The Alpenkorps was a provisional mountain formation of division size formed by the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was considered by the Allies to be one of the best in the German Army.

Formation

After experiencing considerable difficulties in fighting the French '' Chasseurs Alpins'' in the

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

during the Battle of the Frontiers, the German Army determined to create its own specialized mountain units. The Royal

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n 1st and 2nd Snowshoe Battalions (''Kgl. Bayerisches Schneeschuhbataillon I & II'') were formed in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, Bavaria on November 21, 1914. A third battalion was formed in April 1915 from the 4th, 5th and 6th companies of the second battalion. In May 1915, the three battalions were brought together with a fourth (formed from troops of the other battalions and Bavarian ''

Landwehr ''Landwehr'', or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fortif ...

'' troops) to form the 3rd Jäger Regiment (''Jäger Regiment Nr. 3''). In October 1915, the designation ''Schneeschuhbataillon'' was eliminated. Also in May 1915, the previously separate Bavarian 1st, 2nd and 2nd Reserve Jäger Battalions were joined to form the Royal Bavarian 1st Jäger Regiment (''Kgl. Bayer. Jäger Regiment Nr. 1''). The Prussian 10th, 10th Reserve and 14th Reserve Jäger Battalions were also joined together, forming the 2nd Jäger Regiment (''Jäger Regiment Nr. 2''). These units, along with the elite

Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment The Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment (') was a household- lifeguard (bodyguard) regiment of the Bavarian kings from the end of the Napoleonic Wars until the fall of the Wittelsbach monarchy and the subsequent disbanding of the Bavaria ...

(''Infanterie-Leib-Regiment''), the Bavarian Army bodyguard regiment, became the core of the Alpenkorps, and were complemented with additional artillery, machinegun and other support units. The Alpenkorps was officially founded on May 18, 1915, with Bavarian '' Generalleutnant''

Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen (24 November 1862 – 21 February 1953) was a Bavarian Army general in World War I. He served as Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Bavarian Army before World War I and commanded the elite Alpenkorps, the Im ...

as its commander, and Bavarian ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

'' Ludwig Ritter von Tutschek and Prussian ''Generalmajor'' Ernst von Below as his brigade commanders.

Order of battle

May 27, 1915

* ''Kgl. Bayerische Jäger-Brigade 1:'' **''Kgl. Bayerisches 1. Jäger-Regiment'' ***''1. Kgl. Bayerisches Jäger-Bataillon König'' ***''2. Kgl. Bayerisches Jäger-Bataillon'' ***''Kgl. Bayerisches Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 2'' **''Kgl. Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment'' *''Kgl. Bayerische Jäger-Brigade 2:'' **''Jäger-Regiment Nr. 2'' ***''Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 10'' ***''Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 10'' ***''Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 14'' **''Jäger-Regiment Nr. 3'' ***''I./Jäger-Regiment Nr. 3'' (''Kgl. Bayerisches Schneeschuhbataillon I'') ***''II./Jäger-Regiment Nr. 3'' (''Schneeschuhbataillon II'') ***''III./Jäger-Regiment Nr. 3'' (''Schneeschuhbataillon III'') ***''IV./Jäger-Regiment Nr. 3'' (''Kgl. Bayerisches Schneeschuhbataillon IV'') *''Gebirgs-MG-Abteilungen Nr. 201-210'' (206-209 were Bavarian) *''Reserve-MG-Abteilung Nr. 4'' *''3.Eskadron/Kgl. Bayerisches 4. Chevauleger-Regiment König'' *''Gebirgs-Artillerie-Abteilung Nr. 1'' *''Kgl. Bayerische Gebirgs-Artillerie-Abteilung Nr. 2'' *''Feldartillerie-Abteilung Nr. 203'' *''Feldartillerie-Abteilung Nr. 204'' *''Fußartillerie-Batterie Nr. 101'' *''Fußartillerie-Batterie Nr. 102'' *''Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 101'' *''Kgl. Bayerische Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 102'' *''Kgl. Bayerische Gebirgs-Minenwerfer-Abteilung Nr. 269'' *''Gebirgs-Minenwerfer-Abteilung Nr. 270''

August 17, 1918

*''1. Kgl. Bayerische Jäger-Brigade:'' **''Kgl. Bayerisches Infanterie-Leibregiment'' **''Kgl. Bayerisches 1. Jäger-Regiment'' **''Jäger-Regiment Nr. 2'' **''MG-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 24'' **''Gebirgs-MG-Abteilung Nr. 204'' **''Gebirgs-MG-Abteilung Nr. 205'' *''3.Eskadron/Kgl. Bayerisches 4. Chevauleger-Regiment König'' *''Kgl. Bayerischer Artillerie-Kommandeur 7'': **''Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 204'' **''Gebirgs-Artillerie-Abteilung Nr. 6'' **''I./Kgl. Bayerisches Reserve-Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 1'' *''Stab Kgl. Bayerisches 9. Pionier-Bataillon'': **''Kgl. Bayerische Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 102'' **''Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 283'' **''Gebirgs-Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 175'' *''Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 622'' Mützenabzeichen Gebirgsjäger Bw

Operations

First campaigns in the Dolomites and France

Although Germany and Italy were not at war until 1916, the Alpenkorps was immediately dispatched to reinforce the thinly occupied front line in the

Dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

mountains. It did not undertake offensive actions, but defended the front against repeated attacks by the Italian

Alpini The Alpini are the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry. Part of the army's infantry corps, the speciality distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. Currently the active Alpini units are organized in two operatio ...

until Austria-Hungary was able to extract enough forces from the eastern war theatre and relocate them to the new front. The unit had an air arm, which was FFA 9, flying Pfalz Parasol aircraft. After four months, the Alpenkorps returned briefly to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

, as now the Austro-Hungarian defenders were sufficient in numbers and entrenched enough to hold the front on their own. The Austro-Hungarian ''

Kaiserschützen The ''k.k. Landesschützen'' (in English, "imperial-royal country 'or'' provincialrifleman") – from 16 January 1917 ''Kaiserschützen'' ("imperial rifleman") – were three regiments of Austro-Hungarian mountain infantry during the '' kais ...

'' honored the men of the Alpenkorps by awarding them their unit insignia: the Edelweiss.

Serbia

After only a week in France and the Dolomites, the Alpenkorps was sent to fight in the Serbian Campaign.

Verdun

Plaque on a monument erected in Azannes August 1916 Plaque of the Alpenkorps in the Red Tower Pass at Verestorony, 1916 The Alpenkorps returned to France in March 1916. After a short respite, it entered into the Battle of Verdun in June 1916. The regiments of the Alpenkorps lost over 70% of their strength in the fighting around Fort Vaux and Fleury. After leaving the line, the regiments were reconstituted, and in mid-July 1916 the 3rd Jäger Regiment was transferred from the division. The 2nd Brigade headquarters was eliminated and the Alpenkorps became a

triangular division A triangular division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade head ...

with 1st Brigade controlling the other two ''Jäger'' regiments and the ''Infanterie-Leib-Regiment''.

Romania

Romania entered the war on the side of the

Entente Entente, meaning a diplomatic "understanding", may refer to a number of agreements: History * Entente (alliance), a type of treaty or military alliance where the signatories promise to consult each other or to cooperate with each other in case o ...

on August 27, 1916. In September, the Alpenkorps was dispatched to fight in the Romanian Campaign. The ''Infanterie-Leib-Regiment'' suffered a number of losses in the mountain fighting in Romania, including one of its most prominent members,

Prince Heinrich of Bavaria Prince Heinrich of Bavaria (24 June 1884 – 8 November 1916) was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a highly decorated Army officer in the First World War. Early life Heinrich was born in Munich, Bavaria. He was the on ...

, a major and battalion commander. The Alpenkorps remained in Romania until April 1917 and then again returned to the Western Front. In August 1917, the Alpenkorps returned to Romania and participated in the final battles there in the wake of the Kerensky Offensive.

Caporetto

In September 1917, the Alpenkorps was sent once more to the Italian Front to reinforce the Austro-Hungarian Army for the upcoming 12th Battle of the Isonzo. By this point, the Royal Württemberg mountain battalion ("''Königlich Württembergisches Gebirgsbataillon''") had been attached to the division, and one of its members, the later-'' Generalfeldmarschall''

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

, would distinguish himself at Caporetto in November. Another company commander who distinguished himself at Caporetto, the ''Infanterie-Leib-Regiments Ferdinand Schörner, would also rise to Field Marshal in World War II.

France

The Alpenkorps returned to the Western Front in 1918. It participated in the Battle of the Lys in April and fought in the Battle of Picardy in the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

. In October, it returned to the Balkans, where it was at the time of the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

Traditions

The Alpenkorps was dissolved after the end of hostilities, but the traditions of its constituent regular units were carried on in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

and then the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

. The Edelweiss became the symbol of the German ''

Gebirgsjäger ''Gebirgsjäger'' () are the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (''Gebirgstruppe'') of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The word '' Jäger'' (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") is a characteristic term used for light infantry in ...

''. Although the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

does not formally carry the traditions of any pre-1945 units, the ''Gebirgsjäger'' continued to wear the Edelweiss cap badge and informally maintain the traditions of the Alpenkorps.

Notable members of the Alpenkorps

Hermann Balck Georg Otto Hermann Balck (7 December 1893 – 29 November 1982) was a highly decorated officer of the German Army who served in both World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of General der Panzertruppe. Early career Balck was born in ...

Otto von Below Otto Ernst Vinzent Leo von Below (18 January 1857 – 15 March 1944) served as a Prussian general officer in the Imperial German Army during the First World War (1914–1918). He arguably became most notable for his command, along with the Aust ...

Franz Ritter von Epp Franz Ritter von Epp (born Franz Epp; from 1918 as Ritter von Epp; 16 October 1868 – 31 January 1947)Lilla, Joachim: Epp, Franz Ritter v.'. In: Staatsminister, leitende Verwaltungsbeamte und (NS-)Funktionsträger in Bayern 1918 bis 19 ...

Erich Löwenhardt Erich Loewenhardt (7 April 189710 August 1918) was a German soldier and military aviator who fought in the First World War and became a fighter ace credited with 54 confirmed aerial victories. Originally enlisting in an infantry regiment even th ...

Friedrich Paulus Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German field marshal during World War II who is best known for commanding the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943). The battle ended ...

* Ferdinand Schörner

Notes

References

External links

Histories of two hundred and fifty-one divisions of the German army which participated in the war (1914-1918)
(p. 8-12)
Deutsches Alpenkorps
a
1914-18.info
* * * * {{Authority control Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1915 Mountain units and formations of Germany 1915 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Army reconnaissance units and formations