XXXXI Reserve Corps (German Empire)

XXXXI Reserve Corps XXXXI. Reserve-Korps
Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918)
Active	December 1914 - post November 1918
Country	German Empire
Type	Corps
Size	Approximately 26,000 (on formation)
Engagements	World War I

The XXXXI Reserve Corps (German: XXXXI. Reserve-Korps / XXXXI RK) was a corps level command of the German Army in World War I.

Formation

XXXXI Reserve Corps was formed in December 1914.^[1] It was part of the second wave of new Corps formed in the early stages of World War I consisting of XXXVIII - XXXXI^[2] Reserve Corps of 75th - 82nd Reserve Divisions (plus 8th Bavarian Reserve Division). The personnel was predominantly made up of kriegsfreiwillige (wartime volunteers) who did not wait to be called up.^[3] It was still in existence at the end of the war.^[4]

Structure on formation

On formation in December 1914, XXXXI Reserve Corps consisted of two divisions.^[5] but was weaker than an Active Corps

• the divisions were organised as triangular rather than square divisions with three infantry regiments rather than four, but had a brigade of two field artillery regiments
• Reserve Infantry Regiments consisted of three battalions but lacked a machine gun company^[6]
• Reserve Cavalry Detachments were much smaller than the Reserve Cavalry Regiments formed on mobilisation^[7]
• Reserve Field Artillery Regiments consisted of two abteilungen (1 gun and 1 howitzer) of three batteries each, but each battery had just 4 guns (rather than 6 of the Active and the Reserve Regiments formed on mobilisation)^[8]

In summary, XXXXI Reserve Corps mobilised with 18 infantry battalions, 2 cavalry detachments, 24 field artillery batteries (96 guns), 2 cyclist companies and 2 pioneer companies.

Corps	Division	Brigade	Units
XXXXI Reserve Corps	81st Reserve Division[9]	81st Reserve Infantry Brigade	267th Reserve Infantry Regiment
			268th Reserve Infantry Regiment
			269th Reserve Infantry Regiment
		81st Reserve Field Artillery Brigade	67th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment
			68th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment
			81st Reserve Cavalry Detachment
			81st Reserve Cyclist Company
			81st Reserve Pioneer Company
	82nd Reserve Division[10]	82nd Reserve Infantry Brigade	270th Reserve Infantry Regiment
			271st Reserve Infantry Regiment
			272nd Reserve Infantry Regiment
		82nd Reserve Field Artillery Brigade	69th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment
			70th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment
			82nd Reserve Cavalry Detachment
			82nd Reserve Cyclist Company
			82nd Reserve Pioneer Company

On May 2, 1915 in preparation for the Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive the corps consisted of 18 battalions, 4 squadrons, 43 machine guns and 108 guns. The corps was organized as follows:

Corps	Division	Brigade	Units
XXXXI Reserve Corps[11]	81st Reserve Division	81st Reserve Infantry Brigade	267th Reserve Infantry Regiment
			268th Reserve Infantry Regiment
			269th Reserve Infantry Regiment
		81st Reserve Field Artillery Brigade	67th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment (3 cannon & 3 light field howitzer batteries)
			68th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment (3 cannon & 3 light field howitzer batteries)
			81st Reserve Cavalry Detachment
			4th Squadron, 7th Dragoon Regiment
			84th & 85th Reserve Pioneer Companies
	82nd Reserve Division	82nd Reserve Infantry Brigade	270th Reserve Infantry Regiment
			271st Reserve Infantry Regiment
			272nd Reserve Infantry Regiment
		82nd Reserve Field Artillery Brigade	69th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment (3 canon & 3 light field howitzer batteries)
			70th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment (3 canon & 3 light field howitzer batteries)
			82nd Reserve Cavalry Detachment
			4th Squadron, 7th Uhlan Regiment
			82nd Reserve Pioneer Company & 1st Company, 18th Pioneer Regiment
			2nd Battalion, 3rd Foot Artillery Regiment (3 batteries heavy field howitzers)
	Attached	1 - 15-cm Austro-Hungarian howitzer battery (4 guns)
		1 - 12-cm Austro-Hungarian cannon battery (4 guns)
		7th Battery, Bavarian 1st Reserve Foot Artillery (4 – 10-cm cannons)
		3rd Battalion, 1st Foot Artillery Regiment (2 btrys, 4 – 21-cm mortars each)
		229th Light Trench Mortar Detachment (6 mortars)
		230th Light Trench Mortar Detachment (6 mortars)
		120th Medium Trench Mortar Detachment (4 mortars)
		35th Heavy Trench Mortar Detachment (2 mortars)

Commanders

XXXXI Reserve Corps had the following commanders during its existence:^[12][13]

From	Rank	Name
24 December 1914	General der Infanterie	Hermann von Francois
29 June 1915	Generalleutnant	Arnold von Winckler
11 September 1915	General der Artillerie	Hans von Gronau

References

1. Cron 2002, p. 87
2. In German military nomenclature, "40" was rendered as "XXXX" in Roman numerals rather than the more conventional "XL".
3. Cron 2002, p. 97
4. Cron 2002, pp. 88–89
5. AEF GHQ 1920, pp. 545,548
6. Busche 1998, pp. 120–121
7. Cron 2002, p. 128 Reserve Cavalry Regiments consisted of three squadrons
8. Cron 2002, p. 136
9. AEF GHQ 1920, p. 544
10. AEF GHQ 1920, p. 547
11. Gorlice 1930, p. 197
12. "German War History". Retrieved 23 December 2012.
13. "Armee-Reserve-Korps". The Prussian Machine. Retrieved 23 December 2012.

Bibliography

• Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.
• Ellis, John; Cox, Michael (1993). The World War I Databook. Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85410-766-6.
• Busche, Hartwig (1998). Formationsgeschichte der Deutschen Infanterie im Ersten Weltkrieg (1914 bis 1918) (in German). Institut für Preußische Historiographie.
• Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919. The London Stamp Exchange Ltd (1989). 1920. ISBN 0-948130-87-3.
• The German Forces in the Field; 7th Revision, 11th November 1918; Compiled by the General Staff, War Office. Imperial War Museum, London and The Battery Press, Inc (1995). 1918. ISBN 1-870423-95-X.