Corps
Corps (
Within military terminology a corps may be:
- an operational formation, sometimes known as a field corps, which consists of two or more divisions, such as the Corps d'armée, later known as I Corps ("First Corps") of Napoleon I's Grande Armée);
- an administrative corps (or marine corps, or a corps of military police) or;
- in some cases, a distinct service within a national military (such as the United States Marine Corps).
These usages often overlap.
Corps may also be a generic term for a non-military organization, such as the US Peace Corps and European Solidarity Corps.
Military usage
NATO Map Symbols[1] |
---|
a friendly combined arms corps |
a hostile combined arms corps |
a friendly airborne corps |
a friendly infantry corps |
a hostile tank corps |
Operational formation
In many armies, a corps is a battlefield formation composed of two or more divisions, and typically commanded by a lieutenant general. During World War I and World War II, due to the large scale of combat, multiple corps were combined into armies which then formed into army groups. In Western armies with numbered corps, the number is often indicated in Roman numerals (e.g., VII Corps).
Australia and New Zealand
The
During World War II, the
Canada
Canada first fielded a corps-sized formation in the First World War; the Canadian Corps was unique in that its composition did not change from inception to the war's end, in contrast to British corps in France and Flanders. The Canadian Corps consisted of four Canadian divisions. After the Armistice, the peacetime Canadian militia was nominally organized into corps and divisions but no full-time formations larger than a battalion were ever trained or exercised. Early in the Second World War, Canada's contribution to the British-French forces fighting the Germans was limited to a single division. After the fall of France in June 1940, a second division moved to England, coming under command of a Canadian corps headquarters. This corps was renamed I Canadian Corps as a second corps headquarters was established in the UK, with the eventual formation of five Canadian divisions in England. I Canadian Corps eventually fought in Italy, II Canadian Corps in northwest Europe, and the two were reunited in early 1945. After the formations were disbanded after VE Day, Canada has never subsequently organized a corps headquarters.
Royal Canadian Army Cadets: A corps size in the RCAC is different everywhere, depending on the size. The commanding officer can be a captain or major.
China
The
The modern People's Liberation Army Ground Force group army (集团军) is the closest equivalent of a corps. After the military reforms of the early 2010s, a typical PLA group army consists of six combined arms brigades, plus additional artillery, air defence, engineering, sustainment, special operations and army aviation assets. Each formation contains approximately 30,000 combat troops and several thousands more supporting personnel.
France
The
Germany
As fixed military formation already in peace-time it was used almost in all European armies after Battle of Ulm in 1805. In Prussia it was introduced by Order of His Majesty (German: Allerhöchste Kabinetts-Order) from 5 November 1816, in order to strengthen the readiness to war.
India
The Indian Army has 14 corps, each commanded by a general officer commanding (GOC), known as the corps commander, who holds the rank of lieutenant general. Each corps is composed of three or four divisions. There are three types of corps in the Indian Army: strike, holding and mixed. The corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.
Pakistan
The Pakistan Army has nine manoeuvre corps, each commanded by a lieutenant general. Each corps is composed of at least two divisions. The corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.
Poland (1938–1939)
The
United Kingdom
Wellington formed a corps d'armée in 1815 for commanding his mixed allied force of four divisions against Napoleon I.
When the British Army was expanded from an expeditionary force in the First World War, corps were created to manage the large numbers of divisions. The
The British Army still has a corps headquarters for operational control of forces. I Corps of the British Army of the Rhine was redesignated the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in 1994. It is no longer a purely British formation, although the UK is the "framework nation" and provides most of the staff for the headquarters. A purely national Corps headquarters could be quickly reconstituted if necessary.
It took command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan on 4 May 2006. Previously, it was deployed as the headquarters commanding land forces during the
United States
The structure of a field corps in the United States Army is not permanent. On the battlefield, the corps is the highest level of the forces that is concerned with actual combat and operational deployment. Higher levels of command are concerned with administration rather than operations, at least under current doctrine. The corps provides operational direction for the forces under its command.
As of 2014, the active field corps in the US Army are
American Civil War
The first field corps in the
The exact composition of a corps in the Union Army varied during the war, though it usually consisted of between two and six division (on average three) for approximately 36,000 soldiers.[4][6] After Ambrose Burnside was given command of the Army of the Potomac in November 1862, he reorganized it into three "grand divisions" of two corps and a cavalry division each, but this structure was abolished when Joseph Hooker took over February 1863. This also lead to the creation of a dedicated Cavalry Corps of three divisions and horse artillery assigned to the corps headquarters. In the early years of the war, field artillery was either part of an artillery reserve under direct army control or assigned to individual divisions. However, after the Battle of Chancellorsville the divisional artillery was placed under corps control, with each corps assigned a brigade of between four and six batteries commanded by the senior-most artillery officer. In general the other field armies tended to model their organization after the Army of the Potomac, including the gradual development of corps.[5][7]
Corps were commanded by major generals because Congress refused to promote officers past that grade (with the exception of
Initially, corps were numbered in relation to their field army, such as I Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. After a while these numerical designations became unique to each corps regardless of the army to which they were assigned.[5][7] Although designated with numbers that are sometimes the same as those found in the modern US Army, there is no direct lineage between the 43 Union field corps of the Civil War and those with similar names in the modern era, due to congressional legislation caused by the outcry from veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic during the Spanish–American War.[citation needed]
In the Confederate States Army, field corps were authorized in November 1862. They were commanded by lieutenant generals, and were usually larger than their Union Army counterparts because their divisions contained more brigades, each of which could contain more regiments. All of the Confederate corps at the Battle of Gettysburg, for instance, exceeded 20,000 men. However, for both armies, unit sizes varied dramatically with attrition throughout the war. In Civil War usages, by both sides, it was common to write out the number, thus "Twenty-first Army Corps", a practice that is usually ignored in modern histories of the war.
Spanish–American War
Although the US Army in the years following the Civil War lacked standing organization at the corps and division levels, it moved swiftly to adopt these during the mobilization for the Spanish–American War in the spring of 1898. On 7 May, General Order 36 called for the establishment of seven "army corps" (repeating the nomenclature of the Civil War); an eighth was authorized later that month.[10] Two of these saw action as a unit: the Fifth in Cuba and the Eighth in the Philippines; elements of the First, Fourth, and Seventh made up the invasion force for Puerto Rico (the Second, Third, and Seventh provided replacements and occupation troops in Cuba, while the Sixth was never organized). The corps headquarters were disbanded during the months following the signing of the peace treaty (with the exception of the Eighth Army Corps, which remained active until 1900 due to the eruption of the Philippine–American War), and like the corps of the Civil War, their lineage ends at that point.
World Wars I and II
During World War I, the
Cold War and 21st century
After the
In the 1960s, the Marine Corps activated the
Soviet Union
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2010) |
The pre–
After the war, the tank and mechanized corps were re-rated as divisions. During the reforms of 1956–58, most of the corps were again disbanded to create the new combined arms and tank armies. A few corps were nevertheless retained. The Vyborg and Archangel Corps of the
The
Air Defence Corps
An Air Defence Corps ('KPVO') is an operational-tactical formation (in the past - the highest tactical formation) of the former
On the basis of individual corps, air defence zones or air defence corps areas could be created. The first KPVO were created in February 1938 for the air defence of
During the Great Patriotic War from November 1941 to April 1944 the air defence corps were renamed into air defence corps areas (such as the
Air defence fighters operating within the limits of responsibility of the KPVO was transferred to the corps. By the end of the war, there were 14 KPVO in the Active Army, of which 5 corps continued to carry out the tasks assigned to them even after the war, and the rest of the corps were disbanded.
In July 1947, all KPVO were renamed anti-aircraft artillery corps. In January 1949, part of these corps was reorganized into air defence areas. From December 1948 to January 1949, all anti-aircraft artillery corps were disbanded.
In June 1954, for the defense of the main industrial and economic centers and regions of the USSR, 10 air defence corps were re-created. At the same time, in addition to anti-aircraft artillery formations, fighter aviation regiments and divisions were included in the corps. Since the late 1950s, anti-aircraft artillery units have been replaced by anti-aircraft missile formations and formations of radio engineering troops. Searchlight and barrage balloon units were also abolished.
In the
Administrative corps
In many English-speaking countries and other countries influenced by British military traditions, a corps is also a grouping of personnel by common function, also known as an arm, service, mustering or branch.
Britain
In the British Army, an administrative corps performs much the same role – for personnel that otherwise lack them – as a
- Intelligence Corps
- RAF Regiment
- Royal Logistic Corps
- Corps of Royal Marines
- Royal Corps of Signals
In some cases, the term corps is also used informally, for looser groupings of independent regiments and other units – and without many or any unifying regalia, military traditions or other accoutrements – such as the Royal Armoured Corps or the "Corps of Infantry".
Australia
In Australia, soldiers belong foremost to a corps which defines a common function or employment across the army. The Australian Army has a system of coloured lanyards, which each identify a soldier as part of a specific corps (or sometimes individual battalion). This lanyard is a woven piece of cord which is worn on ceremonial uniforms and dates back to the issue of clasp knives in the early 20th century which were secured to the uniform by a length of cord.
If a soldier is posted to a unit outside of their parent corps, except in some circumstances the soldier continues to wear the hat badge and lanyard of their corps (e.g. a clerk posted to an infantry battalion would wear the hat badge of the Royal Australian Ordnance Corps but would wear the lanyard of the battalion they are posted to).
Canada
In
When the Army,
Other "corps", included: Canadian Engineer Corps, Signalling Corps, Corps of Guides, Canadian Women's Army Corps, Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps, Canadian Forestry Corps, Canadian Provost Corps and Canadian Intelligence Corps.[18]
India
Administrative corps in the Indian Army include:
- Army Armoured Corps
- Army Aviation Corps
- Army Dental Corps
- Army Education Corps
- Army Medical Corps
- Army Ordnance Corps
- Army Postal Service Corps
- Army Service Corps
- Corps of Army Air Defence
- Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers
- Corps of Engineers
- Corps of Military Police
- Corps of Signals
- Defence Security Corps
- Intelligence Corps
- Pioneer Corps
- Remount and Veterinary Corps
New Zealand
In New Zealand, soldiers belong foremost to a corps which defines a common function or employment across the army.
A corps in the New Zealand Army is an administrative group that comprises members of similar work functions.[19]
If a soldier is posted to a unit outside of their parent corps, except in some circumstances the soldier continues to wear the hat badge of their corps (e.g. a
United States
The
1) In the title of the
2) The
3)
4) The US Air Force uses the title corps to designate several non-tactical organizations. These corps include five distinct health services corps of the
5) In the US Armed Forces, the term corps is also used in a general sense to mean the collective membership of a specified military body. Those uses include: the
Non-military use
The Salvation Army calls its local units/church "corps" (e.g. The Rockford Temple Corps, The St. Petersburg Citadel Corps), echoing the pseudomilitary name and structure of the organization.
In the United Kingdom, the
In the US, there are non-military, administrative, training and certification corps for commissioned officers of the government's
Many volunteer municipal or university ambulance, rescue, and first-aid squads are known as VACs (volunteer
The Peace Corps was organized by the United States as an "army" of volunteers.
Some
A patent examiner in the US is a member of the Examiner Corps.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ APP-6C Joint Military Symbology (PDF). NATO. May 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2015.
- ISBN 978-1863023870.
- ISBN 978-0-521-69791-0.
- ^ a b Eicher, J., Eicher, D. (2002). Civil War High Commands. United States: Stanford University Press. pages 65-66
- ^ a b c Wilson, J. B. (1998). Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades. United States: Center of Military History, U.S. Army. pages 12-15
- ^ "Civil War Army Organization and Rank". North Carolina Museum of History. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ a b c McGrath, John J. The Brigade: A History, Its Organization and Employment in the US Army. (2004). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas : Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College. pages 17-19
- ^ Eicher, page 40
- ^ Shrader, C. R., Newell, C. R. (2011). Of Duty Well and Faithfully Done: A History of the Regular Army in the Civil War. United States: Nebraska. page 71
- ^ Kreidberg, Marvin; Henry, Morton (November 1955). History of Military Mobilization (PDF). Washington, DC: Department of the Army. pp. 144–145. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ Clay, Steven. US Army Order of Battle 1919–1941: Volume 1 The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919–1941 (PDF). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press. p. 170. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Eckhardt, George S. (1991). Vietnam Studies: Command and Control, 1950-1969. Washington, DC: Department of the Army. pp. 52–55. Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "Eve of war Soviet structure". Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ISBN 5-203-01655-0.
- ^ Nikolai Ogarkov, ed. (1977). Советская военная энциклопедия в 8-ми томах (2-е издание), Том 4, статьи Корпус, Корпус ПВО [Soviet Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes (2nd Edition), Volume 4, articles "Corps" and "Air Defence Corps."]. Moscow: Voenizdat. pp. 372–373.
- ^ "Personnel Branches within the Canadian Forces". Archived from the original on 6 February 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2006.
- ^ Sutton, Brigadier John, ed., "Wait For The Waggon". Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Leo Cooper, 1998.
- ^ Love, David, A Call To Arms.
- ^ "Military Training & Education NZ | Defence Careers". defencecareers.mil.nz. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ Army Regulation 600-82: The U.S. Army Regimental System Chapter 2: Management of the U.S. Army Regimental System, 2–2. USARS purpose, page 2. http://www.17thinfantry.org/documents/dmor/AR%20600-82%20US%20ARMY%20Regimental%20System.pdf Archived 9 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine. retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ "URL Unrestricted Line Officer". NavyReserve.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Mission of Public Health Service at USPHS Commissioned Corps". Usphs.gov. 14 November 2011. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "NOAA Corps". Noaacorps.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "The Union Army Ambulance Corps". Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
Further reading
- Phisterer, Frederick, Statistical Record of the Armies of the United States, Castle Books, 1883, ISBN 0-7858-1585-6.
- ISBN 0-8160-3122-3
- Warsaw Pact June 1989 OOB