At war's outbreak, the Germans stood up four cavalry corps consisting of two divisions each. These were known as H.K.K., or Hoehere Kavallerie-Kommandeure. By the end of August 1914, two more cavalry corps had also come into service. Additionally, each infantry division initially had one cavalry regiment at its disposal, used primarily for recon duty.

As the war progressed and the cavalry's mission became more of an anachronism, the cavalry corps were either disbanded or transformed into general commando units.