | XXXX | XXXXI Bavarian Corps: I | II | III | I Reserve | XV Reserve Other Corps: Landwehr | Ersatz | Marine