| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps (XIII. (Königlich Württembergisches) Armeekorps) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1817-1919 |
| Country | Württemberg/Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Size | Approx. 40,000 |
| Garrison/HQ | Stuttgart |
| Engagements | Austro-Prussian War, Franco-Prussian War, World War I |
The XIII (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps (XIII. (Königlich Württembergisches) Armeekorps) was a corps of the Imperial German Army. It was, effectively, also the army of the Kingdom of Württemberg, 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.[1]
The corps saw action in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War, 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, but this battle was not important in the war. In the Franco-Prussian War 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, and in the Siege of Paris.
On mobilization in 1914, the corps was subordinated to the 5th Army and saw action on the Western Front. It was transferred to the 6th Army during the Race to the Sea. 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. 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.[2]
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The organization of the corps on July 3, 1913 was as follows:[3]
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:[3]
In 1915 a Württemberg mountain battalion was also formed, on drafts from the Württemberg line regiments, which became a part of the Alpenkorps division 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.
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