XIV Corps (United Kingdom)

XIV Corps was a British infantry corps during the First World War. During the Second World War the identity was recreated for deceptive purposes.

This article is about the United Kingdom Army unit. For other units of the same name, see XIV Corps. For the British military unit that operated in Southeast Asia during WWII, see Fourteenth Army (United Kingdom).

XIV Corps
XIV Corps formation badge.
Active	1916–18
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Field corps
Part of	Fourth Army
Engagements	First World War[1] Battle of the Somme 1916 Battle of Delville Wood Battle of Guillemont Battle of Ginchy Battle of Flers-Courcelette Battle of Morval Battle of Le Transloy German retreat to the Hindenburg Line Battle of Passchendaele Italian Campaign

First World War

XIV Corps was formed in France on 3 January 1916 under Lieutenant-General the Earl of Cavan.[1] It took part in the Battle of the Somme in 1916; a year later it fought through the Battle of Passchendaele before being redeployed to Italy in November 1917.[1]

Subordinate units

1918 (Italy)

• Corps headquarters & supporting troops.
• British 7th Infantry Division
• British 23rd Infantry Division
• British 48th Infantry Division[2]

General Officers Commanding

Commanders included:

• January 1916 – March 1918 : Lieutenant General the Earl of Cavan[3]
• October 1918 – 1919 Lieutenant General James Babington[4]

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 corps was later depicted as being under the command of the United States Seventh Army and finally under the 15th Army Group as the theater reserve for the Italian campaign[5]

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.[5]
• British 40th Infantry Division (fictional)
• British 42nd Division (fictional)
• British 57th Infantry Division (fictional)

1944 (Operation Zeppelin)

• Corps headquarters & supporting troops.[5]
• British 5th Airborne Division (fictional)
• British 40th Infantry Division (fictional)
• British 42nd Division (fictional)
• British 57th Infantry Division (fictional)

1945 (15th Army Group reserve)

• Corps headquarters & supporting troops.[5]
• British 42nd Division (fictional)
• British 57th Infantry Division (fictional)

References

1. Baker, Chris. "The British Corps of 1914–1918". The Long, Long Trail: The British Army of 1914–1918. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
2. Williamson, Howard J. (2020). The award of the Military Medal for the campaign in Italy 1917-1918. privately published by Anne Williamson. ISBN 978-1-8739960-5-8. The book includes: – A detailed overview of the Italian Campaign and its battles. – Notes on the Divisions engaged in Italy.
3. Heathcote, Anthony pg 198
4. Simkins, Peter. "From Somme to Victory". The Long, Long Trail: The British Army of 1914–1918. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
5. Holt, Thaddeus. pg 914 & 915

Bibliography

• Heathcote, T.A. (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736–1997. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5
• Holt, T (2005). The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War. Phoenix. ISBN 0-7538-1917-1