Organisation on mobilisation On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured. 8th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the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 (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.
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.
49th Landwehr Brigade During the war, the 49th Landwehr Brigade joined the corps; it had originally been part of
4th Army. 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. == Commanders ==