IV Corps ( German Empire ) The IV Army Corps / IV AK ( ) was a corps level command of the Prussia n 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 ( " Generalkommando im Herzogtum Sachsen " ) and became the IV Army Corps on August 30 , 1818 . Its headquarters was in Magdeburg and its catchment area included the Prussian Province of Saxony and the adjacent Saxon Duchies ( Saxe - Altenburg , Anhalt ) and Principalities ( Schwarzburg - Sondershausen , Schwarzburg - Rudolstadt , Reuss Elder Line and Reuss Junior Line ) . 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 . 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 ( 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 . 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 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 On mobilization on 2 August 1914 the Corps was restructured . 8th Cavalry Brigade was withdrawn to form part of the 2nd Cavalry Division and the 7th Cavalry Brigade was broken up : the 10th Hussar Regiment was raised to a strength of 6 squadrons before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 ( 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 . The IV Corps had the following commanders during its existence :