Canadian Corps

[delta]

Grateful for pal's advice - was the Battle of Courcelette the first action in which the Canadian Corps took part or was there an earlier action.

[regimentalrogue]

Pages linked here include the "tabulated list of the engagements of the Great War in which troops of the Canadian Expeditionary Force took part":

http://regimentalrogue.com/battlehonours/f...tlhnrslist1.htm

Starting with:

http://regimentalrogue.com/battlehonours/f...DERS,%201914-18

TRENCH WARFARE, 1914-16

Summer Operations, 1915. ( March- October)

• Action of St. Eloi - 14-15 March
• The Battles of Ypres, 1915 - 22 April - 25 May

[Landsturm]

You mean the Canadians as "Canadian Corps"?

CEF arrived in France early 1915 and I believe they also had a supporting role in the battle of Neuve Chapelle.

[delta]

Sorry to be unclear - I meant the four Canadian divisions operating as a single entity

[jhill]

According to Nicholson's Official History the Canadian Corps headquarters were formed in September of 1915. The Corps was involved in minor or supporting operations until the St. Eloi Craters and Mount Sorrel operations in 1916, so I suppose these would be their first major operations as a Corps.

However, the Fourth Division did not join them until later. When the Corps fought at Courcelette on the Somme, the Fourth Division was still back north. When the Fourth relieved the others down south they were not part of the Canadian Corps, but served under Second Corps.

All four divisions did not serve together until the Fourth finally joined the others in front of Vimy Ridge at the end of 1916. Their first major battle together was thus the famous action of 9th April. As a matter of fact, the 9th April attack on Vimy Ridge was the only day during the War when all four Canadian Divisions attacked together.

[Paul Reed]

Sorry to be unclear - I meant the four Canadian divisions operating as a single entity

As mentioned above the Canadian Corps was formed in September 1915. It was not dependant on a specific number of Divisions to be a Corps (as was the case in all British Corps), so with the arrival of 2nd Canadian Division and the appointment of Lt-Gen Edwin Alderson, the Canadian Corps came into being. It had the 3rd and 4th Divisions added later, but it was still a Corps before their arrival. Although its troops took part in minor operations in the Salient in early 1916, in my opinion Courcelette was its first action as a Corps because it was the first time all the units currently serving in the Corps operated together in a single battle plan with a single unified commander.

[delta]

Paul - many thanks

Stephen