# XVII Corps (German Empire)

The XVII Army Corps / XVII AK (German: XVII. Armee-Korps) was a corps level command of the German Army before and during World War I.
As the German Army expanded in the latter part of the 19th century, the XVII Army Corps was set up on 1 April 1890 in Danzig as the Generalkommando (headquarters) for West Prussia. It took command of two divisions formed on the same date: 35th Division and 36th Division. It was assigned to the I Army Inspectorate, which became the 8th Army at the start of the First World War.
XVII Corps served on the Eastern Front from the start of the war. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 7th Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front. In 1919, the corps served with the Grenzschutz Ost (border protection east) in Danzig, West Prussia.

## Formation

By a law of 27 January 1890, it was decided to separate the Province of West Prussia from the Province of East Prussia in military affairs. It stipulated that, from 1 April 1890, the entire power of the Army of the German Empire should be 20 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 latter was assigned to the I Army Inspectorate and included the territory of the Landwehr districts Schlawe, Stolp, Konitz, Thorn, Graudenz, Danzig, Preußisch Stargard, Neustadt, Osterode, Deutsch-Eylau and Marienburg.
Later, the districts of Osterode, Deutsch-Eylau and Marienburg would be reassigned to the XX Corps.

## 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 |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 70th Infantry Brigade | 21st (4th Pomeranian) Infantry "von Borcke" | Thorn |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 70th Infantry Brigade | 61st (8th Pomeranian) Infantry "von der Marwitz" | Thorn |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 87th Infantry Brigade | 141st (Kulm) Infantry | Graudenz, III Bn in Strasburg in Westpreußen |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 87th Infantry Brigade | 176th (9th West Prussian) Infantry | Kulm, II Bn in Thorn |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 35th Field Artillery Brigade | 71st Field Artillery "Grand Komtur" | Graudenz |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 35th Field Artillery Brigade | 81st (Thorn) Field Artillery | Thorn |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 35th Cavalry Brigade | 5th (Pomeranian) Hussars "Prince Blücher of Wahlstatt" | Stolp |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 35th Cavalry Brigade | 4th Jäger zu Pferde | Graudenz |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 69th Infantry Brigade | 129th (3rd West Prussian) Infantry | Graudenz |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 69th Infantry Brigade | 175th (8th West Prussian) Infantry | Graudenz, II Bn in Schwetz |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 71st Infantry Brigade | 5th (4th East Prussian) Grenadiers "King Frederick I" | Danzig |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 71st Infantry Brigade | 128th (Danzig) Infantry | Danzig, II Bn in Neufahrwasser |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 36th Field Artillery Brigade | 36th (2nd West Prussian) Field Artillery | Danzig |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 36th Field Artillery Brigade | 72nd Field Artillery "Grand Master" | Marienwerder, Preußisch Stargard |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | Leib Hussar Brigade | 1st Life Hussars "Totenkopf" | Danzig-Langfuhr |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | Leib Hussar Brigade | 2nd Life Hussars "Queen Victoria of Prussia" | Danzig-Langfuhr |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 2nd (Pomeranian) Jäger Battalion "Fürst Bismarck" | Kulm |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 4th Machine Gun Abteilung | Thorn |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 3rd Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Graudenz |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 4th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Graudenz |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 5th Fortress Machine Gun Abteilung | Thorn |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 11th (1st West Prussian) Foot Artillery | Thorn |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 17th (2nd West Prussian) Foot Artillery | Danzig, Pillau |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 17th (1st West Prussian) Pioneer Battalion | Thorn |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 5th Telegraph Battalion | Danzig, Berlin, Schneidemühl |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 1st (Fortress-)Telephone Company | Thorn |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 2nd (Fortress-)Telephone Company | Graudenz |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 17th (West Prussian) Train Battalion | Danzig |
| XVII Corps | Graudenz Defence Command (Landwehr-Inspektion) | | | Graudenz |

## World War I
### Organisation on mobilisation

On mobilization on 2 August 1914, the Corps was restructured. The Leib Hussar Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 2nd Cavalry Division and the 35th 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, XVII Corps mobilised with 25 infantry battalions, 9 machine gun companies (54 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 |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 70th Infantry Brigade | 21st Infantry Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 70th Infantry Brigade | 61st Infantry Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 87th Infantry Brigade | 141st Infantry Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 87th Infantry Brigade | 176th Infantry Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 87th Infantry Brigade | 2nd Jäger Battalion |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 35th Field Artillery Brigade | 71st Field Artillery Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | 35th Field Artillery Brigade | 81st Field Artillery Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | | 4th Jäger zu Pferde Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | | 1st Company, 17th Pioneer Battalion |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | | 35th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| XVII Corps | 35th Division | | 2nd Medical Company |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 69th Infantry Brigade | 129th Infantry Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 69th Infantry Brigade | 175th Infantry Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 71st Infantry Brigade | 5th Grenadier Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 71st Infantry Brigade | 128th Infantry Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 36th Field Artillery Brigade | 36th Field Artillery Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | 36th Field Artillery Brigade | 72nd Field Artillery Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | | 5th Hussar Regiment |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | | 2nd Company, 17th Pioneer Battalion |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | | 3rd Company, 17th Pioneer Battalion |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | | 36th Divisional Pontoon Train |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | | 1st Medical Company |
| XVII Corps | 36th Division | | 3rd Medical Company |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | I Battalion, 11th Foot Artillery Regiment |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 17th Aviation Detachment |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 17th Corps Pontoon Train |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 17th Telephone Detachment |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | 17th Pioneer Searchlight Section |
| XVII Corps | Corps Troops | | Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps |

### Combat chronicle

On mobilisation, XVII Corps was assigned to the 8th Army to defend East Prussia, while the rest of the Army executed the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914. It took part in the battles of Gumbinnen, Tannenberg and 1st Masurian Lakes. Immediately after the latter, it joined the 9th Army in Lower Silesia, where it fought at the Battle of the Vistula River.

## Commanders

The XVII Corps had the following commanders during its existence:
| Dates | Rank | Name |
| 24 March 1890 | General der Infanterie | August von Lentze |
| 3 April 1902 | General der Infanterie | Georg von Braunschweig |
| 27 January 1908 | General der Kavallerie | August von Mackensen |
| 2 November 1914 | General der Infanterie | Günther von Pannewitz |
| 7 September 1916 | Generalleutnant | Paul Fleck |
| 19 February 1918 | Generalleutnant | Richard von Webern |
| 23 June 1918 | Generalleutnant | Günther von Etzel |
| 27 August 1918 | Generalleutnant | Axel von Petersdorff |
| 13 December 1918 | General der Infanterie | Otto von Below |
| 27 June 1919 | | Johannes von Malachowski |