Naval Corps (German Empire)


The Naval Corps was a corps-sized formation within the Imperial Navy of the German Empire during World War I. It was formed in on 15 December 1914 when a second Naval Division was raised and joined with the first Naval Division. The Naval Corps occupied the Belgian coast for the full duration of the first world war and was responsible of defending the coast, and the frontline immediately behind the coast. It was still in existence at the end of the war. The Naval Corps was commanded throughout its existence by Admiral Ludwig von Schröder, brought out of retirement.

Chronicle

After the German invasion of Belgium, the State Secretary of the German Imperial Naval Office von Tirpitz raised on 29 August 1914 a Naval Division, assigned with securing the Belgian and Channel coast in order to prevent the British using the harbors along these coast to send reinforcements to the Western Front. On 15 December 1914 a second Naval Division was raised and the two Naval division were joined in the newly established Naval Corps. The 1st Naval Division defended the coastline in Flanders, the 2nd Naval Division held the land front.The coast defence was reinforced considerably on the orders of Tirpitz, by transferring the idle coastal batteries defending the rivers Elbe, Weser, Jade and the Baltic Sea to Flanders. In June 1917 a third Naval Division was attached to the Naval Corps.
The Flanders U-boat flotilla was constituted on 29 March 1915 in Bruges as part of the Naval Corps. The boats used Zeebrugge and Ostend as exit ports. Commanded by Kapitänleutnant Karl Bartenbach, the force comprised nine Type UB I U-boats at the end of April 1915. On 26 May 1915 the first Type UC I minelayer arrived at Zeebrugge and nine more joined in 1915.
After the loss of four torpedo boats in the Battle off Texel on 17 October 1914, the German Navy was reluctant to send large torpedo boats to Flanders. But these boats were much needed for the defence of the captured Belgian coast. As a compromise, on 21 May 1915 the Flanders Torpedoboat Flotilla was established as part of the Naval Corps, based in Bruges and equipped with eleven small coastal A-I-class torpedo boats which were transported in sections by rail to Hoboken and re-assembled there.

Order of battle

On 30 oktober 1918

The Naval Corps was part of the 4th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht, still holding the extreme right of the Western Front.

At the end of 1918

MarineKorps Flandern
– Admiral Ludwig von Schröder
1. Strength at the end of 1918:
1st MarineDivision
– 1st Marine-Brigade
1st Seabattalion
2nd Seabattalion
3rd Seabattalion
– 2nd Marine-Pionier-Battalion
– 1st Pioneer Kompanie
– 2nd Matrosen-Artillerie-Regiment
– 3rd Piooner Sturmtrupen Kompanie
2. Strength at the end of 1918:
– 3rd Marine-Brigade
– 1st Schwere Waffen Kompanie
– 2nd Schwere Waffen Kompanie
– 3rd Marine Regiment
– 1st Marine-Feldartilleriebatterie
– 4th Marine-Brigade
– 2nd Marine-Feldartilleriebatterie
– 4th Matrosen-Regiment
–3rd Marine-Pionier-Kompanie
3. Strength at creation on July 1, 1917
3rd MarineDivision
– Marine-Infanterie-Brigade
– 9th Feldartillerie-Regiment
– 1st Marine-Infanterie-Regiment
– 115th Pioniere-Batallion
– 2nd Marine-Infanterie-Regiment
– 1st Reserve-Kompagnie, 24th Marinebattalion
– 3rd Marine-Infanterie-Regiment
– 3rd Eskadron
– 160th Minenwerfer-Kompagnie
– 7th Husaren-Regiment