# VII Corps (German Empire)

The VII Army Corps / VII AK (German: VII. Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the Prussian and then the Imperial German Armies from the 19th Century to World War I.
Originating in 1815 as the General Command for the Province of Westphalia, the headquarters was in Münster and its catchment area was the Province of Westphalia and the Principalities of Lippe and Schaumburg-Lippe.
The Corps served in the Austro-Prussian War. During the Franco-Prussian War it was assigned to the 1st Army.
In peacetime the Corps was assigned to the III Army Inspectorate which became the 2nd Army at the start of the First World War. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 7th Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front. The Corps was disbanded with the demobilisation of the German Army after World War I.

## Austro-Prussian War

VII Corps fought in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, seeing action in the Battle of Königgrätz.

## Franco-Prussian War

During the Franco-Prussian War, the Corps formed part of the 1st Army and fought in several battles and engagements, including the Battle of Spicheren, the Battle of Borny-Colombey, the Battle of Gravelotte and the Siege of Metz.

## Peacetime organisation

The 25 peacetime Corps of the German Army (Guards, I - XXI, I - III Bavarian) 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:
    V, VI, VII, IX and XIV Corps each had a 5th infantry brigade (so 10 infantry regiments)
    II, XIII, XVIII and XXI Corps had a 9th infantry regiment
    I, VI and XVI Corps had a 3rd cavalry brigade (so 6 cavalry regiments)
    the Guards Corps had 11 infantry regiments (in 5 brigades) and 8 cavalry regiments (in 4 brigades).
Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more
    Foot Artillery Regiment
    Jäger Battalion
    Pioneer Battalion
    Train Battalion
Peacetime organization of the Corps :
| Corps | Division | Brigade | Units | Garrison |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 25th Infantry Brigade | 13th (1st Westphalian) Infantry "Herwarth von Bittenfeld" | Münster |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 25th Infantry Brigade | 158th (7th Lotharingian) Infantry | Paderborn, III Bn at Senne |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 26th Infantry Brigade | 15th (2nd Westphalian) Infantry "Prince Frederick of the Netherlands" | Minden |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 26th Infantry Brigade | 55th (6th Westphalian) Infantry "Count Bülow von Dennewitz" | Detmold, I Bn at Höxter, II Bn at Bielefeld |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 13th Field Artillery Brigade | 22nd (2nd Westphalian) Field Artillery | Münster |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 13th Field Artillery Brigade | 58th (Minden) Field Artillery | Minden |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 13th Cavalry Brigade | 4th (Westphalian) Cuirassiers "von Driesen" | Münster |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 13th Cavalry Brigade | 8th (1st Westphalian) Hussars "Emperor Nicholas II of Russia" | Neuhaus, Paderborn |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 27th Infantry Brigade | 16th (3rd Westphalian) Infantry "Baron Sparr" | Cologne |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 27th Infantry Brigade | 53rd (5th Westphalian) Infantry | Cologne |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 28th Infantry Brigade | 39th (Lower Rhenish) Fusiliers | Düsseldorf |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 28th Infantry Brigade | 159th (8th Lotharingian) Infantry | Mülheim/Ruhr, III Bn at Geldern |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 79th Infantry Brigade | 56th (7th Westphalian) Infantry "Vogel von Falkenstein" | Wesel, III Bn at Kleve |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 79th Infantry Brigade | 57th (8th Westphalian) Infantry "Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick" | Wesel |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 14th Field Artillery Brigade | 7th (1st Westphalian) Field Artillery | Wesel, Düsseldorf |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 14th Field Artillery Brigade | 43rd (Cleve) Field Artillery | Wesel |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 14th Cavalry Brigade | 11th (2nd Westphalian) Hussars | Krefeld |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 14th Cavalry Brigade | 5th (Westphalian) Uhlans | Düsseldorf |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 7th (Westphalian) Jäger Battalion | Bückeburg |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 7th Machine Gun Abteilung | Paderborn |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 7th (Westphalian) Foot Artillery | Cologne |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 7th (1st Westphalian) Pioneer Battalion | Cologne |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 24th (2nd Westphalian) (Fortress-)Pioneer Battalion | Cologne |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 7th (Westphalian) Train Battalion | Münster |
| VII Corps | Dortmund Defence Command (Landwehr-Inspektion) | | | Dortmund |
| VII Corps | Düsseldorf Defence Command (Landwehr-Inspektion) | | | Düsseldorf |

## World War I
### Organisation on mobilisation

On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 13th and 14th Cavalry Brigades were withdrawn to form part of the 9th Cavalry Division. The 16th Uhlans, formerly of the IV Corps, was raised to a strength of 6 squadrons before being split into two half-regiments of 3 squadrons each. The half-regiments were assigned as divisional cavalry to 13th and 14th Divisions. 28th Infantry Brigade was assigned to the 14th Reserve Division with the VII Reserve Corps. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, VII Corps mobilised with 25 infantry battalions, 9 machine gun companies (54 machine guns), 6 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries (144 guns), 4 heavy artillery batteries (16 guns), 3 pioneer companies and an aviation detachment.
Initial wartime organization of the Corps :
| Corps | Division | Brigade | Units |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 25th Infantry Brigade | 13th Infantry Regiment |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 25th Infantry Brigade | 158th Infantry Regiment |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 26th Infantry Brigade | 15th Infantry Regiment |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 26th Infantry Brigade | 55th Infantry Regiment |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 26th Infantry Brigade | 7th Jäger Battalion |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 13th Field Artillery Brigade | 22nd Field Artillery Regiment |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | 13th Field Artillery Brigade | 58th Field Artillery Regiment |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | | staff and half of 16th Uhlan Regiment |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | | 1st Company, 7th Pioneer Battalion |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | | 13th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | | 1st Medical Company |
| VII Corps | 13th Division | | 3rd Medical Company |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 27th Infantry Brigade | 16th Infantry Regiment |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 27th Infantry Brigade | 53rd Infantry Regiment |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 79th Infantry Brigade | 56th Infantry Regiment |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 79th Infantry Brigade | 57th Infantry Regiment |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 16th Field Artillery Brigade | 7th Field Artillery Regiment |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | 16th Field Artillery Brigade | 43rd Field Artillery Regiment |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | | half of 16th Uhlan Regiment |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | | 2nd Company, 7th Pioneer Battalion |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | | 3rd Company, 7th Pioneer Battalion |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | | 14th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| VII Corps | 14th Division | | 2nd Medical Company |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | I Battalion, 7th Foot Artillery Regiment |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 18th Aviation Detachment |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 7th Corps Pontoon Train |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 7th Telephone Detachment |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | 7th Pioneer Searchlight Section |
| VII Corps | Corps Troops | | Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps |

### Combat chronicle

On mobilisation, VII Corps was assigned to the 2nd Army forming part of the right wing of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914 on the Western Front.
It participated in the First Battle of the Marne and First Battle of Ypres in 1914.
It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 7th Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front.

## Commanders

The VII Corps had the following commanders during its existence:
| From | Rank | Name |
| 30 October 1815 | Generalleutnant | Johann Adolf Freiherr von Thielmann |
| 3 April 1820 | Generalleutnant | Philipp von Luck und Witten |
| 24 May 1820 | Generalleutnant | Heinrich Wilhelm von Horn |
| 28 November 1829 | Generalleutnant | Karl Freiherr von Müffling |
| 30 March 1837 | General der Infanterie | Ernst von Pfuel |
| 2 March 1848 | General der Kavallerie | Karl von der Gröben |
| 2 June 1853 | General der Kavallerie | Ludwig Freiherr Roth von Schreckenstein |
| 3 June 1858 | Generalleutnant | Eduard von Bonin |
| 6 November 1858 | General der Kavallerie | Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern |
| 20 January 1860 | General der Infanterie | Eberhard Herwarth von Bittenfeld |
| 21 November 1864 | General der Infanterie | Eduard Vogel von Falckenstein |
| 30 October 1866 | General der Infanterie | Heinrich von Zastrow |
| 5 September 1871 | Generalleutnant | Wilhelm Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode |
| 15 April 1882 | General der Infanterie | Carl Friedrich von Witzendorff |
| 7 August 1888 | General der Kavallerie | Emil von Albedyll |
| 3 June 1893 | General der Infanterie | Robert von Goetze |
| 5 April 1898 | General der Infanterie | Viktor von Mikusch-Buchberg |
| 27 January 1900 | Generalleutnant | Ernst Freiherr von Bülow |
| 18 May 1901 | Generalleutnant | Moritz von Bissing |
| 12 December 1907 | General der Kavallerie | Friedrich von Bernhardi |
| 11 August 1909 | General der Kavallerie | Karl von Einem |
| 16 September 1914 | General der Infanterie | Eberhard von Claer |
| 29 June 1915 | General der Infanterie | Hermann von François |
| 6 July 1918 | Generalleutnant | Wilhelm von Woyna |