II Corps ( United States ) The II Corps was a corps of the United States Army and the first US formation of any size to see combat in Europe or Africa during World War II . History . World War I . II Corps first saw significant action in Europe as a part of the main assault beginning the 1918 Second Battle of the Somme , while attached to the British Third Army . The initial secondary attack to begin that battle became known as the Third Battle of Albert , launched by the New Zealand Division . The attacks developed into an advance , which pushed the German 2nd Army back along a front line . On 22 August , the New Zealand Division took Albert , with the British and Americans advancing on Arras . On 29 August , Bapaume fell into British and American hands , which resulted in an advance by the Australian Corps , who crossed the Somme River on 31 August and broke the German lines during the Battle of Mont St . Quentin . Ultimately , the overall battle resulted in the German Army being pushed back to the Hindenburg Line , from which they would launch their spring offensive . World War II . In late 1942 , under the command of Major - General Lloyd Fredendall , II Corps landed in Oran as part of Operation Torch . After initially making good headway against German forces during the Tunisian Campaign , II Corps was defeated by German forces under Colonel - General Hans - Jürgen von Arnim at the Battle of Sidi Bou Zid . II Corps was again decisively defeated during the Battle of the Kasserine Pass by troops under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel . The defeats were compounded by American inexperience , poor senior leadership , and lack of armor comparable to that in the German panzer forces , as well as the highly effective German high - velocity 88 mm anti - tank guns , which were used in screening tactics to destroy American tanks lured into pursuit of German armored forces . In March 1943 , after a change of command to General George Patton , II Corps recovered its cohesion and fought well for the rest of the Tunisia Campaign , winning the Battle of El Guettar . The corps held the southern flank of British 1st Army during the destruction of the remaining Axis forces in North Africa . In July 1943 , II Corps landed in Sicily as part of Operation Husky under command of the U . S . 7th Army . It played a key part in the liberation of the western part of the island . The corps consisted of the U . S . 3rd Infantry Division , U . S . 9th Infantry Division , and 45th Infantry Division ( United States ) , all under the command of Lieutenant - General Omar Nelson Bradley . II Corps participated in a further amphibious operation at Salerno during the Allied invasion of Italy ( Operation Avalanche ) . This operation included the U . S . 36th Infantry Division and 45th Infantry Division . During the Spring offensive in May 1944 , II Corps consisted of the US 85th and 88th Infantry Divisions . For the assault of the German Gothic Line , II Corps consisted of the 34th , 88th and 91st Infantry Divisions . After the Anzio landings ( Operation Shingle ) , Major - General Geoffrey Keyes was assigned commander of II Corps . The corps fought from Monte Cassino , moved up the western side of Italy , and ended up on the right flank of US Fifth Army in May 1945 . The II Corps inactivated in Austria on 10 October 1945 , following Germany ' s surrender . Cold war . In March 1958 , Camp Kilmer , New Jersey , became Headquarters for the reactivated II Corps as the controlling headquarters for United States Army Reserve units across the northeast . The corps was inactivated on 5 June 1970 at Camp Wadsworth , New York .