# XV Corps (German Empire)

The XV Army Corps / XV AK (German: XV. Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the German Army before and during World War I.
XV Corps served on the Western Front from the start of the war with the 7th Army. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 19th Army, Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg on the Western Front.

## Formation

With the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War and the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, the XV Corps was formed in March 1871 with responsibility for the new Imperial provinces. Headquarters was established in Strasbourg with the constituent units drawn from the armies of the various states of the German Empire. The Corps initially covered the entire district of Alsace-Lorraine, but from April 1890 a new XVI Corps was formed in Lorraine and the Corps was restricted to Alsace.
It was assigned to the V Army Inspectorate which became the 7th 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 |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 60th Infantry Brigade | 99th (2nd Upper Rhenish) Infantry | Saverne, III Bn at Phalsbourg |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 60th Infantry Brigade | 143rd (4th Lower Alsasian) Infantry | Strasbourg, III at Mutzig |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 85th Infantry Brigade | 105th (6th Royal Saxon) Infantry "King William II of Württemberg" | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 85th Infantry Brigade | 136th (4th Lotharingian) Infantry | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 30th Field Artillery Brigade | 51st (2nd Upper Alsatian) Field Artillery | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 30th Field Artillery Brigade | 84th (Strasbourg) Field Artillery | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 30th Cavalry Brigade | 15th (3rd Silesian) Dragoons | Haguenau |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 30th Cavalry Brigade | 9th (2nd Rhenish) Hussars | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 61st Infantry Brigade | 126th (8th Württemberg) Infantry "Grand Duke Frederick of Baden" | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 61st Infantry Brigade | 132nd (1st Lower Alsatian) Infantry | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 82nd Infantry Brigade | 171st (2nd Upper Alsatian) Infantry | Colmar |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 82nd Infantry Brigade | 172nd (3rd Upper Alsatian) Infantry | Neuf-Brisach |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 39th Field Artillery Brigade | 66th (4th Baden) Field Artillery | Lahr, Neuf-Brisach |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 39th Field Artillery Brigade | 80th (3rd Upper Alsatian) Field Artillery | Colmar, Neuf-Brisach |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 39th Cavalry Brigade | 14th (Kurmark) Dragoons | Colmar |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 39th Cavalry Brigade | 3rd Jäger zu Pferde | Colmar |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 8th (Rhenish) Jäger Battalion | Sélestat |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 14th (Grand Duchy Mecklenburg) Jäger Battalion | Colmar |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 9th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 10th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Mutzig |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 10th (Lower Saxony) Foot Artillery | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 13th (Hohenzollern) Foot Artillery | Ulm, Breisach |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 14th (Baden) Foot Artillery | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 15th (1st Alsatian) Pioneer Battalion | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 19th (2nd Alsatian) (Fortress-) Pioneer Battalion | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 4th Fortress Telephone Company | Strasbourg |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 4th Flying Battalion | Straßburg, Metz, Freiburg im Breisgau |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 15th (Alsatian) Train Battalion | Strasbourg |

## World War I
### Organisation on mobilisation

On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 30th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 7th Cavalry Division and the 39th 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, XV Corps mobilised with 26 infantry battalions, 10 machine gun companies (60 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 |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 60th Infantry Brigade | 99th Infantry Regiment |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 60th Infantry Brigade | 143rd Infantry Regiment |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 85th Infantry Brigade | 105th Infantry Regiment |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 85th Infantry Brigade | 136th Infantry Regiment |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 30th Field Artillery Brigade | 51st Field Artillery Regiment |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | 30th Field Artillery Brigade | 84th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | | 3rd Jäger zu Pferde Regiment |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | | 1st Company, 15th Pioneer Battalion |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | | 30th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | | 1st Medical Company |
| XV Corps | 30th Division | | 3rd Medical Company |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 61st Infantry Brigade | 126th Infantry Regiment |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 61st Infantry Brigade | 132nd Infantry Regiment |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 61st Infantry Brigade | 8th Jäger Battalion |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 82nd Infantry Brigade | 171st Infantry Regiment |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 82nd Infantry Brigade | 172nd Infantry Regiment |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 82nd Infantry Brigade | 14th Jäger Battalion |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 39th Field Artillery Brigade | 66th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | 39th Field Artillery Brigade | 80th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | | 14th Dragoon Regiment |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | | 2nd Company, 15th Pioneer Battalion |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | | 3rd Company, 15th Pioneer Battalion |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | | 39th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| XV Corps | 39th Division | | 2nd Medical Company |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | II Battalion, 10th Foot Artillery Regiment |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 3rd Aviation Detachment |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 15th Corps Pontoon Train |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 15th Telephone Detachment |
| XV Corps | Corps Troops | | 15th Pioneer Searchlight Section |
| XV 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 7th Army on the left of the forces that executed the Schlieffen Plan. It fought on the Western Front in Lorraine. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 19th Army, Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg on the Western Front.

## Commanders

The XV Corps had the following commanders during its existence:
| Dates | Rank | Name |
| 20 March 1871 | General der Infanterie | Eduard von Fransecky |
| 1 November 1879 | Generalfeldmarschall | Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel |
| 16 September 1885 | General der Kavallerie | Wilhelm von Heuduck |
| 4 November 1890 | General der Artillerie | Alfred von Lewinski |
| 1 April 1892 | General der Infanterie | Wilhelm Hermann von Blume |
| 4 April 1896 | General der Infanterie | Kuno Freiherr von Falkenstein |
| 22 May 1899 | Generalleutnant | Emil Freiherr von Meerscheidt-Hüllessem |
| 6 June 1900 | Generalleutnant | Hans Anton Herwarth von Bittenfeld |
| 1 April 1903 | General der Infanterie | Leopold Ritter Hentschel von Gilgenheimb |
| 31 January 1910 | General der Infanterie | Max von Fabeck |
| 1 March 1913 | General der Infanterie | Berthold von Deimling |
| 25 May 1917 | Generalleutnant | Emil Ilse |