IV Corps (German Empire)

The IV Corps formed part of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia's 1st Army and fought in the Austro-Prussian War against Austria in 1866, including the Battle of Königgrätz.Hermann Cron et al., Ruhmeshalle unserer alten Armee (Berlin, 1935); Wegner, pp=360,356-357

In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, the Corps formed part of the 2nd Army that was commanded by Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia. It saw action in the battles of Beaumont and Sedan, and in the Siege of Paris.Cron et al., Ruhmeshalle; Wegner, pp=360,356-357

The 25 peacetime Corps of the German Army (Guards, I - XXI, I - III Bavarian) had a reasonably standardised organisation. Each consisted of two divisions with usually two infantry brigades, one field artillery brigade and a cavalry brigade each.{{harvnb|Haythornthwaite|1996|pp=193–194}} 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, IX and XIV Corps each had a 5th infantry brigade (so 10 infantry regiments)

:II, XIII, XVIII and XXI Corps had a 9th infantry regiment

:I, VI and XVI Corps had a 3rd cavalry brigade (so 6 cavalry regiments)

:the Guards Corps had 11 infantry regiments (in 5 brigades) and 8 cavalry regiments (in 4 brigades).They formed the Guards Cavalry Division, the only peacetime cavalry division in the German Army.

Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more

:Foot Artillery Regiment

:Jäger Battalion

:Pioneer Battalion

:Train Battalion

On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 8th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 2nd Cavalry Division{{harvnb|Cron|2002|p=300}} and the 7th Cavalry Brigade was broken up: the 10th Hussar Regiment was raised to a strength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 to 7th and 8th Divisions; the 16th Uhlan Regiment was likewise assigned as two half-regiments to 13th and 14th Divisions of VII 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.

On mobilisation, IV Corps was assigned to the 1st Army on the right wing of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914 on the Western Front.{{harvnb|Cron|2002|p=303}} It participated in the Battle of Mons and the First Battle of the Marne which marked the end of the German advances in 1914. Later, it participated in the Battle of the Somme, particularly the Battle of Delville Wood and the Battle of Pozières.{{fact|date=February 2025}}

It was still in existence at the end of the war{{harvnb|Cron|2002|pp=88–89}} in the 6th Army, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht on the Western Front.{{harvnb|Ellis|Cox|1993|pp=186–187}}

During the war, the 49th Landwehr Brigade joined the corps; it had originally been part of 4th Army.{{harvnb|Cron|2002|p=314}} It had its headquarters at Bois de Lord farm on the River Aisne for most of the First World War. From 1915 the 49th Landwehr Brigade was commanded by Lt. General Hans von Blumenthal, who had retired in 1910 after disagreements with his commanding officer General Maximilian von Prittwitz. On the outbreak of war he had returned to active service, first to command 60th Landwehr Brigade.{{fact|date=February 2025}}

The IV Corps had the following commanders during its existence:[http://www.verwaltungsgeschichte.de/militaer.html German Administrative History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513000724/http://www.verwaltungsgeschichte.de/militaer.html |date=13 May 2011 }} Accessed: 2 June 2012[http://www.deutsche-kriegsgeschichte.de/akrkgk.html German War History] Accessed: 2 June 2012[http://home.comcast.net/~jcviser/army/AKIV.htm The Prussian Machine] Accessed: 2 June 2012

{{Portal|Germany}}

• 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

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book

| last = Cron | first = Hermann

| year = 2002

| title = Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]

| publisher = Helion & Co

| isbn = 1-874622-70-1

}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Ellis | first1 = John

| last2 = Cox | first2 = Michael

| year = 1993

| title = The World War I Databook

| publisher = Aurum Press Ltd

| isbn = 1-85410-766-6

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Haythornthwaite | first = Philip J.

| year = 1996

| title = The World War One Source Book

| publisher = Arms and Armour

| isbn = 1-85409-351-7

}}

• {{cite book

| year = 1920

| title = 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

| publisher = The London Stamp Exchange Ltd (1989)

| isbn = 0-948130-87-3

| ref = {{harvid|AEF GHQ|1920}}

}}

• {{cite book

| year = 1918

| title = The German Forces in the Field; 7th Revision, 11th November 1918; Compiled by the General Staff, War Office

| publisher = Imperial War Museum, London and The Battery Press, Inc (1995)

| isbn = 1-870423-95-X

| ref = {{harvid|War Office|1918}}

}}

{{German Empire Armies|6th=y}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:4th Corps (German Empire)}}

Category:Corps of Germany in World War I

Category:Military units and formations established in 1815

Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919