IVTH KORPS
In doing some reorganizing (endless!) of my collection I went through the three ring binder on the BW Verbandsabzeichen that I have and compared them with what Kunstwadl has to say in his book. I had never noticed before that on page 170 of his book he pictures Verbandsabzeichen for three Korps while there was actually 4.
A quick survey of the web provided the following information;
Prehistory of IVth Korps from 1991 as Army Eastern Command
For the integration of parts of the land forces of the National People's Army on October 4, 1990 a High Command East, drawing on the command of the land forces of the NVA, was reorganized in Potsdam. The Army Eastern Command initially led the former command land forces and the directly subordinate troops in GDR military districts III (Leipzig) and V (Neubrandenburg). Following that, these troops were initially divided into two divisions (later the 13th and 14th Panzergrenadier Divisions) The GDR military area commands VIII and VII were initially not under the High Command East , but the Bundeswehr Eastern Command .
Corps / Territorial Command East
In preparation for the leadership of the East German army troops the Army Eastern Command was reclassified, on April 16, 1991, to Corps / Territorial Command East. The merging of territorial army and the NATO field army would have met the army structure V as was advised for the Corps in West Germany. As per a previous agreement, until the withdrawal of GSFG from eastern garrisons (1994) no NATO troops (field army) were to be stationed in East Germany. As a formation of the Territorial Army, Corps/Territorial Command East was purely national and not integrated into the NATO command structure. It therefore met the Two-Plus-Four Treaty , Article 5, Article (1) requirements:
"Until the completion of the withdrawal of Soviet forces from the territory of the present German Democratic Republic and of Berlin in accordance with Article 4 of this Treaty in this area as the armed forces of the united Germany exclusively German associations of territorial defence to be deployed that are not integrated into the alliance structures, which are assigned to the remaining German territory German forces. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article, other states will not be stationed in that territory or carry out any other military activity there during that period. [...] "
On June 30, 1991 the Bundeswehr Eastern Command was dissolved. The Chief of Staff of the Army Corps/ Territorial Command East took over the leadership of subordinate Army Divisions and the Military District Command. Thus, the East German land forces were part of the all-German army. There were under:
Division / Military District Command VII
Division / Military District Command VIII
The first task of the Corps / Territorial Command East was to integrate these troops as part of the total German army. On April 1, 1993, with the addition of the newly established medical battalion 806 in Hamburg it assumed for the first time a West German military unit. On September 30, 1994 - one month after withdrawal of the last troops of the GSFG from the Federal Republic - the Corps / Territorial Command East was established as an Army Force with Command subordinate troops on duty. Thus the first East German troops were integrated into the German army in the field, thereby starting the integration into NATO's command structure.
As IV Corps from 1995
In 1995, the Army structure V was readjusted (Army structure V (N)), in which the fusion of the territorial and field army units was reversed. On 1 January 1995, the Corps / Territorial Command East was renamed the IV Corps. In the IV Corps, the units remained at the field army. The territorial associations were mostly East German military district Commands and later switched to the armed forces base . The other three national corps ( I , II , III. ) were converted into multinational corps; however, the IV Corps remained a purely German. However, the Corps was connected via partnerships with troops in the neighbouring eastern countries. As early as 1994 were held joint military exercises between German and Polish units. The corps was under 45,000 soldiers and about 6400 vehicles. At corps in 1994:
The Verbandsabzeichen of the four corps and the Verbandsaabzeichen of the Army Eastern Command;
In doing some reorganizing (endless!) of my collection I went through the three ring binder on the BW Verbandsabzeichen that I have and compared them with what Kunstwadl has to say in his book. I had never noticed before that on page 170 of his book he pictures Verbandsabzeichen for three Korps while there was actually 4.
A quick survey of the web provided the following information;
Prehistory of IVth Korps from 1991 as Army Eastern Command
For the integration of parts of the land forces of the National People's Army on October 4, 1990 a High Command East, drawing on the command of the land forces of the NVA, was reorganized in Potsdam. The Army Eastern Command initially led the former command land forces and the directly subordinate troops in GDR military districts III (Leipzig) and V (Neubrandenburg). Following that, these troops were initially divided into two divisions (later the 13th and 14th Panzergrenadier Divisions) The GDR military area commands VIII and VII were initially not under the High Command East , but the Bundeswehr Eastern Command .
Corps / Territorial Command East
In preparation for the leadership of the East German army troops the Army Eastern Command was reclassified, on April 16, 1991, to Corps / Territorial Command East. The merging of territorial army and the NATO field army would have met the army structure V as was advised for the Corps in West Germany. As per a previous agreement, until the withdrawal of GSFG from eastern garrisons (1994) no NATO troops (field army) were to be stationed in East Germany. As a formation of the Territorial Army, Corps/Territorial Command East was purely national and not integrated into the NATO command structure. It therefore met the Two-Plus-Four Treaty , Article 5, Article (1) requirements:
"Until the completion of the withdrawal of Soviet forces from the territory of the present German Democratic Republic and of Berlin in accordance with Article 4 of this Treaty in this area as the armed forces of the united Germany exclusively German associations of territorial defence to be deployed that are not integrated into the alliance structures, which are assigned to the remaining German territory German forces. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article, other states will not be stationed in that territory or carry out any other military activity there during that period. [...] "
On June 30, 1991 the Bundeswehr Eastern Command was dissolved. The Chief of Staff of the Army Corps/ Territorial Command East took over the leadership of subordinate Army Divisions and the Military District Command. Thus, the East German land forces were part of the all-German army. There were under:
Division / Military District Command VII
Division / Military District Command VIII
The first task of the Corps / Territorial Command East was to integrate these troops as part of the total German army. On April 1, 1993, with the addition of the newly established medical battalion 806 in Hamburg it assumed for the first time a West German military unit. On September 30, 1994 - one month after withdrawal of the last troops of the GSFG from the Federal Republic - the Corps / Territorial Command East was established as an Army Force with Command subordinate troops on duty. Thus the first East German troops were integrated into the German army in the field, thereby starting the integration into NATO's command structure.
As IV Corps from 1995
In 1995, the Army structure V was readjusted (Army structure V (N)), in which the fusion of the territorial and field army units was reversed. On 1 January 1995, the Corps / Territorial Command East was renamed the IV Corps. In the IV Corps, the units remained at the field army. The territorial associations were mostly East German military district Commands and later switched to the armed forces base . The other three national corps ( I , II , III. ) were converted into multinational corps; however, the IV Corps remained a purely German. However, the Corps was connected via partnerships with troops in the neighbouring eastern countries. As early as 1994 were held joint military exercises between German and Polish units. The corps was under 45,000 soldiers and about 6400 vehicles. At corps in 1994:
The Verbandsabzeichen of the four corps and the Verbandsaabzeichen of the Army Eastern Command;
Comment