The XIII Corps was not initiated nor activated prior to World War II.

In November 1944, the XIII Corps pierced the Siegfried Line and pushed to the Roer River.

On 23 February 1945, the corps routed Third Reich forces in the Cologne Plain and made a dash for the Rhine on 31 March of that year.

In total, the corps fought across more than 300 miles of enemy territory and captured more than 247,000 prisoners, as well as taking key cities, such as Viersen, Krefeld, Moers, Homburg, Münster, and Hannover.

The corps was subsequently active as part of the Regular Army from 1958 until 1970 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.