# XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps

The XIII (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps / XIII AK (German: XIII. (Königlich Württembergisches) Armee-Korps) 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.

## Austro-Prussian War

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.

## Franco-Prussian 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.

## Peacetime organisation

The corps' two divisions were the 26th and 27th.
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 |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 51st Infantry Brigade | 119th (1st Württemberg) Grenadiers "Queen Olga" | Stuttgart |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 51st Infantry Brigade | 125th (7th Württemberg) Infantry "Emperor Frederick, King of Prussia" | Stuttgart |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 52nd Infantry Brigade | 121st (3rd Württemberg)(Old Württemberg) Infantry | Ludwigsburg |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 52nd Infantry Brigade | 122nd (4th Württemberg) Fusiliers "Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, King of Hungary" | Heilbronn, II Bn at Mergentheim |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 26th Field Artillery Brigade | 29th (2nd Württemberg) Field Artillery "Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria" | Ludwigsburg |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 26th Field Artillery Brigade | 65th (4th Württemberg) Field Artillery | Ludwigsburg |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 26th Cavalry Brigade | 25th (1st Württemberg) Dragoons "Queen Olga" | Ludwigsburg |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 26th Cavalry Brigade | 26th (2nd Württemberg) Dragoons "King" | Stuttgart-Cannstatt |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 53rd Infantry Brigade | 123rd (5th Württemberg) Grenadiers "King Charles" | Ulm |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 53rd Infantry Brigade | 124th (6th Württemberg) Infantry "King William I" | Weingarten |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 54th Infantry Brigade | 120th (2nd Württemberg) Infantry "Emperor William, King of Prussia" | Ulm |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 54th Infantry Brigade | 127th (9th Württemberg) Infantry | Ulm, Waiblingen |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 54th Infantry Brigade | 180th (10th Württemberg) Infantry | Tübingen, II Bn at Schwäbisch Gmünd |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 27th Field Artillery Brigade | 13th (1st Württemberg) Field Artillery "King Charles" | Ulm, Stuttgart-Cannstatt |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 27th Field Artillery Brigade | 49th (3rd Württemberg) Field Artillery | Ulm |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 27th Cavalry Brigade | 19th (1st Württemberg) Uhlans "King Charles" | Ulm, Wiblingen |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 27th Cavalry Brigade | 20th (2nd Württemberg) Uhlans "King William I" | Ludwigsburg |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Corps Troops | | 13th (Württemberg) Pioneer Battalion | Ulm |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Corps Troops | | 13th (Württemberg) Train Battalion | Ludwigsburg |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Stuttgart Defence Command (Landwehr-Inspektion) | | | Stuttgart |
In addition, the 126th (8th Württemberg) Infantry "Grand Duke Frederick of Baden" was stationed at Straßburg as part of XV Corps.

## World War I
### Organisation on mobilisation

On mobilization on August 2, 1914 the Corps was restructured. The 180th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 26th Reserve Division in XIV Reserve Corps. The 26th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 7th Cavalry Division and the 27th Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned as reconnaissance units to the divisions. The two divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, XIII Corps mobilised with 24 infantry battalions, 8 machine gun companies (48 machine guns), 8 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 |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 51st Infantry Brigade | 119th Grenadier Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 51st Infantry Brigade | 125th Infantry Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 52nd Infantry Brigade | 121st Infantry Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 52nd Infantry Brigade | 122nd Fusilier Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 26th Field Artillery Brigade | 29th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | 26th Field Artillery Brigade | 65th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | | 20th Uhlan Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | | 1st Company, 13th Pioneer Battalion |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | | 26th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | | 1st Medical Company |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 26th Division | | 3rd Medical Company |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 53rd Infantry Brigade | 123rd Grenadier Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 53rd Infantry Brigade | 124th Infantry Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 54th Infantry Brigade | 120th Infantry Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 54th Infantry Brigade | 127th Infantry Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 27th Field Artillery Brigade | 13th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | 27th Field Artillery Brigade | 49th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | | 19th Uhlan Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | | 2nd Company, 12th Pioneer Battalion |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | | 3rd Company, 12th Pioneer Battalion |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | | 27th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | 27th Division | | 2nd Medical Company |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Corps Troops | | I Battalion, 13th Foot Artillery Regiment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Corps Troops | | 4th Aviation Detachment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Corps Troops | | 13th Corps Pontoon Train |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Corps Troops | | 13th Telephone Detachment |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Corps Troops | | 13th Pioneer Searchlight Section |
| XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps | Corps Troops | | Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps |

### Combat chronicle

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 Corps, II Bavarian 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.
It was still in existence at the end of the war in Armee-Abteilung C, Heeresgruppe Gallwitz on the Western Front.

### Württemberg mountain battalion

In 1915, drafts from the Württemberg line regiments were used to form a Württemberg mountain battalion, 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 Battle of the Isonzo in 1917.

## Commanders

The XIII Corps had the following commanders during its existence:
| Dates | Rank | Name |
| up to 19 October 1871 | | Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| 19 October 1871 | Generalleutnant | Wolf Louis Ferdinand von Stülpnagel |
| 24 December 1873 | General der Infanterie | Ferdinand Emil Karl von Schwartzkoppen |
| 26 January 1878 | General der Infanterie | Hans Ferdinand von Schachtmeyer |
| 15 May 1886 | General der Kavallerie | Gustav Hermann von Alvensleben |
| 26 October 1890 | Generalleutnant | Wilhelm von Woelckern |
| 22 March 1895 | General der Infanterie | Oskar von Lindequist |
| 25 March 1899 | Generalleutnant | Ludwig Freiherr von Falkenhausen |
| 22 March 1902 | General der Infanterie | Konrad von Hugo |
| 4 April 1907 | General der Infanterie | Joseph von Fallois |
| 25 February 1908 | General der Kavallerie | Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg |
| 1 March 1913 | General der Infanterie | Max von Fabeck |
| 9 March 1915 | General der Infanterie | Theodor Freiherr von Watter |
| 17 March 1918 | General der Infanterie | Hermann von Staabs |
| 22 May 1918 | General der Infanterie | Theodor Freiherr von Watter |