The Fourth Army of the Ottoman Empire (Turkish: Dördüncü Ordu) 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:Ian Drury, Illustrated by Raffaele Ruggeri, The Russo-Turkish War 1877, Men-at-Arms 277, Ospray Publishing Ltd., Reprinted 1999, , p. 35. Infantry: Five line regiments and six rifle battalions Cavalry: Three line regiments Artillery: One line regiment (12 batteries) Engineer: One sapper company
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:Erickson (2003), p. 17. 7th Infantry Division (Yedinci Fırka) 8th Infantry Division (Sekicinci Fırka) 19th Infantry Division (On Dokuzuncu Fırka) 4th Artillery Division (Dördüncü Topçu Fırkası) Erzurum Fortress Artillery Regiment
The Fourth Army also had inspectorate functions for four Redif (reserve) divisions:Erickson (2003), p.19T.C. Genelkurmay Başkanlığı, Balkan Harbi, 1912–1913: Harbin Sebepleri, Askerî Hazırlıklar ve Osmanlı Devletinin Harbe Girişi, Genelkurmay Basımevi, 1970, pp. 87–90. 13th Erzincan Reserve Infantry Division (On Üçüncü Erzincan Redif Fırkası) 14th Trabzon Reserve Infantry Division (On Dördüncü Trabzon Redif Fırkası) 15th Diyarbekir Reserve Infantry Division (On Beşinci Diyarbekir Redif Fırkası) 16th Sivas Reserve Infantry Division (On Altıncı Sivas Redif Fırkası)
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:Erickson (2001), pp.382–383 Army Headquarters, Baghdad XII Corps, Musul 35th Infantry Division, Musul 36th Infantry Division, Kerkük XIII Corps, Baghdad 37th Infantry Division, Baghdad 38th Infantry Division, Basra
World War I Order of Battle, November 1914 In November 1914, the army was structured as:Erickson (2001), p.43 Fourth Army (Syria) VIII Corps 23rd Division 25th Division 27th Division XII Corps 35th Division 36th Division
Order of Battle, Late April 1915 In April 1915, the army was structured as:Erickson (2001), p.86 Fourth Army (Syria) VIII Corps 8th Division 10th Division 23rd Division 25th Division 27th Division XII Corps 35th Division 36th Division
Order of Battle, Late Summer 1915, January 1916 In late Summer 1915, January 1916, the army was structured as:Erickson (2001), pp. 109, 126 Fourth Army (Syria-Palestine) VIII Corps 23rd Division 24th Division 27th Division XII Corps 41st Division 42nd Division 46th Division
Order of Battle, August, December 1916
Between August and December 1916, the army was structured as:Erickson (2001), pp.134, 154 Fourth Army (Syria-Palestine) 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:Erickson (2001), p.170 Fourth Army (Syria-Palestine) 3rd Cavalry Division VIII Corps 48th Division XII Corps 23rd Division 44th Division XV Corps 43rd Division XX Corps 16th Division 54th Division XXII Corps 3rd Division 7th Division 53rd Division
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.Erickson 2001 p. 171
Order of Battle, January, June 1918 Between January and June 1918, the army was structured as follows:Erickson (2001), pp.181, 188 Fourth Army (commanded by Jemal) (Syria-West Arabia) VIII Corps (commanded by Ali Fuad Bey)Falls 1930 Volume 2 Part 2 p.657 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:Erickson (2001), p.197 Fourth Army (Mirliva Mersinli Cemal Pasha) II Corps (Miralay Galatalı Şevket Bey) 62nd Division Provisional Divisions x 3 Jordan Group 24th Division 3rd Cavalry Division VIII Corps (Miralay Yasin Hilmi Bey) 48th Division Umman Provisional Division
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