20th Army Corps (Russian Empire)
The Twentieth Army Corps was a formation of the Imperial Russian Army that was first raised in 1899, and was most famous for fighting in World War I, on the Eastern theatre of war, during the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Before World War I, the 20th Corps was stationed in the Vilno Military District, with corps headquarters in Riga. At the outbreak of the war, the corps consisted of two infantry divisions and a number of independent battalions and brigades. It was demobilized in April 1917.
History
The corps was formed in 1899, and was placed under the command of Lieutenant General Richard Troyanovich Meves, originally made up of the 29th and 45th infantry divisions. This unit later fought in World War I, in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, under General Pavel Illyich Bulgakov. On the February 7, in the middle of a snowstorm, Fritz von Below's German Eighth Army had launched a surprise attack, advancing within one week. Severe casualties were inflicted on the Russians, resulting in a disorderly withdrawal with many Russians taken prisoner. The greatest loss came when the 20th Army Corps was surrounded by the German Tenth Army in the Augustow Forest, although many broke out, the remnants surrendered on February 21 the entire corps surrendered. A large number of Latvian soldiers were killed, wounded or captured during this battle. This influenced the decision of the Imperial Russian Army to establish the Latvian Rifles.Composition
Shortly before the outbreak of World War I, on 1 January 1913, the 20th Army Corps comprised the following units:| Division | Brigade | Regiment | Battalion |
| 28th Infantry Division | 1st Brigade | 109th Infantry Regiment "Volzhsky" 110th Infantry Regiment "Kamsky" | |
| 2nd Brigade | 111th Infantry Regiment "Donskoi" 112th Infantry Regiment "Urals" | ||
| 28th Artillery Brigade | |||
| 29th Infantry Division | 1st Brigade | 113th Starorus Russian Infantry Regiment "Staraya Russa's" 114th Infantry Regiment "Torzhok's" | |
| 2nd Brigade | 115th Infantry Regiment "Vyazma's" 116th Infantry Regiment "Maloyaroslavets's" | ||
| 29th Artillery Brigade | |||
| — | 1st Separate Cavalry Brigade | ||
| — | 20th Howitzer Artillery Battalion 1st Heavy Artillery Battalion 20th Sapper Battalion 1st Pontoon Battalion 2nd Pontoon Battalion 2nd Cadre Supply-Train Battalion 1st Siege Engineer Park |
At different times during the war, the 20th Corps was part of several different field armies, including the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 10th.
Commanders
The 20th corps was led by the following commanders throughout its existence:| Appointed | Commander | Dismissed |
| 1899 | Lieutenant General Richard Troyanovich Meves | 22 February 1901 |
| ? 1901 | Cavalry General Semyon Vasilyevich Kakhanov | ? 1904 |
| 12 January 1905 | Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexandrovich Bekman | 11 June 1906 |
| 28 June 1908 | Infantry General Vladimir Vasilyevich Smirnov | December 1914 |
| December 1914 | Lieutenant General Pavel Bulgakov | February 1915 |
| March 1915 | Infantry General Alexander Iosafovich Ievreinov | April 1917 |
| April 1917 | Lieutenant General Alexander Yakovich Elshin | April 1917? |