I Corps (United Kingdom)

Last updated

I Corps
I Corps.svg
I Corps formation badge during the Second World War. [1]
Active1951–1994
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Branch Flag of the British Army.svg British Army
TypeField corps
Engagements Waterloo Campaign

First World War [2]

Second World War

Cold War

Commanders
Notable
commanders		 The Prince of Orange
Sir Douglas Haig
Sir Charles Monro
Sir Hubert Gough
Sir Arthur Holland
Sir John Dill
Sir Harold Alexander
John Crocker
Insignia
Corps formation sign during the First World War. [3] I corps WW1.svg

I Corps ("First Corps") was an army corps in existence as an active formation in the British Army for most of the 80 years from its creation in the First World War until the end of the Cold War, longer than any other corps. It had a short-lived precursor during the Waterloo Campaign. It served as the operational component of the British Army of the Rhine (part of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG)) during the Cold War, and was tasked with defending West Germany.

Contents

Napoleonic precursor

Assembling an army in Belgium to fight Napoleon's resurgent forces in the spring of 1815, the Duke of Wellington formed it into army corps, deliberately mixing units from the Anglo-Hanoverian, Dutch-Belgian and German contingents so that the weaker elements would be stiffened by more experienced or reliable troops. As he put it: 'It was necessary to organize these troops in brigades, divisions, and corps d’armee with those better disciplined and more accustomed to war'. [4] He placed I Corps under the command of the Prince of Orange and it was this corps that was first contacted by the advancing French at Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815. However, Wellington did not employ the corps as tactical entities, and continued his accustomed practice of issuing orders directly to divisional and lower commanders. When he drew up his army on the ridge at Waterloo, elements of the various corps were mixed up, and although he gave the Prince of Orange nominal command of the centre, that officer had different forces under him. Subsequent to the battle, the corps structure was re-established for the advance into France, I Corps being commanded by Maj-Gen Sir John Byng, the Prince of Orange having been wounded at Waterloo. [5]

Composition of I Corps in the Waterloo Campaign

General Officer Commanding (GOC): General The Prince of Orange

Prior to the First World War

After Waterloo the army corps structure largely disappeared from the British Army, except for ad hoc formations assembled during annual manoeuvres (e.g. Army Manoeuvres of 1913). In 1876 a Mobilisation Scheme for eight army corps was published, with 'First Corps' based on Colchester. In 1880 First Corps' organization was:

This scheme had been dropped by 1881. [6] The Stanhope Memorandum of 1891 (drawn up by Edward Stanhope when Secretary of State for War) laid down the policy that after providing for garrisons and India, the army should be able to mobilise three army corps for home defence, two of regular troops and one partly of militia, each of three divisions. Only after those commitments, it was hoped, might two army corps be organised for the unlikely eventuality of deployment abroad. [7]

When the Second Anglo-Boer War was imminent in September 1899, a field army, referred to as the Army Corps (sometimes I Army Corps) was mobilised and sent to Cape Town. It was, in fact, 'about the equivalent of the First Army Corps of the existing mobilization scheme', [8] and was placed under the command of Gen Sir Redvers Buller, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Aldershot Command. However, once in South Africa the corps never operated as such, and the three divisions (1st, 2nd and 3rd) were widely dispersed.

The 1901 Army Estimates introduced by St John Brodrick allowed for six army corps based on the six regional commands (Aldershot, Southern, Irish, Eastern, Northern and Scottish) of which only I Corps (Aldershot Command) and II Corps (Southern Command on Salisbury Plain) would be entirely formed of regular troops. [9] However, these arrangements remained theoretical, the title 'I Corps' being added to Aldershot Command. In early October 1902 a memorandum was issued showing the organization and allocation of the 1st Army Corps, to which Sir John French had recently been appointed in command: [10]

In 1907 the title changed to 'Aldershot Corps' but reverted to simply 'Aldershot Command' the following year. [11] Finally, the Haldane Reforms of 1907 established a six-division British Expeditionary Force for deployment overseas, but only Aldershot Command possessed two infantry divisions and a full complement of 'army troops' to form an army corps in the field. [12]

First World War

Pre-war planning for the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) did not envisage any intermediate headquarters between GHQ and the six infantry divisions, but it was assumed that if corps HQs became necessary, then the GOC Aldershot Command would automatically become GOC I Corps in the field. [13] On mobilisation in August 1914 the decision was made to conform to the two-division army corps organisation employed by the French armies alongside which the BEF was to operate. [14] Sir Douglas Haig, then commanding at Aldershot, therefore took I Corps HQ to France with 1st Division and 2nd Division under command, and it remained on the Western Front throughout the war. It had a peripheral part at the Battle of Mons, then saw hard fighting at the Battle of the Aisne and First Battle of Ypres in 1914, at the Battle of Aubers Ridge in the Spring of 1915 and alongside the Canadian Corps at the Battle of Hill 70, as well in many other large battles of the First World War.

Composition of I Corps in First World War

The composition of army corps changed frequently. Some representative orders of battle for I Corps are given here.

Order of Battle at Mons 23 August 1914 [15]

General Officer Commanding: Lieut-Gen Sir Douglas Haig

By the time of the battles of Aubers Ridge and Festubert (May 1915), I Corps still had 1st and 2nd Divisions under command, but had been reinforced by 47th (1/2nd London) Division of the Territorial Force, and 1st Canadian Division. [17] Once the era of trench warfare had set in on the Western Front (1915–17), the BEF left its army corps in position for long periods, so that they became familiar with their sector, while rotating divisions as they required rest, training, or transfer to other sectors. [18]

From May 1916 to August 1917, I Corps Cavalry Regiment was provided by the 1st South Irish Horse. [19]

On 25 September 1918, for the final battles, I Corps was transferred from First Army to Sir William Birdwood's Fifth Army. [20]

Order of Battle during the final advance in Artois 2 October-11 November 1918 [2] [21]

General Officer Commanding: Lieut-Gen Sir Arthur Holland
BGGS: Brig-Gen G.V. Hordern
Deputy Adjutant & Quartermaster-General: Brig-Gen N.G. Anderson
Commander, Royal Artillery: Brig-Gen H.C. Sheppard
Commander, Heavy Artillery: Brig-Gen F.G. Maunsell
Commander, Engineers: Brig-Gen H.W. Gordon

Second World War

Battle of France

General Sir John Dill, General Officer Commanding I Corps, inspecting soldiers digging trenches at Flines, France. Stood three away from is his Brigadier General Staff (BGS), Brigadier Arthur Percival. British Generals 1939-1945 O398.jpg
General Sir John Dill, General Officer Commanding I Corps, inspecting soldiers digging trenches at Flines, France. Stood three away from is his Brigadier General Staff (BGS), Brigadier Arthur Percival.

During the Second World War, I Corps' first assignment was again to the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) where it was commanded by General Sir John Dill, and then Lieutenant General Michael Barker from April 1940. After the Germans broke through Allied lines in the Battle of France in May 1940, the BEF was forced to retreat to Dunkirk for evacuation to England. The Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the BEF, General Lord Gort, ordered Barker to form the rearguard with I Corps to cover the evacuation, and surrender to the Germans as a last resort. However, the acting commander of II Corps, Major General Bernard Montgomery, advised Gort that Barker was in an unfit state to be left in final command, and recommended that Major General Harold Alexander of the 1st Division should be put in charge. Gort did as Montgomery advised, and in the event the bulk of I Corps was successfully evacuated. As Montgomery recalled: '"Alex" got everyone away in his own calm and confident manner'. [24]

Composition of I Corps in the Battle of France

The order of battle was as follows: [25]
General Officer Commanding: Lieutenant General M.G.H. Barker

North-West Europe

After returning to Britain, I Corps remained there, based at Hickleton Hall in South Yorkshire within Northern Command, on anti-invasion duties, preparing defences to repel a German invasion of the United Kingdom. [33]

Lieutenant General John Crocker, pictured here in August 1944. Lieutenant General J T Crocker, Cb, Cbe, Dso, Mc, Commander of 1st Corps, France, August 1944 TR2167.jpg
Lieutenant General John Crocker, pictured here in August 1944.

I Corps, now commanded by Lieutenant General John Crocker, then took part in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 where, along with XXX Corps, under Lieutenant General Gerard Bucknall (who had commanded I Corps between April and August 1943), it was a spearhead corps of Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey's British Second Army, itself part of the 21st Army Group. The corps was then involved in the Battle of Normandy in fierce attritional fighting for control of the Normandy beachhead.

After fighting for two months in the Battle for Caen, I Corps was subordinated on 1 August 1944 to the Canadian First Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Harry Crerar, for the remainder of the Normandy campaign [34] and the subsequent operations in the Low Countries. [35] I Corps participated in Operation Astonia (the capture of Le Havre) and Clearing the Channel Coast.

I Corps later helped to garrison "The Island" area between Arnhem and Nijmegen in the aftermath of Operation Market Garden.

During Operation Pheasant in North Brabant, I Corps was unique in fielding divisions from several nations: Polish 1st Armoured Division, [[Canadian 4th Armoured Division], British 49th Polar Bears Division, and US 104th Timberwolf Division.

After the Battle of the Scheldt, I Corps gave up command of any combat forces. Its headquarters administered 21st Army Group's logistics area around the port of Antwerp, Belgium until the end of the war.

Composition of I Corps in NW Europe Campaign

General Officer Commanding: Lieutenant-General John Crocker

Attached:

Assignments of corps to armies, and divisions to corps, changed frequently during the campaign:

As of 6 June 1944 [46]

As of 7 July 1944

As of 1 August 1944 (now part of First Canadian Army)

British Army of the Rhine

After the defeat of Germany, the 21st Army Group became the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), and 1 Corps, under the command of Lieutenant-General Ivor Thomas, was transformed into a corps district, with an administrative, rather than combat, role. It was disbanded in 1947. [47]

In October 1951 the corps was reactivated to become the principal combat element of the BAOR, with its headquarters in Bielefeld. In March 1952, following the reactivation of 6th Armoured Division, its component formations were:

Included as part of this was Canadian Forces Europe, as Canada's contribution to the NATO land forces in Germany. A Canadian mechanised brigade remained part of BAOR until 1970, until it was moved south. The size of this force, 6,700, was such that it was referred to within British circles as a "light division".

4th Division was reformed from 11th Armoured Division on 1 April 1956. [48]

Between 1958-60 the Corps was reorganised into three mixed armour/infantry divisions including five brigade groups. In 1965 these brigade groups were brought together into three centralised divisions (1st, 2nd, and 4th). In 1958, the "infantry" designation was dropped from the 2nd Infantry Division's title as part of this reorganisation. [49] During the 1970s, 4th Division consisted of two "square" brigades. [50]

With the end of National Service, manpower across the whole of BAOR dropped from around 77,000 to 55,000.

In the late 1970s the Corps was reorganised as four small five-battle-group armoured divisions plus a roughly brigade sized infantry 'Field Force'. It then comprised:

Following the 1981-3 reorganisation, the Corps consisted of 1st and 4th Armoured Divisions, which would have manned the front line against the anticipated attack by the Soviet 3rd Shock Army, plus in an in-depth, reserve role the 3rd Armoured Division and finally the 2nd Infantry Division which was tasked with rear-area security. [52]

Formations from the early 1980s to the 1990s included:

Structure of the 1 British Corps in 1989. I British Corps - 1989.png
Structure of the 1 British Corps in 1989.

With the end of the Cold War, in 1992 1 (BR) Corps was disbanded, and its HQ closed. Some of the staff serving in HQ 1(BR) Corps were reassigned to the new HQ United Kingdom Support Command (Germany) which was formed from the rump of HQ BAOR. The remainder of the staff formed the British component (50% of the total staff in the HQ) in the Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC), a newly instated multi-national NATO Rapid Reaction Corps HQ. The Corps Commander reported to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe SACEUR, but had no troops under command except when assigned to ARRC by NATO member nations, for operations or for exercises. HQ ARRC moved to Rheindahlen in 1994.

General Officers Commanding

Commanders have included: [53]

From 1901 to 1905 the commander of the troops at Aldershot was also commander 1st Army Corps

Note: I Corps was disbanded at the end of the First World War and reformed at the start of the Second World War

Note: I Corps was disbanded in June 1947 and reformed in late 1951 [47]

Notes

  1. ↑ Cole p. 126
  2. 1 2 The long, long trail
  3. ↑ JPS card no. 92
  4. ↑ Hofschroer, Ligny and Quatre Bras, p.109.
  5. ↑ Hofschroer, The German Victory, p.201.
  6. ↑ Army List 1876–1881.
  7. ↑ Dunlop ch 2.
  8. ↑ Dunlop p 72.
  9. ↑ Dunlop pp 130-40.
  10. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence - The 1st Army Corps". The Times. No. 36892. London. 7 October 1902. p. 8.
  11. ↑ Army List
  12. ↑ Dunlop p 262.
  13. ↑ Neillands, p. 169.
  14. ↑ Official History 1914, Volume I, p. 7.
  15. ↑ Official History 1914, Volume I, Appendix 1.
  16. ↑ Sir John French, Operation Order No 5, Official History 1914, Volume 1, Appendix 10.
  17. ↑ Official History 1915, Volume I, Appendix 2.
  18. ↑ Sanders Marble, 'Offensive versus Subsidiary Attacks, 1916–1918: The British Expeditionary Force Balancing its Options', Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Volume 87, No 351 (Autumn 2009).
  19. ↑ James, p. 15.
  20. ↑ Official History 1918 Volume 5, p 125.
  21. ↑ Official History 1918 Volume 5, p 125 and Appendix I
  22. ↑ Watson & Rinaldi, p. 22.
  23. ↑ Lord & Watson, p. 234.
  24. ↑ Montgomery p. 64
  25. ↑ Ellis, Major L.F. "The War in France and Flanders 1939-40, Appendix I". UK Military Series.
  26. ↑ "1 Corps".
  27. ↑ "27 Field Regiment RA".
  28. ↑ "140 (5th London) Field Regiment RA (TA)" . Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  29. ↑ "3 Medium Regiment RA".
  30. ↑ "5 Medium Regiment RA".
  31. ↑ "52 (East Lancashire) Light AA Regiment RA (TA)".
  32. ↑ "1 Survey Regiment RA".
  33. ↑ Newbold, p. 202
  34. ↑ Hart, p.19
  35. ↑ Williams, p. 466.
  36. ↑ Forty, p 346.
  37. ↑ "102 Light AA Regiment RA (TA)". Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  38. ↑ "9 Survey Regiment RA".
  39. ↑ "4th Army Group RA".
  40. ↑ "150 (S Notts Hussars Yeo) Field Regiment RA (TA)". Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  41. ↑ "53 (London) Medium Regiment RA (TA)".
  42. ↑ "65 Medium Regiment RA (TA)". Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  43. ↑ "68 Medium Regiment RA (TA)".
  44. ↑ "79 (Scottish Horse) Medium Regiment RA (TA)".
  45. ↑ "51 (Lowland) Heavy Regiment RA (TA)".
  46. ↑ Ellis, p.181
  47. 1 2 The British Army in Germany: An Organizational History 1947-2004 By Graham Watson, Richard A. Rinaldi, Page 11 Tiger Lily, 2005, ISBN   978-0-9720296-9-8
  48. ↑ "4th Division". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 29 December 2006. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  49. ↑ Lord & Watson 2003, p. 28.
  50. ↑ Watson, Graham (2005). The British Army in Germany: An Organisational History 1947–2004. Tiger Lily. p. 95. ISBN   9780972029698.
  51. ↑ "History of BAOR". BAOR Locations. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  52. ↑ Isby & Kamps, pp.256-258
  53. ↑ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  54. ↑ "No. 27360". The London Gazette . 1 October 1901. p. 6400.
  55. ↑ "No. 27370". The London Gazette. 1 November 1901. p. 7048.
  56. ↑ "No. 27477". The London Gazette. 26 September 1902. p. 6151.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VII Corps (United States)</span> Military unit

The VII Army Corps of the United States Army was one of the two principal corps of the United States Army Europe during the Cold War. Activated in 1918 for World War I, it was reactivated for World War II and again during the Cold War. During both World War II and the Cold War it was subordinate to the Seventh Army, or USAREUR and was headquartered at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, West Germany, from 1951 until it was redeployed to the US after significant success in the Gulf War in 1991, then inactivated in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VIII Corps (United Kingdom)</span> World War-era British Army formation

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IV Corps (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

IV Corps was a corps-sized formation of the British Army, formed in both the First World War and the Second World War. During the First World War the corps served on the Western Front throughout its existence. During the Second World War it served in Norway and Britain until it was transferred to India, which was threatened with attack after Japan entered the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)</span> British Army formation

The 4th Infantry Division was a regular infantry division of the British Army with a very long history, seeing active service in the Peninsular War and Waterloo Campaign, the Crimean and Boer Wars and both World Wars. It was disbanded after the Second World War and reformed in the 1950s as an armoured formation before being disbanded and reformed again and finally disbanded on 1 January 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)</span> British Army formation

The 5th Infantry Division was a regular army infantry division of the British Army. It was established by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsular War, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, and was active for most of the period since, including the First World War and the Second World War and was disbanded soon after. The division was reformed in 1995 as an administrative division covering Wales and the English regions of West Midlands, East Midlands and East. Its headquarters were in Shrewsbury. It was disbanded on 1 April 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Canadian Division</span> Canadian Joint Operations Command formation based in Kingston, Ontario

The 1st Canadian Division is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and equipped to meet Canada’s military objectives to counter any potential threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">II Corps (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

The II Corps was an army corps of the British Army formed in both the First World War and the Second World War. There had also been a short-lived II Corps during the Waterloo Campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">III Corps (United Kingdom)</span> Corps of the British Army in the First and Second World Wars

III Corps was an army corps of the British Army formed in both the First World War and the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">79th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Armoured Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Inactive British Army formation

The 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army with a long history including service during both the First and the Second World Wars. It was based at Tidworth Camp. Previously, it has been designated 1st (Guards) Brigade, 1st Infantry Brigade, 1st Mechanised Brigade, and under the initial Army 2020 reforms assumed the title of 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade. Under the Future Soldier programme, the brigade merged with the 1st Artillery Brigade to form the 1st Deep Recce Strike Brigade Combat Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Security Force Assistance Brigade</span> British Army unit

The 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade is a brigade of the British Army which is intended to train and assist foreign forces. In 2021, under the Future Army changes, the brigade was redesignated, formerly being the 11th Infantry Brigade & HQ South East. Prior to the Army 2020 changes in 2013, the brigade was temporarily activated for deployment to Afghanistan. Originally formed in the Second Boer War, the brigade was engaged during both World Wars.

The Malaya Command was a formation of the British Army formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of British Malaya, which comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States and the Unfederated Malay States. It consisted mainly of small garrison forces in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Taiping, Seremban and Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headquarters Northern Ireland</span> Military unit

HQ Northern Ireland was the formation responsible for the British Army in and around Northern Ireland. It was established in 1922 and disbanded, replaced by a brigade-level Army Reserve formation, 38 (Irish) Brigade, in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V Corps (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

V Corps was an army corps of the British Army that saw service in both the First and the Second World Wars. It was first organised in February 1915 and fought through the First World War on the Western front. It was recreated in June 1940, during the Second World War and was substantially reorganised in 1942 for participation in Operation Torch. It fought through the Tunisia Campaign and later the Italian Campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XII Corps (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

XII Corps was an army corps of the British Army that fought in the First and Second World Wars. In the First World War, it formed part of the British Salonika Force on the Macedonian front. In the Second World War, it formed part of the British Second Army during Operation Overlord and the subsequent North-West Europe Campaign of 1944-46.

Second Battle of Monte Cassino order of battle February 1944 is a listing of the significant formations that were involved in the fighting on the Winter Line in February 1944 during the period generally known as the Second Battle of Monte Cassino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Structure of the British Army</span> Organisation of the British Army

The page contains the current structure of the British Army. The British Army is currently being reorganised to the Future Soldier structure.

The following is a hierarchical outline for the structure of the British Army in 1989. The most authoritative source for this type of information available is Ministry of Defence, Master Order of Battle, and United Kingdom Land Forces, HQ UKLF, UKLF ORBAT Review Action Plan, HQ UKLF, 1990.

Future Soldier is a reform of the British Army resulting from the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy published in March 2021. The aim of the reform is to create a more lethal, agile and expeditionary force, able to fight and win wars and to operate in the grey-zone between peace and war. Future Soldier was published on 25 November 2021 and deals with the organizational changes of the British Army, with changes to personnel and equipment were set out in the Defence in a Competitive Age paper published on 22 March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Structure of Aldershot Command in 1939</span> British units during WW2

Aldershot Command was a formation of the British Army at the start of the Second World War in September 1939. It had been re-formed in 1905, when the army established a series of geographical military districts, known as "commands", to replace six army corps that had existed for a short period. The purpose of the commands was to administer all units and formations located within their geographical borders, and if needed could be further subdivided into "areas". In 1939, it was one of the army's six regional commands, which existed within the British Isles, on the outbreak of the Second World War. Its geographical area encompassed parts of the following four counties: Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex.

References

External sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.