The area of operations was the FRG-DDR and German-Czechoslovak border in Hesse and Franconia.

Among the first corps troops were Ordnance regiment 504 (formed May 16, 1957 in Diez, transferred January 1958 in Koblenz), and Corps Artillery Command 403 (based until 1 July 1957 at Munsterlager, from August 1957 in Koblenz).

Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz was the first commander of the corps, as a Lieutenant General.

Creating more Jager troops was intended to provide smaller, more mobile and yet strong anti-tank formations that would be able to fight in the unfavourable terrain of the German low mountain ranges even during a nuclear war.

Corps grew to the three subordinate brigades that had been targeted since the founding of the Bundeswehr.