Dorset County Division
| Dorset County Division | |
|---|---|
 Theshoulder insigniaof the division | |
| Active | 24 February 1941 –31 December 1941 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | StaticInfantry |
| Role | Home defence |
| Size | 10,000 men |
TheDorset County Divisionwas formed on 24 February 1941. However it did not take over operational commitments from Southern Area until March 10 and it did not finally assume command of its allocated infantry brigades until 24 April. It only had a short existence, being reduced to an administrative headquarters on 24 November at midday. The whole headquarters was disbanded on 31 December.
Divisional history
[edit]Background
[edit]In 1940, following theSecond World War'sBattle of France,theUnited Kingdomwas underthreat of invasionfromNazi Germany.[1]During the summer, theBattle of Britaindampened this threat.[1]As the year progressed, the size of theBritish Armyincreased dramatically as 140 new infantrybattalionswere raised.[2]During October, with the possibility of a German invasion during 1941, these new battalions were formed into independentinfantrybrigadesthat were then assigned to newly createdCounty Divisions(a total of nine such formations were raised).[2][3]
The County Divisions, including the Dorset County Division, were around 10,000 men strong and assigned to defend the coastlines of threatened sections of the country, including the manning of coastal artillery.[2][4][5]These divisions were largely static, lacking mobility as well as divisional assets such asartillery,engineers,andreconnaissanceforces.[5]Using the recruits in this manner allowed the regular infantry divisions to be freed up from such duties, undertake training, and form an all-important reserve that could be used to counterattack any possible German landing.[6]
Service
[edit]The division was formed on 24 February 1941, however it did not take command of any troops until 24 April.Major-GeneralG. I. Gartlanwas given command of the division, and it comprised the210th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)and226th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home).[7]TheImperial War Museumcomments that the division insignia was "adapted from the arms ofDorchesterand theCounty Council."[8]
The division was assigned toV Corps,and spread out across the western coast ofDorset.Across the county line to the west was theDevon and Cornwall County Division,and likewise to the east was theHampshire County Division.In reserve, held back from the beaches as a counterattack force, was the48th (South Midland) Infantry Divisionto the northwest between the Dorset and the Devon and Cornwall divisions, and the3rd Infantry Divisionto the northeast between the Dorset and Hampshire divisions.[9][10]
Demise
[edit]On 22 June 1941, Germanylaunched a massive attackupon theSoviet Union;this attack all but removed the threat of a German invasion of the United Kingdom. However, the British still had to consider the threat of a German invasion due to the possibility that the Soviet Union could collapse under the German onslaught and the ease in which Germany could transfer troops back to the west. In late 1941, the arrival of autumn and winter weather meant that the threat of invasion subsided. This, coupled with the production of new equipment for the British army, allowed theWar Officeto begin steps to better balance the army due to the large number of infantry units formed during the preceding year and a half.[11][12]As part of this reform, the County Divisions were disbanded. The 140 recently raised battalions were, on the whole, transferred to other arms of the British Army to be retrained, primarily within theRoyal Artilleryor theRoyal Armoured Corps.[11][13][a]
General officer commanding
[edit]Commanders included:
| Appointed | General officer commanding |
|---|---|
| 24 February 1941 | Major-GeneralG. I. Gartlan[9] |
Order of battle
[edit]| Dorset County Division | |
|---|---|
|
210th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)[14]
226th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)[15]
| |
Notes
[edit]
Footnotes
[edit]- ^The large intake of men into the army had considerably increased the infantry arm. The reforms intended to address this, with many of the newly raised battalions being "converted to other arms, particularly artillery and armour".[13]In addition to this, historian F.W. Perry comments, there was considerable pressure "to increase the armoured component [of the army] and build upraidingand special forces ". These pressures, and the re-balancing of the military, resulted in seven of the nine County Divisions being disbanded and only two being reformed as infantry divisions[12]
Citations
[edit]- ^abFraser 1999,p. 83.
- ^abcPerry 1988,p. 53.
- ^Forty 2013,County Divisions.
- ^Churchill & Gilbert 2001,p. 1321.
- ^abJoslen 2003,p. 108.
- ^Messenger 1994,p. 61.
- ^Joslen 2003,pp. 373, 389.
- ^"Badge, formation, Dorset County Division".Imperial War Museum.Retrieved15 May2015.
- ^abJoslen 2003,p. 109.
- ^Collier 1957,p. 229.
- ^abGoldstein & McKercher 2003,p. 274.
- ^abPerry 1988,p. 65.
- ^abPerry 1988,pp. 53–54.
- ^Joslen 2003,p. 373.
- ^Joslen 2003,p. 389.
References
[edit]- Churchill, Winston(2001).Gilbert, Martin(ed.).The Churchill War Papers: The Ever-Widening War.Vol. 3. New York:W. W. Norton & Company.ISBN978-0-393-01959-9.
- Collier, Basil(1957).Butler, J. R. M.(ed.).The Defence of the United Kingdom.History of the Second World War,United Kingdom Military Series. London:Her Majesty's Stationery Office.OCLC375046.
- Fraser, David(1999) [1983].And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War.London:Cassell Military.ISBN978-0-304-35233-3.
- Goldstein, Erik; McKercher, Brian, eds. (2003).Power and Stability: British Foreign Policy, 1865–1965.Diplomacy & Statecraft. London:Routledge.ISBN978-0-7146-8442-0.
- Forty, George (2013) [1998].Companion to the British Army 1939–1945(ePub ed.). New York:Spellmount.ISBN978-0-7509-5139-5.
- Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960].Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945.Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press.ISBN978-1-84342-474-1.
- Messenger, Charles (1994).For Love of Regiment 1915–1994.A History of British Infantry. Vol. 2. London:Pen & Sword Books.ISBN978-0-85052-422-2.
- Perry, Frederick William (1988).The Commonwealth Armies: Manpower and Organisation in Two World Wars.War, Armed Forces and Society. Manchester:Manchester University Press.ISBN978-0-7190-2595-2.