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- German Naval Corps during the Great War -


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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

German Naval Corps



 Corps structure  German Naval Corps part of German 4th Army.

Divisions

  • 1st Naval Division
  • 2nd Naval Division
  • 38th Landwehr Division (two-thirds)
  • 3rd Division (one-third)
  • 85th Landwehr Division



 Divisional Structure 1914  1st German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1914

Infantry

    1st Naval Brigade 2nd Naval Brigade

The following units alternated between the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions and their Naval Brigades

  • 1st Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 5th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 6th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Infantry Regiment

Cavalry

1st Landwehr Squadron, 10th Command District

Artillery

  • 1st Landwehr Field Artillery Detachment, 10th Command District
  • 2nd Landwehr Field Artillery Detachment, 10th Command District

Unfortunately no breakdown of which brigade and Division at any given time during WW1, but units of the German Naval Corps - (all Divisions) served by the sea on the extreme west of the Western Front throughout the Great War.

 Divisional Structure 1915  1st German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1915

Infantry

    1st Naval Brigade 2nd Naval Brigade

The following units alternated between the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions and their Naval Brigades

  • 1st Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 5th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 6th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Infantry Regiment

Cavalry

1st Landwehr Squadron, 10th Command District

Artillery

  • 1st Naval Artillery Brigade
  • 1st Naval Field Artillery Regiment
  • 2nd Naval Field Artillery Regiment
  • Torpedo-Matrosen Artillery Regiment



 Divisional Structure 1916  1st German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1916

Infantry

    1st Naval Brigade 2nd Naval Brigade

The following units alternated between the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions and their Naval Brigades

  • 1st Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 5th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 6th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Infantry Regiment

Cavalry

1st Landwehr Squadron, 10th Command District

Artillery

  • 1st Naval Field Artillery Regiment
  • 2nd Naval Field Artillery Regiment
  • 3rd Naval Field Artillery Regiment
  • Torpedo-Matrosen Artillery Regiment

Engineers and Liaison

  • 1st Naval Pioneer Company
  • 2nd Naval Pioneer Company
  • 165th Trench Mortar Company

Attached units

124th Labour Battalion



 Divisional Structure 1917  1st German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1917

Infantry

1st Naval Brigade

The following units alternated between the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions and their Naval Brigades

  • 1st Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 5th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 6th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Infantry Regiment

Cavalry

4th Squadron, 6th Cuiraisier Regiment

Artillery

  • 258th Landwehr Field Artillery Regiment
  • Torpedo-Matrosen Artillery Regiment

Engineers and Liaison

  • 1st Naval Pioneer Company
  • 2nd Naval Pioneer Company
  • 337th Pioneer Company
  • 165th Trench Mortar Company
  • Telephone Detachment

Medical and Veterinary

  • Ambulance Company
  • 1st Naval Field Hospital
  • Veterinary Hospital

Transport

Motor Transport Column

Attached units

41st Cyclist Company



 Divisional Structure 1918  1st German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1918

Infantry

1st Naval Brigade

  • 1st Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 6th Marine Fusilier Regiment

Cavalry

4th Squadron, 6th Cuirassier Regiment

Artillery

  • Marine Field Artillery Regiment
  • 1st Matrosen Artillery Regiment
  • Marine Corps 1st Foot Artillery Ammunition Column
  • 2nd Light Ammunition Column of Marine Field Artillery Regiment

Engineers and Liaison

  • 1st Marine Pioneer Battalion
  • 1st Marine Pioneer Company
  • 4th Marine Pioneer Company
  • 1st Entrenching Company
  • 2nd Entrenching Company
  • 291st Marine Signal Command
  • 291st Marine Telephone Detachment
  • 291st Marine Wireless Detachment

Medical and Veterinary

  • 1st Marine Ambulance Company
  • 1st Marine Field Hospital
  • Veterinary Hospital (Ostend)

Transport

Motor Transport Column

Attached and Odd units

  • 1st Section Flanders Reconnaissance Flight
  • 2nd Section Flanders Reconnaissance Flight
  • 41st Cyclist Company



 Divisional Structure 1915  2nd German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1915

Infantry

  • 3rd Naval Brigade
  • 4th Naval Brigade

The following units alternated between the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions and their Naval Brigades

  • 1st Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 5th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 6th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Infantry Regiment



 Divisional Structure 1916  2nd German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1916

Infantry

  • 3rd Naval Brigade
  • 4th Naval Brigade

The following units alternated between the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions and their Naval Brigades

  • 1st Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 5th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 6th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Infantry Regiment

Artillery

  • Marine Field Artillery A Battery

Engineers and Liaison

  • 3rd Naval Pioneer Company

Attached units

27th Labour Battalion



 Divisional Structure 1917  2nd German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1917

Infantry

  • 3rd Naval Brigade
  • 4th Naval Brigade

The following units alternated between the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions and their Naval Brigades

  • 1st Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 5th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 6th Marine Fusilier Regiment
  • 4th Marine Infantry Regiment

Artillery

  • 1st Marine Field Artillery Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Field Artillery Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Field Artillery Regiment

Engineers and Liaison

  • 3rd Naval Pioneer Company
  • 4th Naval Pioneer Company
  • 377th Pioneer Company
  • Telephone Detachment

Medical and Veterinary

  • Ambulance Company
  • Field Hospital
  • Veterinary Hospital

Transport

Motor Transport Column

Attached units

Coast Defense Battalion



 Divisional Structure 1918  2nd German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1918

Infantry

3rd Marine Brigade

  • 3rd Marine Regiment
  • 4th Marine Regiment
  • 5th Marine Regiment

Cavalry

4th Squadron, 10th Hussar Regiment

Artillery

  • 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment

Engineers and Liaison

  • 2nd Marine Pioneer Battalion
  • 2nd Marine Pioneer Company
  • 3rd Marine Pioneer Company
  • 3rd Entrenching Company
  • 4th Entrenching Company
  • 292nd Marine Signal Command
  • 292nd Marine Telephone Detachment

Medical and Veterinary

  • 2nd Marine Ambulance Company
  • 3rd Marine Field Hospital
  • 4th Marine Field Hospital

Transport

Motor Transport Column

Attached and Odd units

  • Coast Defense Battalion



 Divisional Structure 1917  2nd German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1917

Infantry

4th Naval Brigade

  • 1st Marine Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Regiment

Artillery

  • 9th Field Artillery Regiment

Engineers and Liaison

  • 1st Company Marine Pioneer Battalion
  • 2nd Company Marine Pioneer Battalion
  • 337th Pioneer Company
  • 165th Trench Mortar Company

Attached units

Coast Defense Battalion



 Divisional Structure 1918  3rd German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

Divisional Structure in 1918

Infantry

Marine Infantry Brigade

  • 1st Marine Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Regiment

Cavalry

3rd Squadron, 7th Hussar Regiment

Artillery

  • 2nd Matrosen Field Artillery Regiment
  • 925th Light Ammunition Column
  • 1234th Light Ammunition Column
  • 1292nd Light Ammunition Column

Engineers and Liaison

  • 115th Pioneer Battalion
  • 1st Reserve Pioneer Company
  • 4th Marine Pioneer Company
  • 293rd Signal Command
  • 293rd Telephone Detachment
  • 68th Wireless Detachment

Medical and Veterinary

  • 610th Ambulance Company
  • 2nd Marine Field Hospital
  • 390th Field Hospital
  • 569 Veterinary Hospital (Ostend)

Transport

679th Motor Transport Column

Attached and Odd units

  • Coast Defense Battalion



1st August 1914 Actions 1914 to 1917  1st German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

1914-1917.

Belgium. At the beginning of the war the Field Army contained only one naval division. This division entered Belgium on September 4, 1914, detrained at Brussels and on the 6th September took up its position to the left of the corps which was besieging Antwerp. After the taking of the city on October 10 the division marched along the coast, arrived at a point between Ostend and Bruges on October 23rd and on November 2nd relieved the 4th Ersatz Division on the front of Nieuport St. Georges.

On the 24th November 1914, the Naval Corps was formed by adding a 2nd Naval Division to the 1st. After this time the Naval Corps occupied the sea front and the sector of the coast in occupied Flanders. The staffs of the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions were permanently in command of this sector - the sea front (from Raversyde to the frontier of Zeeland as far as Maldegem was assigned to the 1st Naval Division; the front on land from the North Sea to Schoorbakke, 4 kilometers southeast Nieuport, to the 2nd Naval Division). The six regiments of Marine Fusiliers alternated between the two sectors, and consequently changed from one division to the other. In April 1917, the three naval infantry regiments were withdrawn from the 1st and 2nd Naval Divisions to organize a new Division, the 3rd Naval Division. These regiments had already formed a provisional division, from the end of September 1916 to January 1917, when they were engaged on the Somme. After fighting east of Ypres (August to November, 1917), the 3rd Naval Division came into line at Nieuport (Lombartzyde) to the right of the 2nd Naval Division in December.

Allied Intelligence - 1917 Value Estimate.

The Marine or Sailor Fusiliers, recruited at the beginning of the war from among the seamen or the population of the ports, had only a mediocre combat value at the time. Since 1917, in consequence of reinforcements taken from the land army and also in consequence of reducing the age of the effectives, the regiments of Naval Fusiliers seem to be of better quality. From a recruiting standpoint, they may be compared with the active divisions of the German Army.

1st August 1914  Actions 1914 to 1917

25th of April 1915  

1st January 1917  Actions during 1917

1st January 1918  Actions during 1918

1st January 1918  Actions during 1918

1st May 1918 Actions during 1918  1st German Naval Division part of German Naval Corps and 4th German Army

1918.

The division was out of the front line in 1918 until the 1st May. From that date until the 4th November it held the extreme right of the German line.

Allied Intelligence 1918 Value Estimate.

The division was rated as fourth class. Until the last month of the war its front was quiet.

If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.



Want to know more about German Naval Corps?


There are:18 items tagged German Naval Corps available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.


Those known to have served on

German Naval Corps

during the Great War 1914-1918.

  • Berger Richard. Obersturman.

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of German Naval Corps from other sources.


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