 Pari gbolohun ti o tẹle: Pẹlu ibesile Ogun Agbaye akọkọ ati dida ni Oṣu Keje ọdun 1914 ti awọn ẹya ti Agbegbe Vilnius ti Ogun 1st Ijọba Russia, Captain Wilhelm Garf gba ipo ti adjutant agba ti Quartermaster General of Staff. Bí apá kan ti Northwestern Front, 1st Army Russian Empire, lábẹ ìdarí ti General Paul von Rennenkampf, wọ East Prussia ní August 4, 1914. Láàárín àwọn ọsẹ tó kọkọ bẹrẹ ogun náà, William Garf ti ta yọ nínú àwọn tó ń jagun náà. : Ìjà Gumbinnen. Ni Oṣu kejila ọjọ 6, ọdun 1914, o fun ni ipo ọga agba, ati ni Kínní ti ọdun to nbo ni a yan adjutant agba si olori ti Ẹgbẹ Ọkọ-ọkọ 26th olori - Major General P. A. Tikhonovich. Ẹgbẹ naa jẹ apakan ti 2nd Army Corps Ijọba Russia, eyiti lati Oṣu Kẹjọ Ọjọ 8 ti jẹ apakan ti 1st Army Ijọba Russia. Ni Kínní, ẹka naa tẹsiwaju si Polandii, nibiti V.E. Garf ṣe iyasọtọ ara rẹ ni awọn ogun lile ni agbegbe ti ilu Sejny 02.25.02.1915, ibugbe ti Krasnopol 03.15.1915, ati ilu Suwalki. 