XIV Corps was a British infantry corps during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the identity was recreated for deceptive purposes.
First World War
XIV Corps was formed in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
on 3 January 1916 under Lieutenant-General the
Earl of Cavan
Earl of Cavan is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1647 for Charles Lambart, 2nd Baron Lambart. He was made Viscount Kilcoursie, in the King's County, at the same time, also in the Peerage of Ireland. Lord Cavan was the son o ...
.
[ It took part in the ]Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
in 1916; a year later it fought through the Battle of Passchendaele
The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...
before being redeployed to Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in November 1917.[
]
Subordinate units
1918 (Italy)
* Corps headquarters & supporting troops.
* British 7th Infantry Division
* British 23rd Infantry Division
* British 48th Infantry Division
General Officers Commanding
Commanders included:
* 11 January – 11 August 1916: Lieutenant-General the Earl of Cavan
Earl of Cavan is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1647 for Charles Lambart, 2nd Baron Lambart. He was made Viscount Kilcoursie, in the King's County, at the same time, also in the Peerage of Ireland. Lord Cavan was the son o ...
[Heathcote, Anthony pg 198]
* 11 August – 17 August 1916: Lieutenant-General Edward Fanshawe
Admiral Sir Edward Gennys Fanshawe, (27 November 1814 – 21 October 1906) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth. He was a gifted amateur artist, with much of his work in the National Maritime Museum, London.
...
(temporary)
* 17 August – 10 September 1916: Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Morland (temporary)
* 10 September 1916 – 10 March 1918: Lieutenant-General the Earl of Cavan
* 15 October 1918 – 1919 Lieutenant-General Sir James Babington
Second World War
In the Second World War, the XIV corps was notionally reformed in North Africa in late 1943 as part the cover plan for the Anzio landings. Initially assigned to the British Twelfth Army
The Twelfth Army was a British Army formation during the Second World War. The Twelfth Army denotation was actually used twice; firstly, in 1943, for a fictional formation and secondly, in 1945, in Burma.
The Twelfth Army moniker was originally u ...
, the corps was later depicted as being under the command of the United States Seventh Army
The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Fra ...
and finally under the 15th Army Group
The 15th Army Group was an Army Group in World War II, composed of the British Eighth and the U.S. Fifth Armies, which apart from troops from the British Empire and U.S.A., also had whole units from other allied countries/regions; like two of t ...
as the theater reserve for the Italian campaign[Holt, Thaddeus. pg 914 & 915]
Insignia
The corps insignia in World War II was that of a black wolf's head, with a lolling red tongue superimposed on a white square.
Subordinate units
As with its original parent formation the "Twelfth Army", the units notionally under command of the "XIV Corps" varied depending on the nature of the threat being depicted.
1943 (Operation Oakfield)
* Corps headquarters & supporting troops.
1944 (Operation Zeppelin)
* Corps headquarters & supporting troops.
1945 (15th Army Group reserve)
* Corps headquarters & supporting troops.
References
Bibliography
*
* Heathcote, T.A. (1999). ''The British Field Marshals 1736–1997''. Pen & Sword Books Ltd.
* Holt, T (2005). ''The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War''. Phoenix.
{{DEFAULTSORT:14 Corps
British field corps
Corps of the British Army in World War I
Italian front (World War I)
Fictional units of World War II