View source for Western Desert Force

{{Short description|British Army formation active in Egypt during World War II}}
{{distinguish|Western Frontier Force}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=Western Desert Force
|image=The British Army in North Africa 1940 E443.2.jpg
|caption=The British Army in North Africa 1940 
|dates=17 June 1940 – 1 January 1941<br>
14 April 1941 – 18 September 1941
|country={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|allegiance=
|branch={{army|United Kingdom}}
|type=[[Corps]]
|role=
|size= 
|command_structure=[[Middle East Command]]
|garrison=
|battles=[[Western Desert Campaign]]
|notable_commanders=[[Richard O'Connor]]<br>[[Noel Beresford-Peirse]]
|anniversaries=
}}
{{Campaignbox Western Desert}}
The '''Western Desert Force''' (WDF) was a [[British Army]] [[formation (military)|formation]] active in [[Egypt]] during the [[Western Desert Campaign]] of the [[World War II|Second World War]].

On 17 June 1940, the headquarters of the [[6th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 6th Infantry Division]] was designated as the Western Desert Force.<ref>See also NZ Electronic Text Centre, [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2DiSi-c3.html Chapter Three]</ref> The formation consisted of the [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|British 7th Armoured Division]] and the [[4th Infantry Division (India)|4th Indian Infantry Division]]. The force was commanded by [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] [[Richard O'Connor|Richard Nugent O'Connor]].

In September 1940, at the time of the [[Italian invasion of Egypt]], the Western Desert Force consisted of roughly 36,000 [[soldier]]s and about 65 [[tank]]s.<ref>Bauer (2000), p.93</ref>

From early December 1940 to February 1941, during [[Operation Compass]], the exploits of the Western Desert Force earned a parody of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Winston Churchill]]'s famous quote, "Never has so much been owed by so many, to so few." So many Italians were captured by the Western Desert Force that [[Anthony Eden]] said, "Never has so much been surrendered by so many, to so few."<ref>[http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/war-in-the-desert/war-in-the-desert-index-1941.htm World War II Timelines: 12 February 1941]</ref> From 14 December, the [[6th Division (Australia)|6th Australian Division]] replaced the 4th Indian Infantry Division which was redeployed to [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East Africa]].

The Western Desert Force was retitled [[XIII Corps (United Kingdom)|XIII Corps]] on 1 January 1941. By February 1941, the remaining Italian forces in [[Cyrenaica]] were withdrawing down the [[Via Balbia]] with the British 7th Armoured Division and the 6th Australian Infantry Division close behind.<ref>Walker(2003), p. 64</ref> When Operation Compass came to an end with the surrender of the [[Tenth Army (Italy)|Italian Tenth Army]] the corps HQ was deactivated in February and its responsibilities taken over by HQ [[Cyrenaica Command]], a static command, reflecting the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] defensive posture in the Western Desert as [[Middle East Command]] became obliged to focus on the [[Battle of Greece|campaign in Greece]] in April.

After the Italian forces in North Africa had been reinforced with the [[Africa Korps]] under [[Erwin Rommel]] during [[Operation Sonnenblume]], [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant General]] [[Philip Neame]], [[General officer commanding|General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) Cyrenaica,<ref>[http://www.ordersofbattle.com/PersonData.aspx?PerX=1054 Military Career of Philip Neame (British) VC, CB, DSO], accessed December 2008</ref> was captured during Rommel's advance and the Western Desert Force HQ was reactivated<ref name=bmh>[http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/aqadmin/media/uploads/4c52e76a629be_XIII%20Corps.pdf XIII Corps (Western Desert Force)]{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} British Military History</ref> on 14 April, under Major-General [[Noel Beresford-Peirse]], to take command of British Commonwealth forces in the western desert and halt the [[Axis powers|Axis]] advance at the [[Egypt–Libya border]].

In August 1941 [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell|Archibald Wavell]] was replaced as [[Commander-in-chief|Commander-in-Chief]] (C-in-C) Middle East by [[Claude Auchinleck]] and the British and Commonwealth forces were reinforced to create, in September 1941, the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|British Eighth Army]]. During this reorganisation the Western Desert Force was once again redesignated as XIII Corps in October 1941 and became part of the new army.<ref name=bmh/>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first=Eddy |last=Bauer |editor-last=Young |editor-first=Peter |title=The History of World War II |location=London |publisher=Orbis |orig-year=1979 |edition=rev. |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-85605-552-9}}
* {{cite book |first=Ian W. |last=Walker |title=Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts; Mussolini's Elite Armoured Divisions in North Africa |publisher=The Crowood Press |location=Ramsbury |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-86126-646-0}}
{{refend}}
{{British armies, commands, and corps during the Second World War}}

[[Category:Corps of the British Army in World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of India in World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1941]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1940]]

[[ar:القوة الصحراوية الغربية]]
[[fr:XIII Corps (Royaume-Uni)]]