List of orders of battle for the British 1st Armoured Division information
For the 1st Infantry Division, see List of wartime orders of battle for the British 1st Division (1809–1945).
Mobile Division 1st Armoured Division 1st British Armoured Division
The second variant of the divisional rhinoceros insignia, used from 1942–1945.
Active
1937–1945
Country
United Kingdom
Branch
British Army
Engagements
Second World War
Military unit
An order of battle is a list of the elements of a military formation that are organised within a hierarchical command structure. It can provide information on the strength of that formation and the equipment used.[1] 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 radically altered from one campaign to another through the adding or removing of sub-units but retain its identity and history. The size of a division can dramatically vary as a result of the forces assigned and the doctrine employed at that time.
The 1st Armoured Division of the British Army was formed in 1937 as the Mobile Division and renamed the 1st Armoured Division in April 1939. The division was dispatched with 257 tanks to fight in the Battle of France. After several costly engagements and the collapse of the Allied effort, it was forced to retreat back to the UK with only 13 remaining tanks. In late 1941, the division was sent to reinforce the British effort in North Africa with 184 tanks. It then fought in all the major engagements of the Western Desert campaign during 1942 from defeat in the Battle of Gazala to victory in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It assisted in the chase of the Axis Powers across North Africa into Tunisia, culminating with the Axis' overall defeat on the continent. In the aftermath of the Tunisian campaign, the division remained in Africa until 1944, when it was transferred to Italy. Its final battles were against the German Gothic Line during the Italian campaign. The division was broken up in October 1944 to provide reinforcements for other active formations due to a personnel shortage in the British Army, and officially disbanded in early 1945.
^McDonald 2020, p. x.
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Global Information
United Kingdom
British Army