20th Army Corps (Russian Empire)

The Twentieth Army Corps (Russian: 20-й армейский корпус) was a formation of the Imperial Russian Army that was first raised in 1899, and was most famous for fighting in World War I, on the Eastern theatre of war, during the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Before World War I, the 20th Corps was stationed in the Vilno Military District, with corps headquarters in Riga. At the outbreak of the war, the corps consisted of two infantry divisions and a number of independent battalions and brigades. It was demobilized in April 1917.[1]

20th Army Corps
Active1899—1917
Disbanded1917
Country Russian Empire
Branch Imperial Russian Army
Garrison/HQRiga
EngagementsWorld War I
Commanders
Notable
commanders		See "Commanders" section

History
Actions during the winter battle at the Masurian Lakes.

The corps was formed in 1899, and was placed under the command of Lieutenant General Richard Troyanovich Meves, originally made up of the 29th and 45th infantry divisions. This unit later fought in World War I, in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, under General Pavel Illyich Bulgakov. On the February 7, in the middle of a snowstorm, Fritz von Below's German Eighth Army had launched a surprise attack, advancing 70 miles (110 km) within one week. Severe casualties were inflicted on the Russians, resulting in a disorderly withdrawal with many Russians taken prisoner. The greatest loss came when the 20th Army Corps was surrounded by the German Tenth Army in the Augustow Forest, although many broke out, the remnants surrendered on February 21 the entire corps surrendered. A large number of Latvian soldiers were killed, wounded or captured during this battle. This influenced the decision of the Imperial Russian Army to establish the Latvian Rifles.[1][2]

Composition

Shortly before the outbreak of World War I, on 1 January 1913, the 20th Army Corps comprised the following units:[1]

20th Army Corps order of battle
DivisionBrigadeRegimentBattalion
28th Infantry Division1st Brigade109th Infantry Regiment "Volzhsky"
110th Infantry Regiment "Kamsky"
2nd Brigade111th Infantry Regiment "Donskoi"
112th Infantry Regiment "Urals"
28th Artillery Brigade
29th Infantry Division1st Brigade113th Starorus Russian Infantry Regiment "Staraya Russa's"
114th Infantry Regiment "Torzhok's"
2nd Brigade115th Infantry Regiment "Vyazma's"
116th Infantry Regiment "Maloyaroslavets's"
29th Artillery Brigade
—1st Separate Cavalry Brigade
—20th Howitzer Artillery Battalion
1st Heavy Artillery Battalion
20th Sapper Battalion
1st Pontoon Battalion
2nd Pontoon Battalion
2nd Cadre Supply-Train Battalion
1st Siege Engineer Park

At different times during the war, the 20th Corps was part of several different field armies, including the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 10th.[1]

Commanders

The 20th corps was led by the following commanders throughout its existence:[1]

20th Army Corps commanders
AppointedCommanderDismissed
1899Lieutenant General Richard Troyanovich Meves22 February 1901
? 1901Cavalry General Semyon Vasilyevich Kakhanov? 1904
12 January 1905Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexandrovich Bekman11 June 1906
28 June 1908Infantry General Vladimir Vasilyevich SmirnovDecember 1914
December 1914Lieutenant General Pavel BulgakovFebruary 1915
March 1915Infantry General Alexander Iosafovich IevreinovApril 1917
April 1917Lieutenant General Alexander Yakovich ElshinApril 1917?

See also

Citations

Notes
  1. Русская императорская армия — 20-й армейский корпус (Russian Imperial Army — 20th Army Corp)s (In Russian)
  2. WWI Centennial: Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes Posted 9 February 2015.

References
  • Leonard, Raymond (2007). From War through Revolution: The Story of the Latvian Rifles (PDF). Nebraska, CO: 32nd Annual European Studies Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
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