VIII Corps (United Kingdom)
| VIII Corps | |
|---|---|
| Active | World War I and World War II |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Field corps |
| Engagements | World War I[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lt-Gen Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston Lt-Gen Sir Richard O'Connor |
VIII Corps was a British Army corps formation that existed during the First World War and the Second World War. During the Second World War it landed in Normandy, in 1944, and conducted Operation Epsom and Operation Goodwood, it would later play a supporting role in Operation Market Garden and finish the war by advancing from the Rhine to the Baltic Sea.
Prior to World War I
In 1876 a Mobilisation Scheme was published for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland, including eight army corps of the 'Active Army'. The '8th Corps' was to be headquartered at Edinburgh. This scheme had been dropped by 1881.[2]
First World War
Gallipoli
VIII Corps was first formed at Gallipoli during the First World War. The main British battle front was at Cape Helles on the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula. As the battle became protracted, more British divisions arrived as reinforcements. In May 1915, these divisions were arranged as the British Army Corps which was then redesignated as VIII Corps in June. The corps commander was Lieutenant-General Aylmer Hunter-Weston.[1] When Hunter-Weston relinquished command due to illness, the corps was commanded on a temporary basis by General Francis Davies.
During the Gallipoli campaign, the corps contained the following units:[3]
- 29th Division - (moved to IX Corps at Suvla in August)
- 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division
- 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division
- Royal Naval Division
- 29th Indian Infantry Brigade - (moved to Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in August)
- Corps of Royal Engineers - 13th Base Park Company, 254th Tunnelling Company and a Postal unit
Western Front
After the evacuation of Gallipoli the corps was reformed in France in March 1916, once again under the command of Hunter-Weston, and participated in the Battle of the Somme.
VIII Corps was disbanded in June 1918 when Hunter-Weston moved to the XVIII Corps however this corps was then redesignated as VIII Corps in July 1918.
Second World War
Home Defence
VIII Corps formed part of Home Forces in the UK during the early part of World War II.
Order of Battle Autumn 1940[4]
North West Europe
VIII Corps fought on the western front in 1944 and 1945 as part of Second Army. From January 21 to November 27 1944 it was commanded by Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor. At the start of the Normandy Campaign it comprised:
- Guards Armoured Division (later transferred to XXX Corps)
- 11th Armoured Division (later transferred to XXX Corps)
- 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division (later transferred to XII Corps )
- 6 Guards Tank Brigade
- 8th Army Group, Royal Artillery[5]
- 25th Field Regiment, RA[6]
- 61st (Caernarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, RA[7]
- 63rd Medium Regiment, RA[8]
- 77th (Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, RA[9]
- 53rd (Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Heavy Regiment, RA[10]
- Corps Troops:[11]
- 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment
- 91st (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA[12][13]
- 121st (Leicestershire Regiment) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA[14][15]
- 10th Survey Regiment, RA[16]
- VIII Corps Troops Royal Engineers
- VIII Corps Signals
It played a major role in Operations Epsom, Jupiter, Goodwood and Bluecoat before being reduced in size and moved to the reserve prior to the breakout from Normandy. The Corps fought in a supporting role during Operation Market Garden, capturing the Dutch towns of Deurne and Helmond, and took part in the advance on Venraij and Venlo ( Operation Constellation ) beginning on October 12 1944. VIII Corps later crossed the Elbe, occupied Plön in Schleswig-Holstein and took part in Operation Plunder.
Post-war
In the immediate post-war period the corps formed VIII Corps District in Schleswig-Holstein before being disbanded in 1946. Its final composition was[17]:
- 4th Armoured Brigade
- Jewish Infantry Brigade
- 7th Armoured Division
- 22nd Armoured Brigade
- 131st Infantry Brigade (detached to Berlin)
- 13th Infantry Brigade (attached from 5th Division)
- 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division
- 46th Infantry Brigade
General Officers Commanding
Commanders included:[18]
- 1915-18 Lieutenant-General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston[19]
- Jul 1940-May 1941 Lieutenant-General Harold Franklyn
- May 1941-Nov 1941 Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson
- Nov 1941-Jan 1943 Lieutenant-General Arthur Grassett
- Jan 1943-Jul 1943 Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden
- Jul 1943-Aug 1943 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard McCreery
- Nov 1943-Jan 1944 Lieutenant-General John Harding
- Jan 1944-Nov 1944 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard O'Connor
- Dec 1944-Apr 1946 Lieutenant-General Evelyn Barker
Notes
- ^ a b The British Corps of 1914-1918
- ^ Army List 1876–1881.
- ^ "Corps History - Part 14: The Corps and the First World War (1914-18)". Royal Engineers Museum. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ 8 Corps
- ^ 8th Army Group RA
- ^ 25 Field Regiment RA
- ^ 61 (Caernarvon & Denbigh) Medium Regiment RA (TA)
- ^ 63 Medium Regiment RA (TA)
- ^ 77 (Duke of Lancasters Own Yeo) Medium Regiment RA (TA)
- ^ 52 (Bedfordshire Yeo) Heavy Regiment RA (TA)
- ^ Forty p 346.
- ^ 91 (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment RA (TA)
- ^ Regiments.org
- ^ 121 (Leicestershire Rgt) Light AA Regiment RA (TA)
- ^ Regiments.org
- ^ 10th Survey Regiment
- ^ Watson & Rinaldi p.7
- ^ Army Commands
- ^ First World War Biographies
References
- George Forty, British Army Handbook 1939-1945, Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1998 (ISBN 0 7509 1403 3).
- Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, The British Army in Germany (BAOR and after): An organizational history 1947-2004, Tiger Lily Publications, 2005.