The II Anzac Corps was an Australian and New ZealandFirst World War army corps formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganization of the Australian Imperial Force following the evacuation of Gallipoli in November 1915. This corps, along with the I Anzac Corps, replaced the original Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).
General Alexander Godley, commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, assumed command of the corps after the I Anzac Corps embarked for France in late March, 1916. The corps initially comprised the two "new" Australian divisions — the Australian 4th and 5th divisions — that had been spawned from the "veteran" 1st and 2nd divisions.
In July 1916, following the arrival of II Anzac in France, the Australian 4th Division was swapped for the New Zealand Division from I Anzac, and II Anzac took over a sector of front-line near Armentières. In mid-July, II Anzac lent the 5th Division to the British XI Corps for a diversionary operation that became known as the Battle of Fromelles.
In the 1917 Battle of Messines, prelude to the Third Battle of Ypres, II Anzac was the southernmost of three British divisions to attack the Messines ridge. At this time II Anzac contained the New Zealand Division, the Australian 3rd Division and the British 25th Division. The Australian 4th Division was also attached to the corps as reinforcements and was to mount a follow-up attack after the assault by the other three divisions.
Upon the formation of the Australian Corps in late 1917, which contained all five Australian divisions, II Anzac was renamed the British XXII Corps.
ANZAC is the acronym formed from the initial letters of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the formation into which Australian and New Zealand soldiers were grouped in Egypt prior to the landing at Gallipoli in April 1915.
These formations, I ANZACCorps comprising three Australian divisions and IIANZACCorps made up of the 4th and 5thAustralian divisions and the New Zealand Division, were transferred to France and fought on the Western Front until 1917, when the five Australian formations were grouped into a single Australian Corps.
In the Second World War, a new ANZAC was formed during the short Greek campaign of April 1941 when the 6th Australian Division and the New Zealand Division were joined under command of the headquarters of I Australian Corps (redesignated as ANZACCorps).
The corps was initially commanded by General Alexander Godley and comprised the three "veteran" Anzac divisions — the Australian 1st and 2nd divisions and the newly formed New Zealand Division.
The corps' divisions were initially manning the defences east of the Suez Canal against the anticipated Turkish invasion of Egypt.
In France the I AnzacCorps was attached to the British Second Army, positioned on the relatively quiet sector south of Ypres.
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