It was formed in September 1916 and was still in existence at the end of the war.

[4] With the onset of trench warfare, the German Army recognised that it was no longer possible to maintain the traditional Corps unit, that is, one made up of two divisions.

Therefore, under the Hindenburg regime (from summer 1916), new Corps headquarters were created without organic divisions.

[5] These new Corps were designated General Commands for Special Use (German: Generalkommandos zur besonderen Verwendung).

By the end of the war, the Corps was serving on the Western Front as part of 2nd Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht with the following composition:[6] The 54th Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[7][8]