4th Armoured Division (Vereinigtes Königreich)

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Vorlage:Redirect Vorlage:Use British English Vorlage:Use dmy dates Vorlage:Infobox military unit The 4th Infantry Division was a regular British Army formation with a long history, seeing active service in the Peninsular War, the Crimean War, the First World War, and during the Second World War. It was disbanded on 1 January 2012.

Napoleonic Wars

The 4th Division was originally formed in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War. It fought in the Battle of Talavera and the Battle of Salamanca, Battle of Badajoz and the Battle of Roncesvalles, Battle of Vitoria, Battle of the Pyrenees, Battle of Orthez, Battle of Toulouse.

Peninsular War order of battle

(from January 1812)

Major General Sir Charles Colville (to April 1812) Major General Lowry Cole (from June 1812)

  • 1st Brigade: Major General Kemmis
    • 3/27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot
    • 1/40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot
    • 1/48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot (from October 1812)
    • 2nd Provisional Battalion (2nd & 1/53rd Regiments of Foot) (from December 1812)
    • 1 Coy., 5/60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot
  • 2nd Brigade: Major General Sir Edward Pakenham
    • 1/7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers)
    • 2/7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers) (November 1810 to May 1811)
    • 20th (East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot (from November 1812)
    • 1/23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welsh Fusiliers)
    • 1/48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot (to October 1812)
    • 1/82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) (October to November 1812)
    • 1 Coy., Brunswick-Oels Jaegers
  • 3rd Brigade: Major General Skerrett (October to December 1812)
    • 3/1st Foot Guards
    • 2/47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot
    • 2/87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot
    • 2 Cos., 2/95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles)
  • Portuguese Brigade: Major General Collins
    • 1/11th Line Infantry of the Portuguese Army
    • 2/11th Line Infantry of the Portuguese Army
    • 1/23rd Line Infantry of the Portuguese Army
    • 2/23rd Line Infantry of the Portuguese Army
    • 7th Caçadores of the Portuguese Army

Waterloo

At the Battle of Waterloo it was tasked with holding Wellington's right flank and, with the exception of its 4th brigade, took no active part in the fighting, but did capture the town of Cambrai afterwards.

The commanding general at this time was Charles Colville. In his novel Les Misérables Victor Hugo credits Colville with asking for the surrender of the Imperial Guard at Waterloo and receiving General Cambronne's reply of "Merde".[1]

Waterloo order of battle

Crimean War

The Division was also called for service during the Crimean War fought between the allied forces of the United Kingdom, French Empire and the Ottoman Empire on one side and Russia on the other. It saw action in the Battle of Alma the Battle of Inkerman and the Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 (famous for the Charge of the Light Brigade and the Thin Red Line).

Crimean War order of battle

Commanding General: Major General Sir George Cathcart

First World War

As a permanently established Regular Army division it was amongst the first to be sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of the First World War. It served on the Western Front for the duration of the war and was present during all the major offensives including the Battle of the Marne, Battle of Ypres, Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Passchendaele.

First World War order of battle

The order of battle of 4th Division during World War I was as follows:[2]

10th Brigade
11th Brigade
Map of the Western Front, 1915–16
12th Brigade

From early November 1915 until February 1916 the 12th Brigade was swapped with the 107th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division.

Artillery

Engineers[4]

  • 7th Field Company, Royal Engineers (until 29 April 1915)
  • 9th Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 1st West Lancashire Field Company, Royal Engineers (from 14 February 1915 until 28 February 1916)
  • 1st Renfrew Field Company, Royal Engineers (joined 2 May 1916; became 406th (Renfrew) Field Company 3 February 1917)
  • 1st Durham Field Company, Royal Engineers (joined 20 September 1916; became 526th (Durham) Field Company 3 February 1917)

Pioneers

Second World War

The 4th Infantry Division served during the Second World War and was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), together with the 3rd Infantry Division forming the II Corps. After the 1940 Battle of France and the evacuation at Dunkirk, it spent the next two years in the United Kingdom on anti-invasion duties and training for its next deployment which would be as part of the British First Army and Operation Torch, the landings on the North West African coast.

During the Tunisia Campaign it was involved in Operation Vulcan, the final ground attack against Axis forces in North Africa which effectively ended the North African Campaign.

After the Axis defeat in Africa, which captured nearly 250,000 German and Italian soldiers, it was next involved in the Italian Campaign. The division fought at the Battle of Monte Cassino, this time with the British Eighth Army.

However, in November 1944 it was dispatched with the rest of III Corps to Greece to provide assistance during the Greek Civil War.

Second World War order of battle

The order of battle of 4th Division during World War II was as follows:[5]

10th Infantry Brigade
11th Infantry Brigade (until June 1942)
12th Infantry Brigade
  • 2nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers
  • 1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (until 13 June 1940)
  • 1st Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) (until 4 March 1940)
  • 12th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (formed 3 September 1939, disbanded 3 January 1941)
  • 6th Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) (from 4 March 1940)
  • 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment (from 29 June 1940)[6]
21st Army Tank Brigade (from June 1942 until December 1943)
28th Infantry Brigade (from December 1943)

Divisional Troops

  • 5th Dragoon Guards (until 31 March 1940)
  • 4th Reconnaissance Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps (from 1 January 1941')
  • 2nd Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (Machine Gun Battalion)
  • 17th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (until 19 February 1940)[7]
  • 22nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery[8]
  • 30th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery[9]
  • 77th (Highland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 19 February 1940)[10][11]
  • 14th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery[12]
  • 91st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 26 January 1942)[13]
  • 7th Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 9th Field Company, Royal Engineers (until 16 February 1940)
  • 59th Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 225th Field Company, Royal Engineers (from 16 February 1940)
  • 18th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
  • 3rd Bridging Platoon, Royal Engineers (from 18 October 1943)
  • 4th Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals

Post Second World War

It was reformed from 11th Armoured Division on 1 April 1956, and took on 20th Armoured Brigade Group from the disbanding 6th Armoured Division in May 1958. At the time the Division also incorporated the (Canadian) 4th Infantry Brigade and the 4th Guards Brigade. It was redesignated 4th Armoured Division on 1 January 1978, parenting Task Force Golf and Task Force Hotel, and served as part of I (BR) Corps in Germany. Following the 1981–1983 Army reorganisation, I (BR) Corps consisted of 1st and 4th Armoured Divisions, which would have manned the front line against the anticipated attack by the Soviet 3rd Shock Army. It ceased this role on 1 July 1993.

Formation 1981–1993

Formation 1995–2011

Structure 4th Division

The Division was reformed again in 1995 as a regenerative division – a military district in all but name – that served as the parent formation for units in Southern England.[14] The Division's last insignia was a tiger. It was commanded from HQ at Steeles Road, Aldershot and reported to Army Headquarters at Andover.[15] The Division was responsible for the administration of Aldershot Garrison and three Regional Brigades:

For administrative purposes, the following formations were also under the administrative control of 4th Division:

The new HQ Support Command in Aldershot began operation in January 2012 when HQ 4th Division in Aldershot disbanded.[16] HQ 2nd division in Edinburgh and HQ 5th division in Shrewsbury were both disbanded in April 2012.[17]

Recent Commanders

Recent Commanders have been:[18]
GOC 4th Division

Note: The Division was disbanded after the War and reformed in 1956

GOC 4th Armoured Division

GOC 4th Division

See also

Notes

Vorlage:Reflist

References

  • Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 1: The Regular British Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1934/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-38-X.
  • Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6.
  • Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0.

Vorlage:British Army Divisions

  1. ↑ les miserables.
  2. ↑ Becke, pp. 57–63.
  3. ↑ http://www.1914-1918.net/4div.htm
  4. ↑ Richard A. Rinaldi, Royal Engineers, World War I at Orbat.com
  5. ↑ Joslen, pp. 45-6.
  6. ↑ http://www.cgsc.edu/CARL/nafziger/939BXIE.pdf
  7. ↑ 17 Fd Rgt at RA 1939–45.
  8. ↑ 22 Fd Rgt at RA 1939–45
  9. ↑ 30 Fd Rgt at RA 1939–45.
  10. ↑ 77 Fd Rgt at RA 1939–45.
  11. ↑ Litchfield, p. 304.
  12. ↑ 14 A/T Rgt at RA 1939–45.
  13. ↑ 91 LAA Rgt at RA 1939–45.
  14. ↑ TA Command Structure 1967 - 2000. Abgerufen am 2. Februar 2013.
  15. ↑ New Army's HQ Land Forces base is opened in Andover. BBC News, 9. September 2010, abgerufen am 2. Februar 2013.
  16. ↑ First tranche of Army unit moves confirmed Defence News, 10 November 2011
  17. ↑ House of Commons Library: Standard Note: SN06038
  18. ↑ Army Commands
  19. ↑ Service appointments:Army, The Times, 6 August 2008. Retrieved on 17 November 2008
  20. ↑ Vorlage:LondonGazette
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