Second World War
(The Corps should not be confused with the French 5th Army Corps which took part in the Battle of France in 1940, nor with the US V Corps of the US First Army which took part in the D-Day Normandy landings.)
In the early part of World War II V Corps formed part of Southern Command in the United Kingdom. Lieutenant-General Claude Auchinleck was briefly its commander from 14 June 1940 until he was promoted to take over Southern Command on 19 July 1940. He was succeeded by Lt-Gen Bernard Montgomery from 22 July 1940 until 27 April 1941, when he was transferred to command XII Corps.
Order of Battle Autumn 1940
- 4th Division
- 50th (Northumbrian) Division
- Royal Artillery
- 66th Medium Regiment
- 5th Survey Regiment
The Dorset County Division was under the corps' command during 1941.
The Corps was then included as part of the Allied land forces, First Army, in Operation Torch (8 November 1942), the amphibious landings in French-held Morocco and Algeria. The Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Kenneth Anderson. First Army was formed on the 1 January 1943, and was later redesignated as the Eastern Task Force.
Read more about this topic: V Corps (United Kingdom)
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