Guards Corps (German Empire)


The Guards Corps / GK was a corps level command of the Prussian and then the Imperial German Armies from the 19th Century to World War I.
The Corps was headquartered in Berlin, with its units garrisoned in the city and nearby towns. Unlike all other Corps of the Imperial German Army, the Guards Corps did not recruit from a specific area, but from throughout Prussia and the "Imperial Lands" of Alsace-Lorraine.
The Corps served in the Austro-Prussian War. During the Franco-Prussian War it was assigned to the 2nd Army.
In peacetime the Corps was assigned to the II Army Inspectorate but joined the 2nd Army at the start of the First World War. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 4th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front. The Corps was disbanded with the demobilisation of the German Army after World War I.

Austro-Prussian War

The Guards Corps fought in the Austro-Prussian War against Austria in 1866, including the Battle of Königgrätz.

Franco-Prussian War

The Corps served in the Franco-Prussian War against France in 1870–1871 as part of 2nd Army. It saw action in the Battle of Gravelotte, Battle of Sedan and the Siege of Paris, among other actions.

Peacetime organisation

The 25 peacetime Corps of the German Army had a reasonably standardised organisation. Each consisted of two divisions with usually two infantry brigades, one field artillery brigade and a cavalry brigade each. 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
The Guards Corps was considerably above this norm, with 11 infantry regiments and 8 cavalry regiments. In addition to the normal 2 Infantry Divisions, the Guards Corps also commanded the Guards Cavalry Division, the only peacetime cavalry division in the German Army. It also incorporated an exceptional number of "Corps Troops" units, in particular school and demonstration units.
CorpsDivisionBrigadeUnitsGarrison
Guards CorpsGuards Cavalry Division1st Guards Cavalry BrigadeGardes du CorpsPotsdam
Guards CuirassiersBerlin---
2nd Guards Cavalry Brigade1st Guards UhlansPotsdam--
3rd Guards UhlansPotsdam---
3rd Guards Cavalry Brigade1st Guards Dragoons "Queen of Great Britain and Ireland"Berlin--
2nd Guards Dragoons "Empress Alexandra of Russia"Berlin---
4th Guards Cavalry BrigadeLife Guards HussarsPotsdam--
2nd Guards UhlansBerlin---
1st Guards Infantry Division1st Guards Infantry Brigade1st Foot GuardsPotsdam-
3rd Foot GuardsBerlin---
Guards Jäger BattalionPotsdam---
2nd Guards Infantry Brigade2nd Foot GuardsBerlin--
4th Foot GuardsBerlin---
Guards FusiliersBerlin---
1st Guards Field Artillery Brigade1st Guards Field ArtilleryBerlin--
3rd Guards Field ArtilleryBerlin, Beeskow---
2nd Guards Infantry Division3rd Guards Infantry Brigade1st Guards GrenadiersBerlin-
3rd Guards GrenadiersCharlottenburg---
Guards Schützen BattalionGroß-Lichterfelde---
4th Guards Infantry Brigade2nd Guards GrenadiersBerlin--
4th Guards GrenadiersBerlin---
5th Guards Infantry Brigade5th Foot GuardsSpandau--
5th Guards GrenadiersSpandau---
2nd Guards Field Artillery Brigade2nd Guards Field ArtilleryPotsdam--
4th Guards Field ArtilleryPotsdam---
Corps TroopsLehr Infantry BattalionPotsdam-
1st Guards Machine Gun AbteilungPotsdam---
2nd Guards Machine Gun AbteilungBerlin---
Guards Foot ArtillerySpandau---
Lehr Regiment of the Field Artillery Firing SchoolJüterbog---
Lehr Regiment of the Foot Artillery Firing SchoolJüterbog---
Guards Pioneer BattalionBerlin---
Guards Train BattalionBerlin---
1st Railway RegimentBerlin---
4th Railway RegimentBerlin---
Operating Abteilung of the Railway TroopsBerlin---
1st Telegraph BattalionBerlin ---
War Telegraph SchoolSpandau ---
1st Airship BattalionBerlin ---
2nd Airship BattalionBerlin / Hannover / Dresden---
1st Flying BattalionDöberitz / Großenhain---
Motorised BattalionBerlin---
Testing Abteilung of the Transport Technical Examination Board1st Co. Berlin, 2nd Co. Jüterbog---

World War I

Organisation on mobilisation

On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was extensively restructured. The Guards Cavalry Division was assigned to the I Cavalry Corps ; the 4th Guards Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned to the divisions as reconnaissance units. The Lehr Infantry Battalion was expanded to form the Lehr Infantry Regiment. It formed 6th Guards Infantry Brigade and together with the 5th Guards Infantry Brigade formed the 3rd Guards Division of the Guards Reserve Corps. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters.
In summary, the Guards Corps mobilised with 26 infantry battalions, 10 machine gun companies, 8 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries, 4 heavy artillery batteries, 3 pioneer companies and an aviation detachment.
CorpsDivisionBrigadeUnits
Guards Corps1st Guards Division1st Guard Infantry Brigade1st Foot Guards Regiment
3rd Foot Guards Regiment---
Guards Jäger Battalion---
2nd Guard Infantry Brigade2nd Foot Guards Regiment--
4th Foot Guards Regiment---
1st Guard Field Artillery Brigade1st Guards Field Artillery Regiment--
3rd Guards Field Artillery Regiment---
Leib Guards Hussar Regiment--
1st Company, Guards Pioneer Battalion---
1st Guards Divisional Pontoon Train---
1st Medical Company---
3rd Medical Company---
2nd Guards Division3rd Guard Infantry Brigade1st Guards Grenadier Regiment-
3rd Guards Grernadier Regiment---
Guards Schützen Battalion---
4th Guard Infantry Brigade2nd Guards Grenadier Regiment--
4th Guards Grenadier Regiment---
2nd Guard Field Artillery Brigade2nd Guards Field Artillery Regiment--
4th Guards Field Artillery Regiment---
2nd Guards Uhlan Regiment--
2nd Company, Guards Pioneer Battalion---
3rd Company, Guards Pioneer Battalion---
2nd Guards Divisional Pontoon Train---
2nd Medical Company---
Corps TroopsI Battalion, 1st Guards Foot Artillery Regiment-
1st Aviation Detachment---
Guards Corps Pontoon Train---
Guards Telephone Detachment---
Guards Pioneer Searchlight Section---
Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps---

Combat chronicle

On mobilisation, the Guards Corps was assigned to the 2nd Army as part of the right wing of the forces that invaded France and Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914.
Soon into the war, at the 1st Battle of the Marne, the Prussian Guards were bitterly defeated in an attempt to take French Positions.
In 1917, the corps was stationed on the Aisne River as part of 1st Army, and played an important role in the German defense against the French offensive in that sector.
It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 4th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front.

Commanders

The Guards Corps had the following commanders during its existence:
FromRankName
20 September 1814General der InfanterieDuke Charles of Mecklenburg
30 March 1838GeneralleutnantPrince Wilhelm of Prussia
23 May 1848GeneralleutnantKarl von Prittwitz
2 June 1853General der KavallerieKarl von der Gröben
3 June 1858General der KavalleriePrince August of Württemberg
30 August 1882General der KavallerieWilhelm von Brandenburg
21 August 1884General der InfanterieAlexander von Pape
19 September 1888General der InfanterieOskar von Meerscheidt-Hüllessem
6 May 1893General der InfanterieHugo von Winterfeld
18 August 1897General der InfanterieMax von Bock und Polach
27 January 1902General der InfanterieGustav von Kessel
29 May 1909General der InfanterieAlfred von Loewenfeld
1 March 1913General der InfanterieKarl von Plettenberg
6 February 1917General der InfanterieFerdinand von Quast
9 September 1917General der KavallerieGraf zu Dohna-Schlobitten
2 November 1917GeneralleutnantAlfred von Böckmann