XX Corps (United Kingdom)
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| XX Corps | |
|---|---|
 XX Corps formation badge. | |
| Active | World War I |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Field corps |
| Part of | Egyptian Expeditionary Force |
| Engagements | World War I |
The XX Corps was an army corps of the British Army during World War I.
First World War
[edit]The Corps was formed in Palestine in June 1917 under Lieutenant General Philip Chetwode.[1] Following the British failure in the Second Battle of Gaza, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force underwent a major rearrangement with the appointment of General Edmund Allenby as the new Commander-in-Chief. The infantry component of the force was divided into two corps; XX Corps and XXI Corps.
The corps initially comprised four infantry divisions:[2]
The XX Corps first saw action in the Beersheba phase of the Third Battle of Gaza on 31 October 1917.[2] The 60th and 74th Divisions captured Turkish outposts west of the town but were not involved in the final assault. Following Beersheba on 6 November, the corps made a frontal assault against the Turkish fortifications in the vicinity of Sheria where the 10th, 60th and 74th Divisions succeeded in breaking through. The 10th Division captured the Hareira Redoubt on 7 November[3] and the 60th Division advanced on Huj in support of the Australian Mounted Division's effort to cut off the retreating Turkish army.[4]
During the Battle of Megiddo the formation was:[5]
- Corps Troops
- 10th (Irish) Division
- 53rd (Welsh) Division
General officers commanding
[edit]Commanders included:
- 2 August – 20 August 1917 Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Chetwode[6]
- 20 August – 31 August 1917 Major-General John Shea (acting)
- 31 August 1917 – November 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Chetwode
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "The British Corps of 1914-1918". Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ a b Grainger (2006), pp. 239–240
- ^ "Australian Light Horse Studies Centre". Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ "Affair of Huj, 8 November 1917". Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ Perrett, Bryan (1999). Megiddo 1918: the last great cavalry victory. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-827-5.
- ^ "King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : Military Archives". Retrieved 6 May 2016.
Bibliography
[edit]- Doughty, Robert A. (2005). Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operation in the Great War. Cambridge, MA=London: Belknap Press.
- Grainger, John D (2006). The Battle for Palestine, 1917. Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
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