History

The 1st Armoured Division was a regular division in the British Army at the outbreak of World War II. It had formerly been designated The Mobile Division. It first saw service in incomplete form under the second British Expeditionary Force sent to France in 1940. It landed in France on 14 April 1940 and was evacuated on 16 June having seen service south of the River Somme, isolated from the other British formations. The British Army is the land armed forces of the United Kingdom. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British army sent to Belgium in World War I and British Forces in Europe from 1939 - 1940 during World War II. The BEF was established by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Boer War in case Britain ever needed to... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... June 16 is the 167th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (168th in leap years), with 198 days remaining. ... Categories: France geography stubs | French rivers ...

For the rest of 1940 and up until 27 August 1941 the Division was stationed in the United Kingdom on anti-invasion duties. It then embarked for Egypt. Arriving in Egypt on 13 November 1941 it took part in many of the major battles of the later part of the campaign against Rommel including Gazala, Mersa Matruh, 1st El Alamein, 2nd El Alamein, Tebaga Gap, Akarit, El Kourzia and Tunis. August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (in Arabic: مصر, romanized Miṣr or Maṣr, in Egyptian dialect) is a republic mostly located in north-eastern Africa. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... Battle of Gazala Conflict World War II, Western Desert Campaign Date May 26–June 21, 1942 Place Gazala and Libya Result Axis victory The Battle of Gazala was a World War II battle of the Western Desert Campaign, fought in Libya from May 26 to June 21, 1942. ... The First Battle of El Alamein 1–July 31, 1942 was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of World War II, fought between the German–Italian Afrikakorps commanded by Erwin Rommel and the British Eighth Army, commanded by Claude Auchinleck. ... The Battle of Alamein, or more correctly the Second Battle of El Alamein, marked a significant turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II and was the first major victory by an Allied force over the Wehrmacht. ... The Battle of Tunis between the Roman Republic and Carthage occurred in 256 BC during the First Punic War. ...

From the end of the Tunisian campaign the division remained in North Africa until May 1944. It then transfered to Italy, fighting one last battle at Coriano before ceasing to be an operational unit on 28 October. The division was disbanded on 1 January 1945. The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

It was not until 1976 that the Division re-emerged in the British Army. It was reformed by the redesignation of the British 1st Infantry Division, and has been stationed in Germany ever since as part of the British forces committed to NATO. The 1st (UK) Armoured Division is currently the only British division to be stationed in Germany. 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... List of military divisions — List of British divisions in WWII The British 1st Infantry Division was a permanently established Regular Army division. ... The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... For the National Association of Theatre Owners, please see National Association of Theatre Owners. ...

The headquarters of the division was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990 to command British land forces. It had two brigades under its command, 4th and 7th Armoured Brigade. During the war it came under the US VII Corps and was part of the great armoured left-hook that destroyed many Iraqi Republican Guard formations. The two brigades in the division alternated heading the advance. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country on the Arabian Peninsula. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The VII Army Corps of the United States Army was one of the two principal corps of the army in Europe during the Cold War, along with V Corps. ... The Iraqi Republican Guard (RG) was the core of the Iraqi military. ...

The Division headquarters again deployed to the Gulf area in 2003. It again commanded British forces in the area, this time with three full brigades under its control. Those were 7th Armoured Brigade again, along with 16th Air Assault Brigade, and 3rd Commando Brigade. In a combined arms operation the division secured southern Iraq, including the city of Basra during the invasion. It came under I Marine Expeditionary Force during the 2003 conflict. A satellite image showing the Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf (Persian: خلیج فارس, Arabic: الخليج الفارسي) is an extension of the Gulf of Oman in between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... Location of Basra Basra (also known as Başrah or Basara; historically sometimes called Busra, Busrah, and early on Bassorah; Arabic: البصرة, Al-Basrah) is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of about 1,377,000 in 2003. ...

Organisation

The following brigades make up the 1 (United Kingdom) Armoured Division.

• 4th Armoured Brigade
• 7th Armoured Brigade
• 20th Armoured Brigade
• Danish Reaction Brigade
• 4th (Czech) Rapid Deployment Brigade

See Also

• List of senior officers of British 1st Armoured Division
• List of component units of British 1st Armoured Division
• List of equipment of British 1st Armoured Division
• List of headquarters of British 1st Armoured Division
• List of higher formations British 1st Armoured Division served under