Order of Battle, East African Campaign (World War II)

The Order of Battle, East African Campaign (World War II) shows the ground forces available to both sides in East Africa on the date that the Italians declared war on Britain and France, 10 June 1940. An update is also provided for the British and Commonwealth forces involved in the 1941 offensive.

Italian forces, 10 June 1940

Commander-in-Chief - Amedeo, Duke of Aosta

Northern Sector

Commander - Lieutenant-General Luigi Frusci
- 3rd Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Saverio Maraventano
  - 11th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 23rd Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 30th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 70th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 4th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Livio Boneli
  - 14th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 25th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 27th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 29th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 5th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Brigade General (General de Brigade) Angelo Bergonzi
  - 97th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 105th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 106th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 6th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Lieutenant-Colonel Agostino Magrini
  - 19th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 24th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 31st Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 34th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 8th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Antonio Rizzo
  - 101st Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 102nd Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 12th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Ugo Tabellini
  - 35th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 36th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 43rd Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 16tn Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Manlio Manetti
  - 22nd Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 23rd Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 47th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 53rd Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 19th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Enrico Durante
  - 21st Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 65th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 72nd Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 86th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 21st Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Ignazio Angelini
  - 77th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 78th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 79th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 80th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 22nd Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Adriano Torelli
  - 3rd Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 67th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 68th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 69th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 81st Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 41st Colonial Infantry Brigade - Brigade General Ugo Fongoli
  - 98th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 99th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 131st Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 132nd Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 42nd Colonial Infantry Brigade (forming)
- 43rd Colonial Infantry Brigade (forming)
- 116th Blackshirt (Camicie Nere, CCNN) Infantry Battalion/Cohort (or Coorte)
- 141st Blackshirt Infantry Battalion/Cohort (Coorte)
- 151st Blackshirt Infantry Battalion/Cohort (Coorte)
- 164th Blackshirt Infantry Battalion/Cohort (Coorte)
- 166th Blackshirt Infantry Battalion/Cohort (Coorte)
- 240th Blackshirt Infantry Battalion/Cohort (Coorte)
- 731st Blackshirt Infantry Battalion/Cohort (Coorte)
- 745th Blackshirt Infantry Battalion/Cohort (Coorte)
- Six colonial infantry battalions, two colonial cavalry battalions, two irregular colonial cavalry battalions, two garrison commands, and three batteries of 77/28 howitzers

Southern Sector

Commander - General Pietro Gazzera
- 1st Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Guido Pialorsi
  - 1st Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 6th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 8th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 18th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 9th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Flaminio Orrigo
  - 2nd Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 17th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 59th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 60th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 10th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Giuseppe Cloza
  - 28th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 55th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 181st Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 187th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 18th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Bartolemeo Minola
  - 16th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 61st Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 182nd Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 183rd Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 23rd Colonial Infantry Brigade
  - 80th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 88th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 89th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 25th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Lieutenant-Colonel Giorgio Rolandi
  - 7th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 28th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 54th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 85th Colonial Infantry Brigade (forming)
- 86th Colonial Infantry Brigade (forming)
- One colonial infantry battalion, four irregular colonial cavalry battalions (forming), one colonial cavalry company, and seven irregular colonial cavalry companies (forming)

Eastern Sector

Commander - General Guglielmo Nasi
- 40 Infantry Division "Hunters of Africa" (Cacciatori d'Africa ) - General Giovanni Varda
  - 210th Infantry Regiment
  - 211th Infantry Regiment
  - 40th Artillery Regiment
  - 40th Mortar Battalion
  - 18th Colonial Mixed Engineers Battalion
  - 40th Anti-tank Company
  - 40th Medical Services unit
  - 40th Supply Services unit
- 65 Infantry Division "Grenadiers of Savoy" (Granatieri di Savoia) - General Amedeo Liberati
  - 10th Grenadiers Regiment
    - Two battalions of grenadiers and the Uork Amba battalion of mountain infantry (Alpini)
  - 11th Grenadiers Regiment
    - Two battalions of grenadiers and one battalion of highly mobile infantry (Bersaglieri)
  - 11th Blackshirts of Africa Regiment/Legion (or Legione)
    - Three battalions/cohorts (coortes) of Blackshirts of Africa
  - 60th Artillery Regiment
  - 65th Mortar Battalion
  - Savoy Grenadiers Machine Gun Battalion
  - Neghelli Colonial Cavalry Battalion
  - 65th Engineers Battalion
  - 65th Anti-tank Company
  - 65th Medical Services unit
  - 65th Supply Services unit
- 2nd Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Orlando Lorenzini
  - 4th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 5th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 9th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 10th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 7th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Tiburzio Rean
  - 13th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 15th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 45th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 11th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Colonel Francesco Prina
  - 51st Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 52nd Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 56th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 13th Colonial Infantry Brigade - Brigade General Cesare Nam
  - 20th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 39th Colonial Infantry Battalion
  - 48th Colonial Infantry Battalion
- 14th Colonial Infantry Brigade
- 15th Colonial Infantry Brigade
- 17th Colonial Infantry Brigade
- 70th Colonial Infantry Brigade (forming)
- 1st Light Tank Company (about twelve Fiat Ansaldo L3/35 tankettes)
- 2nd Light Tank Company (about twelve Fiat Ansaldo L3/35 tankettes)
- 321st Medium Tank Company (about twelve Fiat M11/39 medium tanks)
- 322nd Medium Tank Company (about twelve Fiat M11/39 medium tanks)
- Armored Car Company (Fiat 611 armored cars)
- Four colonial infantry battalions, seven colonial cavalry battalions, eighteen irregular colonial cavalry battalions (forming), two batteries of 77/28 howitzers, four batteries of 105/28 howitzers, and one battery of 149/28 howitzers

Giuba Sector

Commander - Lieutenant-General Carlo De Simone
- 20th Colonial Infantry Brigade
- 91st Colonial Infantry Brigade (forming)
- 92nd Colonial Infantry Brigade (forming)
- Seven colonial infantry battalions and two irregular colonial cavalry battalions (forming)

British and Commonwealth forces, 10 June 1940

Commander-in-Chief - General Archibald Wavell, Cairo

Northern Front, the Sudan

Commander - Major-General William Platt^[1]
- 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
- 1st Battalion Essex Regiment
- 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment
- Six machine-gun companies of the Sudan Defence Force

Southern Front, Kenya

GOC East Africa Force - Major-General D.P. Dickinson^[2]^{[nb 1]}
- "Southern Brigade"/1st Brigade King's African Rifles (KAR) - Brigadier Charles Christopher Fowkes
- "Northern Brigade"/2nd Brigade KAR Brigadier Colin Frederick Blackden
- East African Reconnaissance Regiment, later named "East African Armoured Car Regiment"
- 22nd (Derajat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)

British Somaliland^[3]

Commander - Lieutenant-Colonel^{[nb 2]} Arthur Reginald Chater to 11 August 1940, Major-General Reade Godwin-Austen from 11 August to 17 August
- Somaliland Camel Corps
- 1st Battalion Northern Rhodesian Regiment
- 2nd (Nyasaland) Battalion King's African Rifles
- 3rd Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment (from 1 July)
- 1st Battalion 2nd Punjab Regiment (from 7 August)
- 2nd Battalion The Black Watch (from 8 August)
- 1st East African Light Battery (Four 3.7" howitzers)

British and Commonwealth forces during the 1941 offensive

Commander-in-Chief - General Archibald Wavell

Northern Front, Eritrea

Commander - Lieutenant-General William Platt

Corps artillery and armour
- B Squadron 4th Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) (about six Matilda II infantry tanks)
- 68 Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery (RA) (two batteries)
- Jammu and Kashmir Mountain Battery, Indian Army
- Battery, Sudan Horse, Sudan Defence Force
- P Battery (Anti-tank) Royal Horse Artillery (RHA)
- 41 Light Anti-aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery
Corps infantry reserve
- Two Motor Machine Gun Companies, Sudan Defence Force
- No. 51 Commando (a mixed Arab and Jewish battalion raised in the British Mandate of Palestine. Attached to Indian 5th Infantry Division for periods of the campaign.)
4th Indian Infantry Division - Major-General Noel Beresford-Peirse
- The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse) - the Divisional reconnaissance regiment
- 5th Indian Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Wilfrid Lewis Lloyd
  - 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers
  - 3rd Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment
  - 4th Battalion (Outram's) 6th Rajputana Rifles
- 7th Indian Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Harold Rawdon Briggs
  - 1st Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment (detached to Briggsforce)
  - 4th Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment (detached to Briggsforce)
  - 4th Battalion 11th Sikh Regiment (detached to Gazelle Force)
- 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Reginald Savory
  - 2nd Battalion The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
  - 1st Battalion (Wellesley's) 6th Rajputana Rifles
  - 4th Battalion 7th Rajput Regiment (until January 1941)
  - 3rd Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment (from January 1941)
  - 2nd Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
- Gazelle Force, Colonel Frank Messervy
  - 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse (detached from 5th Indian Infantry Division)
  - 4th Battalion 11th Sikh Regiment (detached from 7 Brigade)
  - 3 motor machine-gun companies of the Sudan Defence Force
  - 390th Field Battery of 144 Field Regiment (detached from Indian 5th Division)
- Royal Artillery, Brigadier William H.B. Mirrless
  - 1 Field Regiment RA
  - 11/80 Field Battery RA
  - 52/98 Field Battery RA
  - 25 Field Regiment RA
  - 31 Field Regiment RA
- Engineers
  - 4 Field Company King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners, IE
  - 12 Field Company Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners, IE
  - 18 Field Company Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners, IE
  - 11 Field Park Company Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners, IE
5th Indian Infantry Division - Major-General Lewis Heath
- 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse (reconnaissance regiment) (detached to Gazelle Force)
- 9th Indian Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Mosley Mayne (to 1 March),^[5] Brigadier Frank Messervy (from 1 March to 13 April),^[5] Brigadier Bernard Fletcher (from 13 April)
  - 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment
  - 3rd Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
  - 3rd Royal battalion 12th Frontier Force Regiment
  - 3 motor machine-gun companies of the Sudan Defence Force
- 10th Indian Infantry Brigade, Brigadier William "Bill" Slim (to 21 January), Lieutenant-Colonel Bernard Fletcher (from 21 January to 20 March), Brigadier Thomas "Pete" Rees (from 21 March)
  - 1st Battalion The Essex Regiment (until late November 1940)
  - 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry (from late November 1940)
  - 4th Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment
  - 3rd Battalion 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles
- 29th Indian Infantry Brigade, Brigadier John Charles Oakes Marriott
  - 1st Battalion the Worcestershire Regiment
  - 3rd Battalion 2nd Punjab Regiment
  - 6th Royal Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles
- Royal Artillery, Brigadier Claude Vallentin
  - 4 Field Regiment RA
  - 28 Field Regiment RA
  - 144 Field Regiment (Surrey & Sussex Yeomanry Queen Mary’s) RA
- Engineers
  - 2 Field Company King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners, IE
  - 20 Field Company Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners, IE
  - 21 Field Company Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners, IE (see Premindra Singh Bhagat)
  - 44 Field Park Company Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners, IE
Briggs Force - Brigadier Harold Rawdon Briggs
- 1st Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment (detached from 7 Brigade, Indian 4th Infantry Division)
- 4th Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment (detached from 7 Brigade, Indian 4th Infantry Division)
- Brigade of the East (Brigade d'Orient) (Free French) - Colonel Monclar
  - 1er Bataillon de Legion Etrangere (1st Battalion of French Foreign Legion)
  - Batallion de Marche 3 (3rd provisional battalion of Senegalese tirailleurs)
  - 3e Cie du 1er bataillon d' infanterie de marine (3rd Company 1st marine infantry battalion)
  - 1er Escadron de Spahis Marocains (1st Squadron of Moroccan Spahis)
  - 1er Groupe d'Artillerie Coloniale (1st Colonial artillery battalion)
- One motor machine-gun company of the Sudan Defence Force
- One Battery from 25th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (Indian 4th Infantry Division)
- 7th Field Company King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners, IE
Gideon Force (in Gojjam Province, Ethiopia) (Colonel Orde Wingate)
- Sudan Defence Force Frontier Battalion
- 2nd Ethiopian Battalion
Mission 101 (in Gojjam Province, Ethiopia) (Brigadier Daniel Sandford)
- Many "Operational Centres" - small groups of officers and NCOs operating in enemy territory providing training and arms to Ethiopian patriot forces loyal to Emperor Haile Selassie I and co-ordinating their operations.

Southern Front, Kenya

Commander - Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham
- Corps troops
  - 1 East African Armoured Car Regiment (less two squadrons)
  - 1st South African Light Tank Company
  - 1st South African Medium Brigade (1st and 2nd Medium Batteries)
  - 53rd East African Light Battery
  - 4th Rhodesian Anti-Tank Battery
- South African 1st Division - Major-General George Brink
  - 1st South African Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Dan Pienaar (detached to 12th African Division until 7 March, then 11th African Division until 9 May, then Indian 5th Infantry Division from 10 May to 22 May for Amba Alagi)
    - 1st Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles
    - 1st Royal Natal Carabineers
    - 1st Transvaal Scottish
    - 3rd South African Armoured Car Company
    - 4th Field Brigade (10, 11, 12 Field Batteries) South African Artillery
    - 1st Field Company, South African Engineers
  - 2nd South African Infantry Brigade - Brigadier F.L.A. Buchanan
    - 1st Natal Mounted Rifles
    - 1st Field Force Battalion
    - 2nd Field Force Battalion
    - 2nd South African Armoured Car Company
    - 12th Field Company, South African Engineers
  - 5th South African Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Bertram Frank Armstrong
    - 1st South African Irish
    - 2nd Regiment Botha
    - 3rd Transvaal Scottish
    - 1st South African Armoured Car Company
    - 5th Field Company, South African Engineers
  - One platoon 1/3 King's African Rifles (Machine gun platoon)
  - Divisional Artillery:
    - 3rd Field Brigade (7, 8, 9 Field Batteries) South African Artillery
    - 6th Anti-aircraft Battery (one section), South African Artillery
    - 3rd Anti-tank Battery, South African Artillery
- 11th African Division - Major-General H. E. de R. Wetherall
  - 21st (East African) Brigade - Brigadier Alan MacDougall Ritchie (detached to 1st South African Division from 27 February until 6 April and to 12th African Division thereafter)
    - 1/2 The King's African Rifles
    - 1st The Northern Rhodesia Regiment
    - 1/4 The King's African Rifles
    - 53rd (Gold Coast) Field Company, West African Engineers
  - 26th (East African) Brigade - Brigadier William Alfred Dimoline (detached as an independent brigade for the duration of the campaign)
    - 2/2nd Kings African Rifles
    - 4/4th Kings African Rifles
    - 3/6th Kings African Rifles
  - 23rd (Nigerian) Brigade - Brigadier Gerard Russell Smallwood
    - 1st The Nigeria Regiment
    - 2nd The Nigeria Regiment
    - 3rd The Nigeria Regiment
    - 52 (Nigeria) Light Battery West African Artillery
    - 51 (Nigeria) Field Company, West African Engineers
  - 1st East African Armoured Car Regiment (C Squadron)
  - One platoon 1/3 King's African Rifles (Machine gun platoon)
  - Divisional Artillery
    - 7th Field Brigade (5, 17, 18 Field Batteries) South African Artillery
    - 6th Anti-aircraft Battery (one section), South African Artillery
    - 1st Anti-tank Battery, South African Artillery
  - Engineers
    - 16 Field Company, South African Engineers
- 12th African Division - Major-General Reade Godwin-Austen
  - 22nd (East African) Brigade - Brigadier Charles Christopher Fowkes until 3 March then Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Frederick Blackden (detached to 11th African Division from 23 February to 1 March and from 12 March to 26 July)
    - 1/1 The King's African Rifles
    - 1/6 The King's African Rifles
    - 5th The King's African Rifles
    - 22 Mountain Battery Indian Artillery
    - 54 Field Company, East African Engineers
  - 25th (East African) Brigade - Brigadier W. Owen (detached to 1st South African Division until 6 April)
    - 2/3rd Kings African Rifles
    - 2/4th Kings African Rifles
    - 27 Mountain Battery, Indian Artillery
    - Detachment Somaliland Camel Corps Armoured cars
  - 24th (Gold Coast) Brigade - Brigadier Collen Edward Melville Richards
    - 1st Gold Coast Regiment
    - 2nd Gold Coast Regiment
    - 3rd Gold Coast Regiment
    - 51 (Gold Coast) Light Battery West African Artillery
    - 52nd Gold Coast Field Company, West African Engineers
  - 1st East African Armoured Car Regiment (B Squadron)
  - One company less one platoon 1/3 King's African Rifles (Machine gun)
  - Divisional Artillery
    - 1st Field Battery South African Artillery
    - 6th Anti-aircraft Battery (one section), South African Artillery
    - 2nd Anti-tank Battery, South African Artillery
  - Engineers
    - 3rd South African Field Company

British Somaliland

Commander - Brigadier^[4] Arthur Reginald Chater
- 1st battalion 2nd Punjab Regiment (until end March 1941)^[6] (from Aden)
- 3rd battalion 15th Punjab Regiment (from Aden)
- Somaliland Camel Corps (reforming)

Notes

footnotes

↑ Promoted to lieutenant-general in August 1940
↑ Chater was promoted to Brigadier in August^[4]

citations

↑ Playfair, p.168
↑ Playfair (1654), p. 180
↑ Playfair (1954), pp. 83, 98, 172
↑ 4.0 4.1 Playfair (1954), p. 172
↑ 5.0 5.1 Mackenzie (1951), p. 62
↑ Mackenzie (1951), p. 25

Sources

Mackenzie, Compton (1951). Eastern Epic. London: Chatto & Windus.
Playfair, Major-General I.S.O.; with Stitt, Commander G.M.S, Molony, Brigadier C.J.C. & Toomer, Air Vice-Marshall S.E. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO:1954]. Butler, J.R.M, ed. Mediterranean and Middle East Volume I: The Early Successes Against Italy (to May 1941). History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-065-3.
Wavell, Archibald, Appendices to Official despatch: Operations in East Africa November 1940 - July 1941, The London Gazette: no. 37645. pp. 3594–3599. 10 July 1946. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
"Orders of Battle.com". Retrieved 2007-08-09.

Order of Battle, East African Campaign (World War II)

Italian forces, 10 June 1940

Northern Sector

Southern Sector

Eastern Sector

Giuba Sector

British and Commonwealth forces, 10 June 1940

Northern Front, the Sudan

Southern Front, Kenya

British Somaliland[3]

British and Commonwealth forces during the 1941 offensive

Northern Front, Eritrea

Southern Front, Kenya

British Somaliland

See also

Notes

Sources

British Somaliland^[3]