IV Corps (German Empire)
The IV Army Corps / IV AK was a corps level command of the Prussian and then the Imperial German Armies from the 19th Century to World War I.
It was established on 3 October 1815 as the General Command in the Duchy of Saxony and became the IV Army Corps on 30 August 1818. Its headquarters was in Magdeburg and its catchment area included the Prussian Province of Saxony and the adjacent Saxon Duchies and Principalities.
In peacetime, the Corps was assigned to the VI Army Inspectorate but joined the 1st Army at the start of the First World War. It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 6th Army, Heeresgruppe ''Kronprinz'' Rupprecht on the Western Front. The Corps was disbanded with the demobilisation of the German Army after World War I.
Austro-Prussian War
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.Franco-Prussian War
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.Peacetime organisation
The 25 peacetime Corps of the German Army had a reasonably standardised organisation. Each consisted of two divisions with usually two infantry brigades, one field artillery brigade and a cavalry brigade each. 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:Each Corps also directly controlled a number of other units. This could include one or more
| Corps | Division | Brigade | Units | Garrison |
| IV Corps | 7th Division | 13th Infantry Brigade | 26th (1st Magdeburg) Infantry "Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau" | Magdeburg |
| 66th (3rd Magdeburg) Infantry | Magdeburg | - | - | - |
| 14th Infantry Brigade | 27th Infantry "Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia" | Halberstadt | - | - |
| 165th (5th Hannover) Infantry | Quedlinburg, II Bn at Blankenburg | - | - | - |
| 7th Field Artillery Brigade | 4th (Magdeburg) Field Artillery "Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria" | Magdeburg | - | - |
| 40th (Altmark) Field Artillery | Burg | - | - | - |
| 7th Cavalry Brigade | 10th (Magdeburg) Hussars | Stendal | - | - |
| 16th (Altmark) Uhlans "Hennigs von Treffenfeld" | Salzwedel, Gardelegen | - | - | - |
| 8th Division | 15th Infantry Brigade | 36th (Magdeburg) Fusiliers "General Field Marshal Count Blumenthal" | Halle, II Bn at Bernburg | - |
| 93rd (Anhalt) Infantry | Dessau, II Bn at Zerbst | - | - | - |
| 16th Infantry Brigade | 72nd (4th Thuringian) Infantry | Torgau, III Bn at Eilenburg | - | - |
| 153rd (8th Thuringian) Infantry | Altenburg, III Bn at Merseburg | - | - | - |
| 8th Field Artillery Brigade | 74th (Torgau) Field Artillery | Torgau, Wittenberg | - | - |
| 75th (Mansfeld) Field Artillery | Halle | - | - | - |
| 8th Cavalry Brigade | 7th (Magdeburg) Cuirassiers "von Seydlitz" | Halberstadt, Quedlinburg | - | - |
| 12th (Thuringian) Hussars | Torgau | - | - | - |
| Corps Troops | 4th Jäger Battalion "von Neumann" | Naumburg (Saale) | - | |
| 4th (Magdeburg) Foot Artillery "Encke" | Magdeburg | - | - | - |
| 4th Pioneer Battalion | Magdeburg | - | - | - |
| 4th Train Battalion | Magdeburg | - | - | - |
| Halle an der Saale Defence Command | Halle | - |
World War I
Organisation on mobilisation
On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 8th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 2nd Cavalry Division 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, 6 cavalry squadrons, 24 field artillery batteries, 4 heavy artillery batteries, 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 | - | - | - |
| 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 | - | |
| 9th Aviation Detachment | - | - | - |
| 4th Corps Pontoon Train | - | - | - |
| 4th Telephone Detachment | - | - | - |
| 4th Pioneer Searchlight Section | - | - | - |
| Munition Trains and Columns corresponding to II Corps | - | - | - |
Combat chronicle
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. 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.It was still in existence at the end of the war in the 6th Army, Heeresgruppe ''Kronprinz'' Rupprecht on the Western Front.