| 4. Armee 4th Army | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Staff of an Armee Oberkommando (1871–1918) | |
| Active | 2 August 1914 – 28 January 1919 |
| Country |  German Empire |
| Type | Army |
| Engagements | World War I |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | A.O.K. 4 |
The 4th Army (German : 4. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 4 / A.O.K. 4) was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilisation in August 1914 from the VI Army Inspection. [1] The army was disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war. [2]
At the outset of war, the 4th Army, with the 5th Army, formed the center of the German armies on the Western Front, moving through Luxembourg and Belgium in support of the great wheel of the right wing that was to pin down and defeat the French armies. The 4th Army defeated Belgian forces on the frontier, drove the French out of the Ardennes and then encountered the British Expeditionary Force in the "Race to the Sea" at the First Battle of Ypres. The 4th Army faced the British in Flanders for the rest of the war, notably defending in the Battle of Passchendaele (1917), attacking in the 1918 German spring offensive and finally being pushed back in the Hundred Days Offensive from August 1918.
At the end of the war it was serving as part of Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht . [3]
By the end of the war, the 4th Army was organised as:
| Organization of 4th Army on 30 October 1918 [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Army | Corps | Division |
| 4th Army | Naval Corps | 1st Naval Division |
| 2nd Naval Division | ||
| two thirds 38th Landwehr Division | ||
| one third 3rd Division | ||
| 85th Landwehr Division | ||
| Guards Reserve Corps | 3rd Reserve Division | |
| two thirds 3rd Division | ||
| 13th Reserve Division | ||
| 16th Bavarian Division | ||
| 36th Reserve Division | ||
| 11th Bavarian Division | ||
| 4th Division | ||
| one third 38th Landwehr Division | ||
| 16th Reserve Division | ||
| 23rd Division | ||
| 3rd Landwehr Division | ||
| Guards Corps | 26th Division | |
| 19th Division | ||
| Guards Ersatz Division | ||
| 207th Division | ||
| 1st Bavarian Reserve Division | ||
| 21st Division | ||
| 52nd Reserve Division | ||
| 6th Cavalry Schützen Division | ||
| X Reserve Corps | 49th Reserve Division | |
| 23rd Reserve Division | ||
| 11th Reserve Division | ||
| 56th Division | ||
| 6th Bavarian Reserve Division | ||
| 39th Division | ||
| 40th Division | ||
The 4th Army had the following commanders during its existence. [5]
| From | Commander | Previously | Subsequently, |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 August 1914 | Generaloberst Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg | VI Army Inspectorate (VI. Armee-Inspektion) | Heeresgruppe Albrecht |
| 1 August 1916 | Generalfeldmarschall Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg | ||
| 25 February 1917 | General der Infanterie Friedrich Sixt von Armin | IV Corps | Resigned |
The later World War II-era Wehrmacht general Heinz Guderian served as an assistant signals officer (initially as a lieutenant) at 4th Army HQ until his reassignment to the German general staff in 1918. [6]
The Army of the Niemen was an army level command of the German Army in World War I.
The 1st Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 from the VIII Army Inspectorate. The army was dissolved on 17 September 1915, but reformed on 19 July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. It was finally disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.
The 2nd Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 from the III Army Inspection. The army was disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.
The 3rd Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 seemingly from the II Army Inspectorate. The army was disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.
The 5th Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 seemingly from the VII Army Inspection. The army was disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.
The 7th Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 from the II Army Inspection. The army was disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.
The 6th Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 from the IV Army Inspectorate. The army was disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.
The 9th Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed in September 1914 in Breslau to command troops on the southern sector of the Eastern Front. The army was dissolved on 30 July 1916, but reformed in Transylvania on 6 September 1916 for the Romanian Campaign. It was transferred to the Western Front on 19 June 1918 where it was finally dissolved on 18 September 1918.
The 10th Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I formed in January 1915 in Cologne. It served exclusively on the Eastern Front. It was dissolved on 6 January 1919.
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The 17th Army was an army-level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed in France on 1 February 1918 from the former 14th Army command. It served exclusively on the Western Front and was dissolved on 19 January 1919.
The 18th Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed against France on 27 December 1917 from the former Heeresgruppe Woyrsch command. It served exclusively on the Western Front and was dissolved on 2 January 1919.
The 19th Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed in France on 4 February 1918 from the former South Army command. It served exclusively on the Western Front and was dissolved on 24 January 1919.
Armee-Abteilung Strantz / Armee-Abteilung C was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It served on the Western Front throughout its existence.
Armee-Abteilung Gaede / Armee-Abteilung B was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It served on the Western Front throughout its existence and formed the extreme left wing.
Armee-Abteilung Falkenhausen / Armee-Abteilung A was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It served on the left (southern) wing of the Western Front throughout its existence.
This is the German Army order of battle on the Western Front at the close of the war.
The Army of the Bug was an army level command of the German Army in World War I named for the Bug River. It was formed against Russia on 8 July 1915 and served exclusively on the Eastern Front. It was dissolved on 31 March 1918.
The Guards Reserve Corps was a corps level command of the German Army in World War I.
The 54th Corps was a corps formation of the German Army in World War I. It was formed in September 1916 and was still in existence at the end of the war.
