Encyclopedia > British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
For the First World War unit, see British 51st (Highland) Division (World War I). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
The Territorial Army (TA) is the principal reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at the same rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. ...
Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ...
Sup G There were two battles of El Alamein, both during 1942. ...
Husky was also the codename of Australian military support to Sierra Leone ending in February 2003. ...
Alan Cunningham, British Army Officer Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham (1st May 1887 _ 30th January 1983) was a British Army officer noted for victories over Italian forces in the East African Campaign during World War II. He was the younger brother of the renowned Admiral Andrew Cunningham. ...
General Ritchie as commander of XII Corps in France General Sir Neil Ritchie GBE, KCB, DSO, MC (July 29, 1897 - December 11, 1983) was a British commanding officer during the Second World War. ...
Major-General Douglas Neil Wimberley (15 August 1896 - 26 August 1983) was commander of the 51st (Highland) Division at the Second Battle of El Alamein in World War II and lead it across North Africa to Sicily. ...
Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...
The British 51st (Highland) Division was a Territorial Force division that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War. ...
The British 51st (Highland) Division was a Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through. The Territorial Army (TA) is the principal reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at the same rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. ...
Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
History
The 51st Division commanded by Major-General Fortune formed part of the British Expeditionary Force at the start of World War 2. With the capture of two of its brigades in France the division effectively ceased to exist. The Highland 9th Division was renumbered to replace the 51st which then served in the North Africa campaign. From there it went to Sicily before returning to France as part of the invasion of Northern Europe. Victor Morven Fortune was a British Army officer who was famous for commanding the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division during the Battle of France. ...
The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British army sent to France and 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 Second Boer War in case the...
In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ...
The battle in the North African desert during World War II from 1940-1943. ...
Battles
The 51st Infantry Division had been stationed at the Maginot Line, and had thus escaped being encircled with the rest of the BEF at Dunkirk. It was then pulled back to the west of Northern France, where it was attached to the French 10th Army. For some time, it was forced to hold a line four times longer than that which would normally be expected of a division. During this period, the 154th Brigade was detached and withdrawn successfully. However, the 152nd and 153rd Brigades were trapped at Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, and surrendered on June 12. The Maginot Line (IPA: [maÊ’inoË], named after French minister of defense André Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy, in the light of experience from World War I, and...
This article is about a Second World War battle in 1940, for the 1658 battle of the same name see Battle of the Dunes (1658) Combatants United Kingdom France Belgium Germany Commanders Lord Gort General Weygand Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Ewald von Kleist (Panzergruppe von Kleist) Strength approx. ...
Saint-Valery-en-Caux is a seaside town and commune of the Seine Maritime département, Haute-Normandie région, Normandy, France, located 30 km west of Dieppe and 30 km east of Fécamp. ...
is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
New 51st Division Later, the British 9th (Highland) Infantry Division, the 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate of the 51st Division, was converted into the new 51st Division, with the 26th and 27th Brigades redesignated as 152nd and 153rd Brigades, and the 28th being merged with the severely under strength 154th Brigade. The 9th (Highland) Infantry Division was a second line Territorial Army formation at the beginning of the Second World War. ...
- New 51st Highland Division was at El Alamein (October-November 1942)
It played a Major Part in Operation Lightfoot, where it was in the center of the Northern Push, between the Australian 9th Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division. It faced the 21st Panzer Division and some Italian units. Initially unsuccessful during Lightfoot, the minefields it cleared were key in achieving a breakout during Operation Supercharge. It was involved in the battle at Wadi Akarit, Tunisia in early April 1943, and took part in the frontal assault on strongpoints guarded by deep minefields, where it was on the far right of the line. The battalion commander of the 7th Argylls, Lt Col Lorne Campbell, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his leadership during the battle. Later, the division took part in the invasion of Sicily and later, the invasion of Italy. It was then recalled from the 8th Army in Italy, on the wishes of the 8th Army's ex-commander, General Bernard Law Montgomery, together with 7th Armoured Division and 50th (Tyne-Tees) Division, to prepare for the invasion of North-West Europe. Sup G There were two battles of El Alamein, both during 1942. ...
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 9th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF). ...
The New Zealand 2nd Division was that countrys major land formation during much of World War II. Commanded for much of its existence by Lieutenant General Sir Bernard Freyberg. ...
Created as 5th Light Division or 5th Light Afrika Division in Africa in early 1941, from an ad hoc collection of smaller units rushed to support the collapsing Italian army. ...
“Minefield†redirects here. ...
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. ...
This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ...
Lorne Campbell (born in Ottawa, Ontario) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 140 games in various professional leagues, including the National Hockey Association. ...
The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour in the face of the enemy to members of armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. ...
Husky was also the codename of Australian military support to Sierra Leone ending in February 2003. ...
A number of nations have an Eighth Army: 8th Route Army British Eighth Army US Eighth Army This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Bernard Law Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (November 17, 1887 - March 24, 1976) was a British military officer during World War II often referred to as Monty. ...
The 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats) of the British Army was the most famous unit of its type in British service during World War II. It was a regular division in the Middle East, designated the Mobile Division at first, renamed the Armoured Division (Egypt) in September 1939, and...
It landed on the 7 June, as part of I Corps. It was sent across the Orne River, and spent most of its time in Normandy supporting the 6th Airborne Division. Its performance in Normandy was considered disappointing, and it was stated that it "had failed every mission it was given" by Montgomery.THIS SLUR ON THE HONOUR OF THESE MEN MUST BE REMOVED OR HARD EVIDENCE NOT HERESAY MUST BE QUOTED This is not entirely surprising, as the division had been in almost constant action since El Alamein in October 1942 and by Summer 1944 and had lost many of its seasoned veteran volunteers as casualties, being increasingly replaced by young, green conscripts. It has been determined by military analysts that WW2 divisions reached their peak of efficiency and aggression within 6 months. Beyond that, efficiency tailed off markedly. By D-Day, the 51st had been in constant demand for nearly 2 years. As it was, the warning bells had been rung in Italy, when a group of recuperating wounded soldiers of the 51st returning from their North African hospital base to rejoin the division in Italy, were split up instead and ordered to various units and formations totally unrelated to the 51st Division or its component regiments. The Jocks regarding this as heartless administrative high-handedness and refused to follow these orders. A mutiny was taking place. That members of such such a prime, proud formation as the 51st were prepared to mutiny reflects the total disregard for efficiency and unit pride and subservience to numbers displayed by the British military authorities in that theatre of war at that time. The mutineers, having made their point, were distributed to various units regardless, while ringleaders were jailed. It is one of the less-proud moments of British military history and leadership and was swept under the carpet until recently. The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ...
June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ...
List of military corps — List of military corps by number A number of countries have First, or I, Corps: I Anzac Corps (Australia and New Zealand) British I Corps US I Corps Republic of Vietnam This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that...
Orne is the name of two rivers in France: one in Normandy and one in Lorraine. ...
Flag of Normandy Normandy (in French: Normandie, and in Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region in northern France. ...
The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne unit of the British Army during World War II. Formation The division was formed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 1943, during the Second World War. ...
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC (17 November 1887–24 March 1976), often referred to as Monty, was a British Army officer. ...
It is interesting to compare the Normandy performances of the 51st, which had been in action for too long and were below par in Normandy, with the untried but very eager 15th (Scottish) Division in action for the first time and which helped bring the II SS Panzer Corps to a halt for a short but vital period in June 1944, in the face of intense attacks. (Redirected from 15th (Scottish) Division) The British 15th (Scottish) Division was a New Army division formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. ...
The II.SS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. // Formation - Kharkov The II.SS-Panzerkorps was formed in July 1942 in Bergen in The Netherlands as SS-Panzer-Generalkommando. ...
One bright note in the Normandy campaign and breakout was when Monty changed his order of battle in the Brittany region to allow the 51st (Highland) Division to liberate Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, the scene of the division's surrender in June 1940. The division relished the moment and made it into a mini-media event, with pipes and drums and veterans of the 1940 campaign who had escaped capture and were with the 51st in 1944. Monty may refer to the following: Monty, a comic strip. ...
Saint-Valery-en-Caux is a seaside town and commune of the Seine Maritime département, Haute-Normandie région, Normandy, France, located 30 km west of Dieppe and 30 km east of Fécamp. ...
Late in 1944, in the Netherlands it was involved in the Battle of the Scheldt. Later it was a reserve unit on the Meuse during the Battle of the Bulge. It did not take part in much heavy fighting, and was only deployed as a stopgap in case the Germans broke through. It was later part of Operation Varsity, the crossing of the Rhine. The 51st ended its war in the Bremerhaven area of Northern Germany. Combatants Canada United Kingdom Poland Belgium Norway Germany Commanders Guy Simonds (acting) (First Canadian Army) Gustav-Adolf von Zangen (German 15th Army) Strength ? ? Casualties 12,873 total; including 6,367 Canadian ? The Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations which took place in northern Belgium and south...
The Meuse (Maas) at Maastricht Meuse near Grave The Meuse (Dutch & German Maas) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. ...
Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Bernard Montgomery Omar N. Bradley George S. Patton, Jr. ...
Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Nazi Germany Casualties 1,111 Dead; 1,625 wounded or missing Operation Varsity was an airborne operation towards the end of World War II, intended to gain a foothold across the River Rhine in western Germany as a part of Operation Plunder. ...
It has been suggested that River Rhine Pollution: November 1986 be merged into this article or section. ...
Bremerhaven is a city in the federal state of Bremen, Germany. ...
Order of Battle at formation - 152nd Brigade
- 153rd Brigade
- 154th Brigade
This page is for the historical Scottish regiment. ...
This page is for the historical Scottish regiment. ...
The Queens Own Cameron Highlanders was a regiment of the British Army. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
The Gordon Highlanders was a British Army infantry regiment from 1881 until 1994. ...
The Gordon Highlanders was a British Army infantry regiment from 1881 until 1994. ...
The 1st Battalion, Black Watch was formed in 1881 when the 42nd Regiment of Foot was amalgamated with the 73rd Regiment of Foot . ...
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. ...
Support Units The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambriges Own) was a regiment of the British Army. ...
The Derbyshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, which served as a cavalry regiment and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two reconnaissance regiments in the Second World War, before being amalgamated into The Leicestershire and Derbyshire (Prince Albert...
The Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army. ...
Tactical Recognition Flash of the Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is, despite its name, a corps of the British Army. ...
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ...
Commanders Victor Morven Fortune was a British Army officer who was famous for commanding the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division during the Battle of France. ...
Alan Cunningham, British Army Officer Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham (1st May 1887 _ 30th January 1983) was a British Army officer noted for victories over Italian forces in the East African Campaign during World War II. He was the younger brother of the renowned Admiral Andrew Cunningham. ...
General Ritchie as commander of XII Corps in France General Sir Neil Ritchie GBE, KCB, DSO, MC (July 29, 1897 - December 11, 1983) was a British commanding officer during the Second World War. ...
Major-General Douglas Neil Wimberley (15 August 1896 - 26 August 1983) was commander of the 51st (Highland) Division at the Second Battle of El Alamein in World War II and lead it across North Africa to Sicily. ...
Field Marshal Sir Charles Archibald James Halkett Cassels , GCB, KBE, DSO (1907-1996) was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army. ...
Cultural References
Music - "The 51st (Highland) Division's Farewell to Sicily", a folk song written by Hamish Henderson, a former officer who served in the 51st Division during the Sicilian campaign. It has been recorded by a number of folk singers, including Dick Gaughan.
- "The Beaches of St. Valery", performed by the Battlefield Band. Written by Davy Steele, it tells the story of the 51st Division's struggle to reach Saint-Valéry-en-Caux in 1940 only to find that no ships had been sent to evacuate them.
- "The Old Boys", performed by the Scottish group Runrig, who sing in both English and Gaelic. The song which first appeared on the album Recovery (1981) and was reprised on Protera (2003) speaks of the declining numbers of Gaelic speaking members of the 51st who fought at St Valery.
Hamish Henderson, (11 November 1919 - 2002) was a Scottish poet, songwriter, atheist, socialist, humanist, soldier, intellectual, and living contradiction. ...
Dick Gaughan is a Scottish singer-songwriter. ...
For 30 years the Battlefield Band has been a training ground for some of the greatest Scottish musicians. ...
Runrig playing live link title Runrig are a Scottish folk rock band founded by brothers Rory and Calum MacDonald and their friend Blair Douglas in 1973 in the rural Western Isles of Scotland. ...
// Scottish Gaelic (GÃ idhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ...
Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
External links - Heroic and overlooked involvement in Dunkirk evacuation
- The Forgotten Heroes of World War 2 by Robert Beesley
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