Fourth Army (Ottoman Empire)


The Fourth Army of the Ottoman Empire was one of the field armies of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the middle nineteenth century, during Ottoman military reforms.
The army did not survive the WWI battles in Palestine and Syria.

Formations

Order of Battle, 1877

In 1877, it was stationed in Anatolia. It was composed of:

Order of Battle, 1908

After the Young Turk Revolution and the establishment of the Second Constitutional Era on 3 July 1908, the new government initiated a major military reform. Army headquarters were modernized. The Fourth Army's new operational area was Caucasia and its many troops were scattered along the frontier to keep an eye on the Russian Empire. It commanded the following active divisions and other units:
  • 7th Infantry Division
  • 8th Infantry Division
  • 19th Infantry Division
  • 4th Artillery Division
  • Erzurum Fortress Artillery Regiment
The Fourth Army also had inspectorate functions for four Redif divisions:
  • 13th Erzincan Reserve Infantry Division
  • 14th Trabzon Reserve Infantry Division
  • 15th Diyarbekir Reserve Infantry Division
  • 16th Sivas Reserve Infantry Division

Order of Battle, 1911

With further reorganizations of the Ottoman Army, to include the creation of corps level headquarters, by 1911 the Army's headquarters were Baghdad. Before the First Balkan War in 1911, the Army was structured as:

World War I

Order of Battle, November 1914

In November 1914, the army was structured as:

Order of Battle, Late April 1915

In April 1915, the army was structured as:

Order of Battle, Late Summer 1915, January 1916

In late Summer 1915, January 1916, the army was structured as:

Order of Battle, August, December 1916

Between August and December 1916, the army was structured as:
  • Fourth Army
  • *VIII Corps
  • **3rd Division
  • **23rd Division
  • **24th Division
  • **27th Division
  • *XII Corps
  • **41st Division
  • **42nd Division
  • **43rd Division
  • **46th Division

Order of Battle, August 1917

In August 1917, the army was structured as:
On 26 September the Fourth Army headquarters moved to Damascus, dividing its area of responsibility in half, leaving Cemal Pasha answerable for Syria and western Arabia.

Order of Battle, January, June 1918

Between January and June 1918, the army was structured as follows:
  • Fourth Army
  • *VIII Corps
  • **43rd Division
  • **48th Division
  • *XII Corps
  • **23rd Division
  • **41st Division
  • **44th Division
  • *Hejaz Corps
  • **58th Division
  • **Provisional Infantry Divisions x 3

Order of Battle, September 1918

In September 1918, the army was structured as:
  • Fourth Army
  • *II Corps
  • **62nd Division
  • **Provisional Divisions x 3
  • *Jordan Group
  • **24th Division
  • **3rd Cavalry Division
  • *VIII Corps
  • **48th Division
  • **Umman Provisional Division