British 7th Armoured Division (7th AD WWII)

The 7th Armoured Division is the famous Desert Rats of the 8th Army. This is their organsiation for the North West European campagin from D-Day in June 1944 through to the end of the war.

 

Units from June 44 to May 45

• HQ 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Erskine, Verney (4/8/44), Lyne (22/11/44))
  • 11th Hussars - Armoured Car Regt (Corps unit, assigned to the 7th AD from Sept 44)
  • 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars - Armoured Recce Regt - Cromwell + Challengers
  • 3rd Company Royal Northumberland Fusiliers - Independent MG Coy
• 22nd Armoured Brigade HQ (Brigadeers Hinde, Mackeson (10/8/44) Cracroft (16/9/44) Wingfield (18/10/44))
  • 1st Royal Tank Regiment - Armoured Regt - Cromwell + Sherman Fireflys
  • 5th Royal Tank Regiment - Armoured Regt - Cromwell + Sherman Fireflys
  • 5th County of London Yeomanry (5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards from 29/7/44)- Armoured Regt - Cromwell + Sherman Fireflys
  • 1st Motor Battalion The Rifle Brigade
    
• 131st Infantry Brigade HQ (Brigadeers Eskins, Pepper (2/7/44), Cox (8/10/44), Spurling (2/12/44))
  
  • 1/5 Bttn Queen's Royal Regiment
    
  • 1/6 Bttn Queen's Royal Regiment (2nd Bttn Devonshire Regt - Nov 44)
    
  • 1/7 Bttn Queen's Royal Regiment (9th Bttn Durham Light Infantry - Nov 44)
• HQ Royal Artillery
  
  • 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery -Sexton
    
  • 5th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery - 25pdr
    
  • 65th Anti-Tank Regt (Armd)(Norfolk Yeomanry)- M10/17pdr
    
  • 15th Light Anti-Aircraft Regt - 40mm Bofers
    
• HQ Royal Engineers (RE)
  
  • 143rd Field Park Sqdn Royal Engineers
  • 4th Field Sqdn Royal Engineers
  • 621st Field Sqdn Royal Engineers
  • 7th Bridging Troop Royal Engineers
• Services
  • 58th Armoured Brigade Coy RASC
  • 67 th Infantry Brigade Coy RASC
  • 507th Divisional Transport Coy
  • 22nd Armoured Brigade Ordnance Field Park Coy RAOC
  • 131st Infantry Brigade Ordnance Field Park Coy RAOC
  • 2nd Armoured Brigade Workshop REME
  • 131st Infantry Brigade Workshop REME
• Medical
  • 2nd Light Field Ambulance RAMC
  • 131st Light Field Ambulance RAMC
  • 29th Field Dressing Station RAMC
  • 70th Field Hygiene Section RAMC

FOW 21st Army Group Tank Numbers by Division

The Armoured Regiments of the 7th AD used Cromwells as their main tank, but had Sherman Fireflys to give added firepower.

In June 7th AD had 36 17pdr Shermans (1 in 5 in 22nd Brigade)

In December they had 67 17pdr Shermans (about 1 in 3 in 22nd AB) and still had 5 Crusader AA by this time

 

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