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46th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)

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For the unrelated formation in First World War, see 46th (North Midland) Division.

46th Infantry Division
Formation sign of the 46th Infantry Division
Active1939–1947
Branch Territorial Army
TypeInfantry
RoleInfantry
SizeWar establishment strength:
13,863–18,347 men[a]
Nickname(s)Oak Tree Division[2][3]
EngagementsSt 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

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.

Background

Throughout the 1930s, tensions built between Germany and the United Kingdom and its allies.[4] During late 1937 and 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 the German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in September 1938 and signed the Munich Agreement, which accepted that Germany would annexe the Sudetenland.[5] Chamberlain had intended the agreement to lead to a further peaceful resolution of differences but relations between the countries soon deteriorated.[6] On 15 March 1939, Germany breached the terms of the agreement by invading and occupying the remnants of Czechoslovakia.[7]

On 29 March, the British Secretary of State for War, Leslie Hore-Belisha, announced plans to increase the strength of the part-time Territorial Army (TA) from 130,000 men to 340,000, doubling the number of divisions.[8][b] The plan was for existing TA divisions, referred to as the first-line, to recruit over their establishments. This would be accomplished by an increase in pay for territorials, the removal of restrictions on promotion that had hindered recruiting, the construction of better-quality barracks, and an increase in supper rations. The units would then form a new division that was referred to as the second-line from cadres.[8][12] This process was dubbed "duplicating". The 46th Infantry Division was to be created as a second-line formation, a duplicate of the first-line 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.[13] 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 issues regarding the lack of facilities, equipment and instructors.[8][14] It had been envisioned by the War Office that the duplicating process and recruiting the required number of men would take no more than six months.[14][15] In April, limited conscription was introduced; at that time 34,500 men, all aged 20, were conscripted into the regular army, initially to undergo six months of training before being deployed to the forming second-line units.[13][16] The process varied widely between the TA divisions; some were ready in weeks while others had made little progress by early September 1939, when war on Germany was declared.[14][15]

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 previously been administered by the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.[17] 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.[18][19] 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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22]

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 of their First World War counterpart, the 46th (North Midland) Division.[14][23] 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."[23]

Initial service and transfer to France

The TA's war deployment plan envisioned the divisions being deployed, as equipment became available, to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) already dispatched to Europe. The TA would join regular army divisions in waves as its divisions completed their training, with the final divisions deployed a year after the war began.[24] However, the 46th Division's men were ill-equipped, lacked transportation, were spread out, and were assigned to guarding strategically important locations known as vulnerable points. These tasks lasted until December 1939, when the division was assigned to anti-invasion duties.[25] By December, the division was based in Yorkshire.[26] 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.[27] At this point, the division was allocated a role within the defensive Julius Caesar anti-invasion plan.[25][c] 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.[29]

In March 1940, the division became caught up in an effort to address manpower shortages among the BEF's rear-echelon units.[d] 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.[31] 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.[32][33] 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.[34][35] 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.[36][e] 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.[25][38] 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.[39] 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".[40] 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".[35]

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.[41] The 46th Division departed Southampton on 28 April, and arrived at Cherbourg the following day. Each battalion took with them four 2 in (51 mm) mortars, 18 Bren light machine guns, 10 Boys anti-tank rifles, and 12 trucks.[25]

Battle of France

Main articles: Battle of France and Battle of Dunkirk
See caption
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.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44] The division was ordered to concentrate on the Belgian border, to act as a reserve to the BEF.[45] As the German threat developed, Gort created an ad hoc force known as Macforce to protect the BEF's right rear flank and lines of communication, and deny the River Scarpe to the Germans.[46][f]

On 15 May, the 138th and 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 did not prove to be much of a defensive position, being less than 3 ft (0.91 m) deep.[47] 137th Brigade and division HQ 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.[47][48] This duty was impeded by the stream of refugees moving through the area.[45] The water obstacles posed the only natural barrier between the advancing German armour forces, and the rear of the BEF and potential catastrophic defeat.[49]

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.[45][48] 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.[50] The remnants of the three 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.[45] On 1 June, the division faced a major German attack, which involved bitter fighting, artillery barrages, and heavy casualties.[51] During the day, the division withdraw into Dunkirk were they 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.[45]

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 the rebuilding process. Curtis was assigned to the 49th Division, and replaced by Major-General Desmond Anderson (previously commanding the 45th Infantry Division) on 5 July.[52][53] 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 departure to France. This was followed by the engineer, signal, and other support units being brought up to full strength.[52][54][55] The divisional history recorded "within little more than a month of Dunkirk", the division "was better equipped than it had ever been in the dark days in France."[52] 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."[56]

The division was based around the Fife coastline, assigned to prevent any potential German landings. Later in the year, the division moved to Dumfries where the remainder of 1940 was spent training.[52][57] 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.[58][59] In January 1941, the division left Scotland and travelled to Cambridgeshire, and was assigned to II Corps on 6 January.[52][57] Subsequently, it moved to Norfolk where it undertook varying duties alongside training; anti-invasion duties that included a month spell manning coastal defences, airfield defence, and training Home Guard battalions. The division also conducted field exercises across East Anglia.[52] On 22 May, Major-General Douglas Wimberley briefly took command of the division.[18][g] In June, Major-General Miles Dempsey replaced Wimberley. In November, the division became part of XII Corps and moved to Kent. At the same time, Major-General Harold Freeman-Attwood became GOC.[17][52] 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.[52][h] Notably, the division conducted an exercise on Lewes Downs that was watched by Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower.[52] 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.[57] This brigade was composed of the 1/4th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment (1/4HR), the 2/4HR, and the 5HR.[63]

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 also involved the formation of the British First Army.[64] On 24 August, the division was assigned to the First Army, but was not allocated to the initial invasion of French North Africa.[57][65] 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 George VI, who the divisional history recorded "wished us all "Good Luck, a victorious campaign and a safe return home"."[52]

Tunisia

Main article: Tunisian Campaign
46th Infantry Division (United Kingdom) is located in Tunisia
Sedjenane
Sedjenane
Thala
Thala
Hunt's Gap
Hunt's Gap
Sidi Nsir
Sidi Nsir
Kasserine Pass
Kasserine Pass
Béja
Béja
Kairouan
Kairouan
Bou Arada
Bou Arada
class=notpageimage|
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[i] 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.[66] 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.[67]

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.[68][69] 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.[68][70] To the north, patrols from the 5HR (128th Infantry Brigade) clashed with their German counterparts near Sidi Nsir.[71]

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.[71][72] 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.[73] 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.[74][75]

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 the country 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.[76][77] The division was next tasked with capturing hills northeast of Bou Arada, yo 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 ended the division's role in the campaign. On 20 May, elements of the 46th took part on the victory parade in Tunis.[78]

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.[79]

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.[80]

Post War

By the time the division started to move north, the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy was already underway.[81] On 2 May, Axis forces in Italy surrendered.[citation needed] 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.[82][83] Elements of the division moved further, the 16DLI entered the Austrian capital of Vienna.[81] In the coming months, elements of the division were disbanded. For example, the 16DLI was stood down over January and February 1946.[81]

During 1946, the division took part in Operation Keelhaul, which included the forced repatriation of Cossacks to the Soviet Union.[84] 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".[84] 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.[85]

In 1947, the division was disbanded as part of the demobilisation of the British army.[86] The TA was reformed that year, on a much smaller scale of eight divisions, which did not include the 46th Infantry Division.[87][j]

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[18]
5 December 1939 Major-General Henry O. Curtis[18]
5 June 1940 Brigadier John Gawthorpe (Acting)[18]
5 July 1940 Major-General Desmond Anderson[18]
14 December 1940 Major-General Charles Edward Hudson[18]
22 May 1941 Major-General Douglas Wimberley[18]
15 June 1941 Major-General Miles Dempsey[18]
28 October 1941 Brigadier Thomas Daly (Acting)[18]
3 November 1941 Major-General Harold Freeman-Attwood[18]
25 August 1943 Major-General John Hawkesworth[18]
28 April 1944 Brigadier Geoffrey Harding (Acting)[18]
29 May 1944 Major-General John Hawkesworth[18]
6 November 1944 – 7 September 1946 Major-General Stephen Weir[18][88]
8 October 1946 until disbanded Major-General John Frederick Boyce Combe[89][90][k]

Order of battle

Victoria Cross recipients

See also

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.[28]
  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".[30]
  5. ^ For comparison, the 1939 war-establishment (the on-paper strength) of a three-brigade infantry division was 13,863 men.[37]
  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.
  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.[60]
  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.[61] 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".[62]
  9. ^ 70th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (RA); 229th Anti-Tank Battery, RA; 379th Light AA Battery, RA; 270th Field Company, Royal Engineers; 183rd Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps; 139th Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps; 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.[87]
  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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Messenger 1994, p. 49.
  14. ^ a b c d Perry 1988, p. 48.
  15. ^ a b Levy 2006, p. 66.
  16. ^ French 2001, p. 64.
  17. ^ a b c Joslen 2003, pp. 75–76.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Joslen 2003, p. 75.
  19. ^ "No. 34033". The London Gazette. 16 March 1934. p. 1780. and "No. 34542". The London Gazette. 16 August 1938. p. 5289.
  20. ^ a b Joslen 2003, p. 232.
  21. ^ a b Joslen 2003, p. 324.
  22. ^ a b Joslen 2003, p. 325.
  23. ^ a b "badge, formation, 46th (North Midland and West Riding) Infantry Division". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  24. ^ Gibbs 1976, pp. 455, 507, 514–515.
  25. ^ a b c d 46 Division 1946, p. 13.
  26. ^ Newbold 1988, p. 428.
  27. ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 75, 232.
  28. ^ Newbold 1988, p. 40.
  29. ^ Newbold 1988, p. 42.
  30. ^ Ellis 1954, pp. 19 and 21.
  31. ^ Perry 1988, p. 52.
  32. ^ Rhodes-Wood 1960, pp. 29, 228.
  33. ^ Jones 2016, p. 228.
  34. ^ Ellis 1954, pp. 19, 21.
  35. ^ a b Lynch 2015, Chapter 3: The Mobilisation of the Territorial Army, 1939.
  36. ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 56, 62, and 75; Ellis 1954, p. 19; Lynch 2015, Chapter 3: The Mobilisation of the Territorial Army, 1939.
  37. ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 131 and 133.
  38. ^ Lynch 2015, Chapter 5: Seeing the Wood for the Trees.
  39. ^ Collier 1961, p. 83.
  40. ^ Ellis 1954, p. 21.
  41. ^ 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.
  42. ^ Weinberg 1994, p. 122.
  43. ^ Weinberg 1994, pp. 123–125.
  44. ^ Weinberg 1994, pp. 126–127.
  45. ^ a b c d e 46 Division 1946, p. 14.
  46. ^ Ellis 1954, p. 64.
  47. ^ a b Lynch 2015, Chapter 7: More Gallantly than Advisedly.
  48. ^ a b Ellis 1954, p. 123.
  49. ^ Ellis 1954, p. 121.
  50. ^ Fraser 1999, pp. 65–67.
  51. ^ Ellis 1954, p. 242.
  52. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 46 Division 1946, p. 15.
  53. ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 73, 75, and 79.
  54. ^ Newbold 1988, p. 436.
  55. ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 75-76 and 79.
  56. ^ Alanbrooke 2001, p. 95.
  57. ^ a b c d Joslen 2003, p. 76.
  58. ^ Joslen 2003, p. 75 and 229.
  59. ^ "No. 30790". The London Gazette. 9 July 1918. p. 8155.
  60. ^ Hudson 2007, pp. 184–187.
  61. ^ Place 2000, pp. 51–52.
  62. ^ French 2001, pp. 205–206.
  63. ^ a b Joslen 2003, p. 313.
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  66. ^ 46 Division 1946, pp. 17–18.
  67. ^ 46 Division 1946, p. 19.
  68. ^ a b 46 Division 1946, pp. 20–21.
  69. ^ Playfair et al. 2004, pp. 287–288.
  70. ^ Playfair et al. 2004, p. 299.
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  76. ^ 46 Division 1946, pp. 29–30.
  77. ^ Playfair et al. 2004, pp. 379, 382.
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  79. ^ 46 Division 1946, p. 66.
  80. ^ 46 Division 1946, p. 118.
  81. ^ a b c Rissik 2004, p. 160.
  82. ^ 46 Division 1946, p. 118, 120.
  83. ^ MacDonogh 2009, British Zone.
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  86. ^ Allport 2009, pp. 26, 43.
  87. ^ a b Messenger 1994, p. 157.
  88. ^ "No. 37826". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 December 1946. p. 6235.
  89. ^ "Army Notes". Royal United Services Institution. 94:564 (564): 608–617. 1946. doi:10.1080/03071844609433982.
  90. ^ "No. 37796". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 November 1946. p. 5769.
  91. ^ 46 Division 1946, p. 18.

References

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