German Army order of battle (1914)
This is the German Army order of battle on the outbreak of war in August 1914.
GHQ
The overall commander of the Imperial German Army was Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Chief of the General Staff was Generaloberst Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, with General von Stein as Deputy Chief. Departmental chiefs were Oberst Tappen (Operations Branch), Oberstleutnant Hentsch (Intelligence Branch), Major Nicolai (Secret Service), Oberst von Dommes (Political Section), Generalleutnant Siger (Field munitions), Major Thomsen (Air Service), Oberst Groner (Field Railways), and General von Schjerning (Medical Services). Generalmajor von Schoeler was Intendant-General (responsible for logistical supplies), and General von Claer was General of Engineers.
Western Front
Cavalry
Four independent cavalry corps served on the Western Front:
- I Cavalry Corps - preceding 3rd Army (Freiherr von Richthofen)
- II Cavalry Corps - preceding 1st and 2nd Armies (von der Marwitz)
- III Cavalry Corps - preceding 6th Army
- IV Cavalry Corps - preceding 4th and 5th Armies
Each Cavalry Division consisted of 3 Brigades of 2 Cavalry Regiments each (24 squadrons total), 3 horse artillery batteries (6 guns) and a MG detachment (6 MGs).
First Army
First Army was commanded by Generaloberst von Kluck.
Second Army
2nd Army was commanded by Generaloberst von Bülow.
- Guards Corps (von Plettenberg)
- VII Corps (von Einem)
- X Corps (von Emmich)
- Guards Reserve Corps (von Gallwitz)
- VII Reserve Corps (von Zwehl)
- X Reserve Corps (Günther Graf von Kirchbach)
- 25th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 29th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 4 mortar battalions
- 1 10-cm gun battalion
- 2 heavy coastal mortar battalions
- 2 Pionier regiments
Third Army
3rd Army was commanded by Generaloberst Freiherr von Hausen.
Fourth Army
4th Army was commanded by Generaloberst Duke Albrecht of Württemberg.
- VI Corps (von Pritzelwitz)
- VIII Corps (von Weidenbach)
- XVIII Corps (von Schenk)
- VIII Reserve Corps (von Egloffstein)
- XVIII Reserve Corps (von Steuben)
- 49th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 2 mortar battalions
- 1 Pionier regiment
Fifth Army
5th Army was commanded by the William, German Crown Prince.
- V Corps
- XIII Corps
- XVI Corps
- V Reserve Corps
- VI Reserve Corps
- 13th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- Senior Landwehr Commander 2 (2nd Landwehr Division)
- 43rd Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 45th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 53rd Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 9th Bavarian Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 4 mortar battalions
- 2 Pionier regiments
Sixth Army
6th Army was commanded by Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria.
Seventh Army
7th Army was commanded by Generaloberst von Heeringen.
- XIV Corps (von Heiningen)
- XV Corps (von Deimling)
- XIV Reserve Corps (von Schubert)
- 19th Ersatz Division
- Bavarian Ersatz Division
- 60th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- Upper Rhine Fortifications
- 55th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 110th Reinforced Landwehr Infantry Regiment
- 1st Bavarian Mixed Landwehr Brigade
- 2nd Bavarian Mixed Landwehr Brigade
Eastern Front
Eighth Army
8th Army was commanded by Generaloberst von Prittwitz.
Army of the North
Central Reserves and Border Fortresses
References
- ^ Originally held back in Schleswig in case of British landings; moved up in late August.
- ^ Given by Edmonds as "3rd Guard Reserve Division".
- ^ Transfered to 1st Army in late August.
- Appendix 6: Order of battle of the German Armies. In: History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1914, by J. E. Edmonds. Macmillan & Co., London, 1922.
- Appendix 1: The Field Army, 17th August 1914. In: Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle, by Hermann Cron. Helion & Co., 2002.
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Regular Corps: Guards Corps | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI
Reserve Corps: Guards Reserve Corps | I | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XII | XIV | XV | XVII | XVIII | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXXVIII | XXXIX | XXXX | XXXXI
Bavarian Corps: I | II | III | I Reserve | II Reserve | XV Reserve
Cavalry Corps: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | Schmettow
Genkdo z.b.V 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68
Other Corps: Landwehr | Ersatz | Marine
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