39th Division (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
The 39th Infantry Division was a unit of the British Army
during World War I
.
Raised as part of the Fifth New Army in August 1915 near Winchester
, the division was also stationed at Aldershot
and Whitley
, before being transferred to the Western Front
in March 1916.
The division suffered heavy losses during the Battle of the Somme, and was later relocated to Belgium, participating in the Third Battle of Ypres. During the spring of 1918, the division was virtually destroyed during the final German offensive
, and was not reconstituted as a fighting unit after June 1918, instead serving as a training command for newly arrived American troops.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Raised as part of the Fifth New Army in August 1915 near Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, the division was also stationed at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
and Whitley
Whitley
-Places:United Kingdom*Whitley Bay, town in Tyne and Wear *Whitley, Berkshire, suburb of Reading*Whitley, Cheshire, village near Warrington*Whitley, Coventry, suburb of Coventry...
, before being transferred to the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in March 1916.
The division suffered heavy losses during the Battle of the Somme, and was later relocated to Belgium, participating in the Third Battle of Ypres. During the spring of 1918, the division was virtually destroyed during the final German offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
, and was not reconstituted as a fighting unit after June 1918, instead serving as a training command for newly arrived American troops.