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
Active	1899—1917
Disbanded	1917
Country	Russian Empire
Branch	Imperial Russian Army
Garrison/HQ	Riga
Engagements	World War I Eastern Front Battle of Tannenberg Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes
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The corps was formed in 1899, and was placed under the command of Lieutenant General Richard Troyanovich Meves, originally made up of the 29th and 45th infantry divisions.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

Division	Brigade	Regiment	Battalion
28th Infantry Division	1st Brigade	109th Infantry Regiment "Volzhsky" 110th Infantry Regiment "Kamsky"
	2nd Brigade	111th Infantry Regiment "Donskoi" 112th Infantry Regiment "Urals"
	28th Artillery Brigade
29th Infantry Division	1st Brigade	113th Starorus Russian Infantry Regiment "Staraya Russa's" 114th Infantry Regiment "Torzhok's"
	2nd Brigade	115th 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

Appointed	Commander	Dismissed
1899	Lieutenant General Richard Troyanovich Meves	22 February 1901
? 1901	Cavalry General Semyon Vasilyevich Kakhanov	? 1904
12 January 1905	Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexandrovich Bekman	11 June 1906
28 June 1908	Infantry General Vladimir Vasilyevich Smirnov	December 1914
December 1914	Lieutenant General Pavel Bulgakov	February 1915
March 1915	Infantry General Alexander Iosafovich Ievreinov	April 1917
April 1917	Lieutenant General Alexander Yakovich Elshin	April 1917?

See also

• List of Imperial Russian Army formations and units

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.