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List of orders of battle for the British 2nd Division

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The 2nd Division was a military formation of the British Army, which was first formed in 1809. Over its 200 year history, the division contained numerous different units and fought in several wars. While primarily an infantry formation, it underwent motorisation in the 1930s, and mechanised during the years following the end of the Second World War. The following tables provide a breakdown of the division's orders of battle during various periods and for specific battles across its long history.

Napoleonic Wars

The British Army grew in size during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), and formed divisions to better co-ordinate the increasing size of their forces. The 2nd Division was formed on 18 June 1809, during the Peninsular War. This part of the Napoleonic Wars waged until 1814, largely within the confines of Spain and Portugal. At the end of the fighting, in 1814, the division was disbanded.[1][2] It was reformed on 11 April 1815, in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium), on the resumption of hostilities. It fought at the Battle of Waterloo, and then marched into France. Shortly after, the Napoleonic Wars came to an end. The division remained within the restored French kingdom, as part of the British Army of Occupation, until 1818. In December 1818, the Army of Occupation and the division were disbanded and the troops returned to Britain.[3] The below orders of battle cover the compoition of the division during this period.

Nineteenth Century

Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Europe was relatively peaceful. In the 1850s, the division fought in the Crimean War. This was the next major conflict in Europe, which the British took part in since the end of the fighting with France, saw the United Kingdom and Imperial Russia battle over the declining Ottomon Empire. In the latter part of the century, the division was engaged in two wars in Africa, as part of the larger European Scramble for Africa, the conquest and subjugation of portions of the continent. The Anglo-Egyptian War extended British influence over that region of Africa.

First World War

In 1914, following the German invasion of Belgium, the United Kingdom declared war against the former and entered the First World War. The division saw extensive service during the war, and underwent various changes in its order of battle. The below table provides a complete listing of all units that served in the division and details when they joined and left.

Second World War

In 1939, following the German invasion of Poland, the United Kingdom declared war in support of the latter and entered the Second World War. The division, now styled as an infantry division, saw combat in France in 1940. After the British Army's defeat in France, and service in defense of the United Kingdom, the division was transferred to India following the Japanese entry into the war. The division saw extensive service, fighting in India and Burma for the duration of the war. The below table provides a complete listing of all units that served in the division and details when they joined and left.

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

  1. ^ Haythornthwaite 2016, The Divisional System.
  2. ^ Oman 1930, pp. 496 and 513.
  3. ^ Glover 2015, pp. 35–46, 165, 199–200.
  4. ^ Oman 1903, pp. 645, 650–651.
  5. ^ Oman 1908, pp. 362, 545, 554.
  6. ^ Oman 1911, p. 631.
  7. ^ Oman 1922, pp. 751 752, 768 770, 772.
  8. ^ a b c d Glover 2015, p. 35.
  9. ^ Glover 2015, pp. 40–42.
  10. ^ Glover 2015, pp. 43–46.
  11. ^ Glover 2015, pp. 46–47.
  12. ^ Cannon 1839, p. 91.
  13. ^ Connolly 1855, p. 225.
  14. ^ Warner 2001, p. 19.
  15. ^ Ffrench Blake 2006, pp. 169–170.
  16. ^ "The War", The Examiner, London, p. 106, 26 February 1856
  17. ^ "2nd Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  18. ^ Joslen, p. 234
  19. ^ Joslen, p. 237
  20. ^ Joslen, p. 240-241"
  21. ^ Joslen, p. 39-49
  22. ^ Joslen, p. 39-49
  23. ^ Joslen, p. 39-49
  24. ^ Joslen, p. 39-49
  25. ^ Joslen, p. 39-49

References

  • Cannon, Richard (1839). The Sixth, or Royal First Warwickshire Regiment of Foot. London: William Clowes and Sons. OCLC 1111895311.
  • Connolly, Thomas William John (1855). The History of the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners. Vol. I. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. OCLC 1161274741.
  • Ffrench Blake, R.L.V. (2006) [1971]. The Crimean War. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-844-15449-4.
  • Glover, Gareth (2015). Waterloo: The Defeat of Napoleon's Imperial Guard: Genry Clinton, the 2nd Division and the End of a 200-year-old Controversy. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-84832-744-3.
  • Haythornthwaite, Philip (2016). Picton's Division at Waterloo. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-78159-102-4.
  • Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
  • Oman, Charles (1903). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. II Jan.-Sept. 1809. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC 185228609.
  • Oman, Charles (1908). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. III Sept. 1809–Dec. 1810. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC 185228609.
  • Oman, Charles (1911). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. IV Dec. 1810-Dec. 1811. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC 699709225.
  • Oman, Charles (1922). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. VI September 1, 1812 — August 5, 1813. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC 185228609.
  • Oman, Charles (1930). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. VII August 1813-April 14, 1814. Oxford: Oxford University Press. OCLC 185228609.
  • Warner, Philip (2001) [1972]. The Crimean War: A Reappraisal. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited. ISBN 978-1-84022-247-0.

Further reading

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