The 70th Infantry Division was a British Army division during the Second World War. 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 Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... 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. ... Siege of Tobruk Conflict World War II, Western Desert Campaign Date March 31, 1941 – November 27, 1941 Place Tobruk, Libya Result Allied victory The Siege of Tobruk was a lengthy confrontation between Axis and Allied forces in the North African Campaign of World War II. See also Afrika Korps... Combatants United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Poland Germany Italy Commanders Claude Auchinleck Alan Gordon Cunningham Neil Ritchie Erwin Rommel Ludwig Crüwell Strength 8th Army comprising XIII Corps, XXX Corps and 70th Division. ... Sir Ronald MacKenzie Scobie KBE, CBE, CB, MC was a British Army officer. ... 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

This formation had a brief history during the Second World War. It was formed originally as the regular British 6th Infantry Division then redesignated as the 70th Division on the 10 October 1941. (The reason for the change of designation is unknown. The new number was a vacant one in the List of British divisions in World War I.) Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The British 6th Division was a Regular Army division that was sent to France on 10 September 1914. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... List of military divisions — List of British divisions in WWI This page is a list of British divisions that fought in World War I. Divisions were either infantry or cavalry. ...

The division's only action as a complete formation was during the defense of Tobruk, when it was brought in by sea to relieve the Australian 9th Division. Under the command of Major General R. MacK. Scobie the 70th Division led the break out from Tobruk during Operation Crusader in order to link up with the Eighth Army. In the three day battle the lead battalions of the 70th Division (the 2nd Black Watch and the 2nd York and Lancs. Regt.) suffered heavy casualties. Siege of Tobruk Conflict World War II, Western Desert Campaign Date March 31, 1941 – November 27, 1941 Place Tobruk, Libya Result Allied victory The Siege of Tobruk was a lengthy confrontation between Axis and Allied forces in the North African Campaign of World War II. See also Afrika Korps... The 9th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF). ... Sir Ronald MacKenzie Scobie KBE, CBE, CB, MC was a British Army officer. ... Tobruk or Tubruq (Arabic: طبرق; also transliterated as Tóbruch, Tobruch, Å¢ubruq, Tobruck ) is a town, seaport, municipality, and peninsula in eastern Libya in Northern Africa. ... Combatants United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Poland Germany Italy Commanders Claude Auchinleck Alan Gordon Cunningham Neil Ritchie Erwin Rommel Ludwig Crüwell Strength 8th Army comprising XIII Corps, XXX Corps and 70th Division. ... 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. ...

After successfully linking up with Eighth Army the Division was sent back to Alexandria and then shipped to India. It originally performed internal security duties and was then broken up on the October 25, 1943. Its units were reformed into Chindit Brigades for the Second Chindit Expedition of 1944 (Codenamed Operation Thursday). Alexandria (Greek: , Coptic: , Arabic: , Egyptian Arabic: Iskindireyya), (population of 3. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army Special Force that served in Burma and India from 1942 until 1945 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained... Order of Battle of the Chindits an Allied special force which carried out two deep penetration raids behind Japanese line during the Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II First Chindit Expedition 1943. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

General Officers Commanding

• 10th Oct.1941 - Maj-Gen R.MacK. Scobie
• 10th Feb.1942 (acting) - Brig. C.E.N. Lomax
• 18th Feb.1942 - Maj-Gen. G.W. Symes

Structure

14th Infantry Brigade

Main article: 14th Infantry Brigade

• 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, Black Watch

The 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment was formed by the redesignation of the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot in 1881. ... The York and Lancaster Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. ... The 2nd Battalion, Black Watch was fromed in 1881 when the 42nd Regiment of Foot and the 73rd Regiment of Foot were amalgamated to form the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) . Categories: | ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

16th Infantry Brigade

Main article: 16th Infantry Brigade

• 2nd Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Royal Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment

The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. ... The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Kings Division. ...

23rd Infantry Brigade '

Main article: 23rd Infantry Brigade

• 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment
• 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
• 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment

The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. ... The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was formed in 1881 from the 68th Regiment of Foot which had originally been raised in County Durham by General John Lambton in 1758. ... The Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmoreland) Regiment of Foot. ...

Support Units

• 45th Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
• 60th (North Midland) Field Regt. Royal Artillery
• 8th Field Regt. R.A.
• 51st (Westmoreland and Cumberland) Field Regt.R.A.
• 56th (King's Own) Anti-Tank Regt. R.A.
• 69th Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regt. R.A.
• 70th Infantry Division Signal Regiment - 10th Oct.1941 to 24 October 1943

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. ...

See also

• British Divisions in WWII
• Chindits
• Battle of Crete
• Battle of Tobruk

List of military divisions — List of British divisions in WWII This page is a list of British divisions that fought in World War II. It is intended to provide a central point to access information about British formations of that size. ... The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army Special Force that served in Burma and India from 1942 until 1945 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained... Combatants Greece United Kingdom New Zealand Australia Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength United Kingdom: 15,000 Greece: 11,000 Australia: 7,100 New Zealand: 6,700 Total: 40,000 (10,000 without fighting capability. ... Siege of Tobruk Conflict World War II, Western Desert Campaign Date March 31, 1941 – November 27, 1941 Place Tobruk, Libya Result Allied victory The Siege of Tobruk was a lengthy confrontation between Axis and Allied forces in the North African Campaign of World War II. See also Afrika Korps...

References

• 'Great Campaigns of World War II', (1980) Phoebus Publishing, London ISBN 0-86288-340-7
• 'Crete, The Battle and the Resistance',Antony Beevor, John Murray (Publishers) Great Britain, 1991. ISBN 0-7195-6831-5
• 'Tobruk, The Story of a Siege', Anthony Heckstall-Smith. (Cereberus Publishing Limited) ISBN 1-84145-051-0

External links

• British Regiments

• Order of Battle 1939 Site
• 70 Infantry Division at Orders of Battle.com^?