List of British divisions in World War II

It was a self-contained formation that possessed all the required forces for combat, which was supplemented by its own artillery, engineers, communications and supply units.

In September, the British Army stated that 55 divisions (a mix of armoured, infantry and cavalry) would be raised to combat Germany.

[1] The main goal of the regular army, largely built around battalion-sized formations, was to police and garrison the British Empire.

Following the German occupation of the remnants of the Czechoslovak state in March 1939, the Territorial Army was ordered to double in size to 24 divisions.

[16] During the latter stages of the campaign, the Beauman Division was raised ad hoc from rear-area personnel.

[17] As a result of defeat in the Battle of France and the return of the BEF following the Dunkirk evacuation, the original deployment of divisions was not realised.

[26] Lack of equipment hindered growth and an increasing number of divisions based in the UK were reduced in size to provide men for formations fighting abroad.

[36][37][38] The war establishment, the on-paper strength, was set at 12,148 men, with a large number of automatic weapons assigned to the division.

At the start of the war, the divisions and their command structure had a total of 106,690 men; manpower increased to 157,319 by July 1940, and was over 300,000 by mid-1941.

The divisions were replaced by seven groups, which were intended to reduce the overall number of formations, save manpower, and be more flexible.

The 2nd Armoured Division, prior to being deployed to the Middle East in late 1940, peaked at a strength of 256 light tanks and 54 cruisers.

[61][62] By 1942, a division was to consist of 13,235 men with 230 tanks, of which 183 would be cruisers and the rest would be for support, along with around 3,000 other vehicles and 48 field guns.

By 1942, the division had evolved to be based around one armoured brigade containing three armoured regiments and one motorised infantry battalion, the support group was replaced by a three-battalion infantry brigade, and additional support weapons were allocated as divisional assets.

The artillery would engage opposing anti-tank guns; the infantry would secure captured ground or provide flank protection in confined terrain; and the tanks would move ahead to destroy enemy tanks and disrupt the opposing lines of communication.

The division, rather than exploiting gaps, would find itself increasingly being used a battering ram to break through the enemy frontline.

[65][66][67] The armoured divisions diverged in how they were organised between those that were deployed to Northwest Europe in June 1944, and those operating in Italy.

[11] The war establishment was set at 11,097 men, 6,081 horses, and 1,815 vehicles distributed between three brigades, each containing three cavalry regiments.

As the only division type to include horses, it was required to have three mobile sections from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.

[92][93] These formations were around 10,000 men strong, and were assigned to defend the coastlines of threatened sectors of the country and man coastal artillery.

[92][94] These divisions were largely immobile and lacked divisional assets such as artillery, engineers, and reconnaissance forces.

[95] This allowed infantry divisions to be freed up from such duties and to form a reserve further inland for counterattacking enemy forces.

[96] These formations maintained their coastal defence role, even after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941; British military planners acknowledged that if the Soviet Union collapsed, Germany could easily transfer substantial forces west.

This perceived threat subsided in late 1941, with the arrival of autumn and winter weather and coupled with the production of new equipment for the British Army.

The latter allowed the War Office to take steps to better balance the army, with the creation of additional armour and special forces units.

[97][98] The infantry were the backbone of the British Army, and were intended to be mobile and with sufficient integrated artillery to be able to overcome opposing forces.

The motor division had two motorised infantry brigades and two artillery regiments, with an establishment of 10,136 men, 48 field guns, and 2,326 vehicles.

This avoided the complications of the First World War-era Territorial Force, whose members were initially not required to leave Britain unless they volunteered for overseas service.

Planners intended the first-line formations to recruit over their establishments (aided by an increase in pay, the removal of restrictions on promotion which had hindered prior recruiting, construction of better-quality barracks, and an increase in supper rations) and then form second-line formations from cadres around which the divisions could be expanded.

The former were intended for deployment overseas and combat, whereas the latter were restricted to home defence in a static role, and were reduced in size.

[113] Out of the overall total of men within the division, around 7,000 were frontline infantry and the rest allocated to the various divisional supporting arms and services.