British 79th Armoured Division
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| 79th Armoured Division | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the 79th Armoured Division |
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| Active | 14 August 1942 - 20th August 1945 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Armoured division |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Normandy |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Maj.Gen.Sir Percy Hobart |
The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist British Army armoured unit formed as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion of 6 June 1944. The unit comprised armoured vehicles modified for specialist roles, intended to assist with the landing phase of the operation.
Contents |
[edit] History
The unit was commanded by Major General (later Sir) Percy Hobart, and the strange-looking tanks it operated were known as Hobart's Funnies. They included tanks that floated, could clear mines, carry and lay bridges, and roadways - anything that would enable the invasion force to get ashore and break through the German defences. The unit did not operate as a single division, its vehicles were distributed as small units across the Divisions taking part in the landings and subsequent operations.
The Division was further used during the battle for the Roer Triangle (Operation Blackcock) and the Rhine crossings, (Operation Plunder), to transport the assault troops and to re-supply.
[edit] Component Units
The 79th was raised as a conventional armoured division.
[edit] 27th Armoured Brigade
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- 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards
- 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own).
- The East Riding Yeomanry
[edit] 30th Armoured Brigade
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- 141st Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
- 22nd Dragoons
- 2nd County of London Yeomanry
- 1st Lothians and Border Horse Yeomanry
Three of the regiments were issued with the Sherman Crab flail mine-clearing tanks from December 1943.
[edit] 1st Army Tank Brigade
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- 11th Royal Tank Regiment
- 42nd Royal Tank Regiment
- 49th Royal Tank Regiment
[edit] 185 Infantry Brigade
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- King’s Own Shropshire Light Infantry
- The Royal Norfolk Regiment
- Royal Warwickshire Regiment
[edit] Support Units
[edit] 35th Tank Brigade
Operating Canal Defence Light searchlight tanks
[edit] 1st Armoured Engineer Brigade, Royal Engineers
Working with Churchill AVRE
The Division also had the usual contingents of Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and other Army units attached. After formation in October 1942, the 79th, based at the time mostly in Yorkshire, trained as a regular armoured division for about six months before the change of role.
- 162nd Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
- 79th Armoured Division Signal Regiment
The Nottinghamshire Yeomanry, two Canadian units, the 1st Hussars and Fort Garry Horse and three American units joined for training on the DD tanks. In mid 1943 the Assault Brigade RE was formed, its units were the Assault Squadrons RE
The 79th Armoured Division was disbanded on 20 August 1945.
[edit] External links
- Royal Engineers Museum Royal Engineers and Second World War (Assault Engineers)
- Royal Engineers Museum Biography of Major General Sir Percy Hobart
- Royal Engineers Museum Royal Engineers and Operation Overlord
- Order of Battle Data Base Order of Battle and History
- http://www.operation-blackcock.com
- Books on the 79th Armoured Division World War Two Books
[edit] See also
Books on the 79th Armoured Division World War Two Books
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