British Expeditionary Force (World War I)

{| class="infobox" width=317 |- | align="center" | Principle battles of the British Expeditionary Force |- style="background-color:#f3f3f3" | align="center" | |- | align="center" | 1914Battle of MonsBattle of Le CateauFirst Battle of the MarneFirst Battle of the AisneBattle of La BasséeFirst Battle of Ypres1915Battle of Neuve ChapelleSecond Battle of YpresBattle of FestubertBattle of Loos1916Battle of the SommeBattle of Fromelles1917Battle of ArrasBattle of MessinesBattle of PasschendaleFirst Battle of Cambrai1918Second Battle of the SommeBattle of LysSecond Battle of the AisneSecond battle of the MarneHundred Days OffensiveBattle of AmiensBattle of EpheySecond Battle of CambraiBattle of Sambre |- style="background-color:#f3f3f3" |}

The British Expeditionary Force or BEF was the force sent to the Western Front during World War I. Planning for a British Expeditionary Force began with the Haldane reforms of the British Army carried out by the Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Second Boer War (1899–1902). An alternative endpoint of the BEF was 26 December 1914, when it was divided into the First and Second Armies (a third, fourth and fifth being created later in the war). B.E.F. remained the official name of the British Army in France and Flanders throughout the First World War.

German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm, who was famously dismissive of the BEF, reportedly issued an order on 19 August 1914 to "exterminate...the treacherous English and walk over General French's contemptible little army". Hence, in later years, the survivors of the regular army dubbed themselves "The Old Contemptibles". No evidence of any such order being issued by the Kaiser has ever been found. It was likely a British propaganda invention, albeit one often repeated as fact.

Formation

resting in the square at Mons 22 August 1914, the day before the Battle of Mons]]

Under the terms of the Entente Cordiale, the British Army's role in a European war was to embark soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force, which consisted of six infantry divisions and five cavalry brigades that were arranged into the I Corps and the II Corps. In October 1914, the 7th Division arrived in France, forming the basis of the III Corps and the cavalry had grown to form the Cavalry Corps of three divisions. By December 1914, the BEF had expanded to such an extent that the First Army and the Second Army were formed.

By the end of 1914, after the battles of Mons, Le Cateau, the Aisne and Ypres, the old regular British Army had been wiped out but had managed to help stop the German advance. when he was replaced by General Sir Douglas Haig. The BEF's Chief of Staff on mobilisation was General Archibald Murray. He was replaced in January 1915 by General William Robertson. Lieutenant-General Launcelot Kiggell then served as Chief of Staff from December 1915, to the Armistice. The two initial Army Corps were commanded by Douglas Haig (I Corps) and Horace Smith-Dorrien (II Corps).

Kitchener's New Army

As the Regular Army's strength declined, the numbers were made up, first by the Territorial Force, then by volunteers from Field Marshal Kitchener's New Army.

First Army

The First Army was formed on 26 December 1914. Its first commander was Douglas Haig promoted from command of the I Corps. When Haig took over command of the BEF in 1915, the new commander was General Henry Horne. First Army remained in France until the end of the war.

Second Army

The Second Army was formed at the same time as the First Army on 26 December 1914. The first commander was Smith–Dorrien promoted from command of the II Corps. In May 1915, Smith–Dorien was sacked and replaced by General Herbert Plumer. Second Army served in France notably in the Ypres Salient, and later served in Italy between November 1917 and March 1918, then returned to France. The British held up the German advance until the evening when, they began retiring to a second defensive line in the retreat from Mons and the Battle of Le Cateau. The British victory at Le Cateau had achieved its objective, and enabled the BEF to retreat unmolested by the Germans for a further five days.

The Allied retreat finally ended at the River Marne where they prepared to make a stand to defend Paris. This led to the First Battle of the Marne, which was fought from 5 to 10 September 1914. This battle would prove to be the major turning point of the war by denying the Germans an early victory. From the 13 September the First Battle of the Aisne took place with both sides starting to dig trenches and then for a three week period following the development of trench warfare, both sides gave up frontal assaults and began trying to encircle each other's flank. This period is called the Race to the Sea as the Germans aimed to turn the Allied left flank, and the Allies sought to turn the German right flank. By the end of First Battle of Ypres, both sides started to dig in and Trench Warfare took over from the manoeuvre warfare that had taken place during the Race to the sea. The continuous trench lines of the Western Front now stretched from the North sea to the Alps. The British Army held a small portion of this 400 mile front from just north of the pre war Belgium border to the River Somme in France, varying in length from in 1914, to over in 1918, in the area commonly known as Flanders.

1915

From the end of 1914, and in 1915, the BEF attacks were centred around the Ypres Salient. Then in September 1915, six divisions were involved in the Battle of Loos which is also notable for the first use of Poison gas by the British.

1916

In 1916, the BEF had moved into the Picardy region of France and the year is dominated by the Battle of the Somme. Allied forces attempted to break through the German lines along a front north and south of the River Somme in northern France. On the First day on the Somme the BEF, suffered 59,000 casualties. After the war a final tally showed that 419,654 British and 204,253 French were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner; of the 623,907 total casualties, 146,431 were either killed or missing.

1917

In 1917, the BEF's attacks moved along the front, they were in the Pas-de-Calais for the Battle of Arras. They then concentrated in Belgium for the Battle of Messines and the Battle of Passchendale and ended the year back in the Pas-de-Calais for the Battle of Cambrai.

1918

In the spring of 1918, the BEF came under attack in both Flanders and the Somme during the German Spring Offensive. The Second Battle of the Somme was the BEF response to the German attack. This in turn was the start of the Hundred Days Offensive, which lead to the eventual defeat of the German Army on the western front, after the First and Third armies broke through the Hindenburg Line at the Battle of the Canal du Nord. Which lead to the final battle of the war in November 1918, the Battle of the Sambre by the First, Third and Fourth Armies and the capture of Mons, 11 November 1918. by the First Army.

Empire and Portuguese contribution

The British Empire responded to the British call for troops for the Western Front and major formations of the British Indian Army, Canadian Army, Australian Army, New Zealand Army and the South African Army all served in France. The BEF also integrated most of the Portuguese Army troops who fought on the Western Front.

Indian Expeditionary Force A

In September 1914, the BEF was reinforced by the Indian Expeditionary Force A which eventually formed two corps each of two divisions, the Indian Cavalry Corps and the Indian Infantry Corps. Upon arrival in Marseilles on 30 September 1914, only six weeks after the declaration of war, they were moved to the Ypres Salient and took part in the Battle of La Bassée in October 1914. In March 1915, the 7th (Meerut) Division was chosen to lead the assault in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.

Canadian Expeditionary Force

The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Its major combat formation was the Canadian Corps, which eventually commanded four Canadian infantry divisions. The Canadian Corps first commander was General Edwin Alderson, who was succeeded by General Julian Byng in 1916, After distinguishing themselves in battle from the Second Battle of Ypres, through the Somme and particularly in the Battle of Arras at Vimy Ridge in April 1917. The Canadian Corps came to be regarded as an exceptional force by both Allied and German military commanders. Since they were mostly untouched by the German offensive in the spring of 1918, the Canadians were ordered to spearhead the last campaigns of the War from the Battle of Amiens in August 1918.

Australian Imperial Force

and 1908 patten webbing, rifles slung being watched in the background by Australian soldiers wearing Australian slouch hats|Australian 2nd Division marching to the rear after the Battle of Pozières, August 1916, They are being watched by soldiers of the Australian 1st Division]] The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was originally supposed to supply 20,000 men organised into one infantry division and one light horse brigade plus supporting units. By the end of the war, the AIF on the Western Front comprised five infantry divisions. The first Australians troops arrived in France in June 1915, the 1st Siege Artillery Brigade was formed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Walter Adams Coxen, the Australian Army's Director of Artillery, for service on the Western Front. About half the men in the unit were permanent gunners of the Garrison Artillery. The brigade departed Melbourne for England on 17 July 1915 and landed in France on 27 February 1916. Its 54th Siege Battery was equipped with 8 inch howitzers and its 55th Siege Battery with 9.2 inch howitzers. Five infantry divisions of the AIF saw action on the Western Front in France and Belgium, leaving Egypt in March 1916. Initially they were organised into I Anzac Corps and II Anzac Corps alongside the New Zealand Division, however, on 1 November 1917 the Australian divisions were re-grouped together to form the Australian Corps. The 2nd Division was the first to arrive in France, followed by the 1st Division, while the 4th and 5th left Egypt later in June 1916. The 3rd Division was the last to arrive, having been formed in Australia in March 1916, and moving to England for training in July 1916, before being sent to France in December 1916. In 1916, the Commander of the AIF was General William Birdwood and when he was promoted Australian General John Monash was given command.

Portuguese Expeditionary Corps

Following a British Government call for Portuguese troops, on 7 August 1916 the Parliament of Portugal agreed the participation of the Portuguese Army on the Western Front. In addition to a heavy artillery corps of 1000 men under the command of the French Army, most of the Portuguese forces to be sent to the Western Front were to be incorporated in the CEP - Corpo Expedicionário Português (Portuguese Expeditionary Corps) under British command. The CEP was organised as an army corps of two divisions and corps troops, totalling 55,000 men, under the command of General Tamagnini de Abreu. The first CEP troops arrived in France on 2 February 1917. The first troops reached the front on 4 April. On 4 June the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 1st Division repelled the first major attack made by the German Army against the lines defended by the CEP troops. On 5 November 1917 the CEP assumed the responsibility for an autonomous sector in the front, under the direct command of First Army. Most of the CEP was destroyed in the Battle of La Lys on 9 April 1918, losing more than 7000 men. From July 1918, the remaining men of the CEP participated in the final allied offensives under the command of Fifth Army.

Weapons

gun crew]] Until 1914, British infantry officers still carried swords and the cavalry retained the cavalry sword throughout the war. The other officers weapon was the pistol, the three most common being the Webley MK V or VI, the Colt New Service and the Smith & Wesson hand ejector The devastating fire power of the BEF infantry led the Germans to estimate that there were 28 machine guns in each battalion.

When the BEF landed in France each infantry battalion and cavalry regiment were equipped with two Vickers or Maxim machine guns.

The 1914 Star was issued to officers and men of British forces who served in France or Belgium between 5 August and midnight 22/23 November 1914. The former date is the day after Britain's declaration of war against the Central Powers, and the closing date marks the end of the First Battle of Ypres. On the Western Front, the BEF ended the war as the strongest fighting force, more experienced and bigger than the American Army and with better morale than the French Army.

Notes

References

Pearce, Malcolm; Stewart, Geoffrey (2002). British political history, 1867–2001: democracy and decline. Routledge. ISBN 0415268699

Category:British general headquarters Category:Expeditionary units and formations Category:Field armies of the United Kingdom Category:Military units and formations of the British Army in World War I