British Army & CW ad-hoc 'Force' formations

[Andy H]

1) Hound Force Brigadier?
2) ?
3) 6/10/44
4) 12/10/44
5) No2 Commando, 40 RM Commando, No1 Assyrian Parachute Coy, Det.British Raiding Support Regt plus Albanian partisans
6) ?
7) To attack and capture Sarande in Albania (Full details in the link below)
8.) http://www.assyriatimes.com/engine/modu ... oryid=3318

Regards

Andy H

[Andy H]

1) Deccan Force
2) 4th Indian Infantry Division
3) Sept/Oct'39
4) ?
5) 5th & 11th Indian Infantry Bdes
6) ?
7) The name was given when these 2 Bdes arrived in Egypt and prior to the actual on the ground formation of 4th Indian Div. Also see Heron Force on Pg5
8.) Eastern Epic by Compton Mackenzie

Andy H

[Andy H]

1) Force K6 (Col R.Hills)
2) BEF
3) December 25th'39
4) ? July'40
5) 4 Mule Companies (22nd, 25th, 29th and 32nd), 47th Depot Section RIASC, Advanced Remount Depot
6) ?
7) The British Army in France lacked animal transport units, so asked the Indian Gov for help. They sent 4 Mule companies initially- 32nd RIASC went to I Corps BEF, 25th RIASC to II Corps BEF, 29th RIASC to LOC BEF and finally 22nd RIASC to the (Saar Force)French 3rd Army serving on the Maginot Line
8.) Eastern Epic by Compton Mackenzie and http://niehorster.orbat.com/017_britain ... ieppe.html

Andy H

[Andy H]

1) South Force (Lt-Col R.G.T.Collins)
2) 1st South African Division
3) 11/11/1941
4) 22/11/1941 (?)
5) 1/6 KAR, 9th Fld Coy SAEC, 1st & 2nd East African Pioneers, Det 25th Road Construction Coy SAEC, 17th Fld Pk Coy SAEC, Sqn Kenyan A/C Regiment, 1Bty 51st Gold Coast Med Regt, MG Coy KAR plus a Flight from No41 Army Co-Op Sqn SAAF
6) 4x 60Pdrs Bren Carriers
7) The advance to and Battle for Kulkaber, south of Gondar, Ethiopia
8.) East African & Abyssinian Campaigns by Neil Orpen (SA Forces WW2 Vol I)

Andy H

[Graham Clayton]

1)Wootten Force (Brigadier George Wootten)
2)18th Brigade of XII Corps
3)10 March 1940
4)21 March 1940
5) 2/9th Battalion
D Company and Mortar Platton of 2/10th Battalion
Composite Vickers machine-gun platoon from 2/10th and 2/12th Battalion
AA Platoon of 2/12th Battalion
C Battery, 4th Regiment, RHA
6) No armour support
7) Attack on Italian fort at Giarabub in Southern Libya
8) Tom Richardson, "The Siege of Giarabub December 1940 – March 1941"
http://www.awm.gov.au/sites/default/fil ... 5B1%5D.pdf

[Tom from Cornwall]

1) 'Dicky' Force (Major O.H. Dickins)
2) 22nd Armourd Brigade
3) 01/12/41
4)
5) On 1st Dec, 1941 a composite Regiment was formed from 22 A.B. under command Major O.H. Dickins. The force consisted of:- One Squadron commanded by Major George Yule (2 R.T.R.) consisting largely of A.13’s with one Troop of A.15’s and one Squadron commanded by Major Mark Rudkin M.C. (2 R.T.R.) consisting of A.15’s and two A.10’s.
6) ?
7) ?
8) War DIary of 3 C.L.Y. for December 1941 and here http://crusaderproject.wordpress.com/20 ... -armd-bde/
details provided Urmel

I'll try to add some more details.

Cheers

Tom

[Graham Clayton]

1) Allen Force (Brigadier "Tubby" Allen)
2) 16th Australian Brigade & 4th/5th New Zealand brigades
3) 16/4/1941
4) 18/4/1941
5) 21st New Zealand battalion, 2/2nd & 2/3rd Australian battalions
6) ?
7) Defensive actions at the Pineios Gorge
8.) http://www.asisbiz.com/Battles/Balkans-Campaign.html

[Andy H]

1) Gate Force Lt-Col Gates
2) 14/13 Frontier Force Rifles
3) Oct 29th 1945
4) ?
5) Indian infantry, artillery, and armoured cars and a Japanese infantry battalion.
6) ?
7) Operations around Saigon.
8.) Post number 140 within http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/s ... 49&page=10

Regards

[Andy H]

1) Tod Force Lt-Col A.F.Tod
2) 11th Armoured Division
3) 6-7th April'45
4) April'45
5) 2x SP 17Pdr Bty's/Sqn's and 2 'de-horsed' Bty's/Coy's
6) ?
7) The wheeled personnel from the 2x17Pdr Btys were re-rolled as infantry to support the 2 SP 17Pdr Bty's because of the lack of enemy tanks into offensive role. They provided the Divisional commander with a mobile reserve. Advance from the Weser river to at least Elbe river
8.) British Armoured Divisions and their Commanders 1939-1945 by R.Doherty, Pg 201 Taurus Pursuant (A History of the 11th Armoured Division) Pg100

Regards

Andy H

[Andy H]

1) Barne Force Lt-Col A (W or M) Barne
2) 4th QOH/78th Infantry Division
3) 20/4/45
4) ?
5) B Sqn 4th Hussars, B Battery RHA, B Sqn 56th Recce Regt and D coy 5th Northants
6) ?
7) Intention to pass through PORTO MAGGIORE and create bridgehead around river crossing at 259703 to enable engineers to erect a bridge and advance to Motta.
8.) http://www.irishbrigade.co.uk/pages/78t ... -italy.php
http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/8867-ro ... pril-1945/

Regards

Andy H

[Knouterer]

1) BROCFORCE: Brigadier Montagu Brocas Burrows

2) 1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade was rechristened Brocforce when it took over the defence of the coastal region around Brighton from 3rd Division on 11.7.1940.

3) See 2)

4) The original cavalry units of the 1st M.M.G Brigade became the 26th Armd Bde (6th Armoured Division) on 12 Oct. 1940. As of 9 Nov. 1940, the remainder of Brocforce (with the addition of other units) was redesignated the West Sussex County Division.

5) and 6) With effect from 4 Sept. the seafront area was divided in Western and Eastern Sub-areas:

West:

R.M. 42 Bty (12pdrs on lorries)
Coast defence guns
6-inch mortars (about 6) manned by 69 Med Regt (which had 16 of these WWI mortars in all).
Det. 5 Med Regt. with 7 x 6pdrs (most of this Regt, still lacking “real” guns was manning the 6pdrs on the GHQ line on the Medway in the Maidstone area, which were later (Oct/Nov) handed over to 6th Defence Regt)
5 Bn Devonshire Regt
9 Bn East Surrey Regt
In direct support of this Sub-area was 60 Field Regt

East:

R.M. 43 Bty (12pdrs on lorries)
Coast defence guns
6-inch mortars (about 6) manned by 69 Med Regt.
41 Survey Trg Regt
50 (Holding) Bn Devonshire Regt
50 (Holding) Bn The Buffs
5 Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (MG)
In direct support of this Sub-area was 88 Field Regt (HQ in Hurstpierpoint north of Brighton – this Regt had about 18 x 75 mm guns, gradually being refitted with pneumatic tires, and 6 x 4.5in howitzers)

Directly under H.Q. Brocforce remained the original units of the 1st M.M.G. Brigade, (which apart from carriers, Beaverettes and “Malcom Campbell” armoured cars had also received 18 brand new Valentine tanks by the end of Sept.), plus some odds and ends:
16/5 Lancers
17/21 Lancers
2 Lothians
Arty: 1 battery of 69 Med Regt with 8 x 6in howitzers (received on 4 Aug.)
Some R.E.
Brocforce Signals
8 (Home Defence) Bn R. Sussex Regt.
I.T.C. R. Sussex Regt.
Brocforce R.A.S.C.
165 Lt Field Amb.

The coast defence guns included:
Four Batteries 6" Naval Guns (2 guns per Bty) Static (345, 344, 359 and ? bty).
Four 4" Naval Guns, two QF, two BL (69 Med Regt)
One 3" Naval Gun Static (69 Med Regt).
Four 3pdr naval Guns – Static (two manned by 69 Med Regt).

In addition to the varied weaponry above, the gunners of the 69 Med Regt had in their interesting collection 2 naval 2pdr Pom-Poms, 2 x 20 mm Hispano AA guns (at Ford Aerodrome), 5 “Spandau” (MG 08?) and 3 Hotchkiss MGs, plus 6 “Malcolm Campbell” armoured cars (entry for 28 Aug. in their War Diary, WO 166/1932).

7) No actions fought (except in local pubs perhaps)

8) Various War Diaries,notably WO 166/1113 (1st MMG/Brocforce/26th AB)

[Andy H]

1) Barbarity Force ?
2) M.E.C
3) November '40
4)
5) Army Air Force advanced air component with some 130 Officers and some 1900 OR's
Made up from RA, RE, RASC, ROAC and RAMC
6) 189 Fd Amb, 48 Fd Hgy Sec, 26th Base GH and 4AAC
7) ?
8). The Army Medical Services Vol 1HMSO

Regards

Andy H

[Andy H]

1) Fork Force ?
2) ?
3) May 10th'40
4) June'40
5) Royal Marine Btn+
6) 4"Bty, 2"Bty and a naval howitzer Bty
7) Landed in Iceland from the cruiser HMS Berwick, and stayed there for a month until relieved by British Army units
8). The Blockaders by A.Cecil Hampshire

Regards

Andy H

[Andy H]

1) Valentine Force ?
2) ?
3) May 10th'40
4) '40
5) 200 Royal Marine's
6) ?
7) Landed on the Faeroe Islands from the cruiser HMS Suffolk, until relieved by units of the British Army
8). The Blockaders by A.Cecil Hampshire

Regards

Andy H

[Andy H]

1) Beghemder Force
2) Maj AC Simmonds GS02/101 Mission
3) May?-July41?
4) 12/10/41
5) 3 Company Frontier Bn, No2 Operational Centre (180 Ethiopians) and some 50 Behhemder peasants under Fitaurari Birru
6) ?
7) Operations in and around Debra Tabor
8.) War Despatches: The War in East Africa 1939-45 Ed by Grehan & Mace Pg62