List of British armies in World War II facts for kids

During World War II, the British Army formed many large groups of soldiers called "field armies." Think of a field army as a huge team of soldiers, much bigger than a single division or corps. These armies controlled many smaller military units, like army corps and divisions. They also had special teams for things like artillery, engineering, and supplies. These support teams helped the main fighting units.

Each army usually reported to an even bigger group, like an army group or a special command. Throughout the war, the British Army created eight real armies. They also tried to form a ninth, called the Second British Expeditionary Force. One regional command was even called an army for a short time. Because the Allied countries worked together, they also formed the First Allied Airborne Army. Plus, to trick the enemy, four "fake" armies were created! In total, 17 armies (real or fake) were part of the British military during the war, though not all at the same time.

The very first army-level group, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), was formed in September 1939. It was sent to France when the war began. Its commander, General John Vereker, was in charge of all British forces in France. He had a complex chain of command, reporting to both a French command and the main British headquarters in London. A simpler example was the Fourteenth Army, which only reported to the 11th Army Group. The last army formed during the war was the Twelfth Army, created in May 1945.

Within the British military, armies were usually led by lieutenant-generals. Sometimes, these commanders were promoted to full generals. There were a few exceptions, like General John Vereker and Henry Maitland Wilson, who were already full generals when they took command. General Claude Auchinleck was in charge of all forces in the Middle East when he decided to personally lead the Eighth Army.

The size and makeup of an army could change a lot. The BEF, in May 1940, had 13 divisions and about 394,000 men, all British. Other armies, like the Eighth Army, included soldiers from many countries. At the Second Battle of El Alamein, the Eighth Army had about 195,000 men from Australia, Britain, France, Greece, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. By 1945, the Eighth Army had grown to 632,980 men, including British, Indian, Italian, New Zealand, Polish, and Jewish troops. The Fourteenth Army, which fought in British India and Burma, was the largest British army of the war, with about one million soldiers from Britain, British India, and British African colonies.

British Armies in World War II

Armies

Formation name	Created	Ceased to exist	Insignia	Locations served	Notable campaigns
British Expeditionary Force	September 1939	May 1940	N/A	France, Belgium	Battle of Belgium, Battle of France, Dunkirk evacuation
Second British Expeditionary Force	June 1940	June 1940	N/A	France	Battle of France
First Allied Airborne Army	August 1944	May 1945		France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany	Operation Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge, Western Allied invasion of Germany
First Army	July 1942	May 1943		UK, Algeria, Tunisia	Invasion of French North Africa, Tunisian campaign
Second Army	June 1943	June 1945		UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany	Normandy campaign, Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine, Western Allied invasion of Germany
Fourth Army	Jun 1943 Mar 1944	Nov 1943 Feb 1945		UK (notionally)	N/A
Sixth Army	1943	1945	N/A	UK (notionally)	N/A
South-Eastern Army	December 1941	1942	N/A	UK	N/A
Eighth Army	September 1941	July 1945		Egypt, Italian Libya, Tunisia, Italy, Austria	Western Desert campaign, Tunisian campaign, Allied invasion of Sicily, Italian campaign
Ninth Army	December 1941	August 1945		Cyprus, Palestine, Transjordan	N/A
Tenth Army	February 1942	April 1943		Iran, Iraq	N/A
Twelfth Army	May 1943	May 1945	A seal balancing a globe on its nose, which showed the eastern hemisphere.	Egypt, British India (notionally)	N/A
Twelfth Army	May 1945	January 1946		Burma	Burma campaign
Fourteenth Army	November 1943	November 1945		British India, Burma	Burma campaign

British Expeditionary Force (BEF)

The BEF was sent to France when World War II started. The plan was to split it into two armies as more British soldiers arrived. However, this didn't happen before the battles in Belgium and France began in May 1940. The BEF had to retreat to the UK, and its headquarters was closed down.

Second British Expeditionary Force

After the first BEF left France in May–June 1940, many British soldiers were still there. The British government wanted to send more help to the French. They planned to create a Second British Expeditionary Force. This new force would include British and Canadian divisions, plus the soldiers already in France. The French also suggested creating a safe zone in Brittany for these troops. But the French army was falling apart, so the British pulled all their remaining forces out of France.

First Allied Airborne Army

The First Allied Airborne Army was formed on August 2, 1944. It was first called the Combined Airborne Force. On August 18, it was renamed the First Airborne Army. This army controlled airborne (paratrooper) groups from both America and Britain. These groups included American, British, and Polish paratroopers. Most of the army's leaders, including the main commander, were American. A British officer was the second-in-command. This army was involved in major operations like Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and Operation Varsity. The army was officially closed on May 20, 1945.

First Army

The First Army headquarters started in July 1941 as "Force 110." It later became the "Expeditionary Force" in March 1942, and then the First Army on July 10, 1942. This army was sent to fight in North Africa. It was closed down after the Tunisian Campaign ended. Its badge showed the UK's strength in a "crusade against evil."

Second Army

The Second Army led British and Canadian forces during the invasion of Normandy in France. After that, it moved east and entered Germany in the final part of the war in Europe. On June 24 and 25, 1945, after the war in Europe was over, the army was disbanded. Its units then became part of the military government in the British-controlled area of Germany.

Fourth Army

The Scottish Command created a fake army called the Fourth Army. This was done to trick the enemy. Its badge was like the Scottish Command's, but with a medieval-style number four. This fake army pretended to threaten a Allied invasion of German-occupied Norway in 1943 (called Operation Tindall). The Fourth Army was used again for the same trick in 1944 (Operation Fortitude North). Later in 1944, it was used to make the enemy think an attack on the Netherlands and Germany was coming. In early 1945, German spies were told that this army had been used to send soldiers to other fighting areas and was then combined with Northern Command.

Sixth Army

The Sixth Army was another fake army. It was created by Eastern Command to trick the enemy. It was meant to make the enemy think an attack on the coast of north-eastern Europe was possible. However, it wasn't actively used in any trick after 1943. German spies still believed it was a real British army until the end of the war.

South-Eastern Army

When Bernard Montgomery took charge of South-Eastern Command in December 1941, he renamed it the South-Eastern Army. But when the next commander took over, the name went back to its original title.

Eighth Army

First called the Western Army on September 10, 1941, it was renamed the Eighth Army 16 days later. The Imperial War Museum says its badge was based on a crusader shield. The first design might have had a red cross. While some versions of this red cross design exist, it's not known how widely they were used. Red was changed to yellow because people worried it might be confused with the Red Cross logo. This army fought throughout the North African Campaign, landed in Italy, and by the end of the war was in Austria. It was disbanded on July 29, 1945. Its soldiers then formed the command called British Troops Austria.

Ninth Army

The Ninth Army was created to control British-led forces in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Middle East. Its job was to stop any enemy advance through Turkey.

Tenth Army

The Tenth Army controlled soldiers in Iran and Iraq. It also kept the supply route from the Persian Gulf to the Soviet Union open. When Germany's 1942 attack (called Case Blue) reached the Caucasus region, British interests in the Middle East were at risk. The Tenth Army was there to stop any such advance. Its badge showed a lion in an Assyrian style.

Twelfth Army (Deception)

The Twelfth Army was a fake army created in 1943 to trick the enemy. It was used to pretend an attack on Crete and southern Greece was coming. This was to distract the enemy from Italy and the upcoming Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky). In 1944, the fake threat changed from Greece to the Italian Province of Pola. After that, it was supposedly moved to British India. There, it was used to threaten an Allied invasion of Sumatra in 1945. This trick ended when a real Twelfth Army was formed.

Twelfth Army (Burma)

A real Twelfth Army was formed to manage the final part of the Burma campaign in 1945. Its badge showed a Burmese dragon.

Fourteenth Army

The Fourteenth Army was formed from the British Indian Army's Eastern Army. It was the largest British field army during the war. The Imperial War Museum stated that "at one point it held the longest battle line, from the Bay of Bengal to the borders of India and China." It fought in India and Burma from 1943 until 1945. Then, it was pulled out and replaced by the Twelfth Army. The Fourteenth Army was supposed to make a combat landing to free British Malaya (Operation Zipper). But the war ended before this happened. It peacefully entered Malaya in September. The army was disbanded on November 1, 1945.