The Order of battle of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force during the First World War is shown below.
Canal Defences (General A. Murray)
No.1 Section, Headquarters Suez – IX Corps (January to March)
No.2 Section, Headquarters Ismailia – I Anzac Corps (January to March)
(incomplete)
No.3 Section, Headquarters Port Said – (Major General H.A. Lawrence)
Until almost the end of 1917, No. l Squadron, A.F.C., and No. 14 Squadron, R.F.C., were the sole flying units east of the Suez Canal. [8]
General Headquarters
General Headquarters
Headquarters of Administrative services and departments Army Signals, Work, Supplies and Transport, Railways, Ordnance, Remounts, Veterinary Services, Medical Services, Army Postal Services, Paymaster Inspector General of Communication and Levant Base
Divisional Troops
IX Corps GOC Major General (temp. Lieutenant General) F. J. Davies
42nd (East Lancashire) Division GOC Major General W. Douglas
Divisional Troops
3rd Dismounted Brigade (attached) GOC Lieutenant Colonel Lord Kensington (Acting)
54th (East Anglian) Division GOC Colonel (temp. Major General) S. W. Hare
Divisional Troops
20th Indian Brigade (attached) GOC Brigadier General H. D. Watson
29th Indian Brigade GOC Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) P. C. Palin
II Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (II ANZAC) GOC Major General (temp. Lieutenant General) A. J. Godley
4th Australian Division GOC Major General H. V. Cox
GOC Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) J. Monash
Divisional Troops
5th Australian Division GOC Colonel (temp Major General) J. W. McCay
Divisional Troops
11th (Northern) Division GOC Major General E. A. Fanshawe
Divisional Troops
No. 3 Section Canal Defences GOC etc Headquarters 52nd Division
52nd (Lowland) Division GOC Major General H. A. Lawrence
Divisional Troops
1st Dismounted Brigade (attached) GOC Temp Brigadier General Marquess of Tullibardine
Western Frontier Force GOC Major General W. E. Peyton
North Western Section GOC etc Headquarters 53rd Division
53rd (Welsh) Division GOC Colonel (temp. Major General) A. G. Dallas
Divisional Troops
4th Dismounted Brigade (attached) GOC Temp Brigadier General John Stewart-Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine
Provisional Infantry Brigade (less Headquarters)
17th Motor Machine Gun Battery No. 1 Armoured Train
South Western Section GOC Colonel (temp Brigadier General) H. W. Hodgson
General Headquarters Troops
Artillery
Engineers
Signal Service
ASC
Transport
Lines of Communication Defence Troops
Alexandria District
and Lines of Communications units of Infantry, Signal Service, Engineers, ASC, Medical Units, Ordnance Units, Veterinary Units and Postal Units. [10]
Eastern Frontier No. 1 Section
No. 2 Section
No. 2a Section
No. 3 Section
Western Frontier
Canal Defences No. 3 Section Headquarters Kantara (included Romani) (Major General H.A. Lawrence)
Force Defending Romani on 4 August
Force moved to Romani during 4 August and took part in the battle
Force moved to Romani during 4 August and took part in the battle on 5 August
Eastern Frontier Force, also known as Eastern Force, was formed in Cairo on 18 October 1916 with headquarters at Ismailia. The force was commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Dobell, who had commanded Western Frontier Force. [14] Eastern Force consisted of
Western Desert Force (Major General William Watson)
Desert Column Headquarters El Arish (Lieutenant General Sir Philip Chetwode)
Royal Flying Corps in Egypt in January 1917
By January 1917 there were three smaller commands directly under GHQ EEF.
Western Force
Alexandria District
Delta District
With the front line approaching Gaza, the defence of the Suez Canal was still part of Eastern Force but had been reduced to:
Northern Section Suez Canal
Southern Section Suez Canal
Desert Column (Lieutenant General Philip Chetwode)
Eastern Force (Lieutenant General Sir C. M. Dobell)
Desert Column (Lieutenant General P. Chetwode)
Artillery
General Headquarters
1st Garrison Battalion, Essex Regiment at Khartoum [47]
General Headquarters Commander in Chief Lieutenant General (temp. General) A. J. Murray
Eastern Force GOC Major General (temp. Lieutenant General) C. M. Dobell Brigadier General General Staff Brevet Lieutenant Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) G. P. Dawnay
52nd (Lowland) Division GOC Brevet Colonel (temp. Major General) W. E. B. Smith
53rd (Welsh) Division GOC Major General S. F. Mott
(troops same as April 1916 oob)
54th (East Anglian) Division GOC Colonel (temp. Major General) S. W. Hare
(troops same as April 1916 oob)
74th (Yeomanry) Division GOC Brevet Lieutenant Colonel (temp. Major General) E. S. Girdwood
Desert Column GOC Major General (temp. Lieutenant General) P. W. Chetwode
Divisional Troops
Northern Canal Section GOC Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) H. D. Watson commander of 20th Indian Brigade
Delta and Western Force GOC Brevet Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) H. G. Casson
Alexandria District GOC Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) R. C. Boyle
General Headquarters Troops
Southern Canal Section GOC Brevet Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) P. C. Palin in addition to GOC 29th Indian Brigade
Cyprus Detachment
and Lines of Communications controlled by GHQ including RFC "X" Aircraft Park (5th Wing), "X" Aircraft Depot for all Middle East units RFC, Engineers, Signal Service, ASC, Medical Units, Ordnance, Veterinary, Remounts and Postal Units. [48]
Desert Column was expanded to three divisions, commanded by Chauvel –
At the end of June 1917 General Allenby took command. At that time the Egyptian Expeditionary Force consisted of the British XX Corps and the British XXI Corps, under the command of Lieutenant Generals Philip Chetwode and Edward Stanislaus Bulfin, respectively, along with the Desert Mounted Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Harry Chauvel. The air component was the Palestine Brigade of the Royal Flying Corps (later the Royal Air Force) and the Australian Flying Corps.[ citation needed ]
XX Corps (Lieutenant General Sir R.W. Chetwode, Bart.)
XXI Corps (Lieutenant General Sir E.S. Bulfin)
Desert Mounted Corps (Lieutenant General Sir H. Chauvel)
On establishment in 1916 and 1917, the first two mounted divisions had been supplied with 18–pounder artillery guns. In September 1917 these guns were replaced with 13-pounders, making the divisions "even more capable", according to Erickson. [49] [51] [52]
Also in General Headquarters Troops were the
The force initially consisted mostly of British and Egyptian troops, but most of the former were sent to the Western Front in early 1918 to help repel Germany's Spring Offensive. In the meantime, new troops were then dispatched from India, Australia, and New Zealand, in particular who made up a large portion of the army. Though it was feared that mostly Muslim Indian troops might desert and join Ottoman Empire forces in the region (who had declared a jihad against the Allies early in the war), this fear proved unfounded, as the Indians fought valiantly on the front lines of most of the army's major engagements. The force also included a small contingent of French and Italian troops. (These were known as the Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie and Distaccamento Italiano di Palestina commanded by Colonel Gilles de Philpin de Piépape & Lieutenant Colonel Francesco D'Agostino respectively.) The forces of the Arab Revolt, led by Prince Feisal of Mecca, were also unofficially attached during Allenby's Damascus offensive.[ citation needed ]
The force's role evolved from a defense of Egypt to the invasion of Palestine which involved: the capture of Beersheba and Gaza in October–November 1917 (see Third Battle of Gaza), entering Jerusalem on 11 December 1917, and Allenby's successful campaign of 1918, resulting in the defeat of the Turks at Megiddo, and the capture of Damascus, Beirut, and Aleppo. The force's successes ultimately led to Turkey's exit from the war and the creation of the British Mandate of Palestine.[ citation needed ]
The Palestine Brigade RAF was reorganised at the end of 1917 or during the summer of 1918, as follows:
West of the Jordan
XX Corps (Lieutenant General Sir P. Chetwode)
XXI Corps (Lieutenant General Sir E. Bulfin)
Generally –
Desert Mounted Corps (Lieutenant General Sir H. Chauvel)
Chaytor's Force (Major General E.W.C. Chaytor)
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