Surf Wiki
Save to docs
history

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

VIII Corps (United Kingdom)

World War-era British Army formation

World War-era British Army formation

FieldValue
unit_nameVIII Corps
imageVIII corps (2).svg
image_size150px
captionFormation sign of VIII Corps as a field formation during the Second World War.
datesFirst and Second World Wars
country
branch[[File:Flag of the British Army.svg23px]] British Army
typeField corps
battlesFirst World War
notable_commandersLt-Gen Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston
Lt-Gen Sir Richard O'Connor
identification_symbol[[File:VIII corps (1).svg140px]]
identification_symbol_labelCorps formation sign as a Corps District early in the Second World War.
identification_symbol_2[[File:VIII Corps WW1.jpg140px]]
identification_symbol_2_labelCorps formation sign during the First World War.
Note

the United Kingdom Army unit

  • Gallipoli
  • Battle of the Somme 1916
  • Second Battle of Arras 1918
  • Final Advance in Artois Second World War
  • Operation Epsom
  • Operation Jupiter
  • Operation Goodwood
  • Operation Bluecoat
  • Operation Market Garden
  • Operation Constellation
  • Operation Plunder Lt-Gen Sir Richard O'Connor VIII Corps was a British Army corps formation that existed during the First and Second World Wars. In the latter, it took part in the Normandy Campaign in 1944, where it was involved in Operation Epsom and Operation Goodwood. It would later play a supporting role in Operation Market Garden and finish the war by advancing from the Rhine to the Baltic Sea.

Prior to the First World War

In 1876, a Mobilisation Scheme was published for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland, which included eight army corps of the 'Active Army'. The '8th Corps' was to be headquartered at Edinburgh and was primarily militia formation. In 1880, its order of battle was as follows:

  • 1st Division (Edinburgh)
    • 1st Brigade (Edinburgh)
      • Kerry Militia (Tralee), Northumberland Militia (Alnwick), Fermanagh Light Infantry Militia (Enniskillen)
    • 2nd Brigade
      • Antrim Militia (Belfast), Cavan Militia (Cavan), Prince of Wales's Own Donegal Militia (Lifford)
    • Divisional Troops
      • 50th Foot (Edinburgh), Ayrshire Yeomanry (Ayr)
    • Artillery
      • O/2nd Brigade RA (Glasgow)
  • 2nd Division (Glasgow)
    • 1st Brigade (Glasgow)
      • Highland Borderers Militia (Stirling), Highland Rifles Militia (Dingwall), Scottish Borderers Militia (Dumfries)
    • 2nd Brigade (Hamilton)
      • Cumberland Militia (Carlisle), 1st Durham Militia (Barnard Castle), 2nd Durham Militia (Durham)
    • Divisional Troops
      • Queen's Own Lanarkshire Yeomanry (Glasgow)
  • 3rd Division (Melrose)
  • Cavalry Brigade
    • Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry (Penrith), Lanark Yeomanry (Lanark), East Lothian Yeomanry (Dunbar)

This scheme had been dropped by 1881.

First World War

Gallipoli

VIII Corps was first formed at Gallipoli during the First World War. The main British battle front was at Cape Helles on the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula. As the battle became protracted, more British divisions arrived as reinforcements. In May 1915, these divisions were arranged as the British Army Corps, which was then redesignated as VIII Corps in June. The corps commander was Lieutenant-General Aylmer Hunter-Weston. When Hunter-Weston relinquished command due to illness, the corps was commanded on a temporary basis by General Francis Davies.

During the Gallipoli campaign, the corps contained the following units:

Western Front

After the evacuation of Gallipoli, the corps was reformed in France in March 1916, once again under the command of Hunter-Weston, and participated in the Battle of the Somme.

VIII Corps was disbanded in June 1918 when Hunter-Weston moved to the XVIII Corps; however, this corps was then redesignated as VIII Corps in July 1918.

Second World War

Home Defence

VIII Corps formed part of Home Forces in the UK during the early part of the Second World War. During the Autumn of 1940, it presided over the 3rd and 48th (South Midland) Divisions. Later, it would also command the 77th Infantry Division. It was based at Pyrland Hall near Cheddon Fitzpaine in Somerset and its mission was to command the defence of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Bristol.

North West Europe

VIII Corps fought on the western front in 1944 and 1945 as part of the Second Army. From 21 January to 27 November 1944, it was commanded by Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor.

At the start of the Normandy Campaign, it comprised:

It played a major role in Operations Epsom, Jupiter, Goodwood and Bluecoat, before being reduced in size and moved to the reserve prior to the breakout from Normandy.

The Corps fought in a supporting role during Operation Market Garden on the east flank of XXX Corps with XII Corps to the west of XXX Corps, capturing the Dutch towns of Deurne and Helmond. It took part in the advance on Venray and Venlo. with Operation Constellation beginning on 12 October 1944.

From early December 1944 VIII Corps, was commanded by Lieutenant-General Evelyn Barker, and took part in Operation Plunder, crossing the Rhine 28 March 1945. Following the crossing, the corps was reactivated and allocated the 2nd Army’s right flank for the advance into Germany. By April 1945 the principal formations of the corps were, 11th Armoured Division and 6th Airborne Division reinforced by 6th Guards Armoured Brigade and 1st Commando Brigade. The 15th Scottish Infantry Division joined the Corps on the 4th April. The following weeks were filled with many short but intense battles and fighting across Northern Germany. The Corps crossed the Elbe Operation Enterprise at midnight 30 April advanced north east and occupied Plön in Schleswig-Holstein. The fighting continued until the unconditional surrender by German forces on the 7th May 1945.

Post-war

In the immediate post-war period, the corps formed VIII Corps District in Schleswig-Holstein before being disbanded in 1946. Its final composition was:

General Officers Commanding

Commanders included:

  • 24 May – 17 Jul 1915 Lieutenant-General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston
  • 17 Jul – 24 Jul 1915 Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Stopford (temporary)
  • 24 Jul – 8 Aug 1915 Major-General William Douglas (acting)
  • 8 Aug 1915 – 27 Jan 1916 Lieutenant-General Sir Francis Davies :–
  • 18 Mar 1916 – 22 Jun 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston :–
  • 2 Jul 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston :–
  • Jul 1940 – May 1941 Lieutenant-General Harold Franklyn
  • May–Nov 1941 Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson
  • Nov 1941 – Jan 1943 Lieutenant-General Arthur Edward Grasett
  • Jan–Jul 1943 Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden
  • Jul–Aug 1943 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard McCreery
  • Nov 1943 – Jan 1944 Lieutenant-General John Harding
  • Jan–Nov 1944 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard O'Connor
  • Dec 1944 – Apr 1946 Lieutenant-General Evelyn Barker

Notes

References

  • Anon, British Army of the Rhine Battlefield Tour: Operation Bluecoat, Germany: BAOR, 1947/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2021, ISBN 978-1-78331-812-4.
  • George Forty, British Army Handbook 1939-1945, Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1998 ().
  • Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, The British Army in Germany (BAOR and after): An organizational history 1947-2004, Tiger Lily Publications, 2005.
  • Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6.
  • JPS Cigarette card series, Army, Corps and Divisional Signs 1914–1918, John Player and sons, 1920s.

External sources

References

  1. Cole p. 28
  2. [http://www.1914-1918.net/corps.htm The British Corps of 1914-1918]
  3. JPS card no. 70
  4. ''Army List'' 1876–1881.
  5. "Corps History - Part 14: The Corps and the First World War (1914-18)". Royal Engineers Museum.
  6. "8 Corps".
  7. Joslen 2003, p. 100
  8. "Second World War military buildings, Pyrland Hall, Cheddon Fitzpaine". Somerset County Council.
  9. Anon, ''Bluecoat'', Appendix A.
  10. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/army-groups-royal-artillery/8-army-group-ra/ 8th AGRA at RA 39–45]
  11. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/medium-regiments/61-caernarvon-denbigh-yeomanry-medium-regiment-rata/61 (C&DY) Med Rgt at RA 39–45]
  12. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/medium-regiments/63-midland-medium-regiment-rata 63 (Midland) Med Rgt at RA 39–45]
  13. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/medium-regiments/77-duke-of-lancasters-own-yeomanry-medium-regiment-rata 77 (DLOY) Med Rgt at RA 39–45]
  14. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/medium-regiments/146-pembroke-cardiganshire-medium-regiment-rata 146 (P&CY) Med Rgt at RA 39–45]
  15. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/heavy-regiments/53-heavy-regiment-rata 52 Hvy Rgt at RA 39–45]
  16. Forty p 346.
  17. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/anti-tank-regiments/91-argyll-sutherland-highlanders-anti-tank-regiment-rata 91 (A&SH) A/T Rgt at RA 39–45]
  18. "Regiments.org".
  19. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/light-anti-aircraft-regiments/121-leicestershire-regiment-light-anti-aircraft-regiment-rata/ 121 (Leics) LAA Rgt at RA 39–45]
  20. "Regiments.org".
  21. [https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/survey-regiments/10-survey-regiment-ra 10 Svy Rgt at RA 39–45]
  22. (2015). "Postmen at War: A History of the Army Postal Services from the Middle Ages to 1945". Stuart Rossiter Trust.
  23. John Russell, Theirs The Strife, 2020, ISBN 978-1-913118-56-3 accessed 28th April 2023
  24. Watson & Rinaldi p.7
  25. "Army Commands".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

british-field-corps corps-of-the-british-army-in-world-war-i corps-of-the-british-army-in-world-war-ii military-units-and-formations-of-the-british-empire-in-world-war-ii military-units-and-formations-established-in-1915 military-units-and-formations-disestablished-in-1919 military-units-and-formations-established-in-1940 military-units-and-formations-disestablished-in-1945
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about VIII Corps (United Kingdom) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report