Fourth Army (United Kingdom)

The Fourth Army was a field army that formed part of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The Fourth Army was formed on 5 February 1916 under the command of General Sir Henry Rawlinson to carry out the main British contribution to the Battle of the Somme.

Fourth Army
4th Army formation badge.
ActiveFirst World War (1914–1918)
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeArmy
EngagementsFirst World War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Sir Henry Rawlinson

First World War
General Sir Henry Rawlinson

History

The Fourth Army was formed in France on 5 February 1916, under the command of Sir Henry Rawlinson.[1] On the first day on the Somme, eleven Fourth Army divisions (from XIII Corps, XV Corps, III Corps, X Corps and VIII Corps) attacked astride the Albert–Bapaume road. The attack was completely defeated on the northern sector, so subsequent Fourth Army operations concentrated on the southern sector, handing control of the northern sector to the Reserve Army.

The plan for the Fourth Army during the Third Battle of Ypres (31 July – 10 November 1917), was to mount Operation Hush, an amphibious invasion of the Belgian coast. Once the Germans had been pushed back from the Passchendaele–Westroosebeke ridge and an advance begun on Roeselare and Torhout, the XV Corps would mount the coastal operation. As the Ypres fighting became bogged down, the Fourth Army divisions were drawn off as reinforcements until the army was effectively disbanded.

The Fourth Army was reformed in early 1918—once again under Rawlinson—following the virtual destruction and subsequent disbanding of the Fifth Army during the German offensive known as Operation Michael.

The Fourth Army spearheaded the British Hundred Days offensive that began with the Battle of Amiens and ended with the Armistice in November, 1918.

Order of Battle

On the first day of the Somme the Fourth Army comprised:[2]

When reformed for the Battle of Amiens:[3]

In September 1918 the Army was the only British force reinforced with substantial American (AEF) forces:[4]

Commanders
  • February 1916–February 1918 General Sir Henry Rawlinson
  • February–March 1918 General Sir William Birdwood (temporary)
  • April 1918–March 1919 General Sir Henry Rawlinson[5]

Second World War

In World War II, no British Fourth Army actually took the field, but as part of the deception plans Operation Cockade and the later Operation Fortitude North, the Germans were encouraged to believe that a Fourth Army had been established with its headquarters in Edinburgh Castle and was preparing to invade Norway. The selection of the inactive Fourth Army was likely very deliberate given its combat history in WWI. This successfully drew and kept German units away from the real invasion zone in Normandy. In the subsequent 'Fortitude South' the Fourth Army with different units was presented as part of the fictitious First United States Army Group (FUSAG) in its threat to the Pas de Calais.[6] Following Operation Market Garden, Fourth Army was notionally tasked with an amphibious assault upon the coast of the Netherlands and later along the German coast. This operation, Operation Trolleybar, was to involve a landing by the phantom 76th Division. This deception effort was ended in January 1945.

Fortitude North

HQ at Edinburgh

Fortitude South

HQ at Hathfield

Notes and references
  1. The British Armies of 1914-1918
  2. Baker, Chris. "Battles of the Somme, 1916". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  3. Baker, Chris. "The Battle of Amiens". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  4. Hart, Peter (2008). 1918 A Very British Victory (2 ed.). London: Phoenix. p. 446. ISBN 978-0-7538-2689-8.
  5. Major A. F. Becke, History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4 (1944) pp. 99–105
  6. Roger Hesketh. Fortitude: The D-Day Deception Campaign. St Ermins Press. 1999. ISBN 978-0-316-85172-5
  7. Thaddeus Holt. The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War. Phoenix. 2005. ISBN 978-0-7538-1917-3
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