First campaigns in the Dolomites and France Although Germany and Italy were not at war until 1916, the Alpenkorps was immediately dispatched to reinforce the thinly occupied front line in the
Dolomite mountains. It did not undertake offensive actions, but defended the front against repeated attacks by the Italian
Alpini until Austria-Hungary was able to extract enough forces from the
eastern war theatre and relocate them to the new front. The unit had an air arm, which was
FFA 9, flying
Pfalz Parasol aircraft. After four months, the Alpenkorps returned briefly to the
Western Front, as now the Austro-Hungarian defenders were sufficient in numbers and entrenched enough to hold the front on their own. The Austro-Hungarian
Kaiserschützen honored the men of the Alpenkorps by awarding them their unit insignia: the
Edelweiss.
Serbia After only a week in France and the Dolomites, the Alpenkorps was sent to fight in the
Serbian Campaign.
Verdun The Alpenkorps returned to France in March 1916. After a short respite, it entered into the
Battle of Verdun in June 1916. The regiments of the Alpenkorps lost over 70% of their strength in the fighting around
Fort Vaux and
Fleury. After leaving the line, the regiments were reconstituted, and in mid-July 1916 the 3rd Jäger Regiment was transferred from the division. The 2nd Brigade headquarters was eliminated and the Alpenkorps became a
triangular division with 1st Brigade controlling the other two
Jäger regiments and the
Infanterie-Leib-Regiment.
Romania Romania entered the war on the side of the
Entente on 27 August 1916. In September, the Alpenkorps was dispatched to fight in the
Romanian Campaign. The
Infanterie-Leib-Regiment suffered a number of losses in the mountain fighting in Romania, including one of its most prominent members,
Prince Heinrich of Bavaria, a major and battalion commander. The Alpenkorps remained in Romania until April 1917 and then again returned to the Western Front. In August 1917, the Alpenkorps returned to Romania and participated in the final battles there in the wake of the
Kerensky Offensive.
Caporetto In September 1917, the Alpenkorps was sent once more to the Italian Front to reinforce the Austro-Hungarian Army for the upcoming
12th Battle of the Isonzo. By this point, the
Royal Württemberg mountain battalion ("
Königlich Württembergisches Gebirgsbataillon") had been attached to the division, and one of its members, the later-
Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, would distinguish himself at Caporetto in November. Another company commander who distinguished himself at Caporetto, the
Infanterie-Leib-Regiment's
Ferdinand Schörner, would also rise to Field Marshal in World War II.
France The Alpenkorps returned to the Western Front in 1918. It participated in the
Battle of the Lys in April and fought in the Battle of Picardy in the
Hundred Days Offensive. In October, it returned to the Balkans, where it was at the time of the
Armistice. ==Traditions==