| XX Corps | |
|---|---|
| Active | World War I |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Field corps |
| Part of | Egyptian Expeditionary Force |
| Engagements | |
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:
- June 1917 - November 1918 Lieutenant General Philip Chetwode[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ The British Corps of 1914-1918
- ^ a b Grainger (2006), pp.239–240
- ^ The Battle of Sheria, Palestine, 7 November 1917
- ^ Affair of Huj, 8 November 1917
- ^ Perrett, Bryan (1999). Megiddo 1918: the last great cavalry victory. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-827-5.
- ^ Liddell Hart Centre for Military archives
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.