Fifth Army (United Kingdom)

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The Fifth Army ( German  5th Army ) was a field army of the British Army that fought in the First World War. The 5th Army was in October 1916 from the existing since May this year Reserve Army ( Reserve Army ) and was produced mostly at the Somme used.

history

Sir Hubert Gough, about 1905

1916

In May 1916, General Hubert Gough was given command of the newly formed reserve army , which took over part of the front in support of the 4th Army during the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 . On July 4th, the prepared reserve army took command of the section of the VIII. And X. Corps between Beaumont and Thiepval , with the command area of ​​the 3rd Army on the northern wing . The operational goal was to break through the opposing front in the direction of Bapaume . At the end of July, the 1st ANZAC Corps and the 2nd Corps of the 4th Army were temporarily assigned to the reserve army to support the attacks in the Pozieres area. Between September 26th and 28th the army carried out strong attacks at Thiepval, the attempts to break through were carried by the assigned Canadian Corps and the British II and V Corps.

renaming

On October 29, 1916, the reserve army was renamed the 5th Army and used in the final phase of the Battle of the Somme on the northern section. In the Battle of the Ancre (November 13-18), Army Commander General Gough prepared the major attack on the line east of Gommecourt , at Beaumont-Hamel and at Hébuterne . The English attacked the German group Fuchs with seven divisions between Hebuterne and Courcelette. The V. Corps (E. Fanshawe) led the main attack against the German defense north of the Ancre with the 3rd, 2nd and 51st Divisions; south of the river the II. Corps ( Claud Jacob ) had to attack with the 39th, 18th and 19th divisions over the already secured Swabian Redoute to St. Pierre Divion. The English attacking extensively managed to overrun the front of the German 12th Division at Beaumont-Hamel and the section of the 38th Division at St. Pierre. In two days of fighting, the British went beyond Beaucourt to close to Grandcourt and were able to bring in 5000 prisoners.

1917

In the spring of 1917, the 5th Army carried out support attacks during the Battle of Arras . The flank attack of the northern army's wing near Bullecourt, which was launched on April 10 and 11 in the south, failed. The attack of the V Corps with the 62nd Division and 4th Australian Division, accompanied by tanks, failed in front of the still undamaged barbed wire obstacles of the German 27th Division.

On July 31, 1917, the attack by the 5th Army initiated the Third Battle of Flanders . After days of artillery bombardment, the 5th Army began its attacks with 18 divisions, the French 1st Army (General Anthoine) supported in the north with three divisions in the Dixmuide area . General Gough deployed nine divisions for the main thrust between Boezinge and Zillebeke .

  • In the north attacked the XIV. (38th and Guards Division ) and XVIII. Corps (51st and 39th Divisions) of Generals Lord Cavan and Maxse against St. Julien.
  • In the middle the XIX. (55th and 15th Divisions) and II. Corps (8th, 18th and 24th Divisions) against Frezenberg and the plateau west of Gheluvelt .

The English 2nd Army under General Plumer followed the attack with two divisions of his northern group (X and IX Corps) in the direction of Zandvoorde.

1918

In the course of the German spring offensive in 1918 ( "Operation Michael" ), the 5th Army was badly defeated by the German 18th Army in the battle south of St. Quentin . The 5th Army (about 175,000 men) defended the line from Gouzeaucourt to south of Barisis on about 70 kilometers of the front. Over 15 kilometers of this front between Amigny-Rouy and Alaincourt were protected by the Oise and the Oise Canal. The average front length of each division was 6750 meters. On the north wing the VII. And XIX. Corps, the middle was from the XVII. Corps held, on the south wing the III. Corps the connection to the French Army Group Fayolle. The army was badly beaten and temporarily relegated to reserve headquarters .

On March 21, 1918, the army had 12 infantry and 3 cavalry divisions, 1650 guns, 119 tanks and 357 aircraft:

VII Corps (Lieutenant-General Sir Walter Congreve )

  • 9th Division (Major-General Henry Hugh Tudor)
  • 21st Division (Major-General Arthur Crawford Daly)
  • 39th Division (Major-General E. Feltham)
  • 16th Division (Major-General Charles Patrick Amyatt Hull)

XIX. Corps (Lieutenant-General Herbert Watts)

  • 66th Division (Major-General Neill Malcolm)
  • 24th Division (Major General David Graham Campbell)
  • 8th Division (Major-General William Charles Heneker)
  • 50th Division (Brigade General Arthur Stockley)

Cavalry Corps (Lieutenant-General Charles Kavanagh )

  • 2nd Cavalry Division (Brigadier-General Thomas Tait Pitman)
  • 3rd Cavalry Division (Brigadier-General Anthony Ernest Wentworth Harman)
  • 1st Cavalry Division (Major-General Richard Lucas Mullens)

XVIII. Corps (Lieutenant-General Ivor Maxse )

  • 61st Division (Major-General Colin John Mackenzie)
  • 20th Division (Major-General William Douglas Smith)
  • 30th Division (Major-General Weir de Lancey Williams)
  • 36th Division (Major-General Oliver Stewart Nugent)

III. Corps (Lieutenant-General Richard Butler )

  • 14th Division (Major-General Victor Arthur Couper)
  • 18th Division (Major-General Richard Phillips Lee)
  • 58th Division (Major-General Albemarle Bertie Edward Cator)

During the Hundred Day Offensive, the 5th Army under General Birdwood was temporarily subordinate to the I. Anzac Corps , one Portuguese and the two Irish divisions.

General William Birdwood

The 5th Army liberated Lille in October 1918 and reached the Lessines area , east of Ath , on the day of the armistice (November 11, 1918) .

XI. Corps (Lieutenant General Richard Haking )

  • 59th Division (Major General Nevill Maskelyne Smyth)
  • 47th Division (Major General George Frederick Gorringe)
  • 57th Division (Major General Reginald Walter Ralph Barnes)

III. Corps (Lieutenant General Richard Butler)

  • 74th Division (Major General Eric Stanley Girdwood)
  • 55th Division (Major General Hugh Sandham Jeudwine)

I. Corps (Lieutenant General Arthur Holland)

  • 15th Division (Major General Hamilton Lyster Reed)
  • 16th Division (Major General William Bernard Hickie)
  • 58th Division (Major General Frank William Ramsey)

Cavalry Corps (General Charles Kavannagh)

Commander

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