Third Army (United Kingdom)
Third Army | |
---|---|
![]() 3rd Army formation badge. | |
Active | 1915–1919 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Field army |
Engagements | Battle of the Somme Battle of Arras Battle of Cambrai Battle of Passchendaele Battle of Amiens Hundred Days Offensive |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Edmund Allenby Sir Julian Byng |
The Third Army was a field army of the British Army during World War I that saw active service on the Western Front throughout the war.
First World War[]
The Third Army was part of the British Army during World War I and was formed in France on 13 July 1915, under the command of Lieutenant-General Charles Monro.[1]
During August 1915 the Third Army took over trench line south of the French Tenth Army, which had to keep in position for the forthcoming autumn offensive. This made the Third Army geographically separate from the other British Armies for the time being.[2] This remained the case until early 1916, when the French Tenth Army was redeployed because of French losses at Verdun and the British Fourth Army was formed.
The battles it took part in on the Western Front included:
- Battle of the Somme
- Battle of Cambrai
- Second Battle of Arras (April 1917)
- Battle of Passchendaele[3]
- Battle of Amiens (August 1918)
- Hundred Days Offensive
Order of Battle[]
Third Army Order of Battle, August 1918.[4]
- IV Corps
- V Corps
- VI Corps
- Guards Division
- 2nd Division
- 3rd Division
- 59th (2nd North Midland) Division
- XVII Corps
Commanders[]
- General Charles Monro (July 1915 – September 1915)
- General Edmund Allenby (23 October 1915 – 9 June 1917)
- General Sir Julian Byng (9 June 1917 – 22 March 1919)
Notes and references[]
- Notes
- ^ "The British Armies of 1914-1918 - The Long, Long Trail". Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ Holmes 2004, p294
- ^ Burton, Pierre, Marching as to war, 2001, Toronto
- ^ Harper, Glyn, 1958- (2007). Dark journey. Auckland [N.Z.]: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 525. ISBN 9781869505790. OCLC 174060842.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Bibliography
- Holmes, Richard (2004). The Little Field Marshal: A Life of Sir John French. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-84614-0.
- Field armies of the United Kingdom
- Field armies of the United Kingdom in World War I
- United Kingdom military unit and formation stubs