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. First World War History The Fourth Army was formed in France on 5 February 1916, under the command of Sir Henry Rawlinson. It was created in preparation for the Battle of the Somme after the French Tenth Army was transferred to the Battle of Verdun. 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: III Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir William Pulteney. 1st Division 8th Division 12th (Eastern) Division 19th (Western) Division 23rd Division 34th Division VIII Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Aylmer Hunter-Weston. (transferred to Reserve Army on 4 July) 4th Division 29th Division 31st Division 48th (South Midland) Division X Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Thomas Morland. (transferred to Reserve Army on 4 July) 12th (Eastern) Division 25th Division 32nd Division 36th (Ulster) Division 49th (West Riding) Division XIII Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve. 3rd Division 9th (Scottish) Division 18th (Eastern) Division 30th Division 35th Division XV Corps 7th Division 17th (Northern) Division 21st Division