I Canadian Corps was one of the two

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

fielded by the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

From December 24, 1940, until the formation of the

First Canadian Army The First Canadian Army () was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 until May 1945. It was Cana ...

in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered

Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 19 ...

. I Canadian Corps became operational in Italy in November 1943 when the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division joined the

1st Canadian Infantry Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed a ...

, which had been assigned to the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was a field army of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed as the Western Army on 10 September 1941, in Egypt, before being renamed the Army of the Nile and then the Eighth Army on 26 September. It was cr ...

immediately prior to the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

in July 1943. I Canadian Corps was commanded successively by

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

Harry Crerar (April 6, 1942, to March 19, 1944), Lieutenant-General Eedson Burns (March 20 to November 5, 1944), and Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes (November 10, 1944, to July 17, 1945). However, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division took part in the Italian Campaign, participating in the Moro River Campaign and the

Battle of Ortona The Battle of Ortona (20–28 December 1943) was fought between two battalions of elite German ( paratroops) from the German 1st Parachute Division under Richard Heidrich, and assaulting Canadian troops from the 1st Canadian Infantry Divisi ...

in December 1943 as part of British V Corps and it was not until the fourth Battle of Monte Cassino (''Operation Diadem'') in May 1944 that I Canadian Corps fought its first battle as a corps. The 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, the

Hitler Line The Hitler Line was a German Army defensive line in central Italy during the Second World War. The strong points of the line were at Piedimonte, Pontecorvo, and Aquino. In May 1944, the line was renamed the Senger Line, after General Fridoli ...

, shortly before the Allied capture of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in early June. Having taken part in the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

' northward advance to Florence, the corps then took part in ''Operation Olive'', the assault on the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

, in September 1944 before being transported during January–February 1945 in

Operation Goldflake Operation Goldflake was the administrative move of I Canadian Corps (in essence, almost all Canadian combatant units) and the British 5th Infantry Division from Italy to Northwestern Europe during the Second World War. British-led forces had been ...

to rejoin the rest of the First Canadian Army in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. There the corps participated in the campaign to complete the liberation of the Netherlands. On May 6, 1945, at

Wageningen Wageningen () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a historic city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specialises in life sciences. The municipality had a ...

, Lieutenant-General Foulkes received the final surrender by

Colonel General Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

Johannes Blaskowitz Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz (10 July 1883 – 5 February 1948) was a German ''Generaloberst'' during World War II. After joining the Imperial German Army in 1901, Blaskowitz served throughout World War I, where he earned the Iron Cross for brav ...

of all remaining German forces still active in the Netherlands. The corps was deactivated on July 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 British 4th Infantry Division, the

2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry division of the New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the Second World War. The division was commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant-G ...

and the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade. During the final campaign to liberate the Netherlands, the corps included for a time the British 49th Infantry Division.

21st century

In 2015, personnel of the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre, headquartered at

CFB Kingston Canadian Forces Base Kingston (also CFB Kingston) is a Canadian Forces base in Kingston, Ontario. History The Barriefield Military Camp, commonly called Camp Barriefield, was established as a military base at the outbreak of the First World ...

, began wearing the formation patch of I Canadian Corps on their ceremonial and service dress uniforms.

Major operations

Crowd_of_Dutch_civilians_celebrating_the_liberation_of_Utrecht_by_the_Canadian_Army

*Operation Timberwolf, December 1943 *Operation Morning Glory, December 1943 * Operation Diadem, Liri Valley Offensive, May 1944 *

Operation Olive The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

, assault on the Gothic Line, September 1944 *

, transport from Italy to the

, February–March 1945 *Operation Destroyer, advance from

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

, April 1945 *Advance to

Harderwijk Harderwijk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city of the Netherlands. It is served by the Harderwijk railway station. Its population centres are Harderwijk and Hierden. Harderwijk is on the western boundary of the Veluwe. The south ...

on the coast of the

IJsselmeer The IJsselmeer (; , ), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed-off freshwater lake in the central Netherlands bordering the Provinces of the Netherlands, provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of with a ...

, April 1945 *Liberation of the Netherlands, March–May 1945 *Lieutenant-General Foulkes receives the surrender of all German forces in the Netherlands, May 5, 1945 *Security duties, delivery of relief supplies and infrastructure repair projects in the Netherlands, May–July, 1945

Order of Battle in Italy, 1944-45

5th Canadian Armoured Division Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth Avenue * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a cont ...

* 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade *Corps Troops **I Corps Defence Company, Lorne Scots ** 1st Armoured Car Regiment (Royal Canadian Dragoons) **7th Anti-Tank Regiment,

Royal Canadian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery () is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Army. History Many of the units and batteries of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery are older than the Dominion of Canada itself. The first arti ...

(RCA) **1st Survey Regiment, RCA **9th Field Park Company,

Royal Canadian Engineers The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; ) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE; ). The mission of the Canadia ...

(RCE) **12th Field Company, RCE **13th Field Company, RCE **14th Field Company, RCE **1st Drilling Company, RCE **I Canadian Corps Headquarters Signals, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals **No. 31 Corps Troops Company,

Royal Canadian Army Service Corps The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) was an administrative and transport corps of the Canadian Army. The Canadian Army Service Corps was established in the Non-Permanent Active Militia in 1901 and in the Permanent Active Militia in 19 ...

(RCASC) **No. 32 Corps Troops Company, RCASC **I Canadian Corps Transport Company, RCASC **No. 1 Motor Ambulance Company, RCASC **No. 1 Headquarters Corps Car Company, RCASC **Nos. 4 & 5 Casualty Clearing Stations,

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. History The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (oth ...

(RCAMC) **No. 8 Field Dressing Section, RCAMC **No. 5 Field Hygiene Section, RCAMC **Nos. 1, 3 & 8 Dental Companies, Canadian Dental Corps (CDC) **No. 11 Base Dental Company, CDC **No. 1 Corps and Army Troops Sub-Park,

Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC; , ''CRCM'') was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps RCOC can trace its roots back to the Canadian Stores Department. Formed in 1871, the Canadian Stores Depart ...

(RCOC) **I Corps Troops Workshop, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) **No. 1 Recovery Company, RCEME **No. 3 Provost Company, Canadian Provost Corps (C Pro C) *Attached

Troops **No. 1 Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery ***11th Army Field Regiment, RCA ***1st Medium Regiment, RCA ***2nd Medium Regiment, RCA ***5th Medium Regiment, RCA **No. 41 Army Transport Company, RCASC **"H" Squadron, 25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment), Canadian Armoured Corps **Nos. 1, 2 & 3 Field Transfusion Units, RCAMC **Nos. 3 & 16 Field Dressing Stations, RCAMC **Nos. 1, 3, 5, 14, 15 & 28 General Hospitals, RCAMC **No. 1 Convalescent Depot, RCAMC **Nos. 1, 2 & 3 Field Surgical Units, RCAMC

Commanders

These officers commanded the I Canadian Corps:Col. C. P. Stacey, ''Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War: The Canadian Army 1939-1945: An Official Historical Summary'', Department of National Defence, Ottawa, Canada, 1948. *

Andrew G. L. McNaughton, (July 19, 1940, to April 5, 1942) *Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar (April 8, 1942, to March 19, 1944) *Lieutenant-General E. L. M. Burns (March 20 to November 5, 1944) *Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes (November 10, 1944, to July 17, 1945)

References

*Byers, A. R. (ed.), ''The Canadians at War 1939/45'', 2nd ed., The Reader's Digest Association (Canada) Ltd., Montreal, Canada, 1986, . *Copp, Terry, ''Cinderella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe 1944-1945'', University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada, 2007, . * * * *

Notes

External links

I Canadian Corps at canadiansoldiers.com
{{World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 01 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945