2nd Division

The 2nd Division was one of the two principal divisions of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps (Corpo Expedicionário Português, or CEP), the expeditionary force sent by Portugal to support the Allied war effort on the Western Front during the First World War. It operated under Portuguese command within the wider British military system and became the principal Portuguese formation remaining in the front line during the final phase of Portugal's participation in the conflict. The division was commanded by General Simas Machado until March 1918, when General Gomes da Costa assumed command. Its operational role expanded substantially after the 1st Division was withdrawn to the rear following heavy losses. On 6 April 1918, the 2nd Division, reinforced by the 6th Brigade from the 1st Division, became responsible for the entire Portuguese front-line sector. Its area of responsibility was reorganized into the Fauquissart, Neuve Chapelle and Ferme du Bois sectors, covering approximately 11 kilometres of front under the operational control of the British XI Corps. The division was scheduled to move to the rear on 9 April 1918. That planned relief coincided with the German Army's launch of Operation Georgette, the spring offensive whose main attack fell upon the positions occupied by the Portuguese troops. The resulting Battle of the Lys, also known as the Battle of La Lys, subjected the division to a major German assault supported by intense artillery fire. Approximately 20,000 Portuguese troops faced an attacking force of roughly 100,000 Germans. Although elements of the division resisted, the formation was ultimately overrun and suffered approximately 7,000 casualties. The 2nd Division's wartime history illustrates both the strategic importance and the vulnerability of Portugal's expeditionary commitment. Its deployment linked Portuguese forces to the British sector of the Western Front, while its concentration in the front line after the withdrawal of the 1st Division placed an exceptional burden on a formation already affected by prolonged service and combat losses. Its destruction during the Battle of the Lys became the defining event in the history of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps. The formation was a historical military unit rather than a commercial brand, and no continuing corporate or consumer identity is associated with it.

The 2nd Division formed part of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps, Portugal's principal military contribution to the Allied war effort on the Western Front in the First World War. The CEP deployed Portuguese troops into the British area of operations, where Portuguese formations held trenches and sectors subject to the wider Allied command system. The division was one of the CEP's two main divisions and was commanded for most of its documented frontline history by General Simas Machado. By late 1917 and early 1918, the Portuguese formations had endured extended frontline service, attrition and difficult conditions. From 22 December 1917 until 6 April 1918, the 2nd Division was responsible for the Fauquissart and Chapigny sectors of the Portuguese front. When the 1st Division was removed to the rear after suffering heavy losses, the 2nd Division was left as the only Portuguese division still holding the front line. It received the 6th Brigade from the 1st Division as reinforcement and consequently assumed responsibility for the full Portuguese sector. The enlarged area was reorganized into the Fauquissart, Neuve Chapelle and Ferme du Bois sectors. Together these positions covered approximately 11 kilometres of front and fell under the operational control of the British XI Corps. In March 1918, command of the division passed from General Simas Machado to General Gomes da Costa. A relief of the 2nd Division was planned for 9 April 1918. On that same day, however, the German Army began Operation Georgette, a major offensive directed against the Allied positions in Flanders. The principal German assault struck the Portuguese-held sectors. The Battle of the Lys exposed the division to a concentrated attack by a force estimated at around 100,000 Germans, supported by a heavy artillery bombardment, against approximately 20,000 Portuguese troops. The Portuguese troops offered determined resistance in several positions, but the scale of the offensive, the condition of the force and the absence of the planned relief made the division unable to hold its entire sector. It was overrun and suffered approximately 7,000 casualties. The defeat effectively marked the destruction of the 2nd Division as an intact frontline formation and became the central military episode associated with the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in the First World War. Because the subject was a military division, it did not have commercial products, customers, shareholders or a consumer-facing brand strategy. Its historical significance lies instead in its role as a Portuguese expeditionary formation, its integration into the British sector and its fate during the German spring offensive of 1918.

• 1918

  Becomes the sole Portuguese division in the front line

  [1]2nd Division (Portugal)en.wikipedia.org

  On 6 April, following the withdrawal of the 1st Division, the 2nd Division took responsibility for all Portuguese frontline sectors and was reinforced by the 6th Brigade.

• 1918

  Battle of the Lys

  [1]2nd Division (Portugal)en.wikipedia.org

  On 9 April, Operation Georgette struck the division's positions. The formation was eventually overrun and suffered approximately 7,000 casualties.

• 1917

  Assumes the Fauquissart and Chapigny sectors

  [1]2nd Division (Portugal)en.wikipedia.org

  From 22 December, the division was responsible for the Fauquissart and Chapigny sectors of the Portuguese portion of the Western Front.

A historical Portuguese expeditionary military formation operating within the Allied and British command structure on the Western Front.

• 1918Battle of the Lys

  Western Front · Flanders

  The division fought during the German Operation Georgette offensive on 9 April 1918. Its positions were attacked by a substantially larger German force following heavy artillery preparation. The division resisted but was ultimately overrun.

  Outcome. The division suffered approximately 7,000 casualties and ceased to function as an intact frontline formation.

  Source

• 1918

  Consolidation of the Portuguese frontline under the 2nd DivisionStrategy

  Background

  The 1st Division had been withdrawn to the rear after heavy losses, leaving the 2nd Division as the only Portuguese division still holding the front line.

  Action taken

  The 2nd Division was reinforced with the 6th Brigade and assigned responsibility for the complete Portuguese sector, covering the Fauquissart, Neuve Chapelle and Ferme du Bois areas under British XI Corps control.

  Aftermath

  The concentration increased the division's operational burden immediately before the German offensive of 9 April 1918, when the planned relief could not take place as intended.

  Source

1. 12nd Division (Portugal)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in World War I: From Inception to Destruction, 1914–1918digital.library.unt.edu