Cape Helles is the rocky headland at the southwesternmost tip of the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey . It was the scene of heavy fighting between Ottoman Turkish and British troops during the landing at Cape Helles at the beginning of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. The name derives from the Greek Helle ; Helles means "Helle's" in Greek (see also Hellespont ).
121-745: World War II The Kent Fortress Royal Engineers (KFRE) was a volunteer Territorial unit of the British Army that saw service in both World Wars. They are notable for their successful actions in May 1940, when they destroyed substantial oil stocks and installations just ahead of the German advance, and in August 1944 during the assault crossing of the River Seine. When the Territorial Force
242-659: A Neutrality Pact in April 1941, and Japan adopted the doctrine of Nanshin-ron , promoted by the Navy, which took its focus southward and eventually led to war with the United States and the Western Allies. In Europe, Germany and Italy were becoming more aggressive. In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria , again provoking little response from other European powers. Encouraged, Hitler began pressing German claims on
363-578: A cautious French probe into the Saarland . The Western Allies also began a naval blockade of Germany , which aimed to damage the country's economy and war effort. Germany responded by ordering U-boat warfare against Allied merchant and warships, which would later escalate into the Battle of the Atlantic . On 8 September, German troops reached the suburbs of Warsaw . The Polish counter-offensive to
484-664: A '2/' prefix. All the KFRE units were initially employed on the Thames Estuary defences, but in June 1915 1/1st–1/3rd Works Companies left and were converted to Field Companies for service overseas; 1/6th and 1/7th Companies also formed field companies that served in home defence. 4th and 5th EL Companies appear to have remained in the Thames defences throughout the war. In June 1915 this company left, and on 23 September it embarked for
605-464: A holding and training company, which was numbered 499th (Home Counties) Field Company (alternatively referred to as 499th (Kent) Reserve Company) . 2/6th Company later became 579th (Kent) Works Company , while 2/7th Company became an HQ and Deport company for the KFRE, and was later numbered as 580th (Thames & Medway) Fortress Company . 2/4th Company became 598th (Kent) Works Company , later 598th (Thames & Medway) Works Company , and after
726-561: A new 73rd (Kent Fortress) AA Battalion . On the outbreak of war in 1939, one of the war stations of the Northfleet Section was to man the 120 cm searchlights at Coalhouse Fort at East Tilbury on the north bank of the Thames Estuary . These new remote-controlled 'fighting lights' installed on the north Caponier of the fort were powered by Hornsby engines and enabled the fort's 6-inch coast defence guns to fire at night. Anti-aircraft searchlights were also installed at
847-524: A pretext to initiate the invasion. The first German attack of the war came against the Polish defences at Westerplatte . The United Kingdom responded with an ultimatum for Germany to cease military operations, and on 3 September, after the ultimatum was ignored, Britain and France declared war on Germany. During the Phoney War period, the alliance provided no direct military support to Poland, outside of
968-728: A pretext to worsen relations. On 29 August, Hitler demanded that a Polish plenipotentiary immediately travel to Berlin to negotiate the handover of Danzig , and to allow a plebiscite in the Polish Corridor in which the German minority would vote on secession. The Poles refused to comply with the German demands, and on the night of 30–31 August in a confrontational meeting with the British ambassador Nevile Henderson , Ribbentrop declared that Germany considered its claims rejected. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland after having staged several false flag border incidents as
1089-475: A secret protocol that defined German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (western Poland and Lithuania for Germany; eastern Poland , Finland, Estonia , Latvia and Bessarabia for the Soviet Union), and raised the question of continuing Polish independence. The pact neutralised the possibility of Soviet opposition to a campaign against Poland and assured that Germany would not have to face the prospect of
1210-774: A similar pact and rejected ceding part of its territory to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939, and was subsequently expelled from the League of Nations for this crime of aggression. Despite overwhelming numerical superiority, Soviet military success during the Winter War was modest, and the Finno-Soviet war ended in March 1940 with some Finnish concessions of territory . In June 1940,
1331-464: A tank ferry into operation before morning on the 27th. However, 43rd Division had succeeded in seizing and maintaining a bridgehead. The Kent REs' third task in this complex operation was to build a 223-metre Bailey, codenamed SAUL, in 36 hours. When the 15th (Kent) GHQTRE and other bridging units had completed their tasks, 43rd Division and its supporting armour crossed in strength on 28 August and began 21st Army Group's rapid advance to Brussels . After
SECTION 10
#17327719447081452-531: A two-front war, as it had in World War I. Immediately afterwards, Hitler ordered the attack to proceed on 26 August, but upon hearing that the United Kingdom had concluded a formal mutual assistance pact with Poland and that Italy would maintain neutrality, he decided to delay it. In response to British requests for direct negotiations to avoid war, Germany made demands on Poland, which served as
1573-604: The Anglo-German Naval Agreement and the German–Polish declaration of non-aggression . The situation became a crisis in late August as German troops continued to mobilise against the Polish border. On 23 August the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, after tripartite negotiations for a military alliance between France, the United Kingdom, and Soviet Union had stalled. This pact had
1694-689: The British Empire , with fighting in the Balkans , Mediterranean, and Middle East , the aerial Battle of Britain and the Blitz , and naval Battle of the Atlantic . Through a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany took control of much of continental Europe and formed the Axis alliance with Italy , Japan , and other countries. In June 1941, Germany led the European Axis in an invasion of
1815-649: The First and Second Battle of Gaza . It joined 75th Division on 7 August 1917 and served with it during the Third Battle of Gaza but returned to the 54th in May 1918 when the 75th was partly Indianised. 495th Company remained with 54th Division for the final advance in Palestine (the Battle of Megiddo ). 495th Company was demobilised during 1919. 1/2nd Field company also embarked on 23 September and joined 2nd Mounted Division at Suvla. After evacuation to Egypt it
1936-667: The Gallipoli . On arrival at Suvla Bay on 7 October it was attached to the 2nd Mounted Division . The division was evacuated to Egypt in December and broken up in January 1916. The field company was then attached to 54th (East Anglian) Division in the Suez Canal defences on 1 July. The company was redesignated 495th (1st Kent) Field Company on 1 February 1917. In March it advanced with 54th Division into Palestine and fought in
2057-581: The German Revolution of 1918–1919 , and a democratic government, later known as the Weimar Republic , was created. The interwar period saw strife between supporters of the new republic and hardline opponents on both the political right and left. Italy, as an Entente ally, had made some post-war territorial gains; however, Italian nationalists were angered that the promises made by the United Kingdom and France to secure Italian entrance into
2178-853: The German invasion of Poland and the United Kingdom and France 's declaration of war on Germany two days later on 3 September 1939. Dates for the beginning of the Pacific War include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or the earlier Japanese invasion of Manchuria , on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor , who stated that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously, and
2299-576: The Italian mainland , and Allied offensives in the Pacific—cost the Axis powers their initiative and forced them into strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France at Normandy , while the Soviet Union regained its territorial losses and pushed Germany and its allies westward. At the same time, Japan suffered reversals in mainland Asia, while the Allies crippled
2420-553: The Japanese Navy and captured key islands . The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of German-occupied territories ; the invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the fall of Berlin to Soviet troops; Hitler's suicide ; and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 . Following the refusal of Japan to surrender on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration ,
2541-695: The League of Nations as a force to preserve peace. Both Italy and Ethiopia were member nations, but the League did little when the former clearly violated Article X of the League's Covenant . The United Kingdom and France supported imposing sanctions on Italy for the invasion, but the sanctions were not fully enforced and failed to end the Italian invasion. Italy subsequently dropped its objections to Germany's goal of absorbing Austria . When civil war broke out in Spain, Hitler and Mussolini lent military support to
SECTION 20
#17327719447082662-731: The Nationalist rebels , led by General Francisco Franco . Italy supported the Nationalists to a greater extent than the Nazis: Mussolini sent more than 70,000 ground troops, 6,000 aviation personnel, and 720 aircraft to Spain. The Soviet Union supported the existing government of the Spanish Republic . More than 30,000 foreign volunteers, known as the International Brigades , also fought against
2783-690: The Rome–Berlin Axis . A month later, Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact , which Italy joined the following year. The Kuomintang (KMT) party in China launched a unification campaign against regional warlords and nominally unified China in the mid-1920s, but was soon embroiled in a civil war against its former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allies and new regional warlords . In 1931, an increasingly militaristic Empire of Japan , which had long sought influence in China as
2904-619: The Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers . Nearly all the world's countries —including all the great powers —participated, with many investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war , blurring the distinction between military and civilian resources. Tanks and aircraft played major roles , with
3025-590: The Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in April 1941. By contrast, the Germans were steadily making preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union, massing forces on the Soviet border. Hitler believed that the United Kingdom's refusal to end the war was based on the hope that the United States and the Soviet Union would enter the war against Germany sooner or later. On 31 July 1940, Hitler decided that
3146-598: The Stresa Front in April 1935 in order to contain Germany, a key step towards military globalisation ; however, that June, the United Kingdom made an independent naval agreement with Germany, easing prior restrictions. The Soviet Union, concerned by Germany's goals of capturing vast areas of Eastern Europe , drafted a treaty of mutual assistance with France. Before taking effect, though, the Franco-Soviet pact
3267-709: The Sudetenland , an area of Czechoslovakia with a predominantly ethnic German population. Soon the United Kingdom and France followed the appeasement policy of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and conceded this territory to Germany in the Munich Agreement , which was made against the wishes of the Czechoslovak government, in exchange for a promise of no further territorial demands. Soon afterwards, Germany and Italy forced Czechoslovakia to cede additional territory to Hungary, and Poland annexed
3388-658: The Tanggu Truce was signed in 1933. Thereafter, Chinese volunteer forces continued the resistance to Japanese aggression in Manchuria , and Chahar and Suiyuan . After the 1936 Xi'an Incident , the Kuomintang and CCP forces agreed on a ceasefire to present a united front to oppose Japan. The Second Italo-Ethiopian War was a brief colonial war that began in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war began with
3509-524: The Trans-Olza region of Czechoslovakia. Although all of Germany's stated demands had been satisfied by the agreement, privately Hitler was furious that British interference had prevented him from seizing all of Czechoslovakia in one operation. In subsequent speeches Hitler attacked British and Jewish "war-mongers" and in January 1939 secretly ordered a major build-up of the German navy to challenge British naval supremacy. In March 1939, Germany invaded
3630-558: The Treaty of Craiova . The loss of one-third of Romania's 1939 territory caused a coup against King Carol II, turning Romania into a fascist dictatorship under Marshal Ion Antonescu , with a course set towards the Axis in the hopes of a German guarantee. Meanwhile, German-Soviet political relations and economic co-operation gradually stalled, and both states began preparations for war. In April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway to protect shipments of iron ore from Sweden , which
3751-698: The United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , in which they had agreed on " spheres of influence " in Eastern Europe. In 1940, the Soviets annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland and Romania . After the fall of France in June 1940, the war continued mainly between Germany and
Kent Fortress Royal Engineers - Misplaced Pages Continue
3872-709: The Wehrmacht rapidly advanced to the Channel and cut off the Allied forces in Belgium, trapping the bulk of the Allied armies in a cauldron on the Franco-Belgian border near Lille. The United Kingdom was able to evacuate a significant number of Allied troops from the continent by early June, although they had to abandon almost all their equipment. On 10 June, Italy invaded France , declaring war on both France and
3993-630: The aftermath of World War I and the rise of fascism in Europe and militarism in Japan . Key events leading up to the war included Japan's invasion of Manchuria , the Spanish Civil War , the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War , and Germany's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland . World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany , under Adolf Hitler , invaded Poland , prompting
4114-467: The allied invasion of Vichy Syria in July 1941: during this operation a two-man team was flown behind Vichy lines, where they destroyed a vital bridge and were recovered by aircraft. Once absorbed into the local military organisation, they assisted with the wide variety of tasks performed by the Royal Engineers: construction and destruction, booby trap and mine clearance (often under fire), water supply, construction of dummy installations to deceive
4235-404: The reunification of East and West Germany to take place and resolved most post–World War II issues. No formal peace treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union was ever signed, although the state of war between the two countries was terminated by the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 , which also restored full diplomatic relations between them. World War I had radically altered
4356-415: The 3rd Kent Field Company transferred to the 29th Division , which proceeded to the Western Front in March. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme the company was attached to one of the attacking brigades, but continuing work on communications and water supply meant that only a small portion of the company went into action. The company participated in the Battles of Arras and 3rd Ypres in 1917. On
4477-409: The Allies were attempting to cut off . Denmark capitulated after six hours , and despite Allied support , Norway was conquered within two months. British discontent over the Norwegian campaign led to the resignation of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain , who was replaced by Winston Churchill on 10 May 1940. On the same day, Germany launched an offensive against France . To circumvent
4598-400: The Axis war against the Soviet Union, in Romania's case partially to recapture territory ceded to the Soviet Union . In early June 1940, the Italian Regia Aeronautica attacked and besieged Malta , a British possession. From late summer to early autumn, Italy conquered British Somaliland and made an incursion into British-held Egypt . In October, Italy attacked Greece , but the attack
4719-421: The Blitz , but largely ended in May 1941 after failing to significantly disrupt the British war effort. Using newly captured French ports, the German Navy enjoyed success against an over-extended Royal Navy , using U-boats against British shipping in the Atlantic . The British Home Fleet scored a significant victory on 27 May 1941 by sinking the German battleship Bismarck . In November 1939,
4840-451: The British evacuations from western France ( Operation Aerial ), the final KFRE detachment lost seven men on the Lancastria when it was sunk at St Nazaire. One more went "missing, presumed dead" during the destruction of the British dump near St Nazaire and another died of wounds sustained at Boulogne. There was concern that the Germans might attempt to capture the large British-owned oilfield at Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Although far from
4961-405: The European Axis declaring war on the US. Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia , but its advances in the Pacific were halted in mid-1942 after its defeat in the naval Battle of Midway ; Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. Key setbacks in 1943—including German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasions of Sicily and
Kent Fortress Royal Engineers - Misplaced Pages Continue
5082-410: The French possessions of Syria and Lebanon , assisted by the Free French . With the situation in Europe and Asia relatively stable, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union made preparations for war. With the Soviets wary of mounting tensions with Germany, and the Japanese planning to take advantage of the European War by seizing resource-rich European possessions in Southeast Asia , the two powers signed
5203-593: The Germans reached the area, and the installations at Rouen , Le Havre and Honfleur were all destroyed. In addition, a large British military fuel dump near Saint-Nazaire was destroyed. A British general ordered that no demolition was to be done at a refinery at Donges ; the supplies were subsequently thought to have been used to re-fuel U-boats . As an afterthought, detachments were sent to destroy smaller depots at Dunkirk , Boulogne and Calais . These were abortive, however; those at Dunkirk were destroyed by German bombs, Calais' facilities were unapproachable due to
5324-426: The Germans, and the last large operational unit of the Polish Army surrendered on 6 October . Despite the military defeat, Poland never surrendered; instead, it formed the Polish government-in-exile and a clandestine state apparatus remained in occupied Poland. A significant part of Polish military personnel evacuated to Romania and Latvia; many of them later fought against the Axis in other theatres of
5445-399: The Hotel Acropolis – a task considered to be anticlimactic. The engineers were transferred to Salonika and Volos and, when the Germans reached the city, successfully demolished installations of use to the enemy, including oil refineries, engineering works, gas works, port facilities and fortifications at Volos. Outside Athens, a new airfield and its equipment was destroyed. Some members of
5566-423: The Kent RE had two of these in operation (two others were destroyed by shellfire before they could be completed and had to be replaced later from reserves). These rafts took over surfacing material for the exits on the far bank, which was laid under RE supervision by German prisoners. The rafts worked continuously for two and a half days, transporting across 611 vehicles among other loads. The RE History records that
5687-450: The Nationalists. Both Germany and the Soviet Union used this proxy war as an opportunity to test in combat their most advanced weapons and tactics. The Nationalists won the civil war in April 1939; Franco, now dictator, remained officially neutral during World War II but generally favoured the Axis . His greatest collaboration with Germany was the sending of volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front . In July 1937, Japan captured
5808-406: The RE detachment were lost, as casualties or captured, before the bulk were evacuated to Crete , where others were captured or killed when the Germans invaded. One captured officer (Dennis Alabaster) escaped while being transported through Yugoslavia and joined the Chetniks ; he was subsequently killed there. Those who escaped Crete were then based in Palestine . A detachment was employed during
5929-452: The Royal Navy putting three Italian battleships out of commission after a carrier attack at Taranto , and neutralising several more warships at the Battle of Cape Matapan . Italian defeats prompted Germany to deploy an expeditionary force to North Africa; at the end of March 1941, Rommel 's Afrika Korps launched an offensive which drove back Commonwealth forces. In less than a month, Axis forces advanced to western Egypt and besieged
6050-423: The Soviet Union occupied the entire territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the Romanian regions of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region . In August 1940, Hitler imposed the Second Vienna Award on Romania which led to the transfer of Northern Transylvania to Hungary. In September 1940, Bulgaria demanded Southern Dobruja from Romania with German and Italian support, leading to
6171-421: The Soviet Union , opening the Eastern Front and initially making large territorial gains. Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and the Asia-Pacific , and by 1937 was at war with the Republic of China . In December 1941, Japan attacked American and British territories in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific , including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , which resulted in the US and the UK declaring war against Japan, and
SECTION 50
#17327719447086292-418: The Soviet Union and Mongolia . The Japanese doctrine of Hokushin-ron , which emphasised Japan's expansion northward, was favoured by the Imperial Army during this time. This policy would prove difficult to maintain in light of the Japanese defeat at Khalkin Gol in 1939, the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War and ally Nazi Germany pursuing neutrality with the Soviets. Japan and the Soviet Union eventually signed
6413-575: The Soviet Union should be eliminated and aimed for the conquest of Ukraine , the Baltic states and Byelorussia . However, other senior German officials like Ribbentrop saw an opportunity to create a Euro-Asian bloc against the British Empire by inviting the Soviet Union into the Tripartite Pact. In November 1940, negotiations took place to determine if the Soviet Union would join the pact. The Soviets showed some interest but asked for concessions from Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Japan that Germany considered unacceptable. On 18 December 1940, Hitler issued
6534-408: The Tonbridge area. The survivors (4 officers and 78 other ranks) were picked up by the Sarnia and returned to Mudros. On 20 November, the company (now reduced to 4 officers and 78 other ranks) re-embarked and landed the same day at Cape Helles , where it was attached to 52nd (Lowland) Division . On the night of 7/8 January 1916, 52nd Division was evacuated from Helles and withdrawn to Egypt. Here
6655-402: The US dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August. Faced with an imminent invasion of the Japanese archipelago , the possibility of further atomic bombings, and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan and its invasion of Manchuria , Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945 , marking
6776-424: The United Kingdom and France guaranteed their support for Polish independence ; when Italy conquered Albania in April 1939, the same guarantee was extended to the Kingdoms of Romania and Greece . Shortly after the Franco - British pledge to Poland, Germany and Italy formalised their own alliance with the Pact of Steel . Hitler accused the United Kingdom and Poland of trying to "encircle" Germany and renounced
6897-489: The United Kingdom attacked on 3 July in an attempt to prevent its seizure by Germany. The air Battle of Britain began in early July with Luftwaffe attacks on shipping and harbours . The German campaign for air superiority started in August but its failure to defeat RAF Fighter Command forced the indefinite postponement of the proposed German invasion of Britain . The German strategic bombing offensive intensified with night attacks on London and other cities in
7018-401: The United Kingdom. The Germans turned south against the weakened French army, and Paris fell to them on 14 June. Eight days later France signed an armistice with Germany ; it was divided into German and Italian occupation zones , and an unoccupied rump state under the Vichy Regime , which, though officially neutral, was generally aligned with Germany. France kept its fleet, which
7139-473: The United States was assisting China and the Western Allies, and had amended the Neutrality Act to allow "cash and carry" purchases by the Allies. In 1940, following the German capture of Paris, the size of the United States Navy was significantly increased . In September the United States further agreed to a trade of American destroyers for British bases . Still, a large majority of the American public continued to oppose any direct military intervention in
7260-434: The Yellow River ; this manoeuvre bought time for the Chinese to prepare their defences at Wuhan , but the city was taken by October. Japanese military victories did not bring about the collapse of Chinese resistance that Japan had hoped to achieve; instead, the Chinese government relocated inland to Chongqing and continued the war. In the mid-to-late 1930s, Japanese forces in Manchukuo had sporadic border clashes with
7381-405: The capital Nanking in December 1937. After the fall of Nanking, tens or hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants were murdered by the Japanese . In March 1938, Nationalist Chinese forces won their first major victory at Taierzhuang , but then the city of Xuzhou was taken by the Japanese in May. In June 1938, Chinese forces stalled the Japanese advance by flooding
SECTION 60
#17327719447087502-460: The command of Lt-Col L.R.E. Fayle was assigned to I Corps for the assault phase of the operation. The unit had been specially trained to construct Naval Pontoon Causeways to provide firm roads over soft beaches and to provide 'dryshod' landings for disembarking vehicles. The RE History comments that: During training in Northern Ireland, the unit's CO, Lt-Col Fayle, had developed a method of moving tanks across water obstacles using powered rafts. By
7623-403: The conflict well into 1941. In December 1940, Roosevelt accused Hitler of planning world conquest and ruled out any negotiations as useless, calling for the United States to become an " arsenal of democracy " and promoting Lend-Lease programmes of military and humanitarian aid to support the British war effort; Lend-Lease was later extended to the other Allies, including the Soviet Union after it
7744-560: The construction of coastal defences against the anticipated German invasion, and clearing up and making safe bomb damage in London, the new unit was moved to a camp near Portadown , Northern Ireland as III (Kent) CTRE . The time was spent on training exercises and assisting in Belfast after the city had been bombed. Opportunities were taken – out of uniform – to spend weekend leave in Dublin , in neutral Ireland, and sample peacetime life. The Norwegian northern islands of Spitsbergen were inhabited by Russian and Norwegian miners who exploited
7865-410: The creation of a " New Roman Empire ". Adolf Hitler , after an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government in 1923, eventually became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933 when Paul von Hindenburg and the Reichstag appointed him. Following Hindenburg's death in 1934, Hitler proclaimed himself Führer of Germany and abolished democracy, espousing a radical, racially motivated revision of
7986-425: The directive to prepare for an invasion of the Soviet Union. Cape Helles The Helles Memorial is a British and Commonwealth battle memorial for the whole Gallipoli campaign. It lists all units that served on the peninsula during the campaign including the Australian and New Zealand units that served in the Anzac sector and all units that served in the Suvla Bay sector. The Helles Memorial also commemorates
8107-616: The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian Empires. To prevent a future world war, the League of Nations was established in 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference . The organisation's primary goals were to prevent armed conflict through collective security, military, and naval disarmament , as well as settling international disputes through peaceful negotiations and arbitration. Despite strong pacifist sentiment after World War I , irredentist and revanchist nationalism had emerged in several European states. These sentiments were especially marked in Germany because of
8228-403: The division moved in January 1917 into Essex and Hertfordshire to form part of Southern Army (Home Forces) ; the engineers were stationed at Witham and Chelmsford . The two field companies were numbered 546th (1/6th Kent) and 547th (1/7th Kent) in February 1917. 73rd Division's main role was to train and physically condition men for drafting as reinforcements for units serving overseas. By
8349-505: The end of 1917 the division's infantry battalions had largely completed their task and been replaced by training units, whereupon the division was broken up as a Home Defence formation. 546th and 547th Field Companies were redesignated Army Troops Companies and embarked for the Western Front on 22 June 1918, landing at Le Havre the following day, and working in the Third Army and Fourth Army areas respectively from 7 July. The two companies were engaged in engineering works associated with
8470-421: The end of May completed the German conquest of the Balkans. Partisan warfare subsequently broke out against the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia , which continued until the end of the war. In the Middle East in May, Commonwealth forces quashed an uprising in Iraq which had been supported by German aircraft from bases within Vichy-controlled Syria . Between June and July, British-led forces invaded and occupied
8591-409: The end of the war. World War II changed the political alignment and social structure of the world, and it set the foundation of international relations for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts, with the victorious great powers—China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US—becoming
8712-844: The enemy, etc. The newly formed British airborne units required sapper support and in early 1942, one of the companies in Northern Ireland was selected for conversion to this role, subject to the willingness and suitability of individual sappers. Meanwhile, the bulk of III (Kent) CTRE had returned from Northern Ireland in July 1942, being redesignated 1st (Kent) General Headquarters Troops RE . Although assigned to First Army , they did not take part in Operation Torch , and in 1943 they were renamed again as 15th (Kent) GHQ Troops RE . The unit accompanied 21st Army Group to Normandy as part of Operation Overlord . 15th (Kent) GHQTRE under
8833-400: The failure of Operation Market Garden , the vital road and rail bridges that had been captured at Nijmegen were damaged by German swimmers who attached mines to the piers. A hole was blown in the roadway of the road bridge, but was swiftly repaired by the insertion of two Bailey spans by 15th (Kent) GHQ TRE and XXX CTRE ; the bridges were also camouflaged. Early in 1945, in order to improve
8954-462: The first bridge was laid. Then, after a 40-ton Bailey bridge had been completed, they were to build a 70-ton Bailey bridge to permit fully laden tank transporters to cross. The heavy bridging equipment was held back on the road and only two platoons of 583 Field Company went forward with the assault group on 25 August. The storm boats were intended as a reserve but had to be used in the first wave because launching points for DUKWs were hard to find. On
9075-631: The first step of what its government saw as the country's right to rule Asia , staged the Mukden incident as a pretext to invade Manchuria and establish the puppet state of Manchukuo . China appealed to the League of Nations to stop the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after being condemned for its incursion into Manchuria. The two nations then fought several battles, in Shanghai , Rehe and Hebei , until
9196-864: The former Chinese imperial capital of Peking after instigating the Marco Polo Bridge incident , which culminated in the Japanese campaign to invade all of China. The Soviets quickly signed a non-aggression pact with China to lend materiel support, effectively ending China's prior cooperation with Germany . From September to November, the Japanese attacked Taiyuan , engaged the Kuomintang Army around Xinkou , and fought Communist forces in Pingxingguan . Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek deployed his best army to defend Shanghai , but after three months of fighting, Shanghai fell. The Japanese continued to push Chinese forces back, capturing
9317-594: The fort. In May 1940, the German Army invaded the Netherlands and Belgium. The British military authorities were determined that the large oil installations at the major ports should not fall into enemy hands. The KFRE were despatched in secrecy on 11 May to Amsterdam to negotiate with the local commanders and destroy the installations and the large oil stocks and assist with dockyard demolitions; these were called "XD Operations". They were successful in spite of
9438-406: The four available DUKWs also grounded, the survivor ferrying across the rest of 5th Wiltshire in the dark. On the left, 4th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry got across in the storm boats relatively easily, but found that their bridgehead was on an island, and they were still cut off from the east bank. The rafting troops did not get to the river until the evening of 26 August, and struggled to get
9559-569: The further expansion of the army the Kent Fortress RE organised the 1/6th and 1/7th Kent Fortress Companies to which the Cinque Ports Fortress Royal Engineers also contributed personnel. In late 1916 the 1/6th and 1/7th were converted to field companies and had joined 73rd Division by 22 November. 73rd Division was a newly organised Home Service formation concentrating at Blackpool . Once organised,
9680-460: The heavy fighting and Boulogne, in fact, had none. Further oil demolition operations were attempted at Caen , Cherbourg and St Malo , but only St Malo was successful. The installations near Caen were captured before the British arrival, and the French authorities prevented demolition at Cherbourg; KFRE assisted with the general harbour demolitions there. Although these actions remained secret at
9801-525: The invasion of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia ) by the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy ( Regno d'Italia ), which was launched from Italian Somaliland and Eritrea . The war resulted in the military occupation of Ethiopia and its annexation into the newly created colony of Italian East Africa ( Africa Orientale Italiana , or AOI); in addition it exposed the weakness of
9922-446: The lack of planning and specialised equipment. After Amsterdam, detachments carried out more oil demolitions at Rotterdam and Antwerp , and assisted with the evacuation of 40 tons of Dutch gold from Rotterdam. At times they exchanged fire with German advance patrols. The German advance continued into France, and KFRE were sent to destroy the oil depots along the lower Seine . Initial, but understandable, French reluctance dissipated as
10043-682: The latter enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70 to 85 million deaths , more than half being civilians. Millions died in genocides , including the Holocaust of European Jews, as well as from massacres, starvation, and disease. Following the Allied powers' victory, Germany , Austria , Japan , and Korea were occupied, and war crimes tribunals were conducted against German and Japanese leaders . The causes of World War II included unresolved tensions in
10164-519: The lines of communication for Second Army's planned assault crossing of the Rhine ( Operation Plunder ), additional bridges were constructed over the Maas at Venlo . 15th (Kent) GHQTRE was responsible for a 1220-foot (370 m) all-weather Class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge. 15th (Kent) GHQTRE was assigned to XII Corps for Operation Plunder itself, with its CRE, Lt-Col Fayle, controlling all engineering work for
10285-581: The morning of 30 November 1917, when the Germans counterattacked after the Battle of Cambrai , the company was sleeping in a tunnel at the brewery at Les Rue Vertes after a hard night's work. The company was taken by surprise and captured. The reformed company served at the Battle of the Lys (1918) , and finally the Hundred Days Offensive . It became 497th (3rd Kent) Field Company on 1 February 1917, and had been disbanded by mid-March 1919. With
10406-792: The names of all United Kingdom and Indian forces who died anywhere on the peninsula and have no known grave. Australians who died in the Helles sector are commemorated on the Helles Memorial and are not commemorated on the Lone Prine Memorial. Over 20,000 names are commemorated on the Helles Memorial which is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission . 40°02′35″N 26°10′31″E / 40.0431°N 26.1753°E / 40.0431; 26.1753 This geographical article about
10527-502: The permanent members of its security council . The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers , setting the stage for the Cold War . In the wake of European devastation, the influence of its great powers waned, triggering the decolonisation of Africa and Asia . Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery and expansion . World War II began in Europe on 1 September 1939 with
10648-589: The political European map with the defeat of the Central Powers —including Austria-Hungary , Germany , Bulgaria , and the Ottoman Empire —and the 1917 Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia , which led to the founding of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the victorious Allies of World War I , such as France, Belgium, Italy, Romania, and Greece, gained territory, and new nation-states were created out of
10769-599: The port of Tobruk . By late March 1941, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact ; however, the Yugoslav government was overthrown two days later by pro-British nationalists. Germany and Italy responded with simultaneous invasions of both Yugoslavia and Greece , commencing on 6 April 1941; both nations were forced to surrender within the month. The airborne invasion of the Greek island of Crete at
10890-509: The rafting troops received an unsolicited testimonial for their watermanship from a captured German officer who was being ferried back. After Bremen had been captured by XXX Corps on 27 April, the bridges connecting the two-halves of the city across the Weser were found to be destroyed. After some changes of plan, the Kent RE was tasked with building a barge bridge. Three river barges found on
11011-689: The rapid advance of the British Expeditionary Force in the final months of the war. 546 Company had transferred to Fourth Army by the time of the Armistice , while 547 Company moved to VI Corps in September and to Third Army by November 1918. 546th and 547th Army Field Companies were disbanded in France on 4 June 1919 and 1 May 1919 respectively. The 2/1st, 2/2nd, 2/3rd, 3/1st, 3/2nd and 3/3rd Kent Fortress Companies later formed
11132-722: The remainder of Czechoslovakia and subsequently split it into the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a pro-German client state , the Slovak Republic . Hitler also delivered an ultimatum to Lithuania on 20 March 1939, forcing the concession of the Klaipėda Region , formerly the German Memelland . Greatly alarmed and with Hitler making further demands on the Free City of Danzig ,
11253-541: The remaining TF personnel had been demobilised in 1919 was used to reform the Regular Army 39th Fortress Company, RE, at Sheerness. The Kent Fortress Royal Engineers may also have been the parent for 599th (Thames & Medway) Fortress Company . The Kent Fortress RE was not reformed in the Territorial Army immediately after the war, but was recreated in 1932 by Major (later Brigadier) Clifford Brazier ,
11374-422: The rich coal seams there. A party of four officers and 30 other ranks from III CTRE was sent as part of Operation Gauntlet to destroy the coal mines and stockpiles and deny their use to the Germans. A party of nine left for Gibraltar, they were commanded by Major Paul Baker, with three subalterns, Lieutenants Meyler, Terry, and Wells and five NCOs. Their mission was to advise and train the garrison of Gibraltar in
11495-500: The right hand brigade's assault crossing downstream of the Xanten ferry site (Operation Torchlight). This was carried out by 44th (Lowland) Brigade of 15th (Scottish) Division during the night of 23/24 March 1945. The first wave of infantry crossed at 02.00 aboard Buffalo tracked landing vehicles manned by 11th Royal Tank Regiment of 79th Armoured Division . Storm boats manned by the Kent RE field companies were held back until it
11616-408: The right, 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment began crossing at 19.00 on 25 August in eight storm boats manned by 583 Field Company, but they grounded before reaching the far side, and were raked by machine gun fire, incurring heavy casualties among boat crews and passengers. By the end of an hour only one boat remained. Only about a company had got across, and they were overrun during the night. Three of
11737-410: The significant territorial, colonial, and financial losses imposed by the Treaty of Versailles . Under the treaty, Germany lost around 13 percent of its home territory and all its overseas possessions , while German annexation of other states was prohibited, reparations were imposed, and limits were placed on the size and capability of the country's armed forces . The German Empire was dissolved in
11858-513: The site were used with Bailey superstructure, and a 456-foot (140 m) Class 40 bridge was opened for traffic at 04.00 on 2 May. All German forces facing 21st Army Group surrendered at Lüneburg Heath two days later, but there were many months of bridgebuilding and reconstruction work before the troops could be demobilised . 15th (Kent) GHQTRE was disbanded on 10 June 1946. World War II Asia-Pacific Mediterranean and Middle East Other campaigns Coups World War II or
11979-639: The situation. Apart from three wells needed to supply the British Eastern Fleet , all the wells were filled with concrete and drilling rigs were removed. Local management had already made adequate plans to render the pipelines useless to the enemy. In September 1940 the KFRE was organised into 582 and 583 Army Field Companies and joined by 584 (from the Suffolk Fortress RE ) and 297 Field Park Company (a London RE unit) to form Kent Corps Troops Royal Engineers (CTRE). After helping
12100-498: The start or prelude to World War II. The exact date of the war's end also is not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 15 August 1945 ( V-J Day ), rather than with the formal surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945, which officially ended the war in Asia . A peace treaty between Japan and the Allies was signed in 1951. A 1990 treaty regarding Germany's future allowed
12221-533: The strong Maginot Line fortifications on the Franco-German border, Germany directed its attack at the neutral nations of Belgium , the Netherlands , and Luxembourg . The Germans carried out a flanking manoeuvre through the Ardennes region, which was mistakenly perceived by the Allies as an impenetrable natural barrier against armoured vehicles. By successfully implementing new Blitzkrieg tactics,
12342-595: The techniques of destroying bulk fuel installations. The officers and NCOs spent four months at Gibraltar training local sappers in the destruction of oil storage. This was a preparation for any German threat to capture "the Rock" . In response to the axis invasion of Greece , at the end of 1940 a KFRE company was sent to Greece to assist with preparations for allied troops, train Greek army officers in demolition techniques, and carry out demolitions themselves. The first task on arrival was, however, to instal electric bells in
12463-518: The time 15th (Kent) GHQTRE landed in Normandy, 582 and 584 Field Companies had become experts in rafting, while 583 Field Company specialised in operating storm boats. For the crucial assault crossing of the River Seine at Vernon by 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division , the unit was tasked with manning DUKW amphibious trucks during the initial assault and then operating close support rafts before
12584-621: The time, there was official appreciation. At the time, the KFRE became the most highly decorated unit in the British Army. Major Brazier received an OBE , three officers (Captains Robert Keeble, Thomas Frederick Goodwin and Bernard Buxton) received DSOs , Second Lieutenant Bernard John Ashwell received the MC . A DCM was awarded to Corporal John Thomas Hearnden and three NCOs (Staff Sergeant Albert Henry Smart, Sergeant Alfred Richard Blake and Corporal Jack Mitten) received Military Medals . During
12705-512: The troops were transferred to the auxiliary minesweeper HMS Hythe to be landed at Suvla Bay the following morning. In the early hours of 28 October the Hythe was involved in a collision with the much larger troopship Sarnia . The Hythe sank within minutes, taking down most of its crew and passengers. The company lost its Officer Commanding, Capt D.R. Salomons (only son and heir of the honorary colonel), and 128 other ranks, almost all recruited from
12826-518: The two wars became World War II in 1941. Other proposed starting dates for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939. Others view the Spanish Civil War as
12947-513: The war were not fulfilled in the peace settlement. From 1922 to 1925, the Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy with a nationalist, totalitarian , and class collaborationist agenda that abolished representative democracy, repressed socialist, left-wing, and liberal forces, and pursued an aggressive expansionist foreign policy aimed at making Italy a world power, promising
13068-514: The war zones, the Germans were interested in the region. There were pro-Nazi factions in Iraqi politics, German aircraft had reached Baghdad via Vichy Syria (see Anglo-Iraqi War ), and some German special forces had been planning to establish bases in the Kirkuk area using aircraft from Kampfgeschwader 200 , a specialist unit. An officer from the KFRE was despatched there with some urgency to review
13189-581: The war, operating alongside two companies of Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers & Miners of the Indian Army . 496th Company began demobilisation in February 1919. The 1/3rd Field Company was largely recruited from Tonbridge and the surrounding villages. On 13 October 1915 the company left its depot at Gillingham and proceeded to Devonport where the boarded the troopship Scotian bound for Gallipoli via Mudros . On arrival at Mudros on 27 October
13310-475: The war. Germany annexed western Poland and occupied central Poland ; the Soviet Union annexed eastern Poland ; small shares of Polish territory were transferred to Lithuania and Slovakia . On 6 October, Hitler made a public peace overture to the United Kingdom and France but said that the future of Poland was to be determined exclusively by Germany and the Soviet Union. The proposal was rejected and Hitler ordered an immediate offensive against France, which
13431-512: The west halted the German advance for several days, but it was outflanked and encircled by the Wehrmacht . Remnants of the Polish army broke through to besieged Warsaw . On 17 September 1939, two days after signing a cease-fire with Japan , the Soviet Union invaded Poland under the supposed pretext that the Polish state had ceased to exist. On 27 September, the Warsaw garrison surrendered to
13552-474: The works manager of Bevans Cement Works (later Blue Circle Cement Company ) at Northfleet , and largely recruited from his employees. The new unit consisted of Nos 1, 2 and 3 Electric Light and Works Companies. Personnel from the KFRE appear to have provided the basis for 347 (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Company, RE, formed at Sidcup in 29th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE , in October 1937. In April 1939, 347 Company became part of (and gave its name to)
13673-707: The world order , and soon began a massive rearmament campaign . France, seeking to secure its alliance with Italy, allowed Italy a free hand in Ethiopia , which Italy desired as a colonial possession. The situation was aggravated in early 1935 when the Territory of the Saar Basin was legally reunited with Germany, and Hitler repudiated the Treaty of Versailles, accelerated his rearmament programme, and introduced conscription. The United Kingdom, France and Italy formed
13794-407: Was Sir David Salomons, 2nd Baronet Shortly after the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, TF units were invited to volunteer for overseas service. Meanwhile, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by
13915-614: Was invaded by Germany. The United States started strategic planning to prepare for a full-scale offensive against Germany. At the end of September 1940, the Tripartite Pact formally united Japan, Italy, and Germany as the Axis powers . The Tripartite Pact stipulated that any country—with the exception of the Soviet Union—that attacked any Axis Power would be forced to go to war against all three. The Axis expanded in November 1940 when Hungary , Slovakia , and Romania joined. Romania and Hungary later made major contributions to
14036-534: Was created in 1908, the 1st Sussex Royal Engineers (Volunteers) were split up to provide the Kent and Sussex Fortress Engineers, as well as the field companies of the Home Counties Division . The Kent Fortress Royal Engineers was formed on the basis of K Company of the 1st Sussex at Tonbridge . By the outbreak of World War I , the Kent unit had the following organisation: The Honorary Colonel
14157-454: Was known that the Buffalo crossings had been successful. Word to start crossing with 6th Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers was received at 02.45 and from then on the storm boats kept up a continuous ferrying operation, despite breakdowns of the unreliable engines. The 6th KOSB crossed without a casualty. At 03.30, rafting equipment was moved down to the river bank on sledges and by 06.30
14278-522: Was posted to the Suez Canal defences, took part in the Senussi campaign , and was redesignated 496th (2nd Kent) Field Company on 1 February 1917. It joined the newly formed 74th (Yeomanry) Division on 24 March 1917. On 25 May the company was transferred to 53rd (Welsh) Division and then transferred again on 4 July to 75th Division. Unlike 495 Company, it remained with 75th Division until the end of
14399-456: Was postponed until the spring of 1940 due to bad weather. After the outbreak of war in Poland, Stalin threatened Estonia , Latvia , and Lithuania with military invasion, forcing the three Baltic countries to sign pacts allowing the creation of Soviet military bases in these countries; in October 1939, significant Soviet military contingents were moved there. Finland refused to sign
14520-827: Was repulsed with heavy Italian casualties; the campaign ended within months with minor territorial changes. To assist Italy and prevent Britain from gaining a foothold, Germany prepared to invade the Balkans, which would threaten Romanian oil fields and strike against British dominance of the Mediterranean. In December 1940, British Empire forces began counter-offensives against Italian forces in Egypt and Italian East Africa . The offensives were successful; by early February 1941, Italy had lost control of eastern Libya, and large numbers of Italian troops had been taken prisoner. The Italian Navy also suffered significant defeats, with
14641-620: Was required to go through the bureaucracy of the League of Nations, which rendered it essentially toothless. The United States, concerned with events in Europe and Asia, passed the Neutrality Act in August of the same year. Hitler defied the Versailles and Locarno Treaties by remilitarising the Rhineland in March 1936, encountering little opposition due to the policy of appeasement . In October 1936, Germany and Italy formed
#707292