XVII Corps (German Empire)

XVII Army Corps
XVII. Armee-Korps
Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918)
Active1 April 1890 (1890-04-01)–1919 (1919)
Country German Empire
TypeCorps
SizeApproximately 44,000 (on mobilisation in 1914)
Garrison/HQDanzig\Elisabethwall 2
Shoulder strap pipingYellow
EngagementsWorld War I
Battle of Gumbinnen
Battle of Tannenberg (1914)
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
Battle of the Vistula River
German summer offensive 1915
Bug–Narew Offensive
Second battle of Przasnysz
Narew Offensive
Insignia
AbbreviationXVII AK

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,[1] 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[2] in the 7th Army, Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz on the Western Front.[3] In 1919, the corps served with the Grenzschutz Ost (border protection east) in Danzig, West Prussia.

  1. ^ Cron 2002, p. 395
  2. ^ Cron 2002, pp. 88–89
  3. ^ Ellis & Cox 1993, pp. 186–187