A corps (a word that immigrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: [kɔɹ], but originating in the Latin "corpus, corporis" meaning body; plural same as singular) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or signals), or a formed military or semi-military body (such as the United States Marine Corps, the Corps of Royal Marines, the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, or the Corps of Commissionaires). French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... This is a concise version of the International Phonetic Alphabet for English sounds. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A military unit is an organisation within an armed force. ... A formation is a high-level military organization, such as a Brigade, Division, Corps, Army or Army group. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military. ... Her Majestys Royal Marines, usually just known as the Royal Marines (RM) or sometimes colloquially as the Green Berets[1], is the United Kingdoms amphibious force and a core component of the countrys Rapid Deployment Force. ... Her Majestys Bodyguard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. ...

Military formation

In many armies, a corps refers to a unit of approximately 60,000 men, composed of usually three divisions, and typically commanded by a lieutenant general. During World War I and World War II, due to the large scale of combat, multiple corps were combined into armies which then formed into army groups. Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Combatants Allies: • Serbia, • Russia, • France, • Romania, • Belgium, • British Empire and Dominions, • United States, • Italy, • ...and others Central Powers: • Germany, • Austria-Hungary, • Ottoman Empire, • Bulgaria Casualties 5 million military, 3 million civilian (full list) 3 million military, 3 million civilian (full list) World War I, also known as the First World... Combatants Allies: • Soviet Union, • UK & Commonwealth, • USA, • France/Free France, • China, • Poland, • ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Japan, • Italy, • ...and others Casualties Military dead: 18 million Civilian dead: 33 million Full list Military dead: 7 million Civilian dead: 4 million Full list World War II, also known as the Second World... Army (from French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ... An army-group is a military organization (formation) consisting of several armies, and is supposed to be self-sufficient for indefinite periods. ...

United States

The first corps in the United States Army were legalized during the American Civil War by an Act of Congress on July 17, 1862, but Major General George B. McClellan designated six corps organizations within his Army of the Potomac that spring. Prior to this time, groupings of divisions were known by other names, such as "wings" and "grand divisions". The terminology "Army Corps" was often used. These organizations were much smaller than their modern counterparts. They were usually commanded by a major general, were composed of two to six divisions, although predominantly three, and typically included from 10,000 to 15,000 men. Although designated with numbers that are sometimes the same as modern U.S. Army corps, there is no direct lineage between the 43 U.S. corps of the Civil War and those with similar names in the 20th century. In the Confederate States Army, corps were authorized in November 1862. They were commanded by lieutenant generals and were usually larger than their Union Army counterparts because their divisions contained more brigades, each of which could contain more regiments. All of the Confederate corps at the Battle of Gettysburg, for instance, exceeded 20,000 men. However, for both armies, unit sizes varied dramatically with attrition throughout the war. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Abraham Lincoln+ Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis Robert E. Lee Strength 1,556,678 1,064,200 Casualties KIA: 110,100 Total dead: 359,500 Wounded: 275,200 KIA: 74,500 Total dead: 198,500 Wounded: 137,000+  The American... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was a major general (and briefly the general-in-chief of the Union Army) during the American Civil War. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ... Some Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was formed in February, 1861, to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been formed that same year when seven southern states seceded from the United States (with four more to follow). ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 83,289 75,054 Casualties 23,049 (3,155 killed, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 captured/missing) 28,000 (3,500 killed, 18,000 wounded, 6,500 captured/missing) {{{notes}}} The Battle of...

As of 2003, the United States Army has four field corps. The structure of a field corps is not permanent; many of the units that it commands are allocated to it as needed on an ad hoc basis. On the battlefield, the field corps is the highest level of the forces that is concerned with actually fighting and winning the war. (Higher levels of command are concerned with administration rather than fighting, at least in current doctrine.) The corps provides operational direction for the forces under its command. Corps are designated by consecutive Roman numerals. The present active corps in the US Army are I Corps ("eye core"), III Corps, V Corps, and XVIII Airborne Corps; their numbers derive from four of the 30-odd corps that were formed during World War II. It also refers to a grouping of specialized troops such as the Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Marine Corps. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The system of Roman numerals is a numeral system originating in ancient Rome, and was adapted from Etruscan numerals. ... The I Corps (First Corps), nicknamed Americas Corps, is a corps of the United States Army with headquarters in Fort Lewis, Washington. ... For the III Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, see III Corps (ACW). ... For the V Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, see V Corps (ACW) The V Corps (Fifth Corps)—nicknamed the Victory Corps—is a corps of the United States Army. ... Patch of the XVIII Airborne Corps. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 military men and women. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military. ...

United Kingdom

The British Army still has a corps headquarters for operational control of forces. I Corps of the British Army of the Rhine was redesignated the Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps in 1994. It is no longer a purely British formation, although the UK is the 'framework nation' and provides most of the staff for the headquarters. A purely national corps headquarters could be quickly reconstituted if necessary. It was last deployed as the headquarters commanding land forces during the Kosovo War in 1999 and also saw service in Bosnia and Herzegovina, commanding the initial stages of the IFOR deployment prior to that in 1996. Otherwise, the only time a British corps headquarters has been operationally deployed since 1945 was II Corps during the Suez Crisis. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The British I Corps has a long history, and was in existence as an active formation in the British Army for longer than any other corps. ... There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). ... The Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, (HQ ARRC or ARRC) was created in 1992 in Bielefeld based on the former British I Corps (or I (BR) Corps ). It was originally created as the rapid reaction corps sized land force of the Reaction Forces Concept that emerged after the... 1994 (MCMXCIV in Roman) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts (a civil war followed by an international war) in the southern Serbian province called Kosovo (officially Kosovo and Metohia), part of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The acronym IFOR may also refer to the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The British II Corps was formed in both World War I and World War II. During WWII its first assignment was to the British Expeditionary Force where it was commanded by Alan Brooke (from whose name it took its insignia of a red leaping salmon upon three wavy blue bands... Combatants Israel, France, United Kingdom Egypt Commanders Moshe Dayan (CoS of the IDF) General Sir Charles Keightley (C-in-C), Vice-Admiral Pierre Barjot (Deputy) Gamal Abdel Nasser Strength 45,000 British, 34,000 French, 175,000 Israeli 300,000 Egyptians Casualties 189 Israelis KIA, unknown number WIA, 16 British...

Canada

Canada first fielded a corps sized formation in the First World War; the Canadian Corps was unique in that its composition did not change from inception to the war's end, in contrast to British corps in France and Flanders. The Canadian Corps consisted of four Canadian divisions. After the Armistice, the peacetime Canadian militia was nominally organized into corps and divisions but no full time formations larger than a battalion were ever trained or exercised. During the Second World War, Canada's contribution to the British-French forces fighting the Germans was limited to a single division. After the fall of France in June 1940, a second division moved to England, coming under command of a Canadian corps headquarters. This corps was renamed I Canadian Corps as a second corps headquarters was established in the UK, with the eventual formation of five Canadian divisions in England. I Canadian Corps eventually fought in Italy, II Canadian Corps in NW Europe, and the two were reunited in early 1945. After the formations were disbanded after VE Day, Canada has never subsequently organized a corps headquarters. Canadian Forces Land Force Command (LF) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Armed Forces. ...

Soviet Union

Type Soviet Tank Corps and Tank Army of 1942 and 1943 using symbols.

The Pre-World War Two Soviet Red Army had Rifle Corps much like in the Western sense—with about three divisions to a Corps. However, after the war started, the recently-purged Soviet senior command structure was apparently unable to handle the formations, and the Armies and Corps were integrated into new, smaller "Armies" and those into fronts. Before and during World War II, however, Soviet armored units were organized into corps. The pre-war Mechanized Corps were made of divisions. In the reorganizations, these "corps" were reorganized into tank brigades and support units, which in terms of actual strength were equivalent to armored divisions in most other armies. Due to this, they are sometimes, informally, referred to as "Brigade Buckets". Download high resolution version (1978x2465, 78 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Military history of the Soviet Union Categories: U.S. Army images ... Download high resolution version (1978x2465, 78 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Military history of the Soviet Union Categories: U.S. Army images ... The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (in Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya), the armed forces first organized by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... A Front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army, roughly equivalent to an army or army group in British or American miltary terminology. ... Brigade is a term from military science which refers to a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ...

After the war, the Rifle Corps were re-established, while the Tank and Mechanized Corps were re-rated as divisions. Several years later, most of the corps were again disbanded to create the new Combined Arms and Tank Armies. A few Corps were nevertheless retained, of both patterns. The Vyborg and Archangel Corps of the Leningrad Military District were smaller armies with three low-readiness motorized rifle divisions each. The Category A Unified Corps of the Beylorussian MD (Western TVD) and Carpathian MD (also Western TVD) are of the brigade pattern.

The Soviet Air Force uses ground terminology for its formations down to squadron level. As intermediates between the Division and the Air Army are Corps—these also have three Air Divisions each.

Further reading

• Tsouras, P.G. Changing Orders: The evolution of the World's Armies, 1945 to the Present Facts On File, Inc, 1994. ISBN 0816031223
• Eve of war Soviet structure
• Warsaw Pact June 1989 OOB

Peter G. Tsouras is a military historian and author. ...

Administrative corps

In the British Army and the armies of many Commonwealth countries, a corps is also a grouping by common function (e.g. Intelligence Corps, Royal Logistic Corps, Royal Corps of Signals), performing much the same function as a ceremonial infantry or cavalry regiment, with its own cap badge, stable belt, and other insignia and traditions. The Royal Armoured Corps and the Corps of Infantry are looser groupings of independent regiments. The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as The Commonwealth, is an association of independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ... Intelligence Corps camp flag The Intelligence Corps (often called Int Corps) is one of the corps of the British Army, responsible for gathering, analysing and disseminating military intelligence and also for counter-intelligence and security. ... The Royal Logistic Corps is a British Army corps that provides the logistical support for the Army. ... The Royal Corps of Signals (sometimes referred to incorrectly as the Royal Signal Corps and often known simply as the Royal Signals, R Signals or R Sigs) is one of the arms (combat support corps) of the British Army. ... A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ... A cap badge is a badge worn on the front of uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearers organisation. ... A stable belt is an item of uniform used in the armed forces of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. ... The Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army. ...

In Canada, with the integration of the Canadian army into the Canadian Forces, the British Corps model was replaced with personnel branches, defined in Canadian Forces Administrative Orders (CFAOs) as "...cohesive professional groups...based on similarity of military roles, customs and traditions." CFAO 2-10)^[1] However, the Armour Branch has continued to use the title Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, the Infantry Branch continued to use the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps designation, and the Artillery Branch uses the term Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. The Canadian Forces (French: Forces canadiennes) are the combined armed forces of Canada. ... The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (RCAC) is the armoured branch of service of the Canadian Forces Land Force Command (Canadian Army), including regular force and militia regiments. ... UBIQUE (Everywhere) and QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT (Whither Right And Glory Lead) // History Many of the units and batteries of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery are older than Canada itself. ...

The corps system is also used in the U.S. Army to group personnel with a common function, but without a regimental system there is less variation in insignia and tradition.

See also

• Corps area
• United States Marine Corps
• Eurocorps
• List of corps of the United States
• Drum and bugle corps (modern)
• Drum and bugle corps (classic)
• Peace Corps
• Signal Corps
• Corps of Engineers

Corps Area is a term used, by the US Army, as a replacement for Department, the name given to pre-World War I military commands. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military. ... Eurocorps is a force which consists of up to 60,000 soldiers drawn from the armies of Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain. ... The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, a DCI Division I corps from Rosemont, Illinois. ... Classic drum and bugle corps are North American musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units returning from World War I and succeeding wars. ... Peace Corps volunteers usually serve for two years. ... The Signal Corps is a military branch, usually subordinate to a countrys army. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ...

References

• Phisterer, Frederick, Statistical Record of the Armies of the United States, Castle Books, 1883, ISBN 0-7858-1585-6.