The Tenth Army was a

field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

of the British Army during the Second World War created in Iraq and formed from the major part of " Paiforce" ( Persia and Iraq Force). It was active in 1942 and 1943, and then disbanded. In April 1941, British and Indian troops had been deployed to Iraq from India under the command of

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir Edward P. Quinan to protect British interests, in particular oil concessions, after a coup d'etat had brought to power a government sympathetic to the Axis powers. The force was known as

Iraqforce Iraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II. Background During World War I, the British Army defeated the Ottoman Army in the Middle Eas ...

and was engaged in the Anglo-Iraqi War which took place in April and May Iraqi rebellion and took part in the defeat of the Vichy forces in the subsequent Syria-Lebanon campaign. Later in 1941, the force took part in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran to prevent the Axis elements from entering Persia, and preventing the possibility of the Germans gaining control of the Iraqi and Persian

oil field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...

s. Following this Iraqforce was renamed Paiforce (Persia and Iraq force). After the campaigns of 1941, Quinan's headquarters was redesignated Tenth Army and its main task was the maintenance of the lines of communication to the Soviet Union from the Persian Gulf to the

Caspian Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea *Caspian languages, collection of languages and dialects of Caspian peopl ...

and the protection of the South Persian and Iraqi oilfields. Its badge was a golden Assyrian Ox with human head and eagle's wings (a Cherub Guardian). A variation of colouring of this badge was a white Ox on a pale blue background. Quinan was knighted in June 1942 and in August 1942, he was promoted to be a full general. Tenth Army was initially part of

Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

but became part of Persia and Iraq Command when it was activated in September 1942.

Order of Battle 1942

* Tenth Army commanded by

Sir Edward Quinan ***

31st Indian Armoured Division The 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, originally as the 1st Indian Armoured Division; it consisted of units of the British Army and the British Indian Army. When it was ...

- Major-General Robert Wordsworth ****

3rd Indian Motor Brigade The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade was formed in 1940 by the Indian Army during World War II. In 1941, the brigade was surrounded at Mechili by Axis forces during Operation Sonnenblume and suffered many casualties breaking out of the encirclement. On ...

- Brigadier A.A.E. Filoze ****

252nd Indian Armoured Brigade The 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade was an armoured formation of the Indian Army. It was formed from the 3rd (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade when it was dispersed and reformed as the 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade in 1940, from July 1941 as 2nd Independent A ...

- Brigadier G. Carr-White ** British III Corps,

Sir

Desmond Anderson Lieutenant-General Sir Desmond Francis Anderson (5 July 1885 – 29 January 1967) was a senior British Army officer in both the First and the Second World Wars. Early life and First World War Anderson was born in Dunham Massey and attended Rug ...

*** 5th Infantry Division, Major-General Horatio Berney-Ficklin **** 13th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier V.C. Russell **** 15th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier H.R.N. Greenfield **** 17th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier G.W.B. Tarleton **** 5th Reconnaissance Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps **

Indian XXI Corps The Indian XXI Corps was an Army Corps of the Indian Army during the Second World War. It served in the Tenth Army in 1942. Formation Lieutenant-General Mosley Mayne General Sir Ashton Gerard Oswald Mosley Mayne GCB CBE DSO (24 April 1889 � ...

, Lieutenant-General Sir Mosley Mayne ***

8th Indian Infantry Division The 8th Mountain Division was raised as the 8th Indian Infantry division of the British Indian Army. It is now part of the Indian Army and specialises in mountain warfare. The 8th Indian Infantry Division was formed as an infantry division in ...

, Major-General Charles Harvey ****

17th Indian Infantry Brigade The 17th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. History It was formed in November 1940, at the Delhi Cantonment in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. They were se ...

- Brigadier F.A.M.B. Jenkins ****

19th Indian Infantry Brigade The 19th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October, 1940 at Old Delhi in British Raj, India and assigned to the 8th Infantry Division (India), 8th Indian Infantry Di ...

- Brigadier C.W.W. Ford ***

10th Indian Infantry Division The 10th Indian Infantry Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the ...

- Major-General Alan Blaxland ****

20th Indian Infantry Brigade The 20th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. History The brigade was formed in September 1940, by the conversion of the Khojak Brigade and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry Divis ...

- Brigadier L.E. MacGregor ****

25th Indian Infantry Brigade The 25th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in February, 1941 at Ahmednagar in India and assigned to the 10th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade was attached to the 8 ...

- Brigadier A.E. Arderne ***

6th Indian Infantry Division The 6th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II, created on 1 March 1941 in Secunderabad. On 11 September 1941 it was shipped to the Iraq and later Iran. During 1942 and 1943 it was part of the Tenth Ar ...

- Major-General J.N. Thomson ****

27th Indian Infantry Brigade The 27th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in March 1941, at Secundarabad in India and assigned to the 6th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade was used as Line of Com ...

- Brigadier A.R. Barker ****

6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers The 6th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. Previously, it was known as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse), and was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by amalgamati ...

***

10th Indian Motor Brigade The 10th Indian Motor Brigade was a formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in Egypt in March 1942. The brigade left Egypt for Persia in September 1942 and was converted to the 60th Indian Infantry Brigade in July 1943. ...

- Brigadier Harold Redman ***

56th (London) Infantry Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. ...

, Major-General Eric Miles **** 167th (London) Infantry Brigade - Brigadier J.C.A. Birch **** 168th (London) Infantry Brigade - Brigadier K.C. Davidson **** 169th (London) Infantry Brigade - Brigadier L.O. Lyne

References

{{British armies, commands, and corps during the Second World War Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943 10 10 Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II