List of British corps in World War II facts for kids

During World War II, the British Army used large groups of soldiers called corps. A corps was like a big team that controlled several smaller groups called divisions. It also had its own artillery (big guns), engineers (who built things), and logistics (who handled supplies). These extra units helped support the divisions when they were fighting. A corps was usually part of an even bigger group, like an army or an army group.

During the war, the British Army had 16 real corps that fought in battles. They also had three special corps that managed anti-aircraft guns, which protected the UK from enemy planes. On top of that, there were 11 "fake" corps created to trick the enemy. In total, 27 corps (real or fake) were active at different times during the war.

When the war started in 1939, the British Army only had one corps, called I Corps. Soon, two more were formed to help the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France. Six more corps were created in the UK in 1940, and two more later, including the I Airborne Corps in 1943. XIII Corps was the first British corps formed outside the UK in 1941. Corps were usually led by a lieutenant-general.

The size of a corps could change a lot depending on its mission. For example, the Western Desert Force started small but grew to 36,000 soldiers with two divisions. During Operation Epsom in June 1944, VIII Corps had 57,000 soldiers, including two infantry divisions and two armoured brigades. For Operation Goodwood a month later, it had three armoured divisions and 62,000 soldiers. British corps often included troops from other countries too. Before the Second Battle of El Alamein, the Eighth Army had three corps with soldiers from Britain, France, Australia, India, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Unlike the fighting corps, the three anti-aircraft corps stayed in one place to defend the UK from air attacks. Each covered a different part of the country. I Anti-Aircraft Corps covered southern England, II Anti-Aircraft Corps covered the Midlands, and III Anti-Aircraft Corps covered the north. I Anti-Aircraft Corps got more resources because it protected important areas that the German air force (Luftwaffe) often attacked. In October 1942, all three anti-aircraft corps were disbanded. Their job was taken over by seven new "groups" to make air defence easier to manage and more flexible.

British Army Corps in World War II

Corps

Name	Formed	Disbanded	Insignia	Main Locations	Key Campaigns	Notes	Ref
I Corps	1902	Jul 1945		UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany	Battle of France, Normandy, Advance to Rhine, Germany Invasion	This was the only permanent British corps when the war started. It fought with the BEF and later with the Second Army. After the war, it became a district for the British government in Germany.
I Airborne Corps	Dec 1943	Oct 1945		UK, Netherlands, Germany, British India	Operation Market Garden	Formed to command all British airborne troops. Its first battle was Operation Market Garden. After the war in Europe, it moved to India for planned attacks on Singapore and Thailand, but the war ended before they happened.
I Anti-Aircraft Corps	Jun 1938	Oct 1942		UK	Battle of Britain, The Blitz, Baedeker Blitz	This corps controlled anti-aircraft defences for southern England and Wales. It was the largest of the three anti-aircraft corps. It was disbanded when air defences were reorganized.
II Corps	Sep 1939	Mar 1944		UK, France, Belgium	Battle of France	Fought with the BEF in France and then defended the UK. It was later used as a "fake" corps for deception operations like Operation Fortitude.
II Anti-Aircraft Corps	Apr 1939	Oct 1942		UK	Battle of Britain, The Blitz, Baedeker Blitz	This corps managed anti-aircraft defences for the Midlands and parts of northern England. It was disbanded during the reorganization of air defences.
III Corps	Oct 1939	End of the war		UK, France, Belgium, Egypt, Syria, Italy, Greece	Battle of France, Greek Civil War	Fought in France with the BEF. It was later reformed in the Middle East, fought in Italy, and then went to Greece. It stayed in Greece until the end of the war.
III Anti-Aircraft Corps	Apr 1939	Oct 1942		UK	Battle of Britain, The Blitz, Baedeker Blitz	This corps controlled anti-aircraft defences for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England. It was disbanded when air defences were reorganized.
IV Corps	Feb 1940	End of the war		UK, Norway, British India, Burma	Norwegian campaign, Burma campaign	Formed to reinforce the BEF, it temporarily served in Norway. It then defended the UK before going to British India and fighting in Burma.
V Corps	Jun 1940	End of the War		UK, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy	Tunisian campaign, Italian campaign	Defended the UK, then joined the First Army in North Africa. It later fought with the Eighth Army in Sicily and Italy.
VI Corps	Jun 1940	Jul 1940	N/A	UK	N/A	Formed in Northern Ireland to command all troops there. It quickly became the "British Troops in Ireland" headquarters.
VII Corps	Jul 1940	Dec 1940	A scarlet horizontal diamond	UK	N/A	Formed with British and Canadian forces. It was later renamed the Canadian Corps. It was also briefly revived as a "fake" corps for deception.
VIII Corps	Jul 1940	Jul 1945		UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany	Normandy, Advance to Rhine, Germany Invasion	Defended the UK until 1944, then fought in the liberation of Western Europe. After the war, it became an administrative district in Germany.
IX Corps	Jun 1941	May 1943		UK, Algeria, Tunisia	Tunisian campaign	Defended the UK, then deployed to North Africa. Its insignia was a "Kilkenny cat." It was disbanded after fighting in North Africa.
X Corps	Jun 1940	Jul 1945		UK, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Italy, Greece	North African campaign, Italian campaign, Greek Civil War	Formed for UK defence, then moved to Egypt in 1942. It fought across North Africa, Italy, and Greece. It was disbanded in the Mediterranean in 1945.
XI Corps	Jun 1940	May 1943		UK	N/A	Formed for home defence duties in the UK. Its insignia showed a fortified tower, representing the many defensive points it helped build.
XII Corps	Jun 1940	Jun 1945		UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany	Normandy, Advance to Rhine, Germany Invasion	Initially defended the UK, then joined the 21st Army Group. It fought in northwest Europe and ended the war in Hamburg, Germany.
XIII Corps	Jan 1941	1946		Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Italy, Austria	Western Desert campaign, Tunisian campaign, Italian campaign	Formed from the Western Desert Force. It fought across North Africa and Italy. After the war, it became a headquarters in Trieste, Italy.
XIV Corps	Dec 1943	End of the war	A black wolf head on a white field	Algeria, Tunisia, Italy (notional)	N/A	This was a "fake" corps used to trick the enemy in the Mediterranean area.
XVI Corps	Nov 1943	Unknown	Phoenix bearing a torch, emerging from red flames on a white field	Egypt (notional)	N/A	A "fake" corps created to make the enemy think an invasion of German-held Greek areas was planned.
XVII Corps	Nov 1944	Nov 1944	N/A	UK (notional)	N/A	Another "fake" corps used to threaten an invasion of German-held Greek territories.
XVIII Corps	Jun 1941	Jun 1941	Unknown	Cyprus (notional)	N/A	A "fake" corps used to trick the enemy about British strength in Cyprus. It was renamed XXV Corps.
XIX Airborne Corps	Oct 1944	Dec 1944		UK (notional)	N/A	A "fake" airborne corps created to make the First Allied Airborne Army seem larger.
XXI Corps	1943	1943	N/A	UK (notional)	N/A	A "fake" corps used as part of a deception plan called Operation Tindall.
XXV Corps	Jun 1941	Unknown	A red lion passant gardant on a yellow field	Cyprus (notional)	N/A	A "fake" corps used to trick the enemy about British strength in Cyprus.
XXVI Airborne Corps	Nov 1944	End of the war	A depiction of the god Mercury	British India (notional)	N/A	A "fake" corps created to trick Japan about British strength in the region and threaten Thailand.
XXX Corps	Oct 1941	Jul 1945		Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany	Western Desert campaign, Tunisian campaign, Normandy, Advance to Rhine, Germany Invasion	Formed in Egypt, it fought across North Africa. It moved to the UK in 1944, then fought in northwest Europe. After the war, it became an administrative district in Germany.
Western Desert Force	Jun 1940	Oct 1941	N/A	Egypt, Libya	Western Desert campaign	This force was formed by renaming the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division. It controlled all British forces in Egypt. It was renamed XIII Corps twice.