Eighth Army (United Kingdon)

The Eighth Army was a field army of the British Army during the Second World War, created to better control the growing Allied forces based in Egypt and to direct their efforts to lift the siege of Tobruk via Operation Crusader..

Initially formed as the Western Army on 10 September 1941, in Egypt,
Renamed the Army of the Nile,
Finally the Eighth Army on 26 September.
Directed Allied forces through the remaining engagements of the Western Desert campaign
Oversaw part of the Allied effort during the Tunisian campaign
Finally led troops throughout the Italian campaign.

Made up part of the 18th Army Group during 1943
Assigned to the 15th Army Group (later, the Allied Armies in Italy).

It was a multi-national force. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, the Free French Forces, Greece, New Zealand, Poland, Rhodesia, South Africa, Mauritius, as well as the United Kingdom. Significant formations that the army controlled included the British V, X, XIII, and XXX Corps, as well as the I Canadian Corps and the II Polish Corps.

The 7th Armoured Division, which formed part of the army, was nicknamed the Desert Rats after their choice of mascot and insignia. George Forty, a historian who has written about the division, commented that the fame of the 7th Armoured Division subsequently resulted in its nickname being "loosely attached to any member of the forces who served in the Western Desert."

Participants

p.s.c. People with significant control

Bold links are to Geni profiles.

General officers commanding

• 24 September 1941 Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham took command on 24th Sept 1941
• 26 November 1941 General Sir Neil Methuen Ritchie, GBE, KCB, DSO, MC, KStJ (29 July 1897 – 11 December 1983) was a British Army officer who saw service during both the world wars. He is most notable during the Second World War for commanding the British Eighth Army in the North African campaign from November 1941
• 25 June 1942 Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE (21 June 1884 – 23 March 1981)
• 15 August 1942 Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC, DL (17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty"
• 30 December 1943 Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, 3rd Baronet, KCB, CBE, DSO (27 October 1894 – 22 January 1978)
• 1 October 1944 General Sir Richard Loudon McCreery, GCB, KBE, DSO, MC (1 February 1898 – 18 October 1967)
• General Sir James Stuart Steele GCB, KBE, DSO, MC (26 October 1894 – 24 July 1975)
• Sir Alexander Galloway, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C. (3 Nov 1895 - 28 Jan 1977)
• Major General Thomas John Willoughby Winterton, C.B., C.B.E. (13 April 1898 - 14 Dec 1987]

Commander-in-Chief, British Troops in Austria

• Major General Robert Elliott Urquart, CB. DSO

Brigadier General Staff – (B.G.S.)

• 10 September 1941 – 26 November 1941 Sir Alexander Galloway, (Temporary) C.B.E., M.C., p.s.c.
• 13 December 1941 – 27 March 1942 (Temporary) Sir Harold Redman, p.s.c. Born Peshawar, Chitral, India
• 28 March 1942 – 16 August 1942 Brigadier (Temporary) John Francis Martin Whiteley, C.B.E., M.C., i.d.c., p.s.c.
• 27 July 1942 – 19 April 1943 Brigadier (Temporary) Francis Wilfred De Guingard, O.B.E., W. Yorks R., p.s.c.
• 1 May 1943 – 23 August 1943 (Officiating) Brigadier (Acting) General Sir Charles Leslie Richardson, O.B.E., R.E., p.s.c.
• 24 August 1943 – 30 November 1943 Brigadier (Temporary) Francis Wilfred De Guingard D.S.O., O.B.E., W. Yorks R., p.s.c.

Major General, General Staff

• 1 December 1943 – 14 January 19447 Major General (Acting) Francis Wilfred De Guingard, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., W. Yorks R., p.s.c.
• 29 December 1943 – 18 December 1944 Major General (Acting) George Peregrine Walsh, C.B.E., D.S.O., p.s.c.
• 18 December 1944 – 1945 Major General Sir Henry Robert Kincaid Floyd, C.B.E., Baronet Brigadier General Staff (Operations and Plans)
• 1 May 1943 – 24 August 1943 Brigadier (Acting) General Sir Charles Leslie Richardson, O.B.E., R.E., p.s.c.
• 25 August 1943 – 9 January 1944 Brigadier (Acting) Ronald Frederick King (David) Belchem, D.S.O., O.B.E., R.T.R.
• 9 January 1944 – 29 March 1944 Brigadier (Acting) Gerald William DUKE, O.B.E., B.A., p.s.c.
• 18 March 1944 – 15 September 1944 Brigadier (Temporary) William Henry STRATTON, C.B.E., R.E., p.s.c.
• 28 July 1944 – 6 September 1945 Brigadier (Acting) George Arthur THOMAS, O.B.E., R.A., y.
• June 1945 – 1947 Brigadier (Temporary) Reginald Hackett HEWETSON, C.B.E., D.S.O., p.s.c.

Major General in charge of Administration

5 February 1943 – 20 February 1943 Major General (Acting) Charles Harvey MILLER, C.B., C.B.E., p.s.c.

Deputy Adjutant and Quarter-Master-General – (D.A. & Q.M.G.)
10 September 1941 – 27 June 1942 Brigadier (Temporary) Charles Harvey Miller, C.B.E., p.s.c.

28 June 1942 – 27 January 1943 Brigadier (Acting) Brian Herbert ROBERTSON, Bt., p.s.c.

28 February 1943 – 14 January 1944 Brigadier (Acting) Miles William Arthur Peel GRAHAM, O.B.E., Life Guards (Reserve of Officers)

9 January 1944 – 2 December 1944 Brigadier Edric Montague Bastyn, C.B.E.

18 December 1944 – 1945 Brigadier (Temporary) Gerrard Francis Hood STAYNER, C.B.E., Leicesters, p.s.c. Brigadier, Royal Armoured Corps

23 July 1943 – 14 January 1944 Brigadier (Temporary) George Warren Richards D.S.O., M.C., R.T.R., p.s.c.

1944 – 1945 Brigadier (Temporary) Thomas IVOR-MOORE, Brigadier Royal Artillery – (B.R.A.)

10 September 1941 – 3 July 1942 Brigadier (Temporary) Edgar Julius MEDLEY, D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C., p.s.c.

10th September 1941 – 5th September 1942 (Relieved by MONTGOMERY) Brigadier (Temporary) George Noel Chadwick MARTIN, D.S.O., M.C., p.s.c.

6 September 1942 – 8 February 1943 Brigadier (Temporary) Sidney Chevalier Kirkman O.B.E., M.C., p.s.c.

15 February 1943 – 31 May 1944 Brigadier (Temporary) Alan Hugh HORNBY, C.B.E., M.C., p.s.c.

1 June 1944 – 25 November 1945 Brigadier (Temporary) Francis Stanley SIGGERS, M.C., p.s.c.

Brigadier Anti-Aircraft – (B.A.A.)

16 September 1941 – 14 March 1942 Brigadier (Temporary) John Nuttall SLATER, M.C., g8

15 March 1942 – 14 March 1943 Brigadier (Temporary) Edmund George CAMPBELL, R.A., p.s.c.

Chief Engineer – (C. Eng)

10 September 1941 – 7 April 1943 (Killed in Action) Brigadier (Temporary) Frederick Hermann KISCH, C.B.E., D.S.O., Reserve of Officers

8 April 1943 – 1 November 1944 Brigadier (Temporary) Kenneth RAY, D.S.O.*, South African Engineer Corps Awarded the C.B.E. on 24 August 1944, and the C.B. on 19 October 1944.

2 November 1944 – 19 March 1945 20 March 1945 – 20 November 1946 Brigadier (Temporary) Basil Charles DAVEY, C.B.E., R.E. Promoted Colonel on 4 December 1945.

Chief Signal Officer – (C.S.O.)

September 1941 – January 1944 Brigadier Cecil Meadows Frith WHITE, O.B.E., D.S.O.Awarded the C.B.E. in 1943.

1944 – 1944 Brigadier STRAIGHT

November 1944 – 31 May 1945 Brigadier (Temporary) William Arthur SCOTT, C.B.E., R Signals.

Deputy Director of Supplies and Transport – (D.D.S.T.)

25 September 1941 – 30 November 1941 Brigadier (Acting) Wilfred d’Auvergne COLLINGS, R.A.S.C.

2 December 1941 – Brigadier (Acting) Frederick Sherwood CLOVER, A.M.I.Mech.E.

18 December 1942 – 11 October 1943 ?

12 October 1943 – 29th May 1944 Brigadier (Temporary) Hugh Ainsworth KELSALL, O.B.E., M.C., R.A.S.C.

7th March 1944 – November 1944 Brigadier (Acting) Horace James GILMAN, D.S.O., O.B.E., R.A.S.C.

November 1944 – 31 May 1945 Brigadier (Temporary) Sydney Thomas DIVERS, C.B.E., D.S.O., T.D., R.A.S.C. (T.A.)

Deputy Director of Medical Services – (D.D.M.S.)

10 September 1941 (24 February 1941) – 22 February 1943 Brigadier (Acting) Joseph WALKER, M.C., M.B.

1943 – January 1944 Brigadier (Temporary) Edward PHILLIPS, D.S.O., M.C., M.B.

January 1944 – 7th May 1944 Brigadier (Temporary) John Cecil Alexander DOWSE, M.C., M.B.

1944 Brigadier Stanley ARNOTT, D.S.O.

Deputy Director of Ordnance Services – (D.D.O.S.)

1941 – 1942 Brigadier (Acting) Harold Francis Sylvester KING, M.B.E., R.A.O.C.

11 December 1942 – 1 May 1943 Brigadier (Acting) George Arthur VINER, O.B.E., R.A.O.C.,

2 May 1943 – 9 August 1944 Brigadier (Acting) Cecil Hebert COOPER, O.B.E., R.A.O.C.

Deputy Director of Mechanical Engineering – (D.D.M.E.)

16 October 1942 – 15 April 1943 Brigadier (Acting) Leonard Hamilton HOWARD-JONES, O.B.E., B.Sc. (Eng), A.M.I.Mech.E., R.E.M.E.

1943 – 1943 Brigadier (Temporary) Edward Roy CAFFYN, O.B.E.

26 May 1943 – 19 February 1945 Brigadier (Acting) Gerald Richard TAYLOR, O.B.E., M.I.Mech.E., R.E.M.E.

20 February 1945 – 1945 Brigadier (Acting) Geoffrey Howard HUNTER-BROWN, M.A., A.M.Inst.C.E., R.E.M.E.

Deputy Provost Marshal – (D.P.M.) 25 September 1941 – 29 September 1942 Lieutenant Colonel (Acting) Alexander Ronald FORBES, K.O.Y.L.I.

Order of Battle

See http://www.warlinks.com/pages/8thdeeds.php for full details

• Crusader
• Gazala
• Alam el Halfa
• Second Battle of El Alamein
• Mareth Line
• Wadi Akarit
• Invasion of Sicily
• Invasion of Italy
• Second Battle of Monte Cassino
• Diadem
• Moro River Campaign
• Gothic Line
• 1945 Spring offensive

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Army_(United_Kingdom)

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