46th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)

The 46th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army raised in 1939 that saw distinguished service during the Second World War, fighting in the Battle of France and the Battle of Dunkirk where it was evacuated and later in North Africa, Italy and Greece.

46th Infantry Division
Formation sign of the 46th Infantry Division
Active	1939–1947
Branch	Territorial Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Infantry
Size	War establishment strength: 13,863–18,347 men[lower-alpha 1]
Nickname(s)	Oak Tree Division[2][3]
Engagements	St Omer-La Bassée El Kouriza Tunis Italian Campaign: *Salerno landings *Naples *Volturno Line *Monte Camino *Gothic Line **Coriano **Romini Line **Lamone Crossing
Commanders
Notable commanders	Henry Curtis Harold Freeman-Attwood John Hawkesworth Stephen Weir

Background

During the 1930s, tensions increased between Germany and the United Kingdom and its allies.[4] In late 1937 and throughout 1938, German demands for the annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia led to an international crisis. To avoid war, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in September and brokered the Munich Agreement. The agreement averted a war and allowed Germany to annexe the Sudetenland.[5] Although Chamberlain had intended the agreement to lead to further peaceful resolution of issues, relations between the two countries soon deteriorated.[6] On 15 March 1939, Germany breached the terms of the agreement by invading and occupying the remnants of the Czech state.[7]

On 29 March, British Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore-Belisha announced plans to increase the Territorial Army (TA) from 130,000 to 340,000 men and double the number of TA divisions.[8][lower-alpha 2] The plan was for existing TA divisions, referred to as the first-line, to recruit over their establishments (aided by an increase in pay for Territorials, the removal of restrictions on promotion which had hindered recruiting, construction of better-quality barracks and an increase in supper rations) and then form a new division, known as the second-line, from cadres around which the new divisions could be expanded.[8][12] This process was dubbed "duplicating". The 549th (West Riding) Infantry Division provided cadres to create a second line "duplicate" formation, which became the 46th Infantry Division.[13] By September, the 55th (West Lancashire) Motor Division had also reformed the 164th Brigade.[14] Despite the intention for the army to grow, the programme was complicated by a lack of central guidance on the expansion and duplication process and a lack of facilities, equipment and instructors.[8][15] In April 1939, limited conscription was introduced. At that time 34,500 men, all aged 20, were conscripted into the regular army, initially to be trained for six months before being deployed to the forming second line units.[13][16] It had been envisioned by the War Office that the duplicating process and recruiting the required numbers of men would take no more than six months.[15][17] The process varied widely between the TA divisions. Some were ready in weeks while others had made little progress by the time the Second World War began on 1 September.[15][17]

History

Formation

On 2 October 1939, the 46th Infantry Division became active. The division took control of the 137th, the 138th, and the 139th Infantry Brigades, in addition to supporting divisional units, which had been administered by the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.[18] Major-General Algernon Ransome, who was called out of retirement and had previously commanded a brigade in the British Indian Army during the mid-1930s, was made General Officer Commanding.[19][20] The 137th Brigade had been created as the second-line duplicate of the 147th Infantry Brigade, and comprised the 2/5th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment; the 2/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment (2/6DWR); and the 2/7DWR.[21] The 138th Brigade was raised as the duplicate of the 146th Infantry Brigade, and consisted of the 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment; the 2/4th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (2/4KOYLI); and the 6th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment.[22] The 139th Infantry Brigade was the second-line duplicate of the 148th Infantry Brigade, and on formation comprised the 2/5th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (2/5LR); the 2/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters; and the 9th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters.[23]

Due to the lack of official guidance, the newly formed units were at liberty to choose numbers, styles, and titles. The division adopted the number, but not the county association, of their First World War counterpart: the 46th (North Midland) Division.[15][24] The division's battalions were largely drawn from the English North Midlands. To denote the association of the division with this area, a Sherwood Forest oak tree was chosen as the divisional insignia. The Imperial War Museum wrote that "in addition, the oak was seen as an emblem of strength and reliability."[24]

Initial service and transfer to France

The war deployment plan for the TA envisioned its divisions being sent overseas, as equipment became available, to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that had already been dispatched to Europe. The TA would join regular army divisions in waves as its divisions completed their training, the final divisions deploying a year after the war began.[25] However, the 46th Division's men were ill-equipped, lacked transportation, were spread out, and were assigned to guard strategically important locations known as vulnerable points. This lasted until December 1939, when the division was assigned to anti-invasion duties.[26] By December, the division was based in Yorkshire.[27] On 5 December 1939, Major-General Henry O. Curtis took over command of the division; Curtis had previously commanded an infantry brigade within the BEF.[28] At this point, the division was allocated a role within the defensive anti-invasion plan, codenamed Julius Caesar.[26][lower-alpha 3] Divisions assigned to this role, were tasked with launching an immediate attack on German parachutists. If that was not possible, the division was to cordon off and immobilise any German invasion effort, until relieved by forces capable of launching a major counter-attack to defeat the Germans.[30]

In March 1940, the division became caught up in an effort to address manpower shortages among the BEF's rear-echelon units.[lower-alpha 4] More men were needed to work along the lines of communication, and the Army had estimated that by mid-1940 it would need at least 60,000 pioneers.[32] The lack of such men had taxed the Royal Engineers (RE) and Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps (AMPC) as well as impacting frontline units, which had to be diverted from training to help construct defensive positions along the Franco-Belgian border.[33][34] To address this issue, it was decided to deploy untrained territorial units as an unskilled workforce; thereby alleviating the strain on the existing pioneer units and freeing up regular units to complete training.[35][36] As a result, the decision was made to deploy the 12th (Eastern), 23rd (Northumbrian), and the 46th Infantry Divisions to France. Each division would leave their heavy equipment and most of their logistical, administrative, and support units behind. In total, the elements of the three divisions that were transported to France amounted to 18,347 men.[37][lower-alpha 5] The 46th Division was deployed to Brittany. The 137th Brigade was sent to aid in the unloading of supplies at Saint-Nazaire and Nantes, as well as aiding in the construction of railway sidings in that area. The other two brigades were deployed to Rennes to assist in railway construction and aid the transportation of ammunition supplies.[26][39] The intent was that by August their job would be completed, and they could return to the United Kingdom to resume training before being redeployed to France as front-line soldiers.[40] Lionel Ellis, the author of the British official history of the BEF in France, wrote that while the divisions "were neither fully trained nor equipped for fighting ... a balanced programme of training was carried out so far as time permitted".[41] Historian Tim Lynch commented that the deployment also had a political dimension, allowing "British politicians to tell their French counterparts that Britain had supplied three more infantry divisions towards the promised nineteen by the end of the year".[36]

General Edmund Ironside, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, was opposed to such a use of these divisions. He reluctantly caved to the political pressure to release the divisions, having been assured by General Sir John Gort (commander of the BEF) that the troops would not be used as frontline combat formations.[42] The 46th Division departed Southampton on 28 April and arrived at Cherbourg the following day. Each of the division's nine battalion were equipped with four 2 in (51 mm) mortars, 18 Bren light machine guns, 10 Boys anti-tank rifles, and 12 trucks.[26] The division was below their establishment of 108 2 in (51 mm) mortars, and 361 anti-tank rifles; but over the establihment of 28 Bren guns.[43]

Battle of France

The operating area of the various Belgian, British, and French field armies and army groups are shown in blue. The German field armies and corps are shown in red. The red area denotes the territory captured by Germany between 10–16 May 1940.

On 10 May 1940, the Phoney War, the period of inactivity on the Western Front since the start of the conflict, came to an end as the German military invaded Belgium and the Netherlands.[44] As a result, the majority of the BEF along with the best French armies and their strategic reserve moved forward to assist the Belgian and Dutch armies.[45] While these forces attempted to stem the tide of the German advance, the main German assault pushed through the Ardennes Forest and crossed the River Meuse. This initiated the Battle of Sedan and threatened to split the Allied armies in two, separating those in Belgium from the rest of the French military along the Franco-German border.[46] The 46th Division was ordered to concentrate on the Belgian border, to act as a reserve to the BEF.[47] As the German threat developed, Gort created an ad hoc force known as Macforce. This force was to protect the BEF's right rear flank and lines of communication, and deny the Germans from crossing River Scarpe.[48][lower-alpha 6]

On 15 May, the 138th and the 139th Brigades boarded trains and moved from the Rennes area. The men expected to be assigned to rear-area duties, such as clearing supply lines of refugees. They arrived the next day and were assigned to Macforce, and ordered to take up defensive positions on the River Scarpe. These positions were occupied on 20 May. The river, less than 3 ft (0.91 m) deep, was not a major defensible position.[49] The 137th Brigade and the divisional headquarters arrived in the Seclin area, on the outskirts of Lille, on 20 May. There, the division took command of the 25th Infantry Brigade and other assets assigned by Gort, and were dubbed Polforce (after the town of St Pol where the units were waiting). These two brigades were assigned to defend the La Bassée Canal between Aire and Carvin, a front of 28 mi (45 km), on the flank of Macforce. With insufficient forces to cover the entire area, they had to defend and prepare to destroy 44 bridges.[49][50] This duty was impeded by the stream of refugees moving through the area.[47] The water obstacles posed the only natural barrier between the advancing German armour forces and the rear of the BEF, and potential catastrophic defeat.[51]

With assets being moved between Polforce and Macforce, the division was unable to fight as a cohesive entity. The divisional history, wrote by staff of the division, stated the brigade's fought "confused, independent and one‐sided" battles. Most notably, they record the 137th Brigade suffering "grievous casualties" when German forces broke through their positions on the La Bassée Canal.[47][50] Meanwhile, with the BEF surrounded and the military situation in Flanders having deteriorated, the decision was made to evacuate the BEF from Dunkirk, the only remaining port in British hands.[52] The remnants of the division's brigades retreated north towards the port. On 29 May, the division was assigned to defensive positions along the Canal de Bergues and Nieuwpoort-Dunkirk Canal, on the Dunkirk perimeter.[47] On 1 June, the division faced a major German attack, which involved bitter fighting, artillery barrages, and heavy casualties.[53] During the day, the division withdraw into Dunkirk and were subsequently evacuated via the mole or from the beaches. The 2/4KOYLI, the 2/6DWR, and the 2/7DWR had become separated from the division during the move from Rennes. They were located on the southern side of the German advance into France, and unable to retreat towards or evacuate from Dunkirk. These battalions retreated across France, with the 2/4KOYLI being heavily engaged in the defence of bridges crossing the Seine at Pont-de-l'Arche. These battalions continued their retreat towards Cherbourg and Saint-Nazaire, eventually being evacuated as part Operation Aerial.[47]

Home defence

Universal Carriers of the 2/5th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment in Scotland, 5 December 1940

After returning to the United Kingdom, the division moved to Manchester to start rebuilding. Curtis was assigned to the 49th Division, and replaced by Major-General Desmond Anderson (previously GOC the 45th Infantry Division) on 5 July.[54][55] In late July, the division relocated to Scotland, and was placed under the authority of Scottish Command. The Royal Artillery field regiments from the 49th Division were then assigned to the division, replacing those that were detached prior to the 46th Division's departure to France. This was followed by the engineer, signal, and other support units being brought up to full strength.[54][56][57] The divisional history claimed "within little more than a month of Dunkirk", the division "was better equipped than it had ever been in the dark days in France."[54] On 27 July, Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke, the Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, visited the division. He recorded in his dairy that he found the division "in a lamentably backward state of training, barely fit to do platoon training and deficient of officers."[58]

The division was initially based along the Fife coastline, to prevent any potential German landings, before it moved to Dumfries. Here, and the remainder of 1940, the division trained.[54][59] On 14 December, Major-General Charles Edward Hudson replaced Anderson as GOC; Hudson was a distinguished First World War veteran and a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), and who had previously commanded the 2nd Infantry Brigade during the fighting in France.[60][61] In January 1941, the division left Scotland and travelled to Cambridgeshire.[54] Subsequently, it moved to Norfolk where it undertook varying duties alongside training; anti-invasion duties that included manning coastal defences, airfield defence, and training Home Guard battalions. The division also conducted field exercises across East Anglia.[54] On 22 May, Major-General Douglas Wimberley briefly took command of the division.[19][lower-alpha 7] In June, Major-General Miles Dempsey replaced Wimberley. In November, the division moved to Kent, and Major-General Harold Freeman-Attwood became GOC.[18][54] In Kent, the division established a 'Battle School', and spent the remaining part of 1941 and the majority of 1942 training and undertaking exercises. During this period, the division was also brought up to full strength.[54][lower-alpha 8] Notably, the division conducted an exercise on Lewes Downs that was watched by Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower.[54] On 19 July, the 137th Brigade left, temporarily reducing the division to two brigades. It was replaced on 15 August, by the 128th Infantry Brigade.[59] This brigade was composed of the 1/4th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment (1/4HR), the 2/4HR, and the 5HR.[65]

In late 1941, following Operation Crusader in the Egyptian-Libyan Western Desert, the British military proposed Operation Gymnast; a landing in French North Africa and subsequent advance into Tunisia. After the United States entry into the war, this plan was expanded into Super Gymnast, but subsequently abandoned by April 1942. Due to American pressure, Allied planning efforts focused on an assault on German-occupied France; codenamed Operation Roundup. Additional proposals for an assault on France included Operation Sledgehammer. In July, Super Gymnast was revived as Operation Torch, Sledgehammer had been cancelled, and the assault on France had been postponed. By September, a final plan for Torch had been issued. This involved the formation of the British First Army.[66] On 24 August, the division was assigned to the First Army, but was not allocated to the initial invasion of French North Africa.[59][67] The division remained in the United Kingdom until the end of 1942, assembling at Aldershot in December. During the month, the division was inspected by King George VI.[54]

Tunisia

Sedjenane

Thala

Hunt's Gap

Sidi Nsir

Kasserine Pass

Béja

Kairouan

Bou Arada

Key locations in Tunisia, in reference to division's actions.

On 24 December 1942, 4,000 men of the 139th Infantry Brigade and supporting forces[lower-alpha 9] departed from Liverpool. The convoy arrived in Algiers, French Algeria, on 3 January 1943, and was followed by a 500 miles (800 km) road and rail journey to the frontline near Sedjenane, French Tunisia.[68] Meanwhile, on 6 January, the 128th Brigade departed from Gourock, Scotland, and the 138th Brigade departed from Liverpool. The brigades arrived in Algeria on 17 January. While the 138th moved across land, the 128th Brigade re-boarded ships and were transported further down the Algerian coast to Bône. During this move, an Axis air attack resulted in one ship being sunk and the loss of materiel. Both brigades moved up to the front during February.[69]

On 10 January, the 139th Infantry Brigade launched a minor attack upon Italian positions, but further efforts were postponed by an Axis offensive. The Italian-German forces struck at Allied positions in western Tunisia in order to gain more favourable defensive positions from which to contend with the expected Allied offensive. This offensive started with the Battle of Sidi Bou Zid, aimed at largely American positions.[70][71] The Axis offensive expanded, with the Battle of Kasserine Pass. In response, the 2/5LR, along with anti-tank guns and artillery pieces from the 139th Brigade, were moved 150 miles (240 km) south to Thala to bolster Allied positions. Once at Thala, they covered the withdrawal of American and British forces, repulsed a German tank attack late on 20 February after heavy fighting that saw German units penetrate their position, and aided in the subsequent defence of the town. The fighting cost these units over 400 casualties.[70][72] To the north, patrols from the 5HR (128th Infantry Brigade) clashed with their German counterparts near Sidi Nsir.[73]

On 26 February, the 5HR became embroiled in opening moves of Operation Ochsenkopf, another major German attack. Ochsenkopf aimed to capture the town of Béja. After a 24-hour battle, which included three German tanks being disabled, the battalion was reduced to 120 men and forced back. The following day, the Germans attacked towards Hunt's Gap where the reinforced 128th Brigade (including the Churchill tank equipped North Irish Horse) was concentrated. Fighting raged until 3 March, by which time the brigade had halted the German effort to capture Béja and destroyed at least 11 tanks.[73][74] At the same time, on 26 February, Axis forces advanced into the Sedjenane valley, held by the 139th Brigade, initiating the Battle of Sedjenane. Notably, on 2 March, the 16th Durham Light Infantry (16DLI) launched a counterattack that failed with heavy casualties. By 4 March, the brigade had been forced to withdraw. During the following two weeks, the brigade launched local counterattacks and engaged in further back and forth fighting in isolated company and battalion actions.[75] Starting 27 March, the division launched counterattacks to regain the Sedjenane valley. During these attacks, the division took temporary command of the 1st Parachute and the 38th (Irish) Brigades. They, alongside the 138th Brigade, retook all territory that had been lost by 1 April, as well around 1,000 prisoners.[76][77]

On 2 April, the 128th Brigade moved 100 miles (160 km) south to assist in an attack towards Pichon, near Kairouan. This was part of a larger effort to intercept Axis forces retreating north, from the south of Tunisia where they were being chased by the British Eighth Army. The resulting fighting was a success for the brigade, who took 150 prisoners, but the overall attack failed to trap Axis forces. They then marched north to rejoin the main body of the division, doing so on 14 April.[78][79] The division was next tasked with capturing hills northeast of Bou Arada, to open the way for an armoured advance towards Tunis. On 21 April, Axis forces launched a minor spoiling attack that was repelled, before the division attacked. Over the next two days, in heavy fighting, the division took its objectives. Further back and forth fighting followed as the division was called upon to clear additional Axis positions. Fighting lasted until 27 April, and so did the division's role in the campaign. On 20 May, elements of the 46th took part on the victory parade in Tunis.[80]

Italy

Universal Carriers of the 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment drive ashore from a Landing Ship, Tank (LST) at Salerno, 8 September 1943.

Bofors 40 mm gun of 379 Battery, 115th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 46th Division, 7 January 1944

From there on the 46th Division, from August under the command of Major-General John Hawkesworth, fought throughout the Italian Campaign in late 1943 with both the U.S. Fifth Army and the Eighth Army, fighting in tough battles such as that at the initial Salerno landings in September 1943, followed by fighting at the Volturno Line, the Winter Line, the Bernhardt Line, First Battle of Monte Cassino and later the Gothic Line. During the fighting in Italy the 46th Division suffered over 9,200 casualties, including 1,447 officers and men killed in action, with a further 6,476 wounded and 1,957 missing.[81]

Greece

In late December/early 1945, the division, now commanded by Major-General Stephen Weir, a New Zealand Army officer, was sent to re-occupy Greece, where they came under command of Lieutenant-General Ronald Scobie's III Corps. On 7 April 1945, the division started its move back to Italy.[82]

Post War

By the time the division started to move north, the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy was already underway.[83] On 2 May, Axis forces in Italy surrendered. Six days later, the war in Europe ended. The division then moved into Austria as part of the Allied occupation force. The division was assigned to the province of Styria, arriving in July following the withdrawal of Soviet forces.[84][85] Elements of the division moved further, the 16DLI entered the Austrian capital of Vienna.[83] In the coming months, elements of the division were disbanded. For example, the 16DLI was stood down over January and February 1946.[83]

During 1946, the division took part in Operation Keelhaul, which included the forced repatriation of Cossacks to the Soviet Union.[86] The author Ian Mitchell wrote the division was ordered, on 26 May, "to provide 'static picquets' along the route the Cossacks were to travel." The 138th Brigade was informed "the return of the Cossacks to Russia is part of an international agreement", that "a very large number ... are wanted for war crimes", and "any Cossack who escapes will be a menace to British troops stationed in the area."; the men of the division were ordered "to capture or shoot any Cossack who attempts to escape", but were to avoid "mass shootings".[86] The historian and writer Giles MacDonogh wrote that the division, along with the 78th, were engaged in "some ugly scenes" once the Cossacks and their families realised what was happening; "Tommies used rifles, bayonets and pickaxe handles to convince them to board the lorries that would take them to the frontier." These efforts also resulted in 900 German officers being turned over to the Soviets, among them Helmuth von Pannwitz who was later executed.[87]

In 1947, the division was disbanded as part of the demobilisation of the British army.[88] The TA was reformed that year, on a much smaller scale of eight divisions, which did not include the 46th Infantry Division.[89][lower-alpha 10]

General officers commanding

The division had the following GOCs during the Second World War:

Appointed	General officer commanding
2 October 1939	Major-General Algernon Ransome[19]
5 December 1939	Major-General Henry O. Curtis[19]
5 June 1940	Brigadier John Gawthorpe (Acting)[19]
5 July 1940	Major-General Desmond Anderson[19]
14 December 1940	Major-General Charles Edward Hudson[19]
22 May 1941	Major-General Douglas Wimberley[19]
15 June 1941	Major-General Miles Dempsey[19]
28 October 1941	Brigadier Thomas Daly (Acting)[19]
3 November 1941	Major-General Harold Freeman-Attwood[19]
25 August 1943	Major-General John Hawkesworth[19]
28 April 1944	Brigadier Geoffrey Harding (Acting)[19]
29 May 1944	Major-General John Hawkesworth[19]
6 November 1944 – 7 September 1946	Major-General Stephen Weir[19][90]
8 October 1946 until disbanded	Major-General John Frederick Boyce Combe[91][92][lower-alpha 11]

Order of battle

46th Infantry Division (1939-1945)[18]

137th Infantry Brigade (until 19 July 1942)[21] 2/5th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment 2/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment 2/7th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment 137th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (formed 12 July 1940, until 28 November 1941) 138th Infantry Brigade[22] 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment 2/4th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 6th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment 138th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (formed 22 July 1940, until 10 July 1941) 139th Infantry Brigade[23] 2/5th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment 2/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (renamed 5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters effective 1 March 1943)[93] 9th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (until 28 December 1940) 139th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (formed 17 August 1940, until 10 July 1941) 16th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (from 28 December 1940) 128th Infantry Brigade (from 15 August 1942)[65] 1/4th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment 2/4th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment (left 9 May 1943) 5th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment (from 10 May 1943) Divisional Troops 46th Divisional artillery, Royal Artillery[19] 121st (West Riding) Field Regiment (left 12 July 1940) 122nd (West Riding) Field Regiment (left 12 July 1940) 123rd (West Riding) Field Regimen (left 12 July 1940) 70th (West Riding) Field Regiment (from 30 July 1940) 71st (West Riding) Field Regiment (from 30 July 1940) 51st (Westmoreland and Cumberland Yeomanry) Field Regiment (from 30 July 1940, left 16 September 1940) 151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment (from 16 September 1940, left 10 May 1942) 172nd Field Regiment (from 11 May 1942) 68th Anti-Tank Regiment (until 30 June 1940) 58th (The Duke of Wellington's) Anti-Tank Regiment (from 30 July 1940) 115th (East Yorks) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (from 24 February 1942, until 8 November 1944) 46th Divisional engineers, Royal Engineers[19] 270th Field Company 271st Field Company 272nd Field Company 273rd Field Park Company 201st Bridging Platoon (from 4 April 1944) 46th Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals 46th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps (formed 11 July 1941, redesignated 46th Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps on 6 June 1942, left 31 December 1943) 46th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (from 1 January 1944) 2/7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Divisional machine gun battalion; from 11 November 1941, left 1 October 1942) 2nd Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (Divisional support battalion; from 3 July 1943, until 10 March 1944) 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment (Divisional machine gun battalion; from 15 July 1944)

Victoria Cross recipients

• Lieutenant Gerard Ross Norton, attached to 1/4th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment
• Captain John Brunt, Sherwood Foresters, attached to 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment

See also

• British Army during the Second World War
• List of British divisions in World War II
• British Army Order of Battle (September 1939)

Notes

Footnotes

1. This is the war establishment, the on-paper strength. The war establishment of an infantry division during 1939–1941 was 13,863 men; following 1941, it increased to 17,298 men; for the final two years of the war, it was 18,347 men.[1]
2. The TA was a reserve of the British regular army made up of part-time volunteers. By 1939, its intended role was to be the sole method of expanding the size of the British armed forces (comparable to the creation of Kitchener's Army during the First World War). First-line territorial formations would create a second-line division using a cadre of trained personal and if needed, a third division would also be created. All TA recruits were required to take the general service obligation meaning that territorial soldiers could be sent overseas. (This avoided the complications experienced with the First World War Territorial Force, whose members had to volunteer for overseas service.)[9][10][11]
3. The plan was developed by General Walter Kirke, who was Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, during 1939. Julius was the codeword to bring troops to a state of readiness within eight hours. The codeword Caesar meant an invasion was imminent, and units were to be readied for immediate action. Kirke's plan assumed that the Germans would use 4,000 paratroopers, followed by 15,000 troops landed via civilian aircraft once airfields had been secured (Germany only actually had 6,000 such troops), and at least one division of 15,000 troops to be used in an amphibious assault.[29]
4. By the end of April, Lionel Ellis stated that there were "78,864 [men employed on] lines-of-communication duties; 23,545 were in headquarters of various services and missions, hospitals and miscellaneous employment; 9,051 were in drafts en route; 2,515 were not yet allocated, and 6,859 were with the Advanced Air Striking Force". Included in these figures, was "upwards of 10,000 men, and other large units [who] were engaged on railway and building construction, at bases and on the long lines of communication".[31]
5. For comparison, the 1939 war-establishment (the on-paper strength) of a three-brigade infantry division was 13,863 men.[38]
6. This force was commanded by Major-General Noel Mason-MacFarlane, who was Director of Military Intelligence for the BEF, and consisted of the 127th Infantry Brigade, artillery, engineers, the 1st Army Tank Brigade, and other supporting units.[48]
7. Hudson was demoted, on the grounds of being unfit for the role. Hudson's son, quoting from material left behind by his father, argued that this was the result of personal differences between him and his Corps commander Lieutenant-General Edmund Osborne.[62]
8. The Battle School was a two-week training course, which included observing and practising fieldcraft, undertaking tactical exercises without troops, and engaging in battle drill in realistic conditions.[63] The historian David French wrote, "Its purpose was to offer soldiers some experience of the noise and chaos of battle by giving them the opportunity to train under live-firing conditions".[64]
9. The 70th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (RA); the 229th Anti-Tank Battery, RA; the 379th Light AA Battery, RA; the 270th Field Company, Royal Engineers; the 183rd Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps; the 139th Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps; the 139th Brigade, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; and C Squadron, 46th Reconnaissance Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps.
10. The 49th (West Riding) and 56th (London) Armoured Divisions and the 42nd (Lancashire), 43rd (Wessex), 44th (Home Counties), 50th (Northumbrian), 51st/52nd (Scottish), and 53rd (Welsh) infantry divisions.[89]
11. Combe replaced an unknown interim acting GOC

Citations

1. Joslen 2003, pp. 130–133.
2. Whiting & Taylor 2008, p. 88.
3. Eisenhower 2007, p. 10.
4. Bell 1997, pp. 3–4.
5. Bell 1997, pp. 258–275.
6. Bell 1997, pp. 277–278.
7. Bell 1997, p. 281.
8. Gibbs 1976, p. 518.
9. French 2001, p. 53.
10. Perry 1988, pp. 41–42.
11. Simkins 2007, pp. 43–46.
12. Messenger 1994, p. 47.
13. Messenger 1994, p. 49.
14. Joslen 2003, p. 352.
15. Perry 1988, p. 48.
16. French 2001, p. 64.
17. Levy 2006, p. 66.
18. Joslen 2003, pp. 75-76.
19. Joslen 2003, p. 75.
20. "No. 34033". The London Gazette. 16 March 1934. p. 1780. and "No. 34542". The London Gazette. 16 August 1938. p. 5289.
21. Joslen 2003, p. 232.
22. Joslen 2003, p. 324.
23. Joslen 2003, p. 325.
24. "badge, formation, 46th (North Midland and West Riding) Infantry Division". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
25. Gibbs 1976, pp. 455, 507, 514–515.
26. 46 Division 1946, p. 13.
27. Newbold 1988, p. 428.
28. Joslen 2003, pp. 75, 232.
29. Newbold 1988, p. 40.
30. Newbold 1988, p. 42.
31. Ellis 1954, pp. 19 and 21.
32. Perry 1988, p. 52.
33. Rhodes-Wood 1960, pp. 29, 228.
34. Jones 2016, p. 228.
35. Ellis 1954, pp. 19, 21.
36. Lynch 2015, Chapter 3: The Mobilisation of the Territorial Army, 1939.
37. Joslen 2003, pp. 56, 62, and 75; Ellis 1954, p. 19; Lynch 2015, Chapter 3: The Mobilisation of the Territorial Army, 1939.
38. Joslen 2003, pp. 131 and 133.
39. Lynch 2015, Chapter 5: Seeing the Wood for the Trees.
40. Collier 1961, p. 83.
41. Ellis 1954, p. 21.
42. Smalley 2015, p. 75; Murland 2016, Chapter Four: "Massacre of the Innocents 19–20 May 1940"; Lynch 2015, Chapter 3: The Mobilisation of the Territorial Army, 1939.
43. Joslen 2003, p. 131.
44. Weinberg 1994, p. 122.
45. Weinberg 1994, pp. 123–125.
46. Weinberg 1994, pp. 126–127.
47. 46 Division 1946, p. 14.
48. Ellis 1954, p. 64.
49. Lynch 2015, Chapter 7: More Gallantly than Advisedly.
50. Ellis 1954, p. 123.
51. Ellis 1954, p. 121.
52. Fraser 1999, pp. 65–67.
53. Ellis 1954, p. 242.
54. 46 Division 1946, p. 15.
55. Joslen 2003, pp. 73, 75, and 79.
56. Newbold 1988, p. 436.
57. Joslen 2003, pp. 75-76 and 79.
58. Alanbrooke 2001, p. 95.
59. Joslen 2003, p. 76.
60. Joslen 2003, p. 75 and 229.
61. "No. 30790". The London Gazette. 9 July 1918. p. 8155.
62. Hudson 2007, pp. 184-187.
63. Place 2000, pp. 51–52.
64. French 2001, pp. 205–206.
65. Joslen 2003, p. 313.
66. Playfair et al. 2004, pp. 110, 125.
67. Playfair et al. 2004, p. 126.
68. 46 Division 1946, pp. 17-18.
69. 46 Division 1946, p. 19.
70. 46 Division 1946, pp. 20-21.
71. Playfair et al. 2004, pp. 287-288.
72. Playfair et al. 2004, p. 299.
73. 46 Division 1946, pp. 21-23.
74. Playfair et al. 2004, p. 328.
75. 46 Division 1946, pp. 24-26.
76. Playfair et al. 2004, pp. 327, 389.
77. 46 Division 1946, p. 29.
78. 46 Division 1946, pp. 29-30.
79. Playfair et al. 2004, pp. 379, 382.
80. 46 Division 1946, pp. 30-32.
81. 46 Division 1946, p. 66.
82. 46 Division 1946, p. 118.
83. Rissik 2004, p. 160.
84. 46 Division 1946, p. 118, 120.
85. MacDonogh 2009, British Zone.
86. Mitchell 1998, p. 58.
87. MacDonogh 2009, Cossacks and Domobranci.
88. Allport 2009, pp. 26, 43.
89. Messenger 1994, p. 157.
90. "No. 37826". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 December 1946. p. 6235.
91. "Army Notes". Royal United Services Institution. 94:564 (564): 608–617. 1946. doi:10.1080/03071844609433982.
92. "No. 37796". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 November 1946. p. 5769.
93. 46 Division 1946, p. 18.

References

• Alanbrooke, Field Marshal Lord (2001) [1957]. Danchev, Alex & Todman, Daniel (eds.). War Diaries 1939–1945. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23301-0.
• Allport, Alan (2009). Demobbed: Coming Home After the Second World War. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14043-9.
• Bell, P. M. H. (1997) [1986]. The Origins of the Second World War in Europe (2nd ed.). London: Pearson. ISBN 978-0-582-30470-3.
• Collier, Richard (1961). The Sands of Dunkirk. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. OCLC 974413933.
• Eisenhower, John S. D. (2007). They Fought at Anzio. Columbia and London: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-82621-738-7.
• Ellis, Lionel F. (1954). Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. OCLC 1087882503.
• Fraser, David (1999) [1983]. And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War. London: Cassell Military. ISBN 978-0-304-35233-3.
• French, David (2001) [2000]. Raising Churchill's Army: The British Army and the War Against Germany 1919–1945. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-199-24630-4.
• Gibbs, N. H. (1976). Grand Strategy. History of the Second World War. I. London: HMSO. ISBN 978-0-116-30181-9.
• Hudson, Miles (2007). Soldier, Poet, Rebel: The Extraordinary Life of Charles Hudson VC. Stroud: Sutton Publishing Ltd / The History Press Ltd. ISBN 978-0-75094-436-6.
• Jones, Alexander David (2016). Pinchbeck Regulars? The Role and Organisation of the Territorial Army, 1919-1940 (PhD thesis). Oxford: Balliol College, University of Oxford. OCLC 974510947.
• Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1990]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
• Levy, James P. (2006). Appeasement and Rearmament: Britain, 1936–1939. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-742-54537-3.
• Lynch, Tim (2015). Dunkirk 1940 'Whereabouts Unknown': How Untrained Troops of the Labour Division were Sacrificed to Save an Army. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-75096-453-1.
• MacDonogh, Giles (2009) [2007]. After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-00620-5.
• Mitchell, Ian (1998). The Cost of a Reputation: Aldington Versus Tolstoy: the Causes, Course and Consequences of the Notorious Libel Case. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-0-862-41822-9.
• Messenger, Charles (1994). For Love of Regiment 1915–1994. A History of British Infantry. II. London: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-0-850-52422-2.
• Murland, Jerry (2016). Retreat & Rearguard: Dunkirk 1940: The Evacuation of the BEF to the Channel Ports. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-47382-366-2.
• Newbold, David John (1988). British Planning And Preparations To Resist Invasion On Land, September 1939 – September 1940 (PDF) (PhD thesis). London: King's College London. OCLC 556820697.
• Perry, Frederick William (1988). The Commonwealth Armies: Manpower and Organisation in Two World Wars. War, Armed Forces and Society. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-2595-2.
• Place, Timothy Harrison (2000). Military Training in the British Army, 1940–1944. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7146-8091-0.
• Playfair, I. S. O.; Molony, C. J. C.; Flynn, F. C. & Gleave, T. P. (2004) [1966]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The Mediterranean and Middle East: The Destruction of the Axis Forces in Africa. History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series. IV. London: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-845-74068-9.
• Rissik, David (2004) [1952]. The D.L.I. at War. The History of the Durham Light Infantry 1939–1945. Uckfield: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84574-144-0.
• Rhodes-Wood, Edward Harold (1960). A War History of the Royal Pioneer Corps, 1939-1945. Aldershot: Gale & Polden. OCLC 3164183.
• Simkins, Peter (2007) [1988]. Kitchener's Army: The Raising of the New Armies 1914–1916. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-844-15585-9.
• Smalley, Edward (2015). The British Expeditionary Force, 1939-40. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. ISBN 978-1-137-49419-1.
• The Story of 46 Division 1939–1945. Styria, Austria: 46th Infantry Division. 1946. OCLC 6163164.
• Weinberg, Gerhard L. (1994). A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-52144-317-3.
• Whiting, Charles; Taylor, Eric (2008). The Fighting Tykes: An Informal History of the Yorkshire Regiments in the Second World War. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84415-645-0.