X Reserve Corps (German Empire)

X Reserve Corps X. Reserve-Korps
Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918)
Active	2 August 1914 - post November 1918
Country	German Empire
Type	Corps
Size	Approximately 38,000 (on formation)
Engagements	World War I Battle of the Frontiers
Insignia
Abbreviation	X RK

The X Reserve Corps (German : X. Reserve-Korps / X RK) was a corps level command of the German Army in World War I.

Formation

X Reserve Corps was formed on the outbreak of the war in August 1914 ^[1] as part of the mobilisation of the Army. It was initially commanded by General der Infanterie Günther Graf von Kirchbach, formerly President of the Military Tribunal. ^[2] It was still in existence at the end of the war ^[3] in the 4th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front. ^[4]

Structure on formation

On formation in August 1914, X Reserve Corps consisted of two divisions, made up of reserve units. In general, Reserve Corps and Reserve Divisions were weaker than their active counterparts

Reserve Infantry Regiments did not always have three battalions nor necessarily contain a machine gun company ^[5]

Reserve Jäger Battalions did not have a machine gun company on formation ^[6]

Reserve Cavalry Regiments consisted of just three squadrons ^[7]

Reserve Field Artillery Regiments usually consisted of two abteilungen of three batteries each ^[8]

Corps Troops generally consisted of a Telephone Detachment and four sections of munition columns and trains ^[9]

In summary, X Reserve Corps mobilised with 25 infantry battalions, 9 machine gun companies (54 machine guns), 6 cavalry squadrons, 12 field artillery batteries (72 guns) and 3 pioneer companies.

Despite its name, 2nd Guards Reserve Division was not formed by units drawn predominantly from the Guards Corps ^[10] but from II Corps District ^[11] (divisional cavalry), VII Corps District ^[12] (26th Reserve Infantry Brigade) and X Corps District ^[13] (38th Reserve Infantry Brigade, field artillery regiment and pioneers).

Corps	Division	Brigade	Units
X Reserve Corps [14]	2nd Guards Reserve Division	26th Reserve Infantry Brigade	15th Reserve Infantry Regiment [15]
			55th Reserve Infantry Regiment [16]
		38th Reserve Infantry Brigade	77th Reserve Infantry Regiment [17]
			91st Reserve Infantry Regiment [18]
			10th Reserve Jäger Battalion [19]
			2nd Reserve Uhlan Regiment
			20th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment
			4th Company, 10th Pioneer Battalion
			2nd Guards Reserve Divisional Pontoon Train
			2nd Guards Reserve Medical Company
	19th Reserve Division	37th Reserve Infantry Brigade	73rd Reserve Infantry Regiment
			78th Reserve Infantry Regiment
		39th Reserve Infantry Brigade	74th Reserve Infantry Regiment
			92nd Reserve Infantry Regiment
			III Battalion, 79th Reserve Infantry Regiment [20]
			6th Reserve Dragoon Regiment
			19th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment
			1st Reserve Company, 10th Pioneer Battalion
			2nd Reserve Company, 10th Pioneer Battalion
			19th Reserve Divisional Pontoon Train
			10th Reserve Medical Company
	Corps Troops		10th Reserve Telephone Detachment
			Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to the III Reserve Corps

Combat chronicle

On mobilisation, X Reserve 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.

Commanders

X Reserve Corps had the following commanders during its existence: ^{[21] [22]}

From	Rank	Name
2 August 1914	General der Infanterie	Günther Graf von Kirchbach
30 August 1914	General der Infanterie	Johannes von Eben [23]
11 June 1915	Generalleutnant	Robert Kosch [24]
18 August 1916	General der Infanterie
28 August 1916	Generalleutnant	Georg Fuchs
15 October 1916	General der Infanterie	Magnus von Eberhardt
6 August 1918	Generalleutnant	Arthur von Gabain

See also

• Germany portal

• German Army order of battle (1914)
• German Army order of battle, Western Front (1918)

References

1. Cron 2002 , p. 86
2. The Prussian Machine Archived January 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Accessed: 2 March 2012
3. Cron 2002 , pp. 88–89
4. Ellis & Cox 1993 , pp. 186–187
5. Cron 2002 , p. 111 About a third of Reserve Infantry Regiments formed in August 1914 lacked a machine gun company
6. Cron 2002 , p. 116 Active Jäger Battalions had a machine gun company with the exceptions of the 1st and 2nd Bavarian Jäger Battalions
7. Cron 2002 , p. 128 Most active cavalry regiments had four squadrons, some were raised to six squadrons
8. Cron 2002 , p. 134 Active Divisions had a Field Artillery Brigade of two regiments
9. Cron 2002 , p. 86 Active Corps Troops included a battalion of heavy howitzers (Foot Artillery), an Aviation Detachment, a Telephone Detachment, a Corps Pontoon Train, a searchlight section, 2 munition column sections, one Foot Artillery munitions column section and two Train sections
10. War Office 1918 , p. 4
11. War Office 1918 , p. 241
12. War Office 1918 , p. 246
13. War Office 1918 , p. 249
14. Cron 2002 , p. 308
15. Busche 1998 , p. 14 Raised in Minden (HQ and I Battalion), Bielefeld (II) and Detmold (III)
16. Busche 1998 , p. 22 Just two Battalions. Raised in Soest (HQ and I Battalion) and Paderborn (II)
17. Busche 1998 , p. 27 Raised in Hildesheim (HQ, I and III Battalions) and Hamelin (II)
18. Busche 1998 , p. 30 Raised in Göttingen (HQ, I and II Battalions) and Hamelin (III)
19. Busche 1998 , p. 98 Raised in Goslar
20. With a machine gun company. HQ, I and II Battalions of 79th Reserve Infantry Regiment was on Borkum.
21. "German War History" . Retrieved 22 December 2012.
22. "Armee-Reserve-Korps". The Prussian Machine. Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
23. Promoted to General der Infanterie on the same date. "Johannes von Eben". The Prussian Machine. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
24. Promoted. "Robert Kosch". The Prussian Machine. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2012.

Bibliography

• Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN   1-874622-70-1.
• Ellis, John; Cox, Michael (1993). The World War I Databook. Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN   1-85410-766-6.
• Busche, Hartwig (1998). Formationsgeschichte der Deutschen Infanterie im Ersten Weltkrieg (1914 bis 1918) (in German). Institut für Preußische Historiographie.
• Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919. The London Stamp Exchange Ltd (1989). 1920. ISBN   0-948130-87-3.
• The German Forces in the Field; 7th Revision, 11th November 1918; Compiled by the General Staff, War Office. Imperial War Museum, London and The Battery Press, Inc (1995). 1918. ISBN   1-870423-95-X.