German Alpine Corps

1915-1918

by Greg Novak

Among the more famous German units of the First World War was the "Alpine Corps", which served in Serbia (1915), France (1916,1917,1918) Rumania (1916,1917), Italy (1917) and Bulgaria (1918). Few German units of the war traveled so far and so often. In a curious misnomer for the Germans, who tend to be so correct about such things, the Alpine Corps is not a Corps, but rather a division sized organization which specialized in mountain warfare. As organized in 1915, it was made up of the following units:

ALPINE DIVISION

Troop Quality: Veteran
Morale: 10

1st Bavarian Jaeger Brigade

    Lieb (Lifeguard) Barvarian Infantry Regiment
    1st Barvarian Jaeger Regiment

2nd Jaeger Brigade

    2nd (Prussian) Jaeger Regiment
    3rd (Bavarian) Jaeger Regiment

203rd Field Artillery Regiment
201st Mountain Machine Gun Detachment
202nd Mountain Machine Gun Detachment
205th Mountain Machine Gun Detachment
209th Mountain Machine Gun Detachment

The 3rd Jaeger Regiment was formed from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Bavarian Ski Battalions. The Lieb Regiment had started the war as a standard German infantry regiment, but it was withdrawn from the 1st Bavarian Division and assigned to the Alpine Corps. Both it and the other two regiments seems to have been reorganized along Jaeger lines with the following organization:

JAEGER REGIMENT

    REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS: 1 Command Stand
    3 JAEGER BATTALIONS, each with:
      BATTALION HEADQUARTERS: 1 Command Stand
      4 INFANTRY COMPANIES, each with:
        1 Command Infantry Stand
        2 Infantry Stands

      MACHINE GUN COMPANY: 1 Machine Gun Stand (3 dice) (DS)
      BICYCLE)RECONCOMPANY: 1 Command Infantry Stand and 1 Recon Infantry Stand

Notes

1. The 3rd Jaeger Regiment has 4 Battalions, and no cycle companies. The Machine Gun Detachments were of 1 MG stand (2 dice) each, and were to be assigned to support the regiments of the division. In 1916, the Alpine Corps was reorganized to include the following:

    Troop Quality: Veteran
    Morale: 10

    1st Bavarian Jaeger Brigade

      Lieb (Lifeguard) Barvarian Infantry Regiment
      1st Barvarian Jaeger Regiment

    2nd Jaeger Brigade

      2nd (Prussian) Jaeger Regiment
      3rd (Bavarian) Jaeger Regiment

    2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment

      Abteilung, 187th Field Artillery (7.7 MG)
      Abteilung, 203th Field Artillery (7.7 MG)
      Abteilung, 204th Field Artillery (7.7 MG)

    102nd Pioneer Field Company
    105th Pioneer Field Company
    106th Pioneer Field Company
    175th Mountain Trench Mortar Company
    Alpine Corp Cyclist Battalion
    201st Mountain Machine Gun Detachment
    202nd Mountain Machine Gun Detachment
    205th Mountain Machine Gun Detachment
    209th Mountain Machine Gun Detachment

The bicycle companies were converged in a separate battalion in 1916, but the battalion was disbanded in mid year and the companies returned to their parent battalions, and used for replacements.

As part of the Army wide reorganization of late 1916, the Alpine Corps lost one of its four infantry regiments (3rd Jaeger Regiment was transferred to the 200th Division.) and took to the field in 1917 with the following:

    Troop Quality: Veteran
    Morale: 10

    1st Bavarian Jaeger Brigade

      Lieb (Lifeguard) Barvarian Infantry Regiment
      1st Barvarian Jaeger Regiment
      2nd (Prussian) Jaeger Regiment

    Abteilung, 6th Mountain Field Artillery
    Abteilung, 203th Field Artillery
    102nd Pioneer Field Company
    283rd Pioneer Field Company
    175th Mountain Trench Mortar Company
    204th Bavarian Trench Mortar Company
    102nd Bavarian Searchlight Section

For the 1918 campaign, the Alpine Corps took to the field with the following:

    Troop Quality: Veteran
    Morale: 9

    1st Bavarian Jaeger Brigade

      Lieb (Lifeguard) Barvarian Infantry Regiment
      1st Barvarian Jaeger Regiment
      2nd (Prussian) Jaeger Regiment

    2nd Squadron, 4th Bavarian Light Cavalry Regiment

    7th Artillery Command

      204th Field Artillery Regiment
      Abteilung, 6th Mountain Field Artillery: HQ, 1st, 2nd, 17th Batteries (7.7cm Mountain Guns)
      Abteilung, 1st Bavarian Foot Artillery Regiment (15cm howitzers)
      9th Bavarian Pioneer Battalion
      102nd Pioneer Field Company
      283rd Pioneer Field Company
      175th Mountain Trench Mortar Company
      102nd Bavarian Searchlight Section


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© Copyright 1991 by Greg Novak.

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