German Army ( German Empire ) The German Army ( " Deutsches Heer " ) was the name given to the combined land ( and air ) forces of the German Empire . The term " Deutsches Heer " is also used for the modern German Army , the land component of the " Bundeswehr " . The German Army was formed after the unification of Germany under Prussia n leadership in 1871 , and dissolved in 1919 , after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I . Formation and name . The states which made up the German Empire each had their own separate armies . Within the German Confederation , formed after the Napoleonic Wars , each state was responsible for maintaining certain units to be put at the disposal of the Confederation in case of conflict . When operating together , these units were known as the Federal Army ( " Bundesheer " ) . The Federal Army system functioned during various conflicts of the 19th century , such as the First Schleswig War in 1848 - 50 , but by the time of the Second Schleswig War of 1864 , strains were showing , mainly between the major powers of the confederation , the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia . The end of the German Confederation was sealed by the Austro - Prussian War of 1866 . After this war , a victorious and much enlarged Prussia formed a new confederation , the North German Confederation , which included the states of northern Germany . The treaty that formed the North German Federation provided for the maintenance of a Federal Army and a Federal Navy ( " Bundesmarine " or " Bundeskriegsmarine " ) . Further laws on military duty also used these terms . Conventions ( some later amended ) were entered into between the North German Confederation and its member states , effectively subordinating their armies to Prussia ' s in time of war , and giving the Prussian Army control over training , doctrine and equipment . Shortly after the outbreak of the Franco - Prussian War in 1870 , the North German Confederation also entered into conventions on military matters with states not members of the confederation : Bavaria , Württemberg , and Baden . Through these conventions and the constitution of the German Empire of 1871 , an Army of the Realm ( " Reichsheer " ) was born . The contingents of the Bavarian , Saxon and Württemberg kingdoms remained semi - autonomous , while the Prussian Army assumed almost total control over the armies of the other states of the Empire . The constitution of the German Empire , dated April 16 , 1871 , changed references in the North German Constitution from Federal Army to either Army of the Realm ( " Reichsheer " ) or German Army ( " Deutsches Heer " ) . Even after 1871 the peacetime armies of the four kingdoms remained relatively distinct . " German Army " was used in various legal documents such as the Military Penal Code , but otherwise the Prussian , Bavarian , Saxon and Württemberg armies maintained distinct identities . Each kingdom had its own War Ministry , Bavaria and Saxony published their own rank and seniority lists for their officers , and Württemberg ' s was a separate chapter of the Prussian army rank lists . Württemberg and Saxon units were numbered according to the Prussian system though , while Bavarian units maintained their own ( thus , the 2nd Württemberg Infantry Regiment was Infantry Regiment No . 120 under the Prussian system ) . Command and control . The overall commander of the Imperial German Army , less the Bavarian contingent , was the Kaiser . He was assisted by a German Imperial Military Cabinet , and exercised control through the Ministry of War and the Great General Staff . The Chief of the General Staff became the Kaiser ' s main military advisor and effectively the most powerful military figure in the Empire . Bavaria maintained its own Ministry of War and its own Royal Bavarian Army General Staff , but coordinated planning with the Prussian Great General Staff . The command and control system of the Prussian Army had been heavily reformed in the wake of the defeats suffered by Prussia in the Napoleonic Wars . Rather than rely primarily on the martial skills of the individual members of the German nobility , who dominated the military profession , the Prussian Army instituted a series of reforms to ensure excellence in leadership , organization and planning at all levels of command . The General Staff system , an institution that sought to institutionalize military excellence , was the main result . It sought to identify military talent at the lower levels and develop it thoroughly through academic training and practical experience as planners on division , corps and higher staffs , up to the Great General Staff , the senior planning body of the army . It provided effective planning and organizational work during peacetime and wartime . The Prussian General Staff , proven in battle in the Wars of Unification , became effectively the German General Staff upon formation of the German Empire , given Prussia ' s leading role in the German Army . Structure . The basic peacetime organizational structure of the Imperial German Army was based around the Army inspectorate ( " Armee - Inspektion " ) , the army corps ( " Armeekorps " ) , the division , and the regiment . During wartime , the staff of the Army inspectorates formed field army commands , which controlled the corps and subordinate units . During World War I , a higher command level , the army group ( " Heeresgruppe " ) was created . Each army group controlled several field armies . Army inspectorate . Germany , with the exception of Bavaria , was divided into army inspectorates . There were five in 1871 , with three more added between 1907 and 1913 . The Bavarian Ministry of War maintained its own command , which functioned as the inspectorate for that kingdom . Each inspectorate would be considered the equivalent of an army area and controlled a number of corps . After World War I began , armies were formed from the army inspectorates . They included : Corps . The basic organizational formation was the army corps . The corps consisted of two or more divisions and various support troops , and covered a specific geographical area . The corps was also responsible for maintaining the reserves and " Landwehr " in the corps area . By 1914 , there were twenty - one army corps areas under Prussian jurisdiction and three Bavarian army corps . Besides the regional corps , there was also a Guard Corps ( " Gardecorps " ) , which controlled Prussia ' s elite Guard units . Besides the divisions , a corps generally included a light infantry ( Jäger ) battalion , a heavy artillery ( Fußartillerie ) battalion , an engineer battalion , a telegraph battalion and a trains battalion . Some corps areas also disposed of fortress troops ; each of the 25 corps had a Field Aviation Unit ( " Feldflieger Abteilung " ) attached to it . In wartime , the army corps became a mobile tactical formation . The corps area became a rear area for the corps , responsible for training and equipping replacement troops and other duties . Also , to the regular army corps , reserve corps were formed on mobilization in 1914 , and were joined by additional corps as World War I progressed . Division . The basic tactical formation was the division . A standard Imperial German division consisted of two infantry brigades of two regiments each , a cavalry brigade of two regiments , and an artillery brigade of two regiments . One of the divisions in a corps area usually also managed the corps " Landwehr " region ( " Landwehrbezirk " ) . In 1914 , besides the Guard Corps ( two Guard divisions and a Guard cavalry division ) , there were 42 regular divisions in the Prussian Army ( including four Saxon divisions and two Württemberg divisions ) , and six divisions in the Bavarian Army . These divisions were all mobilized in August 1914 . They were reorganized , receiving engineer companies and other support units from their corps , and giving up most of their cavalry to form cavalry divisions . Reserve divisions were also formed , " Landwehr " brigades were aggregated into divisions , and other divisions were formed from replacement ( " Ersatz " ) units . As World War I progressed , additional divisions were formed , and by wars ' end , 251 divisions had been formed or reformed in the German Army ' s structure . Regiment . The regiment was the basic combat unit as well as the recruiting base for soldiers . When inducted , a soldier entered a regiment , usually through its replacement battalion , and received his basic training . There were three basic types of regiment : infantry , cavalry and artillery . Other specialties , such as pioneers ( combat engineers ) and signal troops , were organized into smaller support units . Regiments also carried the traditions of the army , in many cases stretching back into the 17th and 18th centuries . After World War I , regimental traditions were carried forward in the Reichswehr and its successor , the Wehrmacht , but the chain of tradition was broken in 1945 as West German and East German units did not carry forward pre - 1945 traditions . Air Force . The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before 1916 as " Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches " ( Imperial German Flying Troops ) , was the over - land air arm of the German military during World War I ( 1914 – 1918 ) . Although its name actually means something very close to " The German Air Force " it remained an integral part of the German army for the duration of the war . Ranks of the Imperial German Army . The German Army from 1871 to 1914 inherited the various traditions and military ranks of its constituent states , thus becoming a truly federal armed service . Enlisted ( " Mannschaften / Gemeine " ) ranks . Additionally , the following " voluntary " enlistees were distinguished : Note : " Einjährig - Freiwilliger " and " Kapitulant " were not ranks as such during this specific period of use , but " voluntary " military enlistee designations . They however , wore a specific uniform distinction ( twisted wool piping along their shoulder epaulette edging for " Einjährig - Freiwilliger " , the " Kapitulant " a narrow band across their lower shoulder epaulette ) in the colours of their respective nation state . This distinction was never removed throughout their military service nor during any rank grade advancements . Dissolution . The Imperial Army was abolished on 6 March 1919 , and the provisional Reichswehr was created .