9th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)
The 9th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, raised during the Second World War. It never saw active service during the war as a complete division.
9th Armoured Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1 December 1940–31 July 1944[2] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Armoured |
Size | 14,964 men[3] 227 tanks[nb 1][nb 2] |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Major-General Brian Horrocks |
History
The 9th Armoured was created on 1 December 1940 and dispersed and disbanded on 31 July 1944. It never saw active service during the war as a complete division, although its 27th armoured brigade fought in the Normandy campaign and NW Europe in 1944.[5]
General Officer Commanding
The 9th Armoured Division had three men who held the position of General Officer Commanding during the Second World War.
Appointed | General Officer Commanding |
4 December 1940 | Major-General Brocas Burrows[2] |
20 March 1942 | Major-General Brian Horrocks[2] |
12 August 1942 | Major-General John D'Arcy[nb 3] |
Component Units
Component units included:[6]
27th Armoured Brigade (transferred from division on 10 August 1942)
- 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards
- 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)
- 1st East Riding Yeomanry
- 1st Battalion, Queen Victoria's Rifles - renamed 7th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps on 22 March 1941
- 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
- 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars
- 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
- 2nd Battalion, Queen Victoria's Rifles - renamed 8th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps on 22 March 1941
9th Support Group (disbanded 12 June 1942)
- 11th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
- 6th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
- 74th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 54th (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
7th Infantry Brigade (transferred to division on 5 June 1942)
- 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers
- 6th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
- 2/6th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
Divisional Troops
- 1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars - (16 January 1943 - 10 July 1943)
- 6th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery - (12 June 1942 - 10 July 1944)
- 141st (Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery - (12 June 1942 - 10 July 1944)
- 74th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery - (12 June 1942 - 6 November 1943)
- 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery - (12 November 1943 - 10 July 1944)
- 54th (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - (12 June 1942 - 2 March 1944)
- 150th (Loyals) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - (2 March 1944 - 10 July 1944)
Notes
- Footnotes
- 201 tanks and 26 anti-aircraft tanks.[4]
- These two figures are the war establishment, the on-paper strength, of the division; for information on how divisions size changed over the war please see British Army during the Second World War and British Armoured formations of World War II.
- D'Arcy was appointed as the acting General Officer Commanding on 12 August 1942 at the rank of Brigadier, he took official command of the division on 8 September 1942 with the rank of Major-General.[2]
- Citations
- Cole p34
- Joslen, p. 23
- Joslen, p. 129
- Joslen, p. 6
- Anderson, Richard C. (2009). Cracking Hitler's Wall: The 1st Assault Brigade Engineers on D-Day: The 1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers on D-Day. Stackpole Books. p. 8. ISBN 978-0811705899.
- Ordersofbattle.com 9th Armoured Division subordinates
References
- Joslen, Lieutenant-Colonel H.F. (1960) [1960]. Orders Of Battle Second World War 1939-1945. Naval & Military Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
- Cole H (1973) Formation Badges of World War 2. Britain, Commonwealth and Empire Arms and Armour Press SBN 85368 078 7