The British Armoured Division, mid 1942 to 1945
Divisional Troops
Divisional Headquarters
Employment Platoon
Field Security Section
Armoured Divisional Signals
Independent Machine Gun Company (from early 1944) - with twelve Vickers medium machine guns in three Platoons of four MMGs each, and one Platoon with four 4.2-in mortars. This was not implemented in Italy, however 6th Armoured Division introduced a Heavy Support Company with two Vickers and two 4.2-inch Mortar Platoons from late 1944.
Armoured Car Regiment, superseded by;
Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (Home Forces only from April 1943), superseded by;
Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment Type "B" (from November 1943, but see below)
Armoured Brigade
Brigade Headquarters
Three Armoured Regiments
Motor Battalion - click on The British Motor Battalion 1941 to 1942 and The British Motor Battalion 1943 to 1945 links for more detail.
Infantry Brigade
Brigade Headquarters
Ground Defence Platoon
Three Infantry Battalions - click on The British Infantry Battalion 1943 to 1945 link for more detail.
Divisional Artillery
Headquarters, Divisional Artillery
Counter Mortar Officer - added by Divisions first in Italy then in Northwest Europe from mid 1944.
Two Field Regiments - each with twenty four guns divided into three Batteries, with two Troops of four guns per Battery. One Regiment was equipped with self-propelled guns, the other with 25-pdr towed weapons.
Anti-tank Regiment - this underwent numerous revisions, not stabilising until mid 1944. From then, it deployed twenty four towed 17-pdr guns in two Batteries and twenty four self-propelled US supplied M10 tank destroyers in two further Batteries. Each Battery had three Troops each with four of the relevant towed or self-propelled equipments.
Light Anti-aircraft Regiment - with fifty four towed 40-mm light anti-aircraft guns, divided into three Batteries, with three Troops of six guns per Battery. Additionally, each Battery was reinforced by one Troop of eight truck mounted 20-mm light anti-aircraft guns for the early part of Normandy campaign. These Troops were subsequently disbanded during July 1944, and were not implemented in Italy.
Engineers
Two Field Squadrons
Field Park Squadron
Bridging Troop (from mid 1943)
Supply and Transport
Headquarters, Commander, Royal Army Service Corps
Armoured Brigade Company
Infantry Brigade Company
Armoured Divisional Troops Company
Armoured Divisional Transport company (from early 1944)
Medical
Light Field Ambulance
Field Ambulance
Field Dressing Station
Field Hygiene Section
Ordnance
Divisional Ordnance Field Park (from 1944)
Repair
Headquarters, Commander, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Armoured Brigade Workshop
Infantry Brigade Workshop
Light Aid Detachments
Miscellaneous
Divisional Provost Company
Divisional Postal Unit
Points of note
In May 1942 the general outline of the British Armoured Division that would serve until the end of the war was decided upon. Armoured Divisions in North Africa would continue to deploy a fluid organisation until the end of the campaign in that theatre, but their experience had shown that an increased infantry presence was required to assist the armoured units.
As a result, Armoured Divisions moved to one Armoured Brigade, with its own Motor Battalion, and one Infantry Brigade, displaying only detail differences from that found in the Infantry Division. There were still many changes to come however in other parts of the Armoured Division.
Reconnaissance was initially provided by an Armoured Car Regiment, but in early 1943 an experimental mix of cruiser tanks, scouts cars and Universal carriers was tested. This proved somewhat unsatisfactory and in late 1943 a new Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment Type "B" was introduced, operating both light tanks and cruisers. This was used in Italy, but Armoured Divisions in Northwest Europe went to war with their Armoured Reconnaissance Regiments organised on similar lines to their usual Armoured Regiments.
Self-propelled artillery had first been used in North Africa, with US supplied 105-mm Priests. By late 1943 the British-Canadian 25-pdr RAM was being introduced. The Priest continued in service in Italy with British Armoured Divisions, while the RAM was used throughout in Northwest Europe.
Comments
Armoured Divisions in both Italy and Northwest Europe found it necessary to further amend their organisation in the light of circumstances in their particular theatre. In the West, Divisions began to mix their Infantry Battalions and Armoured Regiments into 'Battle Groups', moving away from the notion of separate Infantry and Armoured Brigades. In Italy, 6th Armoured Division effectively added a second Infantry Brigade, along the lines of the abandoned Mixed Division concept.
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