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IV Army Corps (Greece)

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IV Army Corps
Δ΄ Σώμα Στρατού
Camp flag of the IV Army Corps
Active1913–1941
1976–present
Country Greece
Branch Hellenic Army
TypeArmoured
Mechanized infantry
RoleAnti-aircraft warfare
Anti-tank warfare
Armoured warfare
Artillery observer
Bomb disposal
Close-quarters combat
Combined arms
Counter-battery fire
Demining
Desert warfare
Electromagnetic warfare
Emergency medicine
Fire support
Force protection
HUMINT
Indirect fire
Intelligence assessment
ISTAR
Maneuver warfare
Military engineering
Military intelligence
Patrolling
Raiding
Reconnaissance
SIGINT
Surveillance
Tactical communications
Tactical emergency medical services
Urban warfare
SizeCorps
Part ofFirst Army
Garrison/HQXanthi
Motto(s)Solve the knot with the sword
Τῷ ξίφει τὸν δεσμόν λελύσθαι
To ksifi ton desmon lelisthe
EngagementsWorld War I

Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
World War II

Commanders
Notable
commanders
Ioannis Hatzopoulos
Konstantinos Korkas

The IV Army Corps "Thrace" (Greek: Δ΄ Σώμα Στρατού «Θράκη», abbr. Δ΄ ΣΣ) is an army corps of the Hellenic Army. Established before the First World War, it served in all conflicts Greece participated in until the German invasion of Greece in 1941. Re-established in 1976, it has been guarding the Greco-Turkish land border along the Evros River, and is the most powerful formation in the Hellenic Army.

History

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The IV Army Corps was established by Royal Decree on 23 December 1913 (O.S.) at Kavala, Eastern Macedonia, during the reorganization of the Hellenic Army following the Balkan Wars. When Eastern Macedonia was occupied by Bulgarian and German forces during World War I, the entire Corps, under its commander Col. Ioannis Hatzopoulos, demobilized and forbidden to offer resistance by the government in Athens, was carried by rail to Görlitz, Germany, as "guests" of the German Government, where they remained for almost three years.

During the Greco-Turkish War it was renamed the Army of Thrace and was stationed in Adrianople. In 1922, after the defeat of the Hellenic forces in Asia Minor, it covered the withdrawal of many units to Thrace, and formed part of the Army of Evros.

In November 1940, during the Greco-Italian War, it was renamed again as Eastern Macedonia Army Section (ΤΣΑΜ) joining the rest of the army which was fighting in Albania. In April 1941 it surrendered to German forces.

In 1976 the Corps was reformed in Xanthi and currently is the most powerful formation of the Hellenic Army.

Structure

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IV Corps Structure until 2014