The 59th (Staffordshire) Infanty Division was a 2nd Line Territorial Army unit of the British Army during the Second World War. In the United Kingdom the Territorial Army is a part of the British Army composed of reserve units, or part-time soldiers. ... 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, or other means. ... Location within France Hôtel dEscoville, 16th century, Caen Anonymous pen-and-ink birds-eye view of the fortifications of Caen (Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris) South Wall of the Castle, a huge fortress in the center of the city Town Hall of Caen Caen train station. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower Bernard Montgomery Bertram Ramsay Trafford Leigh-Mallory Gerd von Rundstedt Erwin Rommel Friedrich Dollmann Strength 326,000 (by June 11) Unknown, probably some 1,000,000 in France by early June, but split up over the entire... In the United Kingdom the Territorial Army is a part of the British Army composed of reserve units, or part-time soldiers. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

History

The 59th Division was reconstituted on 21 August 1939 as a duplicate of the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division. Having been kept in Britain until mid-1944, the division's lead units landed in Normandy as part of the Second Army on 26 June. It fought in this campaign until 18 August 1944 when, due to the severe casualties suffered by other British units, it was disbanded as the most junior of the divisions in Normandy and it's men used as badly needed reinforcements for the rest of the Second Army. August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower Bernard Montgomery Bertram Ramsay Trafford Leigh-Mallory Gerd von Rundstedt Erwin Rommel Friedrich Dollmann Strength 326,000 (by June 11) Unknown, probably some 1,000,000 in France by early June, but split up over the entire... The British Second Army was extant in both World Wars. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Mont Saint Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ... The British Second Army was extant in both World Wars. ...

Commanders

• Maj.Gen.J.Blakeston-Houston
• Maj.Gen.T.R.Eastwood
• Maj.Gen.F.V.B.Witts
• Maj.Gen.J.S.Steele
• Maj.Gen.W.P.A.Bradshaw
• Maj.Gen.L.O.Lynne

Order of Battle

This is the division's order of battle at the time of its disbandment on 18 August 1944. An order of battle (often abbreviated as ORBAT, OOB, or OB) is an organizational tool used by military intelligence to list and analyze enemy military units. ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ...

176th Infantry Brigade

• 7th Bn, The Royal Norfolk Regiment
• 7th Bn, The South Staffordshire Regiment
• 6th Bn, The North Staffordshire Regiment

History The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales) or Staffords was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of The South Staffordshire Regiment and the North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales). The Staffords can trace their history back to 1705 when a regiment known as the 38th Foot was raised at Lichfield...

177th Infantry Brigade

• 5th Bn, The South Staffordshire Regt.
• 1/6th Bn, The South Staffordshire Regt.
• 2/6th Bn, The South Staffordshire Regt.

197th Infantry Brigade

• 2/5th Bn, The Lancashire Fusiliers
• 5th Bn, The East Lancashire Regiment
• 1/7th Bn, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment

The Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. ... The Royal Warwickshire Regiment was formed in Birmingham, England in light of the Great War (First World War). ...

Support Units

• 7th Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
• 59th Recce Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
• 61st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
• 110th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
• 116th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
• 68th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

• 509th Field Company, Royal Engineers
• 510th Field Company, Royal Engineers
• 257th Field Company, Royal Engineers

THE ROYAL NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS Nomenclature One of Englands premier county regiments, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers can trace its ancestory back to the year 1674. ... 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. ... RGA redirects here. ...

References

External links last verified on 1 June 2006 June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ...

• 59th Division History and Order of Battle
• Order of Battle Data Base
• British World War II Military Data Base