V Corps (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
V Corps was an army corps of the British Army
in both the First
and Second World War. It was first organised in February 1915 and fought through World War I on the Western front. It was recreated in June 1940 and substantially reorganised in 1942 for participation in Operation Torch
.
comprising the units of Southern Command
. This scheme had been dropped by 1881. The 1901 Army Estimates (introduced by St John Brodrick when Secretary of State for War
) allowed for six army corps based on the six regional commands: V Corps was to be formed by Northern Command
with headquarters in York
. It was to comprise 27 artillery batteries (18 Regular, 6 Militia and 3 Volunteer) and 25 infantry battalions (4 Regular, 13 Militia and 8 Volunteers). Under Army Order No 38 of 1907 the corps titles disappeared, but Northern Command continued to be a major administrative organisation.
, who had been commanding Northern Command
in England. Initially, V Corps comprised 27th Division and 28th Division
, both composed of Regular Army battalions brought back from various Imperial postings.
. These trenches were wet and poorly protected, and the Indian-issue boots worn by many of the men were inadequate. They had to endure shelling and occasional trench raids as well as bad weather. V Corps played a peripheral part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle
to the south, and then 27th Division took part in the action at St Eloi (14–15 March 1915).
In April 1915 V Corps shifted northwards, taking over the sector from St Eloi to St Julien from the French Army. Now, with three divisions under command (first the 5th Division and then the newly-arrived 1st Canadian Division
were added), V Corps held the whole south-eastern and eastern part of the Ypres Salient. Between 17 and 22 April 5 Division succeeded in capturing Hill 60
after underground mines had been fired.
On 22 April the Germans launched the Second Battle of Ypres
with the first cloud gas attack
, which virtually destroyed the French divisions in the north of the salient and drove in the flank of 1st Canadian Division. Over following days V Corps struggled to plug the gap and hold the line. On 28 April the BEF was subjected to renewed Germans attacks and Plumer was given an enlarged command – ‘Plumer’s force’, comprising the Cavalry Corps
, 3rd (Lahore) Division
, 50th (Northumbrian) Division and brigades from 4th
and 5th Division in addition to V Corps – and was ordered to organise a withdrawal to the ‘Frezenberg Line’. As a result, Second Army was reduced to a single corps and its commander, Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien
, resigned. Plumer was appointed to succeed Smith-Dorrien, and V Corps reverted to Second Army control, with Lt-Gen Edmund Allenby
transferred from Cavalry Corps to take command.
During the Battle of Frezenberg Ridge (8–13 May) the Germans shelled 27th and 28th Divisions off the untenable ridge. V Corps lost 456 officers and 8935 other ranks during this battle. The following Battle of Bellewarde Ridge (24–25 May) involved a renewed German gas attack on V Corps. V Corps lost a further 323 officers and 8936 other ranks during the period 21–30 May.
In October 1915 Allenby was promoted to command Third Army and Lt-Gen Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe
was transferred from Cavalry Corps (23 October) to replace him at the head of V Corps.
Meanwhile on 28 February Fanshawe ordered 3rd Division to begin preparations for a surprise attack at St Eloi, preceded by mines but without the normal long preparatory bombardment. The attack was made on 27 March and was initially successful, but the weather and ground conditions were awful and 3rd Division was exhausted and unable to consolidate the position in the craters. After it was relieved by 2nd Canadian Division
there were still weeks of bitter trench fighting. On 4 April Canadian Corps
HQ, which had been responsible for the sector south of St Eloi, changed places with V Corps, the first time that a whole corps of the BEF relieved another.
On 30 April V Corps was the victim of a gas attack by the Gerrmans on the line in front of the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge at Wulverghem, followed by an attack on the trenches, but the raiders were driven out. On 4 July H.D. Fanshawe
was relieved from command of V Corps (he reverted to the rank of major-general and later took command of a second-line Territorial division in Home Forces). He was replaced by his elder brother, Lt-Gen Edward Arthur Fanshawe, promoted from command of 11th (Northern) Division.
(later renamed Fifth Army) to take over the sector on the River Ancre, where fighting had bogged down during the Somme Offensive. When V Corps took over, the line was held by the Guards
, 6th and 20th (Light) Divisions. These were replaced by the fresh 2nd, 39th
and 48th (South Midland) Division
for the renewed attacks on the Ancre Heights, which continued from September to November 1916 with regular rotation of divisions as they became exhausted. V Corps finally took some of the 1 July objectives such as Beaumont Hamel (by the 51st (Highland) Division), but ended with a failure at Redan Ridge during the action known as the Battle of the Ancre
.
. The same forces met the German attack on Lagnicourt on 15 April 1917. V Corps took part in the second attack on Bullecourt with 7th Division, 58th (2/1st London) Division and 62nd (West Riding) Division. The Corps lost approximately 300 officers and 6500 other ranks between 3 and 17 May.
After Bullecourt Fifth Army HQ and many of its divisions moved north to prepare for the Ypres Offensive and V Corps HQ was made available to command reserves.
V Corps' staff for the Ypres Offensive comprised:
On 7 September V Corps relieved XIX Corps
, taking command of 9th (Scottish) Division and 55th (1st West Lancashire) Division in the line. On 20 September V Corps was assigned stiff objectives for the Battle of the Menin Road, and 55th Division took heavy casualties. For the succeeding Battle of Polygon Wood
the frontline divisions were relieved, and V Corps attacked with 3rd Division and 59th (2nd North Midland) Division.
On 1 December V Corps HQ was transferred to Third Army and relieved IV Corps along part of the line that had been captured during the Battle of Cambrai. The very next day the Germans made a heavy counter-attack, and V Corps was forced to withdraw to the Flesquières Line.
on 21 March 1918 one of their first objects was to pinch it out. Accordingly they did not attack frontally, but drenched the salient's defenders (2nd Division and 63rd (Royal Naval) Division) with mustard gas, causing many casualties in the days before the attack. On the evening of 21 March, unaware of the depth of the German penetration against the neighbouring Fifth Army, Third Army (Gen Sir Julian Byng
) only ordered V Corps to withdraw 4000 yards to its intermediate defence line in the salient. In the days following, as the situation on the flanks deteriorated, Byng had to issue hasty orders to extricate V Corps from the trap. The Official Historian, Sir James Edmonds
, wrote in 1932 that ‘Byng the bungler was mainly responsible for clinging to the salient. I will exonerate Fanshawe, who is merely stupid’. Regardless of who was responsible, the setback at the Flesquières salient was nearly disastrous, and led to a dangerous gap opening up between Third and Fifth Army. V Corps attempted to form a defensive flank to Third Army, but the Germans penetrated the gap, and the corps withdrew again on 24 March. During this period (the First Battle of Bapaume) V Corps’ command structure descended into ‘extraordinary confusion and lack of orders’, according to a battalion commander. The withdrawal entailed a retreat across the devastated zone in front of the Hindenburg Line and the old Somme battlefields, and by the end of 26 March V Corps was back on the Ancre Heights, where the troops held off fresh Germans attacks on 27–28 March (First Battle of Arras (1918)) and 5 April (Battle of the Ancre (1918)).
After the Flesquières fiasco, Byng insisted on Fanshawe being relieved of command. On 25 April he was replaced as GOC of V Corps by Lt-Gen Cameron Shute
, promoted from command of 32nd Division. (Fanshawe later commanded XXIII Corps
in England.)
, V Corps took part in the Battle of Albert (21–23 Aug) and the Second Battle of Bapaume
(31 Aug – 3 Sept). Then, during the Battles of the Hindenburg Line, V Corps participated in the Battles of Havrincourt
(12 Sept), Epehy
(18 Sept), St Quentin Canal (29 Sept-2 Oct), Beaurevoir (3–5 Oct) and Cambrai
(8–9 Oct). In the Final Advance in Picardy, V Corps was in the pursuit to the River Selle
(9–12 Oct), the Battle of the Selle (17–25 Oct) and the Battle of the Sambre
(4 Nov).
V Corps crossed the Canal du Nord
unopposed on 30 September and occupied the Hindenburg
Main and Support Lines when the Germans withdrew to the Beaurevoir Line, which it overran on 8 October. For the follow-up on 9 October there were no trenches or wire in front, so Shute’s orders were for open warfare, and no barrages were fired, the artillery moving up behind the infantry in support. As a result V Corps gained more ground than formations that made conventional setpiece attacks behind a barrage. Reaching the River Selle German resistance stiffened, but V Corps got outposts over the river on 10 October. Third Army attacked and crossed the Selle 12–17 October. Between 8 and 19 October V Corps, which had done much of the fighting, suffered 5740 casualties.
The advance was renewed on 20 October, V Corps seizing a series of ridges in four planned bounds. On 23–4 October it took a series of objectives, crossing the German Hermann II position. By now the Germans were showing little fight, and V Corps' night attacks were able to take positions with few casualties. Even so, the British dug in for about a week, preparing for the next offensive beginning on 1 November. V Corps renewed its advance on 4 November with an attack into the Forest of Mormal
. The advance was now in the nature of a pursuit, held up only by rearguards and the dreadful condition of the road.
When the Armistice ended hostilities on 11 November 1918, V Corps was within a mile or two of the Franco-Belgian border, with cavalry out in front.
in 1940, nor with the US V Corps of the US First Army which took part in the D-Day
Normandy landings.)
In the early part of World War II V Corps formed part of Southern Command
in the United Kingdom. Lieutenant-General Claude Auchinleck was briefly its commander from 14 June 1940 until he was promoted to take over Southern Command on 19 July 1940. He was succeeded by Lt-Gen Bernard Montgomery
from 22 July 1940 until 27 April 1941, when he was transferred to command XII Corps.
Order of Battle Autumn 1940
The Dorset County Division was under the corps' command during 1941.
The Corps was then included as part of the Allied land forces, First Army, in Operation Torch
(8 November 1942), the amphibious landings in French-held Morocco
and Algeria
. The Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Kenneth Anderson
. First Army was formed on the 1 January 1943, and was later redesignated as the Eastern Task Force.
s and battle
s during its Second World War existence.
V Corps was assigned to Eighth Army for the rest of the war (as part of the 15th Army Group) 11.44
V Corps (British 1st Army) 4 May 1943
V Corps British Eighth Army (9 Apr 1945)
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...
in both the First
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...
and Second World War. It was first organised in February 1915 and fought through World War I on the Western front. It was recreated in June 1940 and substantially reorganised in 1942 for participation in Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
.
Prior to the First World War
In 1876 a Mobilisation Scheme for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland, including eight army corps of the 'Active Army', was published. The '5th Corps' was headquartered at SalisburySalisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
comprising the units of Southern Command
Southern Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 from the Second Army Corps and was initially based at Tidworth but in 1949 moved to Fugglestone Farm near Wilton in Wiltshire....
. This scheme had been dropped by 1881. The 1901 Army Estimates (introduced by St John Brodrick when Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
) allowed for six army corps based on the six regional commands: V Corps was to be formed by Northern Command
Northern Command (United Kingdom)
-Nineteenth century:The District Commands of the British Army in Great Britain and Ireland first appear in print in 1840, at which time Northern Command was held by Maj-Gen Charles James Napier, appointed in 1838. During his time the troops stationed within Northern Command were frequently deployed...
with headquarters in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. It was to comprise 27 artillery batteries (18 Regular, 6 Militia and 3 Volunteer) and 25 infantry battalions (4 Regular, 13 Militia and 8 Volunteers). Under Army Order No 38 of 1907 the corps titles disappeared, but Northern Command continued to be a major administrative organisation.
First World War
V Corps was organised within Second Army of the British Expeditionary Force on 18 February 1915 under the command of Sir Herbert PlumerHerbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer
Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British colonial official and soldier born in Torquay who commanded the British Second Army in World War I and later served as High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine.-Military...
, who had been commanding Northern Command
Northern Command (United Kingdom)
-Nineteenth century:The District Commands of the British Army in Great Britain and Ireland first appear in print in 1840, at which time Northern Command was held by Maj-Gen Charles James Napier, appointed in 1838. During his time the troops stationed within Northern Command were frequently deployed...
in England. Initially, V Corps comprised 27th Division and 28th Division
28th Division (United Kingdom)
- History :Formed in England in December 1914 - January 1915 from regular arm battalions returning from India , Singapore and Egypt . In January 1915 the division moved to France and on to the Western Front....
, both composed of Regular Army battalions brought back from various Imperial postings.
Order of Battle February 1915
- General Officer CommandingGeneral Officer CommandingGeneral Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
(GOC): Lt-Gen Sir Herbert PlumerHerbert Plumer, 1st Viscount PlumerField Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British colonial official and soldier born in Torquay who commanded the British Second Army in World War I and later served as High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine.-Military... - Brigadier-General, General Staff (BGGS): Brig-Gen Hugh Jeudwine
- Brigadier-General, Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
(BGRA): Brig-Gen S.D. Browne - Colonel, Royal EngineersRoyal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
: Col R.D. Petrie - 27th Division
- 28th Division28th Division (United Kingdom)- History :Formed in England in December 1914 - January 1915 from regular arm battalions returning from India , Singapore and Egypt . In January 1915 the division moved to France and on to the Western Front....
1915 fighting
The two infantry divisions had taken over French trenches in front of the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge, south of the Ypres SalientYpres Salient
The Ypres Salient is the area around Ypres in Belgium which was the scene of some of the biggest battles in World War I.In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. Therefore, the salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops...
. These trenches were wet and poorly protected, and the Indian-issue boots worn by many of the men were inadequate. They had to endure shelling and occasional trench raids as well as bad weather. V Corps played a peripheral part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle
Battle of Neuve Chapelle
The Battles of Neuve Chapelle and Artois was a battle in the First World War. It was a British offensive in the Artois region and broke through at Neuve-Chapelle but they were unable to exploit the advantage.The battle began on 10 March 1915...
to the south, and then 27th Division took part in the action at St Eloi (14–15 March 1915).
In April 1915 V Corps shifted northwards, taking over the sector from St Eloi to St Julien from the French Army. Now, with three divisions under command (first the 5th Division and then the newly-arrived 1st Canadian Division
1st Canadian Division
Formed in August 1914, the 1st Canadian Division was a formation of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The division was initially made up from provisional battalions that were named after their province of origin but these titles were dropped before the division arrived in Britain on October 14,...
were added), V Corps held the whole south-eastern and eastern part of the Ypres Salient. Between 17 and 22 April 5 Division succeeded in capturing Hill 60
Battle of Hill 60 (Western Front)
The Battle of Hill 60 was an Australian assault that was subsidiary to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.-1914-15:Hill 60 was a low rise on the southern flank of the Ypres Salient and was named for the 60 metre contour which marked its bounds. Hill 60 was not a natural highpoint, but was created as a...
after underground mines had been fired.
On 22 April the Germans launched the Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
with the first cloud gas attack
Poison gas in World War I
The use of chemical weapons in World War I ranged from disabling chemicals, such as tear gas and the severe mustard gas, to lethal agents like phosgene and chlorine. This chemical warfare was a major component of the first global war and first total war of the 20th century. The killing capacity of...
, which virtually destroyed the French divisions in the north of the salient and drove in the flank of 1st Canadian Division. Over following days V Corps struggled to plug the gap and hold the line. On 28 April the BEF was subjected to renewed Germans attacks and Plumer was given an enlarged command – ‘Plumer’s force’, comprising the Cavalry Corps
Cavalry Corps (United Kingdom)
The Cavalry Corps was a formation of the British Army during World War I. and part of the British Expeditionary Force. The corps was formed in France in October 1914, under General Sir Edmund Allenby...
, 3rd (Lahore) Division
3rd (Lahore) Division
The 3rd Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops of the Ottoman Empire.-Pre-Mutiny:The Lahore Division first...
, 50th (Northumbrian) Division and brigades from 4th
4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
and 5th Division in addition to V Corps – and was ordered to organise a withdrawal to the ‘Frezenberg Line’. As a result, Second Army was reduced to a single corps and its commander, Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien
Horace Smith-Dorrien
General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien GCB, GCMG, DSO, ADC was a British soldier and commander of the British II Corps and Second Army of the BEF during World War I.-Early life and career:...
, resigned. Plumer was appointed to succeed Smith-Dorrien, and V Corps reverted to Second Army control, with Lt-Gen Edmund Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
transferred from Cavalry Corps to take command.
During the Battle of Frezenberg Ridge (8–13 May) the Germans shelled 27th and 28th Divisions off the untenable ridge. V Corps lost 456 officers and 8935 other ranks during this battle. The following Battle of Bellewarde Ridge (24–25 May) involved a renewed German gas attack on V Corps. V Corps lost a further 323 officers and 8936 other ranks during the period 21–30 May.
In October 1915 Allenby was promoted to command Third Army and Lt-Gen Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe
Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe
Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe, KCB, KCMG, was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded V Corps on the Western Front and the 18th Indian Division in the Mesopotamian Campaign...
was transferred from Cavalry Corps (23 October) to replace him at the head of V Corps.
Order of Battle February 1916
- GOC: Lt-Gen H.D. FanshaweHew Dalrymple FanshaweLieutenant-General Sir Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe, KCB, KCMG, was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded V Corps on the Western Front and the 18th Indian Division in the Mesopotamian Campaign...
- BGRA: Brig-Gen H.C.C. Uniacke
- 17th (Northern) Division
- 24th Division
- 50th (Northumbrian) Division
- 3rd Division (into reserve between 5 and 8 February).
Early 1916 fighting
In February 1916 V Corps was still holding a sector of Second Army’s line from St Eloi to Hooge. On 14 February the Germans blew mines and attacked and captured The Bluff, held by 17th Division, which suffered casualties of 67 officers and 1227 men, including 311 missing, of whom around a hundred were captured and many others buried in mine craters. The ground was recaptured on 1 March using innovative artillery preparation techniques pioneered by V Corps' artillery commander Brig-Gen H.C.C. Uniacke.Meanwhile on 28 February Fanshawe ordered 3rd Division to begin preparations for a surprise attack at St Eloi, preceded by mines but without the normal long preparatory bombardment. The attack was made on 27 March and was initially successful, but the weather and ground conditions were awful and 3rd Division was exhausted and unable to consolidate the position in the craters. After it was relieved by 2nd Canadian Division
2nd Canadian Division
The 2nd Canadian Division was an infantry formation that saw service in the First World War. A 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was raised for the Second World War.-History:...
there were still weeks of bitter trench fighting. On 4 April Canadian Corps
Canadian Corps
The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 1915 and the 4th Canadian Division in August 1916...
HQ, which had been responsible for the sector south of St Eloi, changed places with V Corps, the first time that a whole corps of the BEF relieved another.
On 30 April V Corps was the victim of a gas attack by the Gerrmans on the line in front of the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge at Wulverghem, followed by an attack on the trenches, but the raiders were driven out. On 4 July H.D. Fanshawe
Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe
Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe, KCB, KCMG, was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded V Corps on the Western Front and the 18th Indian Division in the Mesopotamian Campaign...
was relieved from command of V Corps (he reverted to the rank of major-general and later took command of a second-line Territorial division in Home Forces). He was replaced by his elder brother, Lt-Gen Edward Arthur Fanshawe, promoted from command of 11th (Northern) Division.
Later fighting in 1916
On 16 August 1916 V Corps HQ was transferred from Second Army to Reserve ArmyBritish Reserve Army
The Reserve Army was a field army of the British Army during World War I and part of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War...
(later renamed Fifth Army) to take over the sector on the River Ancre, where fighting had bogged down during the Somme Offensive. When V Corps took over, the line was held by the Guards
Guards Division (United Kingdom)
The British Guards Division was formed in France in 1915 from battalions of the elite Guards regiments from the Regular Army. The division served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War...
, 6th and 20th (Light) Divisions. These were replaced by the fresh 2nd, 39th
39th Division (United Kingdom)
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...
and 48th (South Midland) Division
48th (South Midland) Division
The British 48th Division was a Territorial Force division. Originally called the 'South Midland Division', it was redesignated as the 48th Division in 1915.- 1914 - 1918 :...
for the renewed attacks on the Ancre Heights, which continued from September to November 1916 with regular rotation of divisions as they became exhausted. V Corps finally took some of the 1 July objectives such as Beaumont Hamel (by the 51st (Highland) Division), but ended with a failure at Redan Ridge during the action known as the Battle of the Ancre
Battle of the Ancre
The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
.
Order of Battle 26 February 1917
- GOC: Lt-Gen Edward FanshaweEdward Fanshawe (British Army officer)Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Arthur Fanshawe KCB was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded the 11th Division at Gallipoli and the V Corps on the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the 1918 Spring Offensive...
- 7th Division
- 19th (Western) Division
- 31st Division
- 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division62nd (2nd West Riding) Division- History :During the First World War the division fought on the Western Front at Bullecourt in the Battle of Arras and Havrincourt in the Battle of Cambrai. In the First Battle of the Somme , they were in the line near Arras and in the Second Battle of the Marne, in the Ardre Valley...
1917 Fighting
Winter Operations on the Ancre included the capture of Ten Tree Alley by 32nd Division of V Corps on 10–13 February 1917. When the Germans began their retreat to the Hindenburg Line (14 March – 5 April 1917) V Corps followed up slowly against rearguards. On 11 April Fifth Army attacked the new line at Bullecourt, with 62nd Division of V Corps in action alongside I Anzac CorpsI Anzac Corps
The I ANZAC Corps was a combined Australian and New Zealand army corps that served during World War I.It was formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganisation and expansion of the Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force following the evacuation of Gallipoli...
. The same forces met the German attack on Lagnicourt on 15 April 1917. V Corps took part in the second attack on Bullecourt with 7th Division, 58th (2/1st London) Division and 62nd (West Riding) Division. The Corps lost approximately 300 officers and 6500 other ranks between 3 and 17 May.
After Bullecourt Fifth Army HQ and many of its divisions moved north to prepare for the Ypres Offensive and V Corps HQ was made available to command reserves.
V Corps' staff for the Ypres Offensive comprised:
- GOC: Lt-Gen Sir Edward FanshaweEdward Fanshawe (British Army officer)Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Arthur Fanshawe KCB was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded the 11th Division at Gallipoli and the V Corps on the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the 1918 Spring Offensive...
- BGGS Brig-Gen G.F. Boyd
- DA&QMG: Brig-Gen H.M. de F. Montgomery
- BGRA: Brig-Gen R.P. Benson
- BGHA: Brig-Gen A.M. Tyler
- CE: Brig-Gen A.J. Craven
On 7 September V Corps relieved XIX Corps
XIX Corps
A number of countries have or had a nineteenth, or XIX, Corps:* XIX Corps * XIX Corps * XIX Corps * XIX Corps * XIX Corps -See also:* 19th Division * 19th Brigade...
, taking command of 9th (Scottish) Division and 55th (1st West Lancashire) Division in the line. On 20 September V Corps was assigned stiff objectives for the Battle of the Menin Road, and 55th Division took heavy casualties. For the succeeding Battle of Polygon Wood
Battle of Polygon Wood
The Battle of Polygon Wood took place during the second phase of the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I. The battle was fought near Ypres, Belgium, in an area named the Polygon Wood after the layout of the area...
the frontline divisions were relieved, and V Corps attacked with 3rd Division and 59th (2nd North Midland) Division.
On 1 December V Corps HQ was transferred to Third Army and relieved IV Corps along part of the line that had been captured during the Battle of Cambrai. The very next day the Germans made a heavy counter-attack, and V Corps was forced to withdraw to the Flesquières Line.
Order of Battle March 1918
- GOC: Lt-Gen Sir Edward FanshaweEdward Fanshawe (British Army officer)Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Arthur Fanshawe KCB was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded the 11th Division at Gallipoli and the V Corps on the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the 1918 Spring Offensive...
- 12th (Eastern) Division (joined 25 March)
- 17th (Northern) Division
- 19th (Western) Division (to IV Corps 21 March)
- 47th (1/2nd London) Division
- 63rd (Royal Naval) Division
The German March 1918 Offensive
Although offering strong defences, the Flesquières position formed a dangerous salient in front of the British line, and when the Germans opened their spring offensiveSpring 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...
on 21 March 1918 one of their first objects was to pinch it out. Accordingly they did not attack frontally, but drenched the salient's defenders (2nd Division and 63rd (Royal Naval) Division) with mustard gas, causing many casualties in the days before the attack. On the evening of 21 March, unaware of the depth of the German penetration against the neighbouring Fifth Army, Third Army (Gen Sir Julian Byng
Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since Canadian Confederation....
) only ordered V Corps to withdraw 4000 yards to its intermediate defence line in the salient. In the days following, as the situation on the flanks deteriorated, Byng had to issue hasty orders to extricate V Corps from the trap. The Official Historian, Sir James Edmonds
James Edward Edmonds
Brigadier General James Edward Edmonds CB, CMG was a British First World War officer of the Royal Engineers who in the role of British official historian was responsible for the post-war compilation of the 28-volume History of the Great War...
, wrote in 1932 that ‘Byng the bungler was mainly responsible for clinging to the salient. I will exonerate Fanshawe, who is merely stupid’. Regardless of who was responsible, the setback at the Flesquières salient was nearly disastrous, and led to a dangerous gap opening up between Third and Fifth Army. V Corps attempted to form a defensive flank to Third Army, but the Germans penetrated the gap, and the corps withdrew again on 24 March. During this period (the First Battle of Bapaume) V Corps’ command structure descended into ‘extraordinary confusion and lack of orders’, according to a battalion commander. The withdrawal entailed a retreat across the devastated zone in front of the Hindenburg Line and the old Somme battlefields, and by the end of 26 March V Corps was back on the Ancre Heights, where the troops held off fresh Germans attacks on 27–28 March (First Battle of Arras (1918)) and 5 April (Battle of the Ancre (1918)).
After the Flesquières fiasco, Byng insisted on Fanshawe being relieved of command. On 25 April he was replaced as GOC of V Corps by Lt-Gen Cameron Shute
Cameron Shute
General Sir Cameron Deane Shute KCB KCMG was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:Shute was commissioned into the Welsh Regiment in 1885. He transferred to the Rifle Brigade in 1895 and participated in the Nile Expedition and the Siege of Khartoum in 1898...
, promoted from command of 32nd Division. (Fanshawe later commanded XXIII Corps
XXIII Corps (United Kingdom)
The British XXIII Corps was a British infantry corps during World War I.- History :British XXII Corps was formed in the UK in February 1918 as a Home Forces formation to reinforce units in France.-General Officers Commanding:Commanders included:...
in England.)
Order of Battle 21 August 1918
- GOC: Lt-Gen C.D. Shute
- BGGS: Brig-Gen R.H. Mangles
- DA&QMG: Brig-Gen H.M. de F. Montgomery
- CRA: Brig-Gen R.P. Benson
- CHA: Brig-Gen A.M. Tyler
- CE: Brig-Gen A.G. Stevenson
- 17th (Northern) Division
- 21st Division
- 33rd Division
- 38th (Welsh) Division
Later fighting in 1918
During the Allied counter-offensive known as the Second Battle of the Somme (1918)Second Battle of the Somme (1918)
During the First World War, the Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought on the Western Front from the end of the summer, in the basin of the Somme River...
, V Corps took part in the Battle of Albert (21–23 Aug) and the Second Battle of Bapaume
Second Battle of Bapaume
The Second Battle of Bapaume was a battle of World War I that took place at Bapaume, Francebetween 21 August and 3 September 1918. It followed the Battle of Amiens and is also referred to as the second phase of that battle...
(31 Aug – 3 Sept). Then, during the Battles of the Hindenburg Line, V Corps participated in the Battles of Havrincourt
Battle of Havrincourt
- Notes :# - a mistake on the part either of Byng or of Repington, as it was actually the 62nd Division....
(12 Sept), Epehy
Battle of Epéhy
The Battle of Épehy was a World War I battle fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line.- Prelude :...
(18 Sept), St Quentin Canal (29 Sept-2 Oct), Beaurevoir (3–5 Oct) and Cambrai
Battle of Cambrai (1918)
The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...
(8–9 Oct). In the Final Advance in Picardy, V Corps was in the pursuit to the River Selle
Selle
For the composer, see Thomas SelleThe Selle is a river of Picardie, France. Rising at Catheux, just north of Crèvecœur-le-Grand, Oise, it flows past Conty, Saleux, Salouël and Pont-de-Metz before joining the Somme River at Amiens.In many places along its course, the river widens to form or fill...
(9–12 Oct), the Battle of the Selle (17–25 Oct) and the Battle of the Sambre
Battle of the Sambre (1918)
The Second Battle of the Sambre was part of the final European Allied offensives of World War I.-Background:...
(4 Nov).
V Corps crossed the Canal du Nord
Battle of the Canal du Nord
The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
unopposed on 30 September and occupied the Hindenburg
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
Main and Support Lines when the Germans withdrew to the Beaurevoir Line, which it overran on 8 October. For the follow-up on 9 October there were no trenches or wire in front, so Shute’s orders were for open warfare, and no barrages were fired, the artillery moving up behind the infantry in support. As a result V Corps gained more ground than formations that made conventional setpiece attacks behind a barrage. Reaching the River Selle German resistance stiffened, but V Corps got outposts over the river on 10 October. Third Army attacked and crossed the Selle 12–17 October. Between 8 and 19 October V Corps, which had done much of the fighting, suffered 5740 casualties.
The advance was renewed on 20 October, V Corps seizing a series of ridges in four planned bounds. On 23–4 October it took a series of objectives, crossing the German Hermann II position. By now the Germans were showing little fight, and V Corps' night attacks were able to take positions with few casualties. Even so, the British dug in for about a week, preparing for the next offensive beginning on 1 November. V Corps renewed its advance on 4 November with an attack into the Forest of Mormal
Forêt de Mormal
The Forêt de Mormal is a forest in France, near the Franco-Belgian border. It is best known to the British for its role in the retreat from Mons in August 1914. Its lack of passable roads forced I and II Corps of the British army to divide and the two corps did not reunite for some days.- External...
. The advance was now in the nature of a pursuit, held up only by rearguards and the dreadful condition of the road.
When the Armistice ended hostilities on 11 November 1918, V Corps was within a mile or two of the Franco-Belgian border, with cavalry out in front.
Second World War
(The Corps should not be confused with the French Ve Corps d'Armee which took part in the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in 1940, nor with the US V Corps of the US First Army which took part in the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
Normandy landings.)
In the early part of World War II V Corps formed part of Southern Command
Southern Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 from the Second Army Corps and was initially based at Tidworth but in 1949 moved to Fugglestone Farm near Wilton in Wiltshire....
in the United Kingdom. Lieutenant-General Claude Auchinleck was briefly its commander from 14 June 1940 until he was promoted to take over Southern Command on 19 July 1940. He was succeeded by Lt-Gen Bernard Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
from 22 July 1940 until 27 April 1941, when he was transferred to command XII Corps.
Order of Battle Autumn 1940
- 4th Division4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
- 50th (Northumbrian) Division
- Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- 66th Medium Regiment
- 5th Survey Regiment
The Dorset County Division was under the corps' command during 1941.
The Corps was then included as part of the Allied land forces, First Army, in Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
(8 November 1942), the amphibious landings in French-held Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. The Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson
General Sir Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson, KCB, MC was a British Army officer in both the First and Second World Wars. He is mainly remembered as the commander of the First Army during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of Tunisia. He had an outwardly reserved character and did not court...
. First Army was formed on the 1 January 1943, and was later redesignated as the Eastern Task Force.
Campaigns
V Corps participated in the following campaignMilitary campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
s and battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
s during its Second World War existence.
- Operation TorchOperation TorchOperation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
(First Army) - Tunisia CampaignTunisia CampaignThe Tunisia Campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including Polish and Greek contingents, with American and French corps...
December 1942 – May 1943 (First Army) - Italian CampaignItalian Campaign (World War II)The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
September 1943 – May 1945 (as part of the Eighth ArmyEighth Army (United Kingdom)The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
)- Allied invasion of ItalyAllied invasion of ItalyThe Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
1943 (Adriatic, FoggiaFoggiaFoggia is a city and comune of Apulia, Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known as the "granary of Italy".-History:...
, TermoliTermoliTermoli is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly after World War II, and it is a local resort town known for its beaches and old fortifications...
) - Sangro Operation November – December 1943
- Adriatic Coast Operation February 1944
- Battle of Monte CassinoBattle of Monte CassinoThe Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
Operation May 1944 - Gothic LineGothic LineThe Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
(Die Gotische Linie) Operation Olive August 1944 (with 1st Armoured, 46th and 56th divisions)- First Battle of Coriano
- Battle for Croce
- Second Battle of Coriano
- Battle of Rimini
- Spring 1945 offensive in ItalySpring 1945 offensive in ItalyThe Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the Allied attack by Fifth United States Army and British 8th Army into the Lombardy Plain which started on 6 April 1945 and ended on 2 May with the surrender of German forces in Italy....
April 1945
- Allied invasion of Italy
V Corps was assigned to Eighth Army for the rest of the war (as part of the 15th Army Group) 11.44
Orders of Battle for V Corps, Second World War
V Corps (British 1st Army) 20 April 1943- 25th Army Tank Brigade (51st Royal Tank Regiment detached)
- 1st Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
- British 4th Infantry DivisionBritish 4th Infantry DivisionThe 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
- British 78th Infantry DivisionBritish 78th Infantry DivisionThe British 78th Infantry Division, also known as the Battleaxe Division, fought in the Second World War in North Africa and Italy.- History :...
V Corps (British 1st Army) 4 May 1943
- 1st North Irish HorseNorth Irish HorseThe North Irish Horse is a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War...
- 7eme Régiment Tirallieurs Algériens
- British 1st Army Group Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- British 1st Infantry Division
- 46th (North Midland) Division (139th Brigade Group detached)
- British 78th Infantry Division
V Corps British Eighth Army (9 Apr 1945)
- 8th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Dudley RussellDudley RussellLieutenant-General Sir Dudley Russell KBE, CB, DSO, MC was an officer in the British and Indian Armies during World War I and World War II.-Early career:...
) - 56th (London) Division (United Kingdom) (Major-General J.Y. Whitfield)
- 78th Infantry Division (United Kingdom) (Major-General Keith ArbuthnottKeith Arbuthnott, 15th Viscount of ArbuthnottMajor General Robert Keith Arbuthnott, 15th Viscount of Arbuthnott CB, CBE, DSO, MC. .He was educated at Fettes College and RMC Sandhurst. He served in both World Wars and was mentioned in despatches...
- New Zealand 2nd Division (Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg) (until 14 April)
- Cremona Combat GroupItalian Co-Belligerent ArmyThe Italian Co-Belligerent Army , or the Army of the South , was the army of the Italian Royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies during World War II....
(Italian) - Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- 54th Super Heavy Regiment less two batteries
- 5th Survey Regiment
- 57th (Wessex) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, less one battery
- 52nd (East Lancashire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
- 651st Air OP Squadron
- 654th Air OP Squadron
- 323rd Searchlight Battery
- 17th Field Regiment one battery
- 57th (East Surrey) Anti-Tank Regiment, one battery
- 55th (Kent) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, one battery
- V Corps Troops, Royal EngineersRoyal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
- 42nd Field Company
- 564th Field Company
- 565th Field Company
- 751st Field Company
- 215th Corps Field Park Company
- 22nd Mechanical Equipment Platoon
- 586th Army Field Company
- 85th Company, South African Engineer Corps (Camouflage detachment)
- 3 Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical CorpsRoyal Army Medical CorpsThe Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
General Officers Commanding
Commanders included:- Feb 1915-May 1915 Lieutenant-General Herbert PlumerHerbert Plumer, 1st Viscount PlumerField Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British colonial official and soldier born in Torquay who commanded the British Second Army in World War I and later served as High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine.-Military...
- May 1915-Oct 1915 Lieutenant-General Edmund AllenbyEdmund Allenby, 1st Viscount AllenbyField Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
- Oct 1915-Jul 1916 Lieutenant-General Hew FanshaweHew Dalrymple FanshaweLieutenant-General Sir Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe, KCB, KCMG, was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded V Corps on the Western Front and the 18th Indian Division in the Mesopotamian Campaign...
- Jul 1916-Apr 1918 Lieutenant-General Edward FanshaweEdward Fanshawe (British Army officer)Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Arthur Fanshawe KCB was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded the 11th Division at Gallipoli and the V Corps on the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the 1918 Spring Offensive...
- Apr 1918-1919 Lieutenant-General Cameron ShuteCameron ShuteGeneral Sir Cameron Deane Shute KCB KCMG was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:Shute was commissioned into the Welsh Regiment in 1885. He transferred to the Rifle Brigade in 1895 and participated in the Nile Expedition and the Siege of Khartoum in 1898...
- 1 June 1940 – 10 July 1940 Lieutenant-General Claude AuchinleckClaude AuchinleckField Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
- 22 July 1940 – 1 April 1941 Lieutenant-General Bernard MontgomeryBernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of AlameinField Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
- 1 April 1941 – 8 March 1942 Major-General Edmond SchreiberEdmond SchreiberLieutenant-General Sir Edmund Charles Acton Schreiber, KCB, DSO was a British Army officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars. In the second he commanded the 45th Infantry Division, V Corps and First Army....
- 9 March 1942 – 8 August 1944 Lieutenant-General Charles AllfreyCharles Walter AllfreyLieutenant-General Sir Charles Walter Allfrey, KBE, CB, DSO, MC was a British Army officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars .-Military career:...
- 1944 – 1945 Lieutenant-General Charles KeightleyCharles KeightleyGeneral Sir Charles Frederic Keightley, GCB, GBE, DSO was a senior officer in the British Army during and following World War II.-Military career:...