Canadian and British military units were similar in structure and equipment, except that many items such as clothing and vehicles differed in details of design. During the Second World War there were considerable differences in organization and equipment in the various theatres of operations. The following notes outline the structure of most of the fighting units of First Canadian Army in 1944–45.
The basic military ‘formation’ was the division, either infantry, armoured or airborne.
An infantry division consisted of three infantry brigades of three battalions each. To support them, it contained a reconnaissance regiment, the divisional artillery of three field regiments, an anti-aircraft and an anti-tank regiment, engineers, signals, a machine-gun battalion and supply, transport, medical, ordnance, workshop and military police units.
An armoured division had one armoured brigade of three regiments and an infantry motor battalion, an infantry brigade of three battalions, an armoured reconnaissance regiment and two artillery field regiments. Its other arms and services were similar to those for an infantry division.
A corps consisted of two to five divisions, supported by an independent armoured brigade and an AGRA (Army Group Royal Artillery) of four or five regiments of medium, field and heavy artillery. In its ‘corps troops’ were an armoured car regiment, anti-tank and anti-aircraft regiments, a survey regiment, engineers and signals.
Basic units, commanded by lieutenant-colonels, were organized as follows:
Armoured and armoured reconnaissance regiments: 61 Sherman tanks organized in three squadrons of 19 plus a headquarters of 4 tanks and a reconnaissance troop of 11 Stuart light tanks.
Artillery regiments:
Field – 24 25-pounder guns organized in three batteries of two troops of 4 guns each
Medium – 16 5.5-inch guns organized in two batteries of two troops of 4 guns each
Anti-Tank – 48 17-pounder guns organized in four batteries of three troops of 4 guns each
Light Anti-Aircraft – 54 40-mm Bofors guns organized in three batteries of three troops of 6 guns each.
Infantry Battalions:
Rifle – Support company: four platoons; mortar (six 3-inch mortars), carrier (13 Bren carriers), anti-tank (six 6-pounder guns) and assault pioneer.
Four rifle companies: each three platoons of three sections. The section contained 10 men with one light machine gun; the platoon one officer and 36 men with one 2 in. mortar, and the company five officers and 122 men with three PIATs at company headquarters.
Strength: 36 officers and 809 Other Ranks.
Machine Gun – Heavy mortar company: 16 4.2-inch mortars in four platoons of 4 mortars each. Three machine gun companies: each of 12 Vickers .303-inch machine guns organized in three platoons of 4 guns each — total 36.
Strength: 35 officers and 662 Other Ranks.
Motor – Support company: five platoons; three anti-tank (total 12 6-pounder guns) and two medium machine guns (total 8 guns). Three motor companies: each three rifle platoons in armoured trucks and one platoon in Bren carriers.
Strength: 37 officers and 782 Other Ranks.
Commandos (Royal Marines and British Army) – Organized in troops of 3 officers and 60 men, lightly armed and equipped with a minimum of transport.
Strength: 24 officers and 440 Other Ranks.
Fighting Organization:
Close co-operation in battle was ensured by integrating units of the supporting arms and services of the division into its brigades. Thus each had, in effect, its own artillery field regiment, anti-tank battery, field company of engineers, machinegun gun company, medical unit and so on and were referred to as brigade groups. In turn, each infantry battalion had its own supporting field artillery battery whose commander lived at the battalion headquarters. Supporting tank units were integrated in the same way. Rarely did infantry fight without the close support of its team of guns, mortars, tanks and engineers.
Including British and Allied units temporarily under command.
FIRST CANADIAN ARMY
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief
Lieut-General H. D. G. Crerar
Chief of Staff
Brigadier C. C. Mann
G.H.Q. AND ARMY TROOPS
79th Armoured Division —
Major-General Sir Percy C. S. Hobart
Netherlands District — Major-General A. Galloway
(from 2.4.45) R. Signals — No. 5 Wireless Group
C.D.L. = Searchlight; L.V.T. = Landing Vehicle Tracked; D.D. = Duplex Drive (Amphibian); AVRE = Assault Vehicle, Royal Engineers.
Independent Brigades
Other Formations and Units Armoured
25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regt. (The Elgin Regt.)
Artillery
1st Army Group, Royal Canadian Artillery: 11th Field, 1st,
2nd, 5th Medium Regiments
2nd Army Group, Royal Canadian Artillery: 19th Field, 3rd,
4th, 7th Medium and 2nd Heavy Anti-
Aircraft Regiments
3rd, 4th, 5th and 9th Army Groups, Royal Artillery
74th and 106th Anti-Aircraft Brigades, Royal Artillery
Infantry
First Canadian Army Headquarters Defence Bn.
(Royal Montreal Regt.)
Special Air Service
1st Special Air Service Regt.
The Belgian Special Air Service Regt.
2nd and 3rd French Parachute Bns.
CORPS
1st Canadian Corps — Lieut-General C. Foulkes |
|
Corps Troops |
C.A.C. — 1st Armoured Car Regt. (The Royal Canadian Dragoons) R.C.A. — 7th A/Tk., 1st L.A.A. (Lanark and Renfrew Scottish) and 1st Survey Regts. R.C.E. — I Corps Troops Engineers R.C. Signals — I Corps Signals |
1st British Corps — Lieut-General J. T. Crocker |
|
Corps Troops |
R.A.C. — Inns of Court Regt. (Armoured Car) R.A. — 62nd A/Tk., 102nd L.A.A. and 9th Survey Regts. R.E. — I Corps Troops Engineers R. Signals — I Corps Signals |
30th British Corps — Lieut-General B. G. Horrocks |
|
Corps Troops |
R.A.C. — 11th Hussars (Armoured Car) R.A. — 73rd A/Tk., 27th L.A.A. and 4th Survey Regts. R.E. — XXX Corps Troops Engineers R. Signals — XXX Corps Signals |
A/Tk. = Anti-Tank; L.A.A. = Light Anti-Aircraft.
ARMOURED DIVISIONS
4th Canadian — Major General H. W. Foster (to 30.11.44)
Armoured Division — Major General C. Vokes
(from 1.12.44)
Recce. = Reconnaissance
5th Canadian Armoured Division —
Major-General B. M. Hoffmeister
Guards Armoured Division — Major-General A. H. S. Adair |
|
5th Guards Armoured Bde. |
2nd (Armoured) Grenadier Guards 1st (Armoured) Coldstream Guards 2nd (Armoured) Irish Guards 1st (Motor) Grenadier Guards |
32nd Guards Bde. |
5th Coldstream Guards 2nd Scots Guards 3rd Irish Guards |
Divisional Troops |
2nd Armoured Recce. Welsh Guards R.A. — 55th and 153rd Field, 21st A/Tk. and 94th L.A.A. Regts. R.E. — Guards Armoured Divisional Engineers R. Signals — Guards Armoured Divisional Signals |
11th British Armoured Division — |
|
29th Amoured Bde. |
23rd Hussars 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry 3rd Royal Tank Regt. 8th Bn. The Rifle Brigade (Motor) |
159th Infantry Bde. |
1st Cheshire Regt, (ex-115th Bde.) 4th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry 1st Herefordshire Regt. |
Divisional Troops |
R.A.C. — 15th/19th King’s Royal Hussars R.A. — 13th Regt. R.H.A.; 151st Field, 75th A/Tk. and 58th L.A.A. Regts. R.E. — 11th Armoured Divisional Engineers R. Signals — 11th Armoured Divisional Signals |
INFANTRY DIVISIONS
1st Canadian Division — Major-General H. W. Foster |
|
1st Canadian Bde. |
The Royal Canadian Regt. The Hastings and Prince Edward Regt. 48th Highlanders of Canada |
2nd Canadian Bde. |
Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada The Loyal Edmonton Regt. |
3rd Canadian Bde. |
Royal 22e Regt. The Carleton and York Regt. The West Nova Scotia Regt. |
Divisional Troops |
C.A.C. — 4th Recce. Regt. (4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards) R.C.A. — 1st (R.C.H.A.), 2nd and 3rd Field, 1st A/Tk. and 2nd L.A.A. Regts. R.C.E. — 1st Canadian Divisional Engineers R.C. Signals — 1st Canadian Divisional Signals Machine Gun — The Saskatoon Light Infantry |
BRITISH INFANTRY DIVISIONS
3rd Division — Major-General L. G. Whistler |
|
8th Bde. |
1st Suffolk Regt. 2nd East Yorkshire Regt. 1st South Lancashire Regt. |
9th Bde. |
2nd Lincolnshire Regt. 1st King’s Own Scottish Borderers 2nd Royal Ulster Rifles |
185th Bde. |
2nd Royal Warwickshire Regt. 1st Royal Norfolk Regt. 2nd King’s Shropshire Light Infantry |
Divisional Troops |
R.A.C. — 3rd Recce. Regt. R.A. — 7th, 33rd and 76th Field, 20th A/Tk. and 92nd L.A.A. Regts. R.E. — 3rd Divisional Engineers R. Signals — 3rd Divisional Signals Machine Gun — 2nd Middlesex Regt. |
43rd (Wessex) Division — Major-General G. I. Thomas |
|
129th Bde. |
4th Somerset Light Infantry 4th and 5th Wiltshire Regt. |
130th Bde. |
7th Hampshire Regt. 4th and 5th Dorsetshire Regt. |
214th Bde. |
7th Somerset Light Infantry 1st Worcestershire Regt. 5th Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry |
Divisional Troops |
R.A.C. — 43rd Recce. Regt. R.A. — 94th, 112th and 179th Field, 59th A/Tk. and 110th L.A.A. Regts. R.E. — 43rd Divisional Engineers R. Signals — 43rd Divisional Signals Machine Gun — 8th Middlesex Regt. |
50th (Northumbrian) Division — |
|
69th Bde. |
5th East Yorkshire Regt. 6th and 7th Green Howards |
151st Bde. |
6th, 8th and 9th Durham Light Infantry |
231st Bde. |
2nd Devonshire Regt. 1st Hampshire Regt. 1st Dorsetshire Regt. |
Divisional Troops |
R.A.C. — 61st Recce. Regt. R.A. — 74th, 90th and 124th Field, 102nd A/Tk. and 25th L.A.A. Regts. R.E. — 50th Divisional Engineers R. Signals — 50th Divisional Signals Machine Gun — 2nd Cheshire Regt. |
51st (Highland) Division — Major General T. G. Rennie |
|
152nd Bde. |
2nd and 5th Seaforth Highlanders 5th Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders |
153rd Bde. 5th Black Watch |
1st and 5th/7th Gordon Highlanders |
154th Bde. |
1st and 7th Black Watch 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders |
Divisional Troops |
R.A.C. — 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry R.A. — 126th, 127th and 128th Field, 61st A/Tk. and 40th L.A.A. Regts. R.E. — 51st Divisional Engineers R. Signals — 51st Divisional Signals Machine Gun — 1/7th Middlesex Regt. |
53rd (Welsh) Division — Major-General R. K. Ross |
|
71st Bde. |
1st Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1st Highland Light Infantry 4th Royal Welch Fusiliers |
158th Bde. |
1st East Lancashire Regt. 7th Royal Welch Fusiliers 1/5th Welch Regt. |
160th Bde. |
6th Royal Welch Fusiliers 2nd Monmouthshire Regt. 4th Welch Regt. |
Divisional Troops |
R.A.C. — 53rd Recce. Regt. R.A. — 81st, 83rd and 133rd Field, 71st A/Tk. and 25th L.A.A. Regts. R.E. — 53rd Divisional Engineers R. Signals — 53rd Divisional Signals Machine Gun — 1st Manchester Regt. |
UNITED STATES DIVISIONS
82nd Airborne Division — Major-Gen James M. Gavin
101st Airborne Division — Major-Gen Maxwell D. Taylor
104th Infantry Division — Major-Gen Terry Allen
European Allies |
|
1st Belgian Bde. |
I, II and III Belgian Bns. |
Royal Netherlands Bde. (Princess Irene’s) |
Composite force of infantry, artillery and reconnaissance sub-units |
Czechoslovakian Armoured Bde. |
1st, 2nd and 3rd Czechoslovakian Armoured Regts. The Czechoslovakian Field Arillery Regt. The Czechoslovakian Motor Bn. |