Third Army (United Kingdom)

Third Army
Active	World War I
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Field Army
Engagements	Battle of the Somme, Battle of Arras, Battle of Cambrai, Battle of Passchendale, Battle of Amiens
Commanders
Notable commanders	General Edmund Allenby General Sir Julian Byng

The Third Army was a part of the British Army during World War I.

First World War

The Third Army was part of the British Army during World War I and was formed in France on 13 July 1915.^[1]

During August 1915 the Third Army took over trench line south of the French Tenth Army, which had to keep in position for the upcoming autumn offensive. This made the Third Army geographically separate from the other British Armies for the time being.^[2] This remained the case until early 1916, when Tenth Army was redeployed because of French losses at Verdun and the British Fourth Army was formed.

The battles it took part in on the Western Front included:

• Battle of the Somme
• Battle of Cambrai
• Second Battle of Arras (April 1917)
• Battle of Passchendale^[3]
• Battle of Amiens (August 1918)
• Hundred Days Offensive

Commanders

• General Charles Monro (July 1915 – September 1915)
• General Edmund Allenby (23 October 1915 – 9 June 1917)
• General Sir Julian Byng (9 June 1917 – 11 November 1918)

Notes and references

Notes

1. The British Armies of 1914-1918
2. Holmes 2004, p294
3. Burton, Pierre, Marching as to war, 2001, Toronto

Bibliography

• Holmes, Richard (2004). The Little Field Marshal: A Life of Sir John French. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-84614-0.