1st Armoured Division (United Kingdom)
| 1st (UK) Armoured Division | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of the 1st (UK) Armoured Division |
|
| Active | 1937–1945 1960 – present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Armoured Division |
| Size | Second World War 14,964 men[1] 343 tanks[nb 1][nb 2] |
| Part of | Land Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Herford, Germany |
| Engagements | Second World War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Major General J I Bashall CBE |
| Notable commanders |
Willoughby Norrie Herbert Lumsden Richard Hull Rupert Smith |
The 1st Armoured Division is an armoured division of the British Army. Originally formed in November 1937 as the Mobile Division, it saw extensive service during the Second World War, was disbanded afterward, was reconstituted in 1976, and remains in service today. It should not be confused with 1st Infantry Division which saw service in the Second World War as a separate formation.
Contents |
[edit] Second World War
Following an initiative by General Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd, the Division was initially established in November 1937 under Major-General Alan Brooke as the The Mobile Division.[3] It first saw service in incomplete form under the command of Major-General Roger Evans when the second British Expeditionary Force was sent to France in 1940.[4] It landed in France on 14 April 1940 and was evacuated on 16 June, having served south of the River Somme, isolated from the other British formations.
For the rest of 1940 and up until 27 August 1941, the division was stationed in the United Kingdom on anti-invasion duties under the command of Major-General Willoughby Norrie. It then embarked for Egypt under the command of Major General Herbert Lumsden and arrived in Egypt on 13 November 1941. Following the wounding of Herbert Lumsden, Major-General Frank Messervy took command in January 1942 retaining command until Lumsden returned in March.[5] It took part in many of the major battles of the later part of the campaign against Rommel including Gazala, First El Alamein, Second El Alamein, Tebaga Gap, Akarit, El Kourzia and Tunis.[4] In August 1942 Major-General Raymond Briggs took control[6] and in July 1943 Major-General Alexander Galloway took over the baton.[7]
From the end of the Tunisian campaign the division remained in North Africa until May 1944. It then transferred to Italy, fighting one last battle at Coriano in the fighting on the Gothic Line.[4] Major-General Richard Hull took over command for this part of the campaign in August 1944.[8] The division was disbanded on 1 January 1945.
[edit] Second World War formation
The order of battle was as follows:[9]
[edit] Artillery
- 2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery 24/08/42-26/09/44
- 4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery 21/09/42-25/10/43
- 11th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery 24/08/42-26/09/44
- 60th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery 01/04/44-26/09/44
- 76th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery 22/09/42-31/03/44
- 42nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 26/09/42-05/10/44
[edit] Engineers
- 1st Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 01/02/40-04/02/42; 02/09/42-29/09/44
- 7th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 23/10/40-19/03/42; 01/10/42-20/08/44
- 627th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 21/08/44-29/09/44
- 1st Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers 03/07/40-25/08/44
- 631st Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers 26/08/44-29/09/44
- 1st Field Park Troop, Royal Engineers 01/08/40-02/07/40
- 27th Bridging Troop, Royal Engineers 18/10/43-25/08/44
[edit] Signals
- 1st Armoured Division Signals, Royal Corps of Signals 03/09/39-17/12/44
[edit] Reconnaissance
- 12th Lancers 01/11/40-12/05/42; 13/09/42-06/04/44
- 1st The Royal Dragoons 12/05/42-13/09/42
- 4th Hussars 23/05/44-25/09/44
[edit] Brigades
- 2nd Light Armoured Brigade 03/09/39-14/04/40
- 1st Heavy Armoured Brigade 03/09/39-14/04/40
- 1st Support Group 03/09/39-11/02/42
- 2nd Armoured Brigade 14/04/40-25/09/44
- 3rd Armoured Brigade 14/04/40-04/10/40
- 22nd Armoured Brigade 14/10/40-07/11/41
- 200th Guards Brigade Group 12/02/42-20/05/42
- 201st Guard Brigade Group 21/05/42-14/06/42
- 7th Motor Brigade 23/09/42-19/07/43
- 18th Lorried Infantry Brigade 20/07/43-16/02/44
- 18th Infantry Brigade 05/10/43-16/02/44; 17/08/44-28/10/44
[edit] Post Second World War
It was not until 1960 that the Division re-emerged in the British Army. It was reformed as 1st Division following the disbanding of the 1st Infantry Division and was initially based at Verden an der Aller in Germany.[10] During the 1970s, the division consisted of two "square" brigades, the 7th Armoured Brigade and 11th Armoured Brigade. It was renamed 1st Armoured Division in 1976.[10] In 1978 the Headquarters moved to Shiel Barracks in Verden in Germany.[11] After being briefly reorganised into two "task forces" ("Alpha" and "Bravo"), in the early 1980s it consisted of the 7th, 12th, and 22nd Armoured Brigades.[10]
Divisional formations and units have deployed on many other operations such as internal security in Northern Ireland, The Falkland Islands, Belize and United Nations tours in Cyprus, Bosnia and Kosovo. The headquarters of the division was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990 to command British land forces. It had two brigades under its command, 4th and 7th Armoured Brigade. During the war it came under the US VII Corps and was part of the great armoured left-hook that destroyed many Iraqi Republican Guard formations. The two brigades in the division alternated heading the advance.[12]
[edit] Current formation
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In 1993 HQ 1st Armoured Division was disbanded and the 1st (UK) Armoured Division formed from the 4th Armoured Division. The Divisional Headquarters was deployed in command of Multi National Division South West in Bosnia in 1996 – 97 and 1998 – 99.[13]
The Division headquarters again deployed to the Gulf area in 2003. It again commanded British forces in the area, this time with three full brigades under its control. Those were 7th Armoured Brigade again, along with 16 Air Assault Brigade, and 3 Commando Brigade. In a combined arms operation the division secured southern Iraq, including the city of Basra during the invasion. It came under I Marine Expeditionary Force during the 2003 conflict.[14]
The 1st (UK) Armoured Division is currently the only British division to be stationed in Germany. The headquarters as been stationed since 1993 at Wentworth Barracks in Herford.[15] The Division currently reports to Army Headquarters at Andover.
The divisional badge dates from 1983, and combines the hollow red triangular "spearhead" badge of 1st Infantry Division with the charging rhinoceros badge of 1st Armoured Division as displayed in World War II.
The following brigades make up the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division:[10]
- 7th Armoured Brigade (The Desert Rats)
- 20th Armoured Brigade (The Iron Fist)
- 1st Division Headquarters and Signal Regiment
- 1 Regiment Army Air Corps (Lynx)
- 28 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers
- 1 Regiment, Royal Military Police
- 1 Logistic Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
- 2 Logistic Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
[edit] General Officers Commanding
Commanders have been:[16]
GOC The Mobile Division
- 1937–1938 Major-General Alan Brooke[17]
GOC 1st Armoured Division
- 1938–1940 Major-General Roger Evans[18]
- 1940–1941 Major-General Willoughby Norrie[18]
- 1941–1942 Major General Herbert Lumsden[18]
- Jan 1942–Mar 1942 Major-General Frank Messervy[18]
- Mar 1942–Aug 1942 Major General Herbert Lumsden[18]
- 1942–1943 Major-General Raymond Briggs[18]
- 1943–1944 Major-General Alexander Galloway[18]
- Aug 1944–Sep 1944 Major-General Richard Hull[18]
GOC 1st Division
- 1960–1961 Major-General Alan Jolly
- 1961–1963 Major-General Thomas Pearson
- 1963–1965 Major-General Miles Fitzalan-Howard
- 1965–1968 Major-General Richard Ward
- 1968–1970 Major-General Allan Taylor
- 1970–1972 Major-General Jack Harman
- 1972–1973 Major-General Edwin Bramall
- 1973–1975 Major-General John Stanier
GOC 1st Armoured Division
- 1975–1977 Major-General David Alexander-Sinclair
- 1977–1979 Major-General Richard Lawson
- 1979–1982 Major-General Geoffrey Howlett
- 1982–1983 Major-General Brian Kenny
- 1983–1985 Major-General David Thorne
- 1985–1987 Major-General Anthony Mullens
- 1987–1989 Major-General Richard Swinburn
- 1989–1990 Major-General Roger Wheeler
- 1990–1992 Major-General Rupert Smith
- 1992–1993 Major-General Iain Mackay-Dick
GOC 1st (UK) Armoured Division
- 1993–1994 Major General Anthony Denison-Smith
- 1994–1996 Major General Roddy Cordy-Simpson
- 1996–1998 Major General John Kiszely
- 1998–2000 Major General Redmond Watt
- 2000–2003 Major General Robin Brims
- 2003–2005 Major General Peter Wall
- 2005–2006 Major General John Cooper
- 2006–2009 Major General Graham Binns
- 2009–2011 Major General Adrian Bradshaw
- 2011–Present Major-General James Bashall
[edit] See also
- British Armoured formations of the Second World War
- List of higher formations British 1st Armoured Division served under
- List of senior officers of 1st Armoured Division 1939–1945
- List of component units of 1st Armoured Division 1939–1945
- British Divisions in World War II
- British Army Order of Battle - September 1939
[edit] Notes
- Footnotes
- ^ 63 light tanks, 205 medium tanks, 24 close support tanks, 25 anti-aircraft tanks, and 8 artillery observation tanks.[2]
- ^ These two figures are the war establishment, the on-paper strength, of the division for 1944/1945; for information on how the division size changed over the war please see British Army during the Second World War and British Armoured formations of the Second World War.
- Citations
- ^ Joslen, p. 129
- ^ Joslen, p. 9
- ^ The British Army between the wars
- ^ a b c Chappell, p.12
- ^ Frank Messervy British Military History
- ^ Raymond Briggs at Generals.dk
- ^ Alexander Galloway at Generals.dk
- ^ Richard Hull at Generals.dk
- ^ Orders of Battle Dr. Leo Niehorster
- ^ a b c d British Army Units
- ^ Shiel Barracks
- ^ Order of Battle for VII Armored Corps
- ^ NATO ARRC, COMARRC
- ^ 1st (UK) Armoured Division in Iraq Field Artillery, January–February 2004
- ^ BAOR locations
- ^ Army Commands
- ^ Corps Commanders: Five British and Canadian Generals at War, 1939-45 By Douglas E. Delaney, p.128
- ^ a b c d e f g h Armoured Division Unit Histories - 1st Armoured Division
[edit] References
- Joslen, Lieutenant-Colonel H.F (1960) [1960]. Orders Of Battle Second World War 1939–1945. Naval & Military Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
- Chappell, Mike (1986) [1986]. British battle insignia, volume 2. Osprey. ISBN 978-0850457278. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1zgPD8G467QC&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=%221st+armoured+division%22+mobile+division#v=onepage&q=%221st%20armoured%20division%22%20mobile%20division&f=false.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- British Army Locations from 1945 British Army Locations from 1945
- Armed Forces
- 1st Armoured Division in France 1940
- British Military History - British Armoured Divisions Italy 1943 - 1945
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Coordinates: 52°07′00″N 8°41′49″E / 52.1166667°N 8.69694°E
