Accounts of the Alpenkorps in action can be found HERE
The Formation
At the beginning of 1915 the Italian Govt observed the
problems the Austrians were having in Romania and decided it was time to
go to war. While the Austrian Army was bleeding it Galizia it would surely be
an easy thing to attack their neighbour with the goal of taking the Adraitic
coastline, Trentino and pushing through the Tirol to the Brenner
Pass? The border was almost 500km long and the Austrians had managed
to man the Tirol sectors with little more than
customs officials and "Standschützen" units formed of older men and
boys.
On the 20th of May 1915 the Prussian War Ministery
announced the creation of the Deutsche Alpenkorps under the command of Generalleutnant
Krafft von Delmmensingen, although Germany
was not yet at war with Italy
the Alpenkorps would be sent to the Tirol,
ready to support the Austrians against an Italian advance.
The rapid formation and deployment of the Alpenkorps
meant that, although the Italians were able to occupy areas abandoned by the
Austrians, they were to have no success against the united German/Austrian
defences when they launched major offensives in the Pellegrinotal, Col di Lana,
Piano and Kreuzberg sectors.
Later in the war, whether at Verdun, in Flanders or Romania, the men of the "Alpenkorps" would still wear the Edelweiss as a symbol for the time spent in the Tirol.
Order of Battle.
At the end of May 1915 the OOB of the Alpenkorps was as
follows:
Commander
: Generalleutnant Konrad Krafft von
Delmensingen Chief of Staff: Oberst
Freiherr von der Wenge
Bayerische
Jäger Brigade 1 (Generalmajor von Tutschek)
Bayer.
Jäger Regiment 1 (Major Karl Paulus)
Bayerische
Jäger-Bataillon Nr.1 (Major Franz Spiegel)
Bayerische
Jäger-Bataillon Nr.2 (Major Hugo
Bauernschmitt)
Bayerische
Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr.2 (Major
Rudolf Plötz)
Bayerishe
Infanterie Leib Regiment (Oberstleutnant
Franz Epp)
I. Batln.
(Major Max Graf von Bothmer)
II. Batln
(Major z.D. Hannibal Freiherr von
Crailsheim (temp.) III.
Batln.( Major Prinz Heinrich von Bayern)
Jäger
Brigade 2 (Oberst Ernst von Below)
Jäger Regiment
2
Jäger-Bataillon
Nr.10 (Hannover) (Major von Rauch) Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon
Nr.10 (Hannover) (Major von Lattorf)
Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon
Nr.14 (Mecklenburg) (Major
Krahmer-Möllenberg)
Jäger Regiment
3 (Oberstleutnant Dorr)
Schneeschuhbataillon
I (Bavaria) (Oberstleutnant
Steinitzer)
Schneeschuhbataillon
II (Baden) (Hauptmann d.R. Paulcke)
Schneeschuhbataillon
III (Prussia) (Hauptmann d.L. Ziegenmeyer)
Schneeschuhbataillon
IV (Bavaria) (Hauptmann von Winckler)
It was wish of Erzherzog Eugen that, as a symbol of
fraternity, the newly arrived German unit should wear the Edelweiss that was worn
by the Austrian troop in the Tirol. According
to Kaltenegger 20 000 Edelweses were ordered from an Austrian company and given
to the Alpenkorps for distribution.
As can be seen above, there was
initially no uniform way of wearing the badge.
Later orders were given to wear the badge over the
left ear. On the 5th of September 1915 the Kaiser gave official authorisation
for the Alpenkorps to wear the badge, this was soon followed by authorisations
by the Großherzog of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Kings of Württemberg and Bavaria.
From one front to another
The Alpenkorps was to be somewhat of a “Fire Brigade”,
rushed from one hot spot to another.
By the time the war came to an end the men of the
Alpenkorps were probably the most well travelled soldiers in the German Army.
1- South Tirol 1915
2- Serbia
1915
3- Verdun
1916
4- Siebenburgen and Romania 1916
5- Alsace
1917
6- Romania
1917
7- Southern Italy 1917
8- Flanders-Kemmel 1918
9- Somme
1918
10-
Serbia 1918
1915
28.5.-13.10. Fighting in Tirol
13.-20.10. Movement from the Tirol
to the Serbian border.
30.10.-28.11. Campaign in Serbia
10.11. Fighting at Cerovac, Rosmajica and Bogutovac
14.12.15-17.3.16 March to Greek border
1916
19.-29.3. Transport to the west
12.4.-2.5. Positional warfare in the Champagne
2.-28.5. O.H.L. Reserve
28.5.-9.9. Battle of Verdun
8.6. Storming the Infantry strongpoints to the west of
Fort Vaux (parts of the corps)
12.6. Storming Thiaumont farm (parts of the corps)
15.6.-9.9. Fighting at Fleury and the powder house to
the south of Fleury
23.6. Storming Fleury
11.7. Capture of powder house south of Fleury
4.-19.8. Fighting at strongpoint Thiaumont
8.8. Retaking strongpoint Thiaumont
9.-15.9. Transport to Romania
26.-29.9. Battle
at Hermannstadt
30.9.-24.11. Mountain warfare at Rothen Turm
Pass
25.-30.11. Follow up fighting Curtea de Arges Pitesti
29.-30.11. Follow up fight at Campulung
1.-3.12 Battle at Arges
4.-8.12 Follow up fighting after the battle
9.-20.12 Follow up fighting Jalomita-Prahova and
Buzaul
21.-27.12 Battle at Rimnicul Sarat
28.12.16-3.1.17 Follow up fighting after the battle
Rimnicul Sarat
1917
4.-8.1. Battle on the Putna
9.1.-31.3 Positional warfare on the Putna and Sereth
1.4.-15.5.
O.H.L. Reserve at Austrian Heeresgruppe Erzherzog Josef
16.-18.5. Transport to western front
18.6.-22.7 Positional warfare in upper Alsace
23.7.-3.8. Transport to Romania
6.8.-6.9. Breakthrough on the Putna and Sufita
28.8. Taking of Muncelul
10.-12.9 Transport to South Tirol
16.-30.9. Positioning in South
Tirol
1.-15.10 Positioning behind the Isonzo front
16.10-23.10 Positional warfare on the Isonzo front
24.-27.10 Breakthrough in the Julischen Alps
24.10 Storming of Hevnik and Height 1114
25.10 Storming and taking the Luico pass
27.10 Taking of Cividale
28.10.-3.11 Battle at Udine
1.11 Bonzicco
4.-11.11 Follow up fighting from Tagliamento to the
Piave
12.11.-16.12 Mountain warfare in the Venetian Alps
1918
23.-29.1. Transport from Italy
to Lorraine
29.1.-6.4. Training
9.-18.4. Battle
at Armentiers
22.-29.4 Battle at Kemmel
30.4.-7.5 Positional warfare in Flanders
9.8.-31.8 Defensive battle between the Somme and Oise
9.-27.8. Battle
at Roye and Lassigny
28.-31.8. Battle on the northcanal between Nesle and
Noyon
3.-7.9. Fighting on the Siegfried front
8.-25.9. Defensive battle between Cambrai and St.
Quentin
25.-30.9. Transport to the Balkans
5.-29.10 Fighting retreat Macedonia
and Serbia 9.10-2.11 Crossing of the Save and Donau
3.11.-5.11 Securing the Donau-Save line
9.-29.11 Heeresgruppe Mackenson pulls back out of the
Balkans and through Hungary
The Formation
