Mobile Division, Egypt / Mobile Division (Egypt) Armoured Division (Egypt) 7th Armoured Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1938–1958 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Engagements | Second World War |
An order of battle is a list of the various elements of a military formation organised within a hierarchical command structure. It can also provide information on the strength of that formation and the equipment used. [3] An order of battle is not necessarily a set structure, and it can change depending on tactical or strategic developments, or the evolution of military doctrine. For example, a division could be altered radically from one campaign to another through the adding or removing of subunits but retain its identity and prior history. The size of a division can vary dramatically as a result of what forces are assigned and the doctrine employed at that time.
The 7th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, which was formed in 1938. Detailed information for post-war orders of battle are not readily available.
In September 1938, due to European tensions between Britain and the Axis Powers, British forces based in Egypt were redeployed from the Suez Canal and Cairo areas to Mersa Matruh in the Western Desert, in preparation for a possible attack by Italy from Italian Libya. This ad hoc formation was dubbed the Mobile Force. When tensions subsided, due to the Munich Agreement, the force returned east and was located near Cairo. It was then joined by Major-General Percy Hobart who was ordered to form an armoured division in Egypt. The Army List, for December 1938, highlighted the disjointed nature of this effort, with the Mobile Division (Egypt) having no units of its own. The higher command, British Troops in Egypt, held direct responsibility over most of what had been in the Mobile Force and what would become the 7th Armoured Division. [4] [5]
In April 1939, several nomenclature changes took place. The Mobile Division (Egypt) was renamed the Armoured Division (Egypt) and the Cairo Cavalry Brigade became the Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt), the later would eventually be renamed the 7th Armoured Brigade. On 4 April 1939, the Royal Armoured Corps was formed to command all mechanised cavalry and the battalions of the Royal Tank Corps. The latter was renamed the Royal Tank Regiment and its nomenclature colloquially changed; each unit dropped the word battalion from their names, although this was not officially adopted until September 1945. The Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt), what would become the 4th Armoured Brigade, started to form in 1939 from units previously assigned to British Troops in Egypt. [6] [7]
The 7th and 8th Hussars were equipped with various models of light tanks while the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) were outfitted with Morris Armoured Cars. The two Royal Tank Regiment units used a mixture of A9 Cruisers and Mk VI light tanks. [4] [8] [a] Prior to the outbreak of the war, a 'pivot group' was formed. British military thinking for armoured formations designated that all supporting arms (infantry, artillery, engineers) would be assigned to these groups, thus leaving the armoured brigades with just tanks. Doctrine dictated that the infantry did not supplement the tanks, but rather protected them at leaguer, defended positions occupied by the administrative and supply vehicles, or secured locations that the tanks had captured. [11] [12]
Mobile Force [4]
British Troops in Egypt (only relevant units displayed) [5]
Mobile Division
Cairo Cavalry Brigade [b]
Directly controlled by British Troops in Egypt
Armoured Division (Egypt) [4] [15]
Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt)
Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt)
Pivot Group
After the start of the Second World War, in September 1939, the division's pivot group was not included on any official order of battle, and the forces that would have been assigned to it appear as divisional assets instead. [16] A new one, the 7th Support Group, was formed in January 1940. [17] At full strength, the group would have sixteen 25-pounder field gun-howitzers, twenty-four 2-pounder anti-tank guns, and twenty-four Bofors 40 mm gun anti-aircraft guns. [18] In October 1940, such groups were supposed to be reorganised with one infantry battalion being removed and sent to join an armoured brigade. However, the division's support group did not follow this change and maintained two battalions through to November 1941. [19] Other changes included the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) being removed from the 7th Armoured Brigade, as they were an armoured car regiment and not a tank unit, and being placed directly under the command of the division. This allowed the formation to have a dedicated reconnaissance element. [20]
Armoured Division (Egypt) [16]
Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt)
Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt)
Divisional Troops
7th Armoured Division [23] [24] [d]
4th Armoured Brigade [e]
7th Armoured Brigade [f]
7th Support Group (formed 22 January)
Divisional Troops [g]
7th Armoured Division [23] [28] [29]
4th Armoured Brigade
7th Armoured Brigade
7th Support Group
Divisional Troops
7th Armoured Division [30] [28] [31]
4th Armoured Brigade Group (until 19 December)
7th Armoured Brigade (until 27 November)
22nd Armoured Brigade (until 22 November)
7th Support Group (until 27 December)
Divisional Troops
Organization IV (February 1942) reorganized divisions into one armoured brigade group and one motorised brigade group, each with attached artillery and engineers. Organization VI (August 1942) was the essentially same as organization V which was applied in the U.K. only, applied in the Middle East two months later. This returned supporting arms to division control, with an increase in all types of artillery. [32] The 7th Armoured Division initially had two Armoured Brigades, of different organizations. [33]
Organization VII introduced little change, the attachment of a machine gun company to the infantry brigade, and the replacement of armoured cars with tanks in the reconnaissance regiment. [38]
Organization VIII, consolidated the continuing changes in formations, increasing the reconnaissance regiment strength, moving the machine gun company to division troops and adding a bridging troop of engineers. [39]
Footnotes
Citations
Mobile Division, Egypt / Mobile Division (Egypt) Armoured Division (Egypt) 7th Armoured Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1938–1958 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Engagements | Second World War |
An order of battle is a list of the various elements of a military formation organised within a hierarchical command structure. It can also provide information on the strength of that formation and the equipment used. [3] An order of battle is not necessarily a set structure, and it can change depending on tactical or strategic developments, or the evolution of military doctrine. For example, a division could be altered radically from one campaign to another through the adding or removing of subunits but retain its identity and prior history. The size of a division can vary dramatically as a result of what forces are assigned and the doctrine employed at that time.
The 7th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, which was formed in 1938. Detailed information for post-war orders of battle are not readily available.
In September 1938, due to European tensions between Britain and the Axis Powers, British forces based in Egypt were redeployed from the Suez Canal and Cairo areas to Mersa Matruh in the Western Desert, in preparation for a possible attack by Italy from Italian Libya. This ad hoc formation was dubbed the Mobile Force. When tensions subsided, due to the Munich Agreement, the force returned east and was located near Cairo. It was then joined by Major-General Percy Hobart who was ordered to form an armoured division in Egypt. The Army List, for December 1938, highlighted the disjointed nature of this effort, with the Mobile Division (Egypt) having no units of its own. The higher command, British Troops in Egypt, held direct responsibility over most of what had been in the Mobile Force and what would become the 7th Armoured Division. [4] [5]
In April 1939, several nomenclature changes took place. The Mobile Division (Egypt) was renamed the Armoured Division (Egypt) and the Cairo Cavalry Brigade became the Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt), the later would eventually be renamed the 7th Armoured Brigade. On 4 April 1939, the Royal Armoured Corps was formed to command all mechanised cavalry and the battalions of the Royal Tank Corps. The latter was renamed the Royal Tank Regiment and its nomenclature colloquially changed; each unit dropped the word battalion from their names, although this was not officially adopted until September 1945. The Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt), what would become the 4th Armoured Brigade, started to form in 1939 from units previously assigned to British Troops in Egypt. [6] [7]
The 7th and 8th Hussars were equipped with various models of light tanks while the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) were outfitted with Morris Armoured Cars. The two Royal Tank Regiment units used a mixture of A9 Cruisers and Mk VI light tanks. [4] [8] [a] Prior to the outbreak of the war, a 'pivot group' was formed. British military thinking for armoured formations designated that all supporting arms (infantry, artillery, engineers) would be assigned to these groups, thus leaving the armoured brigades with just tanks. Doctrine dictated that the infantry did not supplement the tanks, but rather protected them at leaguer, defended positions occupied by the administrative and supply vehicles, or secured locations that the tanks had captured. [11] [12]
Mobile Force [4]
British Troops in Egypt (only relevant units displayed) [5]
Mobile Division
Cairo Cavalry Brigade [b]
Directly controlled by British Troops in Egypt
Armoured Division (Egypt) [4] [15]
Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt)
Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt)
Pivot Group
After the start of the Second World War, in September 1939, the division's pivot group was not included on any official order of battle, and the forces that would have been assigned to it appear as divisional assets instead. [16] A new one, the 7th Support Group, was formed in January 1940. [17] At full strength, the group would have sixteen 25-pounder field gun-howitzers, twenty-four 2-pounder anti-tank guns, and twenty-four Bofors 40 mm gun anti-aircraft guns. [18] In October 1940, such groups were supposed to be reorganised with one infantry battalion being removed and sent to join an armoured brigade. However, the division's support group did not follow this change and maintained two battalions through to November 1941. [19] Other changes included the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) being removed from the 7th Armoured Brigade, as they were an armoured car regiment and not a tank unit, and being placed directly under the command of the division. This allowed the formation to have a dedicated reconnaissance element. [20]
Armoured Division (Egypt) [16]
Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt)
Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt)
Divisional Troops
7th Armoured Division [23] [24] [d]
4th Armoured Brigade [e]
7th Armoured Brigade [f]
7th Support Group (formed 22 January)
Divisional Troops [g]
7th Armoured Division [23] [28] [29]
4th Armoured Brigade
7th Armoured Brigade
7th Support Group
Divisional Troops
7th Armoured Division [30] [28] [31]
4th Armoured Brigade Group (until 19 December)
7th Armoured Brigade (until 27 November)
22nd Armoured Brigade (until 22 November)
7th Support Group (until 27 December)
Divisional Troops
Organization IV (February 1942) reorganized divisions into one armoured brigade group and one motorised brigade group, each with attached artillery and engineers. Organization VI (August 1942) was the essentially same as organization V which was applied in the U.K. only, applied in the Middle East two months later. This returned supporting arms to division control, with an increase in all types of artillery. [32] The 7th Armoured Division initially had two Armoured Brigades, of different organizations. [33]
Organization VII introduced little change, the attachment of a machine gun company to the infantry brigade, and the replacement of armoured cars with tanks in the reconnaissance regiment. [38]
Organization VIII, consolidated the continuing changes in formations, increasing the reconnaissance regiment strength, moving the machine gun company to division troops and adding a bridging troop of engineers. [39]
Footnotes
Citations