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The British Expeditionary Force was the British army sent to France and Belgium in World War I and British Forces in Europe from 1939 - 1940 during World War II.1 World War I
The British Expeditionary Force was established by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Boer War in case Britain ever needed to quickly deploy a force to take part in an overseas war. On the outbreak of World War I, it was sent to Belgium under the command of General Sir John French. The BEF was composed of four regular infantry divisions, rising later to seven infantry and three cavalry divisions. It suffered defeat in its first battle at Mons, but helped to halt the German advance at the First Battle of the Marne.
In December 1914, the British Expeditionary Force was divided into the First and Second Armies, with a third and fourth created later in the war. Although the term 'British Expeditionary Force' strictly refers only to the forces sent initially to France in 1914, the name is often used of the British Army in France and FlandersThis article is about a region of Western Europe and of Belgium. For other meanings, see Flanders (disambiguation). Today, Flanders ( Dutch: Vlaanderen French: Flandre or Flandres is a region in Western Europe, in Belgium and a nation, the 'community of t throughout the First World War.
2 World War II
Following the German invasion of PolandThe Polish September Campaign refers to the conquest of Poland by German and Soviet armies, and a small contingent of Slovak forces, in September 1939. The German plan was codenamed Fall Wei ("Fall Weiss" or "Case White") by the German Wehrmacht. This mil in 1939, the British Expeditionary Force was sent to the Franco-Belgian border. By May 1940, when German attacks began, it consisted of 10 infantryInfantry (or Infantrymen are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, using personal weapons. They may arrive on scene in various ways, and are deployed either in formations or as skirmishers and guerillas. In the modern period, the term "infantryman" is res divisions in 3 corpsThis article is about a military unit. For alternate meanings see Corps (disambiguation). A corps (a word that immigrated from the French language, but originating in the Latin "corpus, corporis" meaning body) is a large military unit. In the United State, a tankM1A1 Abrams tank is a typical modern main battle tank. The turret is low-profile, well-integrated into the overall shape of the vehicle. A tank is a tracked and armoured combat vehicle ( armoured fighting vehicle), designed primarily to destroy enemy grou brigade and an RAFThe Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF is the air force of the United Kingdom. History Formation and Early History The Royal Flying Corps was formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912 superseding the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. The Royal Na detachment of about 500 aircraft. Commanded by GeneralGeneral is a military rank, in most nations the highest rank, although some nations have the higher rank of Field Marshal. The title is used by land and sometimes air forces. In the navies of the world, the equivalent rank is Admiral. Its equivalent rank Lord GortJohn Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & 2 Bars, MVO, MC) ( July 10, 1886 March 1946), commonly known as Lord Gort was a British soldier who served in both World War I and II, rising to the rank of Field Marshal an it sustained heavy losses during the German advance, and the remainder were evacuated from Dunkirk in June, leaving much of their equipment behind.
