XIII Corps (United Kingdom)
13th Corps | |
---|---|
Active | 1915–18 1940–45 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Corps |
Part of | British Expeditionary Force British Eighth Army United States Fifth Army |
Engagements |
|
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Brian Horrocks Miles C. Dempsey Sidney Kirkman |
13th Corps was a corps-sized formation of the British Army that fought on the Western Front during the First World War and was reformed for service during the Second World War, serving in the Mediterranean and Middle East throughout its service.
First World War
13th Corps was formed in France on 15 November 1915 under Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve to be part of Fourth Army.[1] It was first seriously engaged during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.[1] On the first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, the corps held the southern flank of the British line. The corps objective was the village of Montauban. The two assault divisions — the 18th (Eastern) and 30th Division, both New Army formations — seized all their objectives.[2]
Second World War
On 1 January 1941, while the
By February 1941,
The Italian forces in North Africa were reinforced with the
In August 1941 Archibald Wavell was replaced as C-in-C Middle East by Claude Auchinleck and the British and other Commonwealth forces were reinforced to create in September 1941 the British Eighth Army. During this reorganisation, Western Desert Force was once again redesignated as 13th Corps and became part of the new army.[3]
The Corps remained part of the Eighth Army throughout the rest of the
Still part of the Eighth Army, 13th Corps, now under command of Miles C. Dempsey, then took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. By now it had the 5th and 50th Infantry divisions under command.
Now with the
In May 1944, 13th Corps, now commanded by Sidney Kirkman, was shifted to the left-centre of the Allied front. During the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino 13th Corps elements, composed of the British 6th Armoured Division, British 4th Infantry Division and 8th Indian Infantry Division with supporting fire from the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade,[6] made a successful strongly opposed night crossing of the Garigliano and Rapido rivers, and broke into the heart of the German defenses in the Liri valley. This victory was of enormous significance as it collapsed or bypassed the German defenses of Gustav Line and led to the capture of Rome.[7]
On 17 August 1944, 13th Corps was transferred to the
On 18 January 1945, 13th Corps returned to the Eighth Army.[8] XIII Corps, commanded now by John Harding, was the left wing of Eighth Army in the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, which ended in May 1945 with the surrender of Axis forces in Italy. 2nd New Zealand Division, operating with the corps, confronted Yugoslav troops at Trieste, entering and capturing the city.[9] The Corps restored order in the strife-ridden city and enforced the Morgan Line from May 1945 to mid-1946.
13th Corps assignments
Start | End | Superior body |
---|---|---|
01-Jan-1941 | 15-Feb-1941 | HQ British Troops Egypt |
26-Sep-1941 | 17-Aug-1944 | British Eighth Army |
17-Aug-1944 | 18-Jan-1945 | U.S. Fifth Army |
18-Jan-1945 | 31-May-1945? | British Eighth Army |
General Officers Commanding
Commanders included:[10]
- 15 Nov 1915 – 10 August 1916 Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve[1]
- 10 Aug – 16 Aug 1916 Lieutenant-General the Earl of Cavan (temporary)
- 16 Aug 1916 – 12 Jun 1917 Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve
- 17 Jun 1917 – 13 Mar 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick McCracken[11]
- 13 Mar – 12 Apr 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Beauvoir De Lisle[12]
- 12 Apr 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Morland
- Jun 1940 – Feb 1941 Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor
- Apr–Sep 1941 Lieutenant-General Noel Beresford-Peirse
- Sep 1941 – Feb 1942 Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen
- Feb–Aug 1942 Lieutenant-General William Gott
- Aug–Dec 1942 Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks
- Dec 1942 – Dec 1943 Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey
- Dec 1943 – Mar 1945 Lieutenant-General Sidney Kirkman
- Mar–May 1945 Lieutenant-General John Harding
See also
- List of British Empire divisions in the Second World War
References
- ^ a b c Baker, Chris. "The British Corps of 1914-1918". The Long, Long Trail: The British Army of 1914-1918. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ Battles of the Somme
- ^ a b c d 13th Corps (Western Desert Force) British Military History [dead link]
- ISBN 1-86126-646-4., pg. 64
- ^ Military Career of Philip Neame (British) VC, CB, DSO, accessed December 2008
- ^ Badsey, p.150
- ^ Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino - Operation Diadem Archived 21 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Orders of Battle.com XIII Corps.
- ^ Heathcote, T.A., p.170
- ^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Robbins, p.65
- ^ Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
Bibliography
- Heathcote, T.A. (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736–1997. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5
- Jeffery, Keith (2006). Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson: A Political Soldier. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-820358-2.
- Robbins, Simon (2005). British Generalship on the Western Front 1914–18: Defeat into Victory. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-35006-9
- Badsey, Stephen (2000). The Hutchinson Atlas of World War Two Battle Plans: Before and After. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1-57958-265-6.