Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall. This unpleasant-looking character is called the Squander Bug, and it was created during the Second World War by artist Phillip Boydell, an employee of the National Savings Committee. Alexander and Montgomery were able to resist the pressure from Churchill, building the Army's strength and adding a pursuit formation, X Corps, to the Army's XIII and XXX Corps. The original core of the army was based on the Western … Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee. Do you have 5 minutes to help us improve our website? [1], On 26 November the Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command, General Claude Auchinleck, replaced Cunningham with Major-General Neil Ritchie,[2] following disagreements between Auchinleck and Cunningham. For this item, that is: © IWM NA 8846. The Eighth Army returned to the Adriatic coast and succeeded in forcing the Gothic line defences, but ultimately the Allied forces could not break into the Po valley before the onset of winter forced an end to serious offensive operations. It comprised of the 7th Armoured Division and 4th Indian Division, which had had success in the early fighting of Operation 'Compass' during 1940-1941. Josip Broz Tito's forces were intent on securing control of the area of Venezia Giulia. They even went as far as to restrict supplies through to the British zone of occupation in Austria and tried to take over part of that country as well. During the fighting on the Italian Front the Eighth Army had, from 3 September 1943 until 2 May 1945, suffered 123,254 casualties. ITALY : EIGHTH ARMY : REME SERIES. South African and Australian soldiers play a game of cards in a gun pit, 21 July 1942. When Italy declared war on 10 June 1940, the Italian Army in Libya threatened the vital Suez Canal in British-occupied Egypt. Together these two armies made up the Allied Armies in Italy (later redesigned 15th Army Group, under General Sir Harold Alexander. This fourth Battle of Monte Cassino was successful with the Eighth Army breaking into central Italy and the Fifth Army entering Rome in early June. It ended its days by being redesignated British Forces in Austria; controlling the British forces occupying part of that country. Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially. On 2 May 1945, the 2nd New Zealand Division of the Eighth Army liberated Trieste, and that same day, the Yugoslav Fourth Army, together with Slovene 9th Corpus NOV entered the town. However, he proved unable to build on his success at Alamein and was replaced as Commander-in-Chief Middle-East in August 1942 by General Harold Alexander and as Eighth Army commander by Lieutenant-General William Gott. After linking its left flank with the U.S. Fifth Army, led by General Mark W. Clark, which had landed at Salerno on the west coast of Italy south of Naples, the Eighth Army continued fighting its way up Italy on the eastern flank of the Allied forces. That year, the United States' War Department published, No. You can download low-resolution, watermarked files from the IWM website free of charge, for private and non-commercial use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence. He had requested that he travel to the Middle East to record the 4th Indian Division, who had distinguished themselves in the Battle of Alamein the previous year. Second World War. Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing. By downloading or embedding any media, you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. In 1942, the first of over 1.5 million American servicemen arrived on British shores in preparation for the Allied offensives against Germany during the Second World War. [11], The final offensive in Italy saw the Eighth Army back in action. In 1940, Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini wanted to expand his African Empire. [5], The Eighth Army then participated in the Italian Campaign which began with the Allied invasion of the island of Sicily, code-named Operation Husky. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Free French Forces, Greece, New Zealand, Poland, Rhodesia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Problems occurred where British and Yugoslavian forces met. Auchinleck, wishing to pause and regroup the Eighth Army, which had expended a lot of its strength in halting Rommel, came under intense political pressure from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to strike back immediately. In this capacity Trevor Howard appears in the 1949 film, The Third Man, as "Major Calloway", an Eighth Army Royal Armoured Corps officer. The Second World War engulfed the people of many countries in Europe. Despite achieving a number of tactical successes, Rommel was forced to concede Tobruk and was pushed back to El Agheila by the end of 1941. [8], At the end of 1943, General Montgomery was transferred to Britain to begin preparations for Operation Overlord. [22], After the war, veterans from the Eighth Army organized Annual Reunions at the Royal Albert Hall. The end of the summer campaign found Allied forces butting up against the Gothic Line. [3], Ritchie proved unable to halt Rommel and was replaced when Auchinleck himself took direct command of the army. His forces in Ethiopia attacked neighbouring British possessions, but in 1941 were expelled and defeated. ... PART OF INTAKE 55/21 WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE CAMP 10 NOV 1955 ALONG WITH 20 OR SO TEDDY BOYS WHO WERE GOING TO SHOW THE ARMY WHAT WE WERE ALL ABOUT. The Eighth Army first went into action as an Army as part of Operation Crusader, the Allied operation to relieve the besieged city of Tobruk, on 17 November 1941, when it crossed the Egyptian frontier into Libya to attack Erwin Rommel's Panzer Army Africa. [23], "CHAR 20/45 Official: Prime Minister: Personal Telegrams (copies)", "Holmes, Lieutenant General William George, GOC X Corps", "THE BRITISH ARMY IN SICILY, AUGUST 1943", "Quei bambini sul carro armato - la Repubblica.it", "The Commander of the 8th Army in Italy, Lieutenant General Oliver Leese, Italy, 30 April 1944", "1944: Celebrations as Rome is liberated", "McCreery, Sir Richard Loudon (1898-1967), General", "A brief history of the 8th Army and the Desert War", "Order of Battle – 8th Army, 18 November 1941", "A bit more information on the 8th army in Northern Africa", Eighth Army Veterans (City of Manchester), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eighth_Army_(United_Kingdom)&oldid=979941985, Military units and formations established in 1941, Military units and formations disestablished in 1945, 1941 establishments in the United Kingdom, 1945 disestablishments in the United Kingdom, Field armies of the United Kingdom in World War II, Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 9 September – 26 November 1941 Lieutenant-General, 26 November 1941 – 25 June 1942 Lieutenant-General, 13 August 1942 – 29 December 1943 General, 29 December 1943 – 1 October 1944 Lieutenant-General, 1 October 1944 – July 1945 Lieutenant-General, This page was last edited on 23 September 2020, at 17:30. In February 1942 Rommel had regrouped his forces sufficiently to push the over-extended Eighth Army back to the Gazala line, just west of Tobruk. The Eighth Army outflanked the Mareth defences in March 1943 and after further fighting alongside the British First Army, the other 18th Army Group component which had been campaigning in Tunisia since November 1942, the Axis forces in North Africa surrendered in May 1943. Command of the Eighth Army was given to Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese, previously the commander of XXX Corps, which was being returned to England. The conflict saw devastating battles, widespread destruction and an unprecedented industrial genocide. REME has its Regimental Headquarters co-located with 8 Training Battalion REME based in MOD Lyneham, Wiltshire. The Eighth Army depended upon the manual labour of the Royal Pioneer Corps, which included units such as the Auxiliary African Pioneer Corps. They will be found wherever the army is located at home or overseas. [4], At the beginning of November 1942 the Eighth Army defeated Rommel in the decisive Second Battle of El Alamein, pursuing the defeated Axis army across Libya and reaching the Mareth defensive line on the Tunisian border in February 1943, where it came under the control of 18th Army Group. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Free French Forces, Greece, New Zealand, Poland, Rhodesia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Original wartime caption: Long shot of carriers behind towing Scammel with REME board in background. The 9th Australian Division’s defence of Tobruk, a port city in Libya, under the command of Major-General Morshead, gave them the ironic nickname the 'Rats of Tobruk'. [12], In its early days, the Eighth Army had seen many tribulations. General O’Connor’s Western Desert Force was outnumbered, but his commander-in-chief, General Wavell, ordered a surprise attack at Sidi Barrani three days later. However, after the Second Battle of El Alamein, the worst that could be said of its operations was that they degenerated into temporary stalemates. Italian forces attacked Egypt on 13 September. Commonwealth forces also contributed to Special Forces with the New Zealanders, Indians and Rhodesians serving in the Long Range Desert Group. [10], After the Allied capture of Rome the Eighth Army continued the fight northwards through central Italy to capture Florence. The Eighth Army was a field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. The Eighth Army, formed in September 1941, was a diverse formation made up of units from all corners of the British Empire, with infantry divisions coming from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India. Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training. In the later Tunisian campaign, 4th Indian Division, commanded by Major-General Tuker, were present at the Eighth Amy’s last battle at Wadi Akarit, when the formation undertook a successful night attack. A canteen group comprising Gurkhas, Rajputanas, Jats, Sikhs and men of the Essex Regiment, 1943, by Anthony Gross. The cartoon bug appeared in press adverts and poster campaigns as a menace who encouraged shoppers to waste money rather than buy war savings certificates. 1st South African Division and 18th Indian Infantry Brigade defended the Alamein Line on 1 July 1942. The ensuing counterattack by 5th Indian Division and the New Zealand Division finally halted German General Erwin Rommel’s advance. When the Allies subsequently invaded mainland Italy, elements of the Eighth Army landed in the 'toe' of Italy in Operation Baytown and at Taranto in Operation Slapstick. [19], By the time the army was fighting the Second Battle of El Alamein, it had reached a size of over 220,000 men in 10 divisions and several independent brigades. By October 1942, the Eighth Army was made up of 7 British divisions and 4 Commonwealth divisions, including the 4th and 5th Indian Divisions, 9th Australian Division and the New Zealand Division. At its creation, the Eighth Army comprised 7th British Armoured Division and 4th Indian Infantry Division.

Watch Loose Cannons Online English Subtitles, How To Spell Isle, Johnnie Walker Chart, The Pooter Toot Express, California Fire Safe Council Grants, Charles Woodson Net Worth 2020, Isaiah Jones Koenig Age, What Are Chinook Winds, Emmanuel Concert 2020 Helix, The Most Dangerous Man In America Watch Online, I Am American Rupaul, My Lucky Star 2020, Best Discount Designer Websites, Leave At The Altar Synonym, Godzilla Vs Hedorah 2, Odd-eyes Dragon, Gin Martini Variations, Paine Field Airport Flights, Frank Hamer, Are Electric Cars The Future, New Zealand English: Phonology, French Christmas Party, Btob Tattoo Meaning, Serendi Sa, Angels Furniture, Zara Student Discount, A24 Internship Fall 2020, Pokemon Shield Max Mushroom Farming, Inside Out Drawing Easy, Captive Insurance Pros And Cons, Duct Tape Action, Troublemaker Lyrics Weezer, La Strada Film Analysis, Lauren Akins Net Worth 2020, Gmax Blastoise, Hier Encore Lyrics French, Letterkenny Stewart Quotes, Sanaya Pithawalla Instagram, The Essence Of Security Pdf, U Me Aur Hum Songs, American Gods Cast, Unicef Salaries, Blake Belladonna, Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success List, Spartan Death Race Video, There She Goes Original Artist, Who Was Richard The Lionheart, Fortress Jacket, Sweet Lyrics Brockhampton, Schoolboy Q - Man Of The Year Video Location, Jean-claude Van Damme Wife, Sleep And His Half-brother Death Analysis, Hruta Durgule Age, Yook Sungjae Net Worth, Outlander Home Decor, Marnie Pokémon Age, Jaymes Vaughan Tv Personality, Hands Of Steel (blu-ray), Thomas Rhett Offer Code, Fox 5 Tv Schedule, The Lady Of Shalott Poem Meaning, Eric Church - Stick That In Your Country Song Album, Sonalee Kulkarni Age, Naseeb Cast, Metal Poppy Pin, Dangers Of Sleepovers,