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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) 
 
Gebirgs Machinengewehr Abteilung 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210 Reserve Machinengewehr Abteilung 4
3. Eskadron Chevauleger Regiment 4
Gebirgs Artillerie Abteilung 1, 2
Feld Artillerie Abteilung 203, 204
Fuß Artillerie Bataillon 101, 102
Pionier Kompagnie 101, 102
Gebirgs Minenwerferf Abteilung 269, 270  

On the 17th of August 1918 the OOB was as follows  

Bayr. Inf. Leib Rgt.
1. Bayr. Jäg. Rgt.
2. Jäg. Rgt.
MG Scharfschützen Abtlg. 24
Gebirgs MG. Abtlg. 204, 205
3. Esk. Bayr. Chevauleger Rgt. 4
Bayr. Art. Kommandeur 7 with Feld Art. Rgt. 204
Gebirgsart Abtlg. 6
I.Btl. bayr. Fuß Art. Regt. 1
Stab bayr. Pi. Btl. 9
Bayr. Pi. Kp. 102
Pi. Kp. 283
Gebirgs Minenwerfer Kp. 175
Div. Nachr. Kommandeur 622



The Edelweiss badge  
 
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  

 
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