X Corps (United Kingdom)
| X Corps | |
|---|---|
 Formation sign of X Corps during the Second World War (second pattern).[1] | |
| Active | 1915–1919 1940–1945 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Corps |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Thomas Morland William Peyton Reginald Stephens William Holmes Herbert Lumsden Brian Horrocks Richard McCreery |
| Insignia | |
| Corps formation sign during the early part of the Second World War (first pattern).[1] |  |
| Corps formation sign during the First World War (an unaltered corps flag).[2] |  |
X Corps was a
First World War
X Corps was formed in
Order of battle on 11 November 1918
At the armistice, the division was on the Second Army's right.[7]
- 30th Division (Major-General Williams)
- 29th Division (Major-General Cayley)
- Corps Troops
- V/X Heavy Trench Mortar Battery
- 10th Cyclist Battalion
- X Corps Signal Company
Second World War
Home Defence
X Corps was reformed in June 1940 as part of Home Forces in the United Kingdom, commanded by
Order of Battle Autumn 1940[9]
- 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division
- 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division
- Royal Artillery
- 121st (West Riding) Army Field Regiment[10]
- 1st Medium Regiment[11]
North Africa
X Corps first went on active service in
X Corps fought the
Italy and Greece
The Corps was not involved in the Sicily campaign but became part of Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark's US Fifth Army to take part in the landings at Salerno, Italy on 9 September 1943, where it had under command the 46th Infantry Division, 56th (London) Infantry Division and later 7th Armoured Division. Here it was commanded by Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery.[12] After Salerno it continued to fight on the Fifth Army's left wing, breaching the Volturno Line and including taking part in the first Battle of Monte Cassino in January 1944.
In the spring of 1944, the corps was relieved by the French Expeditionary Corps (CEF) and switched back to the Eighth Army, taking position on the right of XIII Corps. The corps had a minor role in the Fourth Battle of Cassino but was involved in the Allied advance north through the summer, to the German Gothic Line defences. In September 1944 the corps played a holding role on the left flank of Eighth Army during Operation Olive, the autumn offensive on the Gothic Line.
In November 1944 command of X Corps was taken by Lieutenant-General John Hawkesworth, when McCreery was promoted to command Eighth Army, in place of Oliver Leese.[12] From October 1944, after the Axis forces withdrew from Greece, British troops under Lieutenant-General Ronald Scobie were sent there to maintain internal stability. In late 1944 Hawkesworth and X Corps HQ were sent to Greece to assume control of military operations so that Scobie could concentrate on the political aspects of the British involvement.[13]
By March 1945 Hawkesworth and his HQ had returned to Italy. X Corps was in reserve and not involved in the Allied
, on 3 June 1945.General Officers Commanding
Commanders have included:[14]
- Jul 1915 – Apr 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Morland[15]
- Apr – May 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Walter Congreve (temporary)
- May 1918 – Jul 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir William Peyton[5]
- Jul 1918 – 1919 Lieutenant-General Reginald Stephens[6]
- Jun 1940 – Aug 1942 Lieutenant-General William Holmes
- Aug 1942 – Dec 1942 Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden
- Dec 1942 – Apr 1943 Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks
- Apr 1943 – May 1943 Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg[3]
- Aug 1943 – Oct 1944 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard McCreery
- Nov 1944 – May 1945 Lieutenant-General Sir John Hawkesworth
References
- ^ a b Cole p. 29
- ^ JPS card no. 56
- ^ a b c The British Corps of 1914–1918
- ^ Jones 2010, p. 202.
- ^ a b William Eliot Peyton at the web site of the CENTRE FOR FIRST WORLD WAR STUDIES online at bham.ac.uk (accessed 19 January 2008)
- ^ a b Invision Zone
- ^ Watson, Graham (29 September 2011). "British Second Army, 11th November 1918". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ Newbold, p. 202
- ^ 10 Corps
- ^ 121 (West Riding) Field Regiment RA (TA)
- ^ 1 Medium Regiment RA
- ^ a b c d Corps Orders of Battle
- ^ Mead (2007), p. 197
- ^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Sources
- Cole, Howard (1973). Formation Badges of World War 2. Britain, Commonwealth and Empire. London: Arms and Armour Press.
- Jones, Simon (2010). Underground Warfare 1914–1918. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84415-962-8.
- Keegan, John (1991). Churchill's Generals. London: Cassell. pp. 153–155. ISBN 0-304-36712-5.
- JPS Cigarette card series, Army, Corps and Divisional Signs 1914–1918, John Player and sons, 1920s.
- Mead, Richard (2007). Churchill's Lions: A Biographical Guide to the Key British Generals of World War II. Stroud: Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-431-0.
- Newbold, David John (1988). "British planning and preparations to resist invasion on land, September 1939 – September 1940" (pdf). London: King's College, University of London. OCLC 556820697. uk.bl.ethos.241932.