British Expeditionary Force order of battle (1940)

This is the British Expeditionary Force order of battle on 9 May 1940, the day before the German forces initiated the Battle of France.

First Expeditionary Force

General Headquarters (GHQ)

GHQ, British Expeditionary Force Headquarters Troops

1st Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade

Brigade manning armoured cars

2nd Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade

Brigade manning armoured cars

1st Army Tank Brigade

Brigade manning infantry and cavalry tank

Commander Royal Artillery

1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade

2nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade

3rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade

4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade
  • 4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade
    • 4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade Headquarters and Signals Section, Royal Signals
    • 4th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
    • 52nd (East Lancashire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery – from I Corps

5th Searchlight Brigade

Commander Royal Engineers
  • Commander Royal Engineers under Major General Ridley Pakenham Pakenham-Walsh
    • 100th (Monmouthshire) Army Field Company, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
    • 101st (Monmouthshire) Army Field Company, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
    • 216th (1st London) Army Field Company, Royal Engineers
    • 228th (West Riding) Field Company, Royal Engineers
    • 242nd (Lowland) Field Company, Royal Engineers
    • 223rd (2nd London) Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
    • 109th Workshop and Park Company, Royal Engineers
    • 1st Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers
    • 2nd Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers
    • 19th Army Field Survey Company, Royal Engineers
    • 119th Road Construction Company, Royal Engineers
    • 135th Excavator Company, Royal Engineers
    • 1st Boring Section, Royal Engineers
    • 2nd Boring Section, Royal Engineers
    • 1st Anti-Gas Laboratory, Royal Engineers
    • 58th (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
    • 61st (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
    • 62nd (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
    • 1st Tunnelling Group, Royal Engineers
      • 170th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
      • 171st Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
      • 172nd Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
      • 173rd Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers

5th Infantry Division

I Corps

Corps Headquarters Troops

I Corps Artillery Troops
  • I Corps Artillery Troop
I Corps Commander Royal Artillery
I Corps Commander Medium Artillery
  • Commander Corps Medium Artillery, I Corps

1st Infantry Division

2nd Infantry Division
A 2-pdr anti-tank gun of 44 Battery, 13th Anti-Tank Regiment, 2nd Division in the snow near Beuvry, 15 February 1940. The crew wear snow suits and the gun is camouflaged with white sheets.

48th (South Midland) Infantry Division

II Corps

II Corps Artillery Troops
II Corps Commander Royal Artillery
II Corps Commander Medium Artillery

3rd Infantry Division

4th Infantry Division

50th (Northumbrian) Motor Infantry Division

III Corps Headquarters, Troops

Commander Royal Artillery, III Corps
Commander Royal Artillery, III Corps
Commander Medium Artillery, III Corps

Commander Royal Engineers, III Corps

42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division

44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division

Saar Force

(Major General Victor Fortune)

On 10 May 1940, this force, which was really just the 51st Division reinforced by various small units, was part of the Colonial Army Corps of the French Third Army in front of the Maginot Line.

Units attached to the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division in April 1940 to form Saar Force

51st (Highland) Infantry Division

Major General V. M. Fortune

12th (Eastern) Infantry Division

Major-General R. L. Petre[nb 4][3]

23rd (Northumbrian) Division

[nb 4]

Major General W. N. Herbert

46th Infantry Division

[nb 4]

Major General H. O. Curtis

HQ Lines of Communication British Expeditionary Force

(Major General Philip de Fonblanque)[4]

3rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade

1st Armoured Division

Major General R. Evans[nb 5]

Air Component
Air Vice-Marshal Charles Blount[7] (Data from Jackson 1974 unless indicated.)[8]
  • 85 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter)
  • 87 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter)
  • 607 Squadron: Gladiator (fighter, converting to Hurricane May 1940)
  • 615 Squadron: Gladiator (fighter, converting to Hurricane May 1940)
    • 3 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
    • 79 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
    • 504 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
  • From 22 (Army Co-operation) Group[7]
  • 81 Squadron: Blenheim I (strategic reconnaissance)[7]
  • 57 Squadron: Blenheim I (strategic reconnaissance)[7]
  • 53 Squadron: Blenheim IV (bomber)
  • 59 Squadron: Blenheim IV (bomber)
  • 2 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
  • 4 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
  • 13 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
  • 16 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
  • 26 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)

Second Expeditionary Force

The following force was sent to France during the second week of June 1940 in an unsuccessful attempt to form a second British Expeditionary Force. This second formation was to be commanded by Lieutenant-General A. F. Brooke. All units were evacuated in late June 1940, during Operation Aerial.

52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division

Major General J. S. Drew

See also

Notes
  1. Attached from I Corps.
  2. Attached from G.H.Q. Troops.
  3. Attached from II Corps Troops
  4. Although this division participated in the Battle of France, it was not adequately prepared for battle by May 1940. The division only had a skeleton headquarters staff, no organic artillery formations and few support units. Only a third of the infantry had received minimal training. The battalions lacked a carrier platoon and their full complement of heavy weapons.
  5. The 1st Armoured Division arrived in France between 15–21 May. The division fought south of the Somme River and never linked up with the main body of the Expeditionary Force.
  6. Detached from 1st Armoured Division on 21 May 1940 and dispatched to defend Calais.[5]
  7. Detached from 3rd Armoured Brigade and attached to the 30th Infantry Brigade. The regiment was sent to defend Calais on 21 May 1940.
  8. The QVR was sent, without their vehicles, to defend Calais on 21 May 1940 and attached to the 30th Infantry Brigade.[5]
  9. The 20th (Guards) Infantry Brigade was dispatched from the United Kingdom to defend Boulogne on 21 May 1940.[6]

Footnotes
  1. Attached from III Corps
  2. http://aotn.dvrdns.org:5000/pkg/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/france.html
  3. Ellis 2004, p. 21.
  4. "HQ Lines of Communication British Expeditionary Force". Orders of Battle Military Unit Database. Archived from the original on 2012-05-16.
  5. Glover, Michael (1985). The Fight for the Channel ports: Calais to Brest 1940, a Study in Confusion. London: L. Cooper. ISBN 978-0-43618-210-5.
  6. Ellis 2004, p. 154.
  7. Baughen 2016, p. 52.
  8. Jackson 1974, p. 136.

References
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