It was originally created on August 6, 1937 from the old Asturian II Army Corps.

In April 1938, the XVI Army Corps was recreated again in the downtown area, with its headquarters in Tarancón.

[2] He was soon sent to the Levante front, in support of the republican forces that resisted the nationalist offensive that was trying to take Valencia.

[2] At the beginning of July it faced a renewed offensive in the Teruel sector, suffering considerable casualties.

During the rest of the war, the XVI Corps did not intervene in any relevant military operation.