Military unit
VIII Corps was a British Army corps formation that existed during the First World War and the Second World War. During the Second World War it landed in Normandy, in 1944, and conducted 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 World War I
In 1876 a Mobilisation Scheme was published for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland, including eight army corps of the 'Active Army'. The '8th Corps' was to be headquartered at Edinburgh. This scheme had been dropped by 1881.[2]
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.[3] When Hunter-Weston relinquished command due to illness, the corps was commanded 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. The Corps engineers consisted of:
- 29th Division: 1/2nd London, 1/1st West Riding, 2/2nd Lowland Field Companies
- Royal Naval Division: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Field Companies
- 42nd Division: 1st (later 427th), 2nd (later 428th) East Lancashire Field Companies
- 52nd (Lowland) Division: 2/1st, 1/2nd Lowland Field Companies
- Corps Troops: 13th Base Park Company, 254th Tunnelling Company and a Postal unit
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 WWII.
Order of Battle Autumn 1940[4]
North West Europe
VIII Corps fought on the western front in 1944 and 1945 as part of Second Army.
From January 21 to November 27 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, capturing the Dutch towns of Deurne and Helmond, and took part in the advance on Venraij and Venlo ( Operation Constellation ) beginning on October 12 1944. VIII Corps later crossed the Elbe, occupied Plön in Schleswig-Holstein and took part in Operation Plunder.
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[18]:
- 4th Armoured Brigade
- Jewish Infantry Brigade
- 7th Armoured Division
- 22nd Armoured Brigade
- 131st Infantry Brigade (detached to Berlin)
- 13th Infantry Brigade (attached from 5th Division)
- 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division
United Kingdom
British Army