15th (Scottish) Infantry Division
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1939–1946 |
Branch | Territorial Army |
Type | Infantry Mixed |
Role | Home defence and infantry |
Size | War establishment strength: 13,863–18,347 men[a] Actual: Varied [b] |
Engagements | Operation Epsom |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Gordon MacMillan |
The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served during the Second World War. It was raised on 2 September 1939, the day before war was declared, as part of the Territorial Army (TA) and served in the United Kingdom and later North-West Europe from June 1944 to May 1945.
Background
During the 1930s, tensions increased between Germany and the United Kingdom and its allies.[3] In late 1937 and throughout 1938, German demands for the annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia led to an international crisis. To avoid war, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in September and brokered the Munich Agreement. The agreement averted a war and allowed Germany to annexe the Sudetenland.[4] Although Chamberlain had intended the agreement to lead to further peaceful resolution of issues, relations between both countries soon deteriorated.[5] On 15 March 1939, Germany breached the terms of the agreement by invading and occupying the remnants of the Czech state.[6]
On 29 March, British Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore-Belisha announced plans to increase the part-time Territorial Army (TA) from 130,000 to 340,000 men and double the number of TA divisions.[7][c] The plan was for existing TA divisions, referred to as the first-line, to recruit over their establishments (aided by an increase in pay for Territorials, the removal of restrictions on promotion which had hindered recruiting, construction of better-quality barracks and an increase in supper rations) and then form a new division, known as the second-line, from cadres around which the divisions could be expanded.[7][12] This process was dubbed "duplicating". The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was to be a second-line unit, a duplicate of the first-line 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.[13] In April, limited conscription was introduced. This resulted in 34,500 twenty-year-old militiamen being conscripted into the regular army, initially to be trained for six months before deployment to the forming second-line units.[13][14] It was envisioned that the duplicating process and recruiting the required numbers of men would take no more than six months. Some TA divisions had made little progress by the time the Second World War began in September; others were able to complete this work within a matter of weeks.[15][16]
Home Service
Formation
The embryo of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was formed on 26 August 1939, administered by the 52nd Division, and became an independent formation on 2 September 1939. It took control of the
On formation, the 44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade consisted of the 8th Battalion,
Home defence
The war deployment plan for the TA envisioned that its divisions would be deployed overseas, as equipment became available, to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that had already been dispatched to Europe. The TA would join regular army divisions in waves as its divisions completed their training, the final divisions deploying one year after the war began.[24] However, during the opening months of the war, the division lacked the required equipment and personnel. September saw the division drained of manpower. Soldiers, aged 19, were reassigned to other formations; the Ministry of Labour allocated other men to essential industries; and medical standards weeded out those considered unfit. The division was initially scattered across southern Scotland without access to training facilities. On 30 September, after the requisition of civilian transport, the division moved to the Scottish Borders, south of Edinburgh, to start training.[25]
In October 1939, the
In April 1940, the division marched back to the Borders, and used the move as a training exercise. Elements of the division were then used to provide logistical support for units en route to fight in the
On 9 July,
On 30 January 1941, Major-General Oliver Leese took command of the division. Later in the month, the division moved northeast to Suffolk, in East Anglia. The division maintained a coastal defence role, with the 44th Brigade based at Lowestoft, the 45th Brigade situated between Dunwich and Aldeburgh, and the 46th Brigade between Orford and Felixstowe. This left a gap between the 44th and the 45th Brigades, which was filled by the 37th Independent Infantry Brigade. This brigade reported directly to XI Corps, and was not part of the division. On 17 June 1941, Major-General Philip Christison replaced Leese. By September, the division's artillery regiments had all been outfitted with a full complement of 25-pounder field guns.[41][42]
Divisional changes
Due to the large number of men allocated to the infantry, in 1941, the British Army instituted reforms to build-up other arms and formations. As a result, several divisions were to be disbanded or reduced. This included the 15th (Scottish), which was placed on the lower establishment in November 1941. This meant that the division was detailed for home defence, compared to a higher establishment division that were intended to be deployed overseas for combat.[17][43][44] The division was stripped of artillery and engineer units, and used as a source of reinforcements for oversea units. After being downgraded, the division moved north to Northumberland. It took up position at Newcastle and along the coast north of the city, as well as continued training. On 14 May 1942, Major-General Charles Bullen-Smith took command.[17][45]
On 5 January 1943, the 45th Brigade was removed from the division and replaced by the
On 5 September, the 'mixed division' concept was abandoned as it was considered to have not been successful, and the 6th Guards Tank Brigade left on 9 September. The division then moved to Yorkshire, and was based around Bradford, Harrogate, and Leeds.[49][50][51] The remainder of the 1943 and the opening of 1944 was used to conduct extensive training and divisional exercises, as the division had been assigned to partake in Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied France. In February 1944, General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the 21st Army Group, the main Allied formation in Operation Overlord, visited the division and addressed the men. In the following weeks, the division was visited by George VI, Queen Elizabeth, their daughter Elizabeth, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the VIII Corps commander Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor. In April, the division moved to Sussex, and was concentrated in camps in the Brighton area. The division's advanced parties departed for London on 8 June, and moved to France on 13 June. On 11 June, the division proper started to move to marshalling areas in London and Southampton, and were transported to France piecemeal with the last unit not arriving until 24 June.[52]
Overseas service
Operation Epsom
The Norman city of
Phase I of the attack was conducted by the 44th and the 46th Brigades, supported by
Phase II of the attack started late, around 18:00, as the 227th Brigade was delayed by traffic congestion at Cheux. As it moved south, the brigade was engaged by German tanks and made little progress. However, one company broke through the German lines and reached Colleville.[59] On the morning of 27 June, the 46th Brigade secured the northern slope of the hill that had been previously denied to them. Afterwards, both the 44th and the 46th Brigades were relieved by the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. Part of the 227th Brigade made little progress pushing south beyond Cheux, due to mortar fire and German tanks, although they repulsed one attack and destroyed four tanks. The rest of the brigade cleared Colleville, captured Tourville-sur-Odon, destroyed additional German tanks, and by the afternoon had seized the bridge across the Odon at Tourmauville. This allowed the 11th Armoured Division to cross and proceed with the operation.[60]
Fighting continued the next day, with most of the division involved. Additional bridges and villages were secured along the Odon valley. This included Gavrus, which was taken by the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and who were then left isolated. The Germans also began a counterattack on the north side of the Odon into the division's western flank. The back and forth fighting, which spread to both sides of the Odon, continued through 29 June and resulted in the division fending off the attacks and was able to secure additional territory.[61][62] The historian Lloyd Clark placed the division's defensive success on "careful positioning", taking advantage of terrain, as well as "excellent leadership and tactical prowess at the small unit level."[63] Due to heavy casualties suffered by the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, they withdrew and the division ceded control of Gavrus on 30 June. During the course of the day, additional counterattacks on the division were repulsed. The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division then relieved the 15th, although the 44th Brigade remained engaged through July 1. They repulsed further German counterattacks, and were relieved by the Welsh division on 2 July.[64][65]
Hugh Martin, the author of the divisional history, described Epsom as the "fiercest fighting that the Division was to know in the whole war", which captured 10 square miles (26 km2) of territory, and resulted in "one-quarter" of all casualties suffered by the division through the entire campaign. The division suffered 288 men killed, 1,638 wounded, and 794 men missing.[66] D'Este commented that the number of riflemen in a division was around 4,600, and the losses suffered by the division represented "in excess of 50%" of the division's infantry.[58]
Normandy, July
The next divisional action was limited to artillery support, with the artillery supporting a Canadian effort to capture the
On 12 July, the division was assigned to
Breakout from Normandy
On 23 July, the division relocated to
The following day, the division consolidated their captured positions, while two armoured divisions continued the corps' attack. On 1 August, the division fended off numerous counterattacks that were launched upon its positions, primarily by the 21st Panzer Division, over a 12-hour period. Over the following days, while most of the division retained their defensive position, elements were used to clear territory captured or bypassed by the advancing armour. During this period, MacMillan was wounded by shell fire and was replaced by the 46th Brigade commander, Colin Muir Barber, who was made a major-general.[76][77][17] On 6 August, the leading elements of the division reached Estry and the nearby Hill 208, and fought a back and forth battle for both locations over the following days. On 13 August, the division was transferred to near Caen, and ended its participation in the Normandy fighting.[78]
The Allied advance culminated in the defeat of the German military in Normandy at the
Belgium and the Netherlands
On 2 September, one battalion moved east from the Seine and was followed by the rest of the division the next day. Four days later, the bulk of the division arrived at Courtrai, Belgium, and immediately shelled retreating German forces. Over the following days, the division cleared the area between the Scheldt and the Lys rivers, and took several hundred prisoners.[81] The Glasgow Highlanders (46th Brigade) were dispatched to reinforce the effort to take Ghent. They fought an opposed crossing of the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal on 9 September, and spent the following two days engaged in close fighting in and around the northern section of the city as they cleared it building by building, and took several hundred more prisoners.[82]
The division then moved into the bridgehead that had been established over the Albert Canal, at Gheel. From this foothold, on 14 September, the division launched several assaults to cross the Meuse-Escaut Canal (referred to as the 'Junction Canal' in the divisional history). They were only able to secure one bridgehead, at Aart, and battled to hold it over the next six days. The bridgehead, around 400 yards (370 m) in depth, was heavily contested by the Germans and caused the division 700 casualties. This action was credited with diverting German resources away from Joe's Bridge, where XXX Corps began their assault from at the start of Operation Market Garden. On 20 September, the 7th Armoured Division relieved the 15th Division, which (minus the 227th Brigade) moved east to Lommel, and took up position in a bridgehead that had been secured by the 53rd Division.[83]
Operation Market Garden intended to land the
The division was then assigned to VIII Corps, which was tasked with defeating three German divisions that were based west of the Meuse along the eastern flank of the corridor captured during Operation Market Garden. Prior to the 15th (Scottish) being committed to this, Montgomery assigned the division back to XII Corps that been tasked with attacking west from the corridor. This operation, codenamed
The division then fought at Meijel, Blerwick, the Battle of Broekhuizen.[91]
Germany
The division then entered Germany, and fought in Operation Veritable, crossed the Rhine, took part in Operation Plunder in late March 1945, part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany.[92]
The particular distinction for the 15th Scottish was to be selected to lead the last set piece river crossing of the war, the assault across the River Elbe (Operation Enterprise) on 29 April 1945 spearheaded by the 1st Commando Brigade, after which they fought on to the Baltic occupying both Lübeck and Kiel. The 15th (Scottish) was the only division of the British Army during the Second World War to be involved in three of the six major European river assault crossings; the Seine, the Rhine and the Elbe.
On 10 April 1946, the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was finally disbanded. Its battle casualties– killed, wounded and missing – in nearly eleven months of fighting were 11,772 with over 1,500 men killed. According to D'Este, the "15th (Scottish) Division was considered to be the most effective and best led infantry division in 21st Army Group."[93]
General officers commanding
The division had the following commanders:
Appointed | Name |
---|---|
29 August 1939 | |
19 August 1940 | Brigadier J.A. Campbell[17] |
23 August 1940 | Major-General R.C. Money[17] |
27 January 1941 | Brigadier J.A. Campbell[17] |
30 January 1941 | Major-General Oliver Leese[17] |
17 June 1941 | Major-General Philip Christison[17] |
14 May 1942 | Major-General Charles Bullen-Smith[17] |
14 August 1943 | Brigadier H.D.K. Money[17] |
27 August 1943 | Major-General Gordon MacMillan[17] |
5 August 1944 | Major-General Colin Muir Barber[17] |
Order of battle
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division[41] | |
---|---|
44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade[94][95]
45th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade (left 5 January 1943)[97][95]
46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade[98][95]
227th (Highland) Infantry Brigade (from 14 July 1943)[99][100]
6th Guards Tank Brigade (from 15 January, left 9 September 1943)[101]
Divisional Troops
|
See also
- List of British divisions in World War II
- British Army Order of Battle (September 1939)
Notes
Footnotes
- ^ This is the war establishment, the on-paper strength. The war establishment for an infantry division during 1939–1940 was 13,863 men; as of 1941, it increased to 17,298 men; for the final two years of the war, it was 18,347 men. A 'Mixed Division' had an establishment of 16,119 men.[1]
- ^ For example: prior to the launch of Operation Epsom, on 26 June 1944, the division was 15,591 men strong; prior to the launch of Operation Bluecoat, on 30 July 1944, the division numbered 16,970 men.[2]
- British Government decided, territorial soldiers could be deployed overseas for combat. (This avoided the complications of the First World War-era Territorial Force, whose members were not required to leave Britain unless they volunteered for overseas service.)[8][9][10][11]
- 6,000 such troops), and at least one division of 15,000 troops to be used in an amphibious assault.[26]
- ^ A battle school provided soldiers with live-fire conditions that intended to simulate the noise and chaos of battle.[88]
- ^ In June 1942, the Reconnaissance Corps universally adopted cavalry nomenclature. As a result, all companies were redesignated as squadrons.[103]
Citations
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 130–133.
- ^ Jackson 2006, pp. 27, 123.
- ^ Bell 1997, pp. 3–4.
- ^ Bell 1997, pp. 258–275.
- ^ Bell 1997, pp. 277–278.
- ^ Bell 1997, p. 281.
- ^ a b Gibbs 1976, p. 518.
- ^ Allport 2015, p. 323.
- ^ French 2001, p. 53.
- ^ Perry 1988, pp. 41–42.
- ^ Simkins 2007, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Messenger 1994, p. 47.
- ^ a b Messenger 1994, p. 49.
- ^ French 2001, p. 64.
- ^ a b Perry 1988, p. 48.
- ^ Levy 2006, p. 66.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Joslen 2003, p. 58.
- ^ a b Martin 2006, pp. 1–3.
- ^ a b "No. 34684". The London Gazette. 15 September 1939. p. 6333.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 59, 289–291.
- ^ Martin 2006, p. 359.
- ^ "No. 34485". The London Gazette. 18 February 1938. p. 1076."No. 34542". The London Gazette. 16 August 1938. p. 5286."No. 34650". The London Gazette. 1 August 1939. p. 5314.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 2, 4.
- ^ Gibbs 1976, pp. 455, 507, 514–515.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 3–4.
- ^ a b Newbold 1988, p. 40.
- ^ Martin 2006, p. 5.
- ^ Newbold 1988, pp. 150, 406.
- ^ Newbold 1988, pp. 150, 408.
- ^ a b Martin 2006, pp. 5–7.
- ^ Messenger 1991, pp. 20–21.
- ^ Newbold 1988, p. 74.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 6–8.
- ^ Newbold 1988, p. 121.
- ^ Newbold 1988, pp. 412, 414.
- ^ Newbold 1988, p. 415.
- ^ Joslen 2003, p. 131.
- ^ Martin 2006, p. 8.
- ^ a b Martin 2006, pp. 8–10.
- ^ Alanbrooke 2001, pp. 93, 97.
- ^ a b Joslen 2003, pp. 58–59.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 10–11.
- ^ Perry 1988, p. 65.
- ^ French 2001, p. 188.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 13–16.
- ^ Crow 1972, p. 35.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 58–59, 132–133, 337–338.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 16–17.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 58, 197.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 17–18.
- ^ Crow 1972, pp. 35–36.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 18–26.
- ^ Ellis et al. 2004, pp. 78–79, 81.
- ^ Ellis et al. 2004, pp. 203–206, 247, 250, 256.
- ^ Clark 2004, pp. 31–33.
- ^ Martin 2006, p. 31.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 32, 34–36.
- ^ a b D'Este 2004, pp. 244–245.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 37–38.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 38–41.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 42–45.
- ^ Clark 2004, pp. 74–75, 78–80, 88–89.
- ^ Clark 2004, p. 94.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 53–55.
- ^ Clark 2004, pp. 98–100.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 55–56.
- ^ Martin 2006, p. 58.
- ^ Saunders 2006, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 60–64.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 65, 68–78.
- ^ Trew & Badsey 2004, p. 52.
- ^ Martin 2006, p. 78.
- ^ Ellis et al. 2004, p. 386–387.
- ^ Daglish 2009, pp. 19–21, 31–33, 37, 43, 45, 49.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 79, 81–86.
- ^ Daglish 2009, pp. 119, 130–135.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 90–91, 93–95.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 100–106.
- ^ Ellis et al. 2004, pp. 446–448, 453.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 114–118.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 119–125.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 126–128.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 129, 132, 134, 146–147.
- ^ Ellis & Warhurst 2004, pp. 29–30.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 150–151, 153–156, 159, 164, 167–168.
- ^ Ellis & Warhurst 2004, p. 44.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 163, 165, 167–172.
- ^ French 2001, pp. 205–206.
- ^ Ellis & Warhurst 2004, p. 99.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 173, 179–181, 183–184.
- ^ Gaunt, John (2000), "The Battle of Broekhuizen", After The Battle, 107: 24–27
- ^ "Soldiers of the 15th (Scottish) Division capture Celle, Germany". Imperial War Museum. 12 April 1945. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ D'Este, p. 239.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 59, 289.
- ^ a b c d Martin 2006, pp. 359–362.
- ^ a b c d Kemsley, Riesco & Chamberlin, pp. 1–4.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 59, 290.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 59, 291.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 59, 390.
- ^ Martin 2006, pp. 17, 359–362.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 59, 197.
- ^ Martin 2006, p. 332.
- ^ Doherty 2007, p. 4.
- ^ a b c d e Martin 2006, pp. 16, 359–362.
References
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- Bell, P. M. H. (1997) [1986]. The Origins of the Second World War in Europe (2nd ed.). London: Pearson. ISBN 978-0-582-30470-3.
- ISBN 978-0-300-20534-3.
- Clark, L. (2004). Operation Epsom. Battle Zone Normandy. Stroud: Sutton. ISBN 978-0-75093-008-6.
- Crow, Duncan (1972). British and Commonwealth Armoured Formations (1919-46). AFV/Weapons series. Windsor: Profile Publications Limited. ISBN 978-0-853-83081-8.
- Daglish, Ian (2009). Operation Bluecoat. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-0-850-52912-8.
- ISBN 978-0-141-01761-7.
- Doherty, Richard (2007). The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-122-9.
- Ellis, Lionel F.; Warhurst, A.E. (2004) [1962]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). Victory in the West: The Battle of Normandy. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. I. London: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-845-74058-0.
- Ellis, Lionel F.; Allen, G.R.G.; Warhurst, A.E.; Robb, James (2004) [1962]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). Victory in the West: The Defeat of Germany. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. II. London: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-845-74059-7.
- French, David (2001) [2000]. Raising Churchill's Army: The British Army and the War Against Germany 1919–1945. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-199-24630-4.
- ISBN 978-0-116-30181-9.
- Jackson, G. S. (2006) [1945]. Operations of Eighth Corps: Account of Operations from Normandy to the River Rhine. Staff, 8 Corps. Buxton: Military Library Research Service. ISBN 978-1-905-69625-3.
- Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
- Capt Walter Kemsley & Capt Michael R. Riesco, The Scottish Lion on Patrol: Being the History of the 15th Scottish Reconnaissance Regiment, 1943–46, Bristol: White Swan Press, 1950/Revised edn (Tim Chamberlin, ed), Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2011, ISBN 978-1-39901-874-6.
- ISBN 978-0-742-54537-3.
- Martin, Hugh Gray (2006) [1948]. History of the 15th Scottish Division 1939-1945. Smalldale, England: Military Library Research Service. ISBN 978-1-905-69640-6.
- Messenger, Charles (1991). The Commandos: 1940–1946. London: Grafton Books. ISBN 978-0-58621-034-5.
- Messenger, Charles (1994). For Love of Regiment 1915–1994. A History of British Infantry. Vol. II. London: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-0-850-52422-2.
- Newbold, David John (1988). British Planning And Preparations To Resist Invasion On Land, September 1939 – September 1940 (PDF) (PhD thesis). London: King's College London. OCLC 556820697.
- Perry, Frederick William (1988). The Commonwealth Armies: Manpower and Organisation in Two World Wars. War, Armed Forces and Society. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-2595-2.
- Simkins, Peter (2007) [1988]. Kitchener's Army: The Raising of the New Armies 1914–1916. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-844-15585-9.
- Saunders, T. (2006) [2001]. Hill 112: Battles of the Odon 1944. Battleground Europe: Normandy (Pen & Sword ed.). Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-0-850-52737-7.
- Trew, Simon; Badsey, Stephen (2004). Battle for Caen. Battle Zone Normandy. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0-750-93010-9.
Further reading
- Advocate (pseud.) (1945). From Normandy to the Baltic: The story of the 44th Lowland Infantry Brigade of the 15th Scottish Division from D Day to the End of the War in Europe. Bad Segeberg: C.H. Wäsers Druckerei. OCLC 2182357.