7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)
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- This article is about the military division. For the 1953 film see, The Desert Rats (film).
| 7th Armoured Division | |
|---|---|
 British 7th Armoured Division shoulder patch |
|
| Active | 1939 - 1945 Second World War Post World War II |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Armoured Division |
| Nickname | Desert Rats |
| Battles/wars | North African Campaign Battle of El Alamein |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Maj.Gen. Percy Hobart Maj.Gen. Richard O'Connor Maj.Gen. William Gott Maj.Gen. J.C.Campbell |
Composed of regular British Army units, the famous "Desert Rats" division was originally formed as the Mobile Division or Mobile Force (Egypt) and was one of two training commands used by the British before World War II to develop armoured warfare techniques. During this time the first divisional commander was the acclaimed tank theorist Major General Sir Percy Hobart.
At the outbreak of war in September 1939 it was renamed the Armoured Division (Egypt) and finally 7th Armoured Division on 16 February 1940.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Founding
The elements of what would become the 7th Armoured Division arrived in the Middle East in 1938 (See: the Munich crisis) to increase British strength in Egypt.
The 'Mobile Force' was established on the coast some 120 miles west of Alexandria. It was formed from the Cairo Cavalry Brigade (three armoured regiments, the 7th, 8th and 11th Hussars) and the 1st Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) supported by 3rd Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) and a company of Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) and a Field Ambulance unit. It was joined by a battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps and then its first commander, Major General Percy Hobart later "creator" of the Funnies of the Normandy Invasion . Hobart was an armoured warfare expert and saw that his troops were properly prepared to fight in the desert despite their poor equipment.
At first it was one of only two British Imperial formations in Egypt. The other was an Indian Army formation (Indian 4th Infantry Division), which was then replaced with an Australian division. The two divisions formed the basis of the Western Desert Force (WDF).
[edit] North Africa
In December 1939, Major General Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh succeeded Hobart who had fallen foul of his superiors.
The unit was meant to be equipped with 220 tanks. However, at the outbreak of war the 'Mobile Force' had only 65. Most of the unit's troops had already been deployed for 2 years by 1940 and it took as long as three months for mail to arrive.
On 16 February 1940, the Mobile Division became the 7th Armoured Division. The Desert Rat divisional flash was adopted about the same time. It originated from a sketch of a jerboa drawn by the divisional commander's wife after a visit to the Cairo Zoo.
After the Italian declaration of war, the Western Desert Force was massively outnumbered. However the Italians proved to be no match for the British. The Western Desert Force captured 250,000 Italians in the early engagements in 1940.
During the 1941 Italian retreat, WDF commander Major-General Richard O'Connor ordered the Desert Rats to travel south of the Jebel Akhdar and cut off the Italian forces at Beda Fomm, while Australian forces pushed the Italians west. As the tanks were unable to travel fast enough, the manoeuvre was led by a brigade of armoured cars, towed artillery and infantry which completed the trip in 30 hours, cutting off the Italian retreat and destroying the Italian Tenth Army.
The Italians proved so weak that Hitler was forced to send reinforcements (Afrika Korps) to stiffen them under the command of General Erwin Rommel.
The Western Desert Force later became HQ XIII Corps, one of the major parts of Eighth Army. The 7th Armoured Division took part in most of the major battles of the North African Campaign, including both Battles of El Alamein (see First Battle of El Alamein and Second Battle of El Alamein for details). It also participated in the destruction of Axis forces in North Africa in Tunisia in 1943.
[edit] Italy
The division did not take part in the invasion of Sicily but was involved in the battle for Italy. The Desert Rats, used to fighting in the desert, had to adjust to the confined Italian roads. The division made crossing of the river Volturno in Southern Italy and constructed a pontoon bridge. This paved the way for many divisions heading north.
[edit] Northern Europe
The division formed one of the follow up formations in Normandy. After the invasion the 7th Armoured Division served with distinction in clearing routes to and then attacking Caen. Although regarded as an elite formation, by this time the units were becoming seriously burnt out. Its performances in Normandy and the rest of France did not match those of its earlier campaigns, even taking into account the unsuitability of Normandy as tank country. Within 21st Army Group it took part in the liberation of Belgium, the Netherlands and northern Germany. In January 1945 they took part in Operation Blackcock to clear the Roer Triangle.
[edit] Post war
The Division remained in Germany as part of the occupation forces and then into the 1950s as part of the British Army of the Rhine standing watch against the Warsaw Pact. As the British Army became smaller, its higher numbered divisions were removed from the order of battle. The Division's long and illustrious career finally came to an end in this fashion, in April 1958, when it was converted into 5th Division. However, the traditions of 7th Armoured Division are maintained by 7th Armoured Brigade, which forms part of 1 (UK) Division.
[edit] Commanders of the 7th Armoured Division[1]
| Appointed | |
| 3 September 1939 | Major-General Sir Percy Hobart |
| 4 December 1939 | Major-General Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh |
| 3 September 1941 | Lieutenant-General William Gott |
| 6 February 1942 | Major-General John Campbell |
| 9 March 1942 | Lieutenant-General Sir Frank Messervy |
| 19 June 1942 | Major-General James Malcolm Leslie Renton |
| Field Marshal John Harding, Baron Harding of Petherton | |
| 24 January 1943 | General Sir George W. E. J. Erskine |
| 4 August 1944 | Major-General Gerald Lloyd Verney |
| 22 November 1944 | Major-General Lewis Owen Lyne |
| 1947 | Major-General George Roberts |
[edit] Notable Members of the 7th Armoured Division
[edit] Monument
There is a monument to the 7th Armoured at Brandon in Thetford Forest where the 7th trained prior to D-day.
[edit] In Popular Culture
The 7th Armoured Division play a major part in the Second World War game Call of Duty 2. The British missions are solely based upon the actions of the division in North Africa and at Caen.
[edit] External links
- British Unit Histories
- 7th Armoured Division Site
- Journeyman Autobiography of former Desert Rat Ted Rogers
