II Corps was a corps of the US Army that was active, with several breaks, from 24 February 1918 to 5 June 1970. The corps was first activated during World War I, and it fought at the Second Battle of the Somme in France before suffering heavy losses at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal. On 1 February 1919, the corps was demobilized, and it was later raised as a US National Guard corps before being activated as a fully functioning combat unit on 1 August 1940. In June 1942, Mark W. Clark commanded II Corps as it was sent to England during World War II, and Lloyd Fredendall commanded the corps during Operation Torch in November 1942. He was relieved of command after the Battle of Kasserine Pass in March 1943, and George S. Patton led the corps during its push into Tunisia, leading the corps to greatness. Omar Bradley took command of the corps when Patton was given command of the US Seventh Army, and the corps took part in grueling mountain warfare in Sicily during Operation Husky, and it would fight in Italy for the rest of the conflict. The corps suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944, but it advanced on the right flank of the US Fifth Army during the spring 1945 offensive in Italy, Operation Grapeshot, and it was deactivated in Austria on 10 October 1945 after the German surrender. From 1958 to 1970, the corps was reactivated in the reserves, but it was finally deactivated in 1970.
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