# XVI Corps (German Empire)

The XVI Army Corps / XVI AK (German: XVI. Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the German Army before and during World War I.
It was assigned to the VII Army Inspectorate, which became the 5th Army at the start of the First World War. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 3rd Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front.

## Formation

By a law of 27 January 1890, it was decided to separate Alsace-Lorraine provinces in military affairs. It stipulated that from 1 April 1890 the entire power of the Army of the German Empire should be twenty army corps (Guards, I - XVII, I and II Bavarian). The All-highest Cabinet Order (Allerhöchste Kabinettsorder, AKO) of 1 February 1890 authorised the formation of the XVI and XVII Army Corps.
The XVI Army Corps was set up on 1 April 1890 in Metz as the Generalkommando (headquarters) for Lorraine. Its headquarters was in the fortress of Metz. It took command of 33rd Division (formerly 30th Division of XV Corps) and 34th Division formed on the same date. It was assigned to the VII Army Inspectorate but joined the 5th Army at the start of the First World War.

## 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 |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 66th Infantry Brigade | 98th (Metz) Infantry | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 66th Infantry Brigade | 130th (1st Lotharingian) Infantry | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 67th Infantry Brigade | 135th (3rd Lotharingian) Infantry | Diedenhofen |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 67th Infantry Brigade | 144th (5th Lotharingian) Infantry | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 33rd Field Artillery Brigade | 33rd (1st Lotharingian) Field Artillery | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 33rd Field Artillery Brigade | 34th (2nd Lotharingian) Field Artillery | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 33rd Cavalry Brigade | 9th (1st Hannover) Dragoons "King Charles I of Rumania" | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 33rd Cavalry Brigade | 13th (Schleswig-Holstein) Dragoons | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 68th Infantry Brigade | 67th (4th Magdeburg) Infantry | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 68th Infantry Brigade | 145th (6th Lotharingian) King's Infantry | Metz |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 86th Infantry Brigade | 30th (4th Rhenish) Infantry "Count Werder" | Saarlouis |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 86th Infantry Brigade | 173rd (9th Lotharingian) Infantry | St. Avold, III Bn at Metz |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 34th Field Artillery Brigade | 69th (3rd Lotharingian) Field Artillery | St. Avold |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 34th Field Artillery Brigade | 70th (4th Lotharingian) Field Artillery | Metz, Saarlouis |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 34th Cavalry Brigade | 14th (2nd Hannover) Uhlans | St. Avold, Mörchingen |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 34th Cavalry Brigade | 12th Jäger zu Pferde | St. Avold |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 45th Cavalry Brigade | 13th (1st Kurhessian) Hussars "King Umberto of Italy" | Diedenhofen |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 45th Cavalry Brigade | 13th Jäger zu Pferde | Saarlouis |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 11th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Diedenhofen |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 12th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 13th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 14th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 15th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 8th (Rhenish) Foot Artillery | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 12th (1st Royal Saxon) Foot Artillery | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 16th (Lotharingian) Foot Artillery | Metz, Diedenhofen |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 16th (1st Lotharingian) Pioneer Battalion | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 20th (2nd Lotharingian) (Fortress-) Pioneer Battalion | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 3rd (Fortress-) Telephone Company | Metz |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 16th (Lotharingian) Train Battalion | Saarlouis |
| XVI Corps | Metz Defence Command (Landwehr-Inspektion) | | | Metz |

## World War I
### Organisation on mobilisation

On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 33rd and 45th Cavalry Brigades were withdrawn to form part of the 6th Cavalry Division and the 34th Cavalry Brigade was broken up and its regiments assigned to the divisions as reconnaissance units. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, XVI 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 |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 66th Infantry Brigade | 98th Infantry Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 66th Infantry Brigade | 130th Infantry Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 67th Infantry Brigade | 135th Infantry Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 67th Infantry Brigade | 144th Infantry Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 33rd Field Artillery Brigade | 33rd Field Artillery Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | 33rd Field Artillery Brigade | 34th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | | 12th Jäger zu Pferde Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | | 1st Company, 16th Pioneer Battalion |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | | 33rd Divisional Pontoon Train |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | | 1st Medical Company |
| XVI Corps | 33rd Division | | 3rd Medical Company |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 68th Infantry Brigade | 67th Infantry Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 68th Infantry Brigade | 145th King's Infantry Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 86th Infantry Brigade | 30th Infantry Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 86th Infantry Brigade | 173rd Infantry Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 34th Field Artillery Brigade | 69th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | 34th Field Artillery Brigade | 70th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | | 14th Uhlan Regiment |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | | 2nd Company, 16th Pioneer Battalion |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | | 3rd Company, 16th Pioneer Battalion |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | | 34th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| XVI Corps | 34th Division | | 2nd Medical Company |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | I Battalion, 10th Foot Artillery Regiment |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 2nd Aviation Detachment |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 16th Corps Pontoon Train |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 16th Telephone Detachment |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | 16th Pioneer Searchlight Section |
| XVI Corps | Corps Troops | | Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps |

### Combat chronicle

At the outbreak of World War I, the Corps was assigned to the 5th Army. It fought on the Western Front in Lorraine. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 3rd Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front.

## Commanders

The XVI Corps had the following commanders during its existence:
| Dates | Rank | Name |
| 24 March 1890 to 17 May 1903 | General der Kavallerie | Gottlieb Graf von Haeseler |
| 18 May 1903 to 23 April 1906 | General der Infanterie | Louis Stoetzer |
| 24 April 1906 to 28 February 1913 | General der Infanterie | Maximilian von Prittwitz und Gaffron |
| 1 March 1913 to 28 October 1916 | General der Infanterie | Bruno von Mudra |
| 29 October 1916 to end of the war | Generalleutnant | Adolf Wild von Hohenborn |