List of British Empire corps of the Second World War

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This is a list of corps serving within the armies of the British Empire during the Second World War.

A Corps was either a temporary military formation created for combat, or an "administrative" formation that coordinated specialist military functions across a national military force. A combat Corps was composed of specialist units from various "administrative" Corps from combat arms, combat support arms and combat services. Combat Arms were formation sized units from the Corps of infantry and armour, usually 2 or more divisions in strength. Combat Support Arms were smaller units from the Corps of artillery, engineers, signals, intelligence or reconnaissance. Combat Services were units from the Corps of medicine, general services, ordnance, pioneers, logistics and other more specialized functions. For example, I Canadian Corps consisted of 1 infantry division, 1 armour division, 1 armour brigade and Corps Troops (20 plus companies from the Corps of engineers, signals, medicine, military police, etc...)

Military formations within the British Empire were composed of a changing mix of units from across Britain, its colonies and the dominions. As a result, military formations within the Empire and Commonwealth are not easily attributable to specific Imperial or national entities and naming conventions do not necessarily correlate with modern country names.

British Army[]

Field Corps
Combat Arms
Combat Support Arms
Combat Services
Other

Imperial and Dominion[]

Australian Army[]

Field Corps
Combat Arms
Combat Support Arms
Combat Services
Other

Canadian Army[]

Field Corps
Combat Arms
Combat Support Arms
Combat Services
Other

Army of India[]

Field Corps
Combat Arms
Combat Support Arms
Combat Services

New Zealand Military Forces[]

Field Corps
Combat Arms
Combat Support Arms[4]
Combat Services[5]

South African Army[]

Field Corps
Combat Arms
Combat Support Arms
Combat Services

Colonies and Protectorates[]

Field Corps (not all standard corps size)
Combat Support Arms
Combat Services [6][7]

See also[]

  • List of British Empire divisions in the Second World War
  • Military history of the British Commonwealth in the Second World War

References[]

  1. ^ Ewer, Peter (2008). Forgotten Anzacs: The Campaign in Greece, 1941, Scribe Publications Pty Ltd, ISBN 1921215291.
  2. ^ Ewer, Peter (2008). Forgotten Anzacs: The Campaign in Greece, 1941, Scribe Publications Pty Ltd, ISBN 1921215291.
  3. ^ Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment History
  4. ^ An authoritative source for New Zealand administrative corps from 1911-1991 is Malcolm Thomas and Cliff Lord, Parts One/Two "New Zealand Army Distinguishing Patches 1911-1991," ISBN 0-473-03288-0.
  5. ^ An authoritative source for New Zealand administrative corps from 1911-1991 is Malcolm Thomas and Cliff Lord, Parts One/Two "New Zealand Army Distinguishing Patches 1911-1991," ISBN 0-473-03288-0.
  6. ^ Africa and the Second World War, editors David Killingray, Richard Rathbone, Macmillan, 1986
  7. ^ War and Empire in Mauritius and the Indian Ocean, A. Jackson, Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2001
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