- I Canadian Corps
I Canadian Corps was one of the two
corps comprising theFirst Canadian Army duringWorld War II . From December 24, 1940 until the formation of the Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps. I Canadian Corps became operational in Italy in November 1943 when the5th Canadian (Armoured) Division joined the1st Canadian Infantry Division , which had been assigned to theBritish Eighth Army immediately prior to the invasion of Sicily. I Canadian Corps was commanded successively byLieutenant-General Harry Crerar (April 6, 1942 to March 19, 1944), Lieutenant-General Eedson Burns (March 20, 1944 to November 5, 1944), and Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes (November 10, 1944 to July 17, 1945).However, 1st Canadian Infantry Division took part in the Moro River Campaign and the
Battle of Ortona in December 1943 as part ofBritish V Corps and it was not until the fourth Battle of Monte Cassino ("Operation Diadem") that I Canadian Corps fought its first battle as a corps. Eighth Army held the corps in reserve until after the Gustav defences in the Liri valley had been broken and then brought it forward to assault successfully the next defensive line, theHitler Line , shortly before the Allied capture ofRome in early June. Having taken part in the Allies' northward advance to Florence, the Corps then took part in "Operation Olive", the assault on theGothic Line in September 1944 before being transported during January-February 1945 inOperation Goldflake to rejoin the First Canadian Army inBelgium and theNetherlands . There the Corps participated in the campaign to complete the liberation of the Netherlands. OnMay 6 ,1945 atWageningen , Lieutenant-General Foulkes received the finalsurrender byColonel General Johannes Blaskowitz of all remaining German forces still active in the Netherlands. The Corps was deactivated onJuly 17 ,1945 as part of general demobilization.Although nominally a Canadian formation, I Canadian Corps contained significant elements at different times from other Allied countries. For example in Italy, during the assault on the Gothic Line in the Fall of 1944, the Corps included the 4th British Infantry Division, the 2nd New Zealand Division and the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade. During the final campaign to liberate the Netherlands, the Corps included for a time the British
49th (West Riding) Infantry Division .ee also
*
The Moro River Campaign
*Battle of Ortona
*Battle of Monte Cassino
*Gothic Line References
*Byers, A. R. (ed.), "The Canadians at War 1939/45", 2nd ed., The Reader's Digest Association (Canada) Ltd., Montreal, Canada, 1986, ISBN 0-88850-145-5.
External links
* [http://www.canadiansoldiers.com www.canadiansoldiers.com]
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