IV Corps (German Empire)
| IV Army Corps IV. Armee-Korps | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Staff of a Generalkommando (1871–1918) | |
| Active | 3 October 1815–1919 |
| Country |  Prussia/ German Empire |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | Approximately 44,000 (on mobilisation in 1914) |
| Garrison/HQ | Magdeburg/Augusta-Straße 42 |
| Shoulder strap piping | Red |
| Engagements | Austro-Prussian War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal(1871-1888) Paul von Hindenburg(1903-1911) Friedrich Bertram Sixt von Armin(1911-1917) |
TheIV Army Corps / IV AK(German:IV. Armee-Korps) was acorpslevel command of thePrussianand then theImperial GermanArmiesfrom the 19th Century toWorld War I.
It was established on 3 October 1815 as the General Command in theDuchy of Saxony(Generalkommando im Herzogtum Sachsen) and became the IV Army Corps on August 30, 1818. Its headquarters was inMagdeburgand its catchment area included the PrussianProvince of Saxonyand the adjacent Saxon Duchies (Saxe-Altenburg,Anhalt) and Principalities (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen,Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt,Reuss Elder LineandReuss Junior Line).[1]
In peacetime, the Corps was assigned to theVI Army Inspectoratebut joined the1st Armyat the start of theFirst World War.[2]It was still in existence at the end of the war[3]in the6th Army,HeeresgruppeKronprinzRupprecht on theWestern Front.[4]The Corps was disbanded with the demobilisation of the German Army afterWorld War I.
Austro-Prussian War[edit]
The IV Corps formed part ofPrince Friedrich Karl of Prussia's 1st Army and fought in theAustro-Prussian WaragainstAustriain 1866, including theBattle of Königgrätz.[5]
Franco-Prussian War[edit]
In theFranco-Prussian Warof 1870-71, the Corps formed part of the 2nd Army that was commanded byPrince Friedrich Karl of Prussia.It saw action in the battles ofBeaumontandSedan,and in theSiege of Paris.[6]
Peacetime organisation[edit]
The 25 peacetimeCorpsof the German Army (Guards, I - XXI, I - III Bavarian) had a reasonably standardised organisation. Each consisted of twodivisionswith usually two infantry brigades, one field artillery brigade and a cavalry brigade each.[7]Each brigade normally consisted of two regiments of the appropriate type, so each Corps normally commanded 8 infantry, 4 field artillery and 4 cavalry regiments. There were exceptions to this rule:
- V,VI,VII,IXandXIV Corpseach had a 5th infantry brigade (so 10 infantry regiments)
- II,XIII,XVIIIandXXI Corpshad a 9th infantry regiment
- I,VIandXVI Corpshad a 3rd cavalry brigade (so 6 cavalry regiments)
- theGuards Corpshad 11 infantry regiments (in 5 brigades) and 8 cavalry regiments (in 4 brigades).[8]
Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more
World War I[edit]
Organisation on mobilisation[edit]
On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 8th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the2nd Cavalry Division[10]and the 7th Cavalry Brigade was broken up: the10th Hussar Regimentwas raised to a strength of 6 squadrons before being split into two half-regiments of 3 squadrons each and the half-regiments were assigned as divisional cavalry to7thand8th Divisions;the16th Uhlan Regimentwas likewise assigned as two half-regiments to13thand14th DivisionsofVII Corps.Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from the Corps headquarters. In summary, IV Corps mobilised with 25 infantry battalions, 9 machine gun companies (54 machine guns), 6 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries (144 guns), 4 heavy artillery batteries (16 guns), 3 pioneer companies and an aviation detachment.
| Corps | Division | Brigade | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| IV Corps | 7th Division | 13th Infantry Brigade | 26th Infantry Regiment |
| 66th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 14th Infantry Brigade | 27th Infantry Regiment | ||
| 165th Infantry Regiment | |||
| 7th Field Artillery Brigade | 4th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 40th Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| staff and half of 10th Hussar Regiment | |||
| 2nd Company, 4th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 3rd Company, 4th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 7th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 2nd Medical Company | |||
| 8th Division | 15th Infantry Brigade | 36th Fusilier Regiment | |
| 93rd Infantry Regiment | |||
| 4th Jäger Battalion[12] | |||
| 16th Infantry Brigade | 72nd Infantry Regiment | ||
| 153rd Infantry Regiment | |||
| 8th Field Artillery Brigade | 74th Field Artillery Regiment | ||
| 75th Field Artillery Regiment | |||
| half of 10th Hussar Regiment | |||
| 1st Company, 4th Pioneer Battalion | |||
| 8th Divisional Pontoon Train | |||
| 1st Medical Company | |||
| 3rd Medical Company | |||
| Corps Troops | I Battalion, 4th Foot Artillery Regiment[13] | ||
| 9th Aviation Detachment | |||
| 4th Corps Pontoon Train | |||
| 4th Telephone Detachment | |||
| 4th Pioneer Searchlight Section | |||
| Munition Trains and Columns corresponding toII Corps |
Combat chronicle[edit]
On mobilisation, IV Corps was assigned to the1st Armyon the right wing of the forces for theSchlieffen Planoffensive in August 1914 on theWestern Front.[14]It participated in theBattle of Monsand theFirst Battle of the Marnewhich marked the end of the German advances in 1914. Later, it participated in theBattle of the Somme,particularly theBattle of Delville Woodand theBattle of Pozières.
It was still in existence at the end of the war[15]in the6th Army,HeeresgruppeKronprinzRupprecht on theWestern Front.[16]
49th Landwehr Brigade[edit]
During the war, the 49th Landwehr Brigade joined the corps; it had originally been part of4th Army.[17]It had its headquarters at Bois de Lord farm on the RiverAisnefor most of the First World War. From 1915 the 49th Landwehr Brigade was commanded by Lt. General Hansvon Blumenthal,who had retired in 1910 after disagreements with his commanding officer GeneralMaximilian von Prittwitz.On the outbreak of war he had returned to active service, first to command60th Landwehr Brigade.
Commanders[edit]
The IV Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[18][19][20]
See also[edit]
- Franco-Prussian War order of battle
- German Army order of battle (1914)
- German Army order of battle, Western Front (1918)
- List of Imperial German infantry regiments
- List of Imperial German artillery regiments
- List of Imperial German cavalry regiments
- Order of battle at Mons
- Order of battle of the First Battle of the Marne
References[edit]
- ^German Administrative HistoryArchived13 May 2011 at theWayback MachineAccessed: 2 June 2012
- ^Cron 2002,p. 303
- ^Cron 2002,pp. 88–89
- ^Ellis & Cox 1993,pp. 186–187
- ^Hermann Cron et al.,Ruhmeshalle unserer alten Armee(Berlin, 1935); Wegner, pp=360,356-357
- ^Cron et al.,Ruhmeshalle;Wegner, pp=360,356-357
- ^Haythornthwaite 1996,pp. 193–194
- ^They formed theGuards Cavalry Division,the only peacetime cavalry division in the German Army.
- ^War Office 1918,p. 243
- ^Cron 2002,p. 300
- ^Cron 2002,p. 303
- ^With a machine gun company.
- ^4 heavy artillery batteries (16 heavy field howitzers)
- ^Cron 2002,p. 303
- ^Cron 2002,pp. 88–89
- ^Ellis & Cox 1993,pp. 186–187
- ^Cron 2002,p. 314
- ^German Administrative HistoryArchived13 May 2011 at theWayback MachineAccessed: 2 June 2012
- ^German War HistoryAccessed: 2 June 2012
- ^The Prussian MachineAccessed: 2 June 2012
Bibliography[edit]
- Cron, Hermann (2002).Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937].Helion & Co.ISBN1-874622-70-1.
- Ellis, John; Cox, Michael (1993).The World War I Databook.Aurum Press Ltd.ISBN1-85410-766-6.
- Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1996).The World War One Source Book.Arms and Armour.ISBN1-85409-351-7.
- Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914–1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919.The London Stamp Exchange Ltd (1989). 1920.ISBN0-948130-87-3.
- The German Forces in the Field; 7th Revision, 11th November 1918; Compiled by the General Staff, War Office.Imperial War Museum, London and The Battery Press, Inc (1995). 1918.ISBN1-870423-95-X.
