British Army & CW ad-hoc 'Force' formations

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#31

Post by Andy H » 23 Dec 2004, 02:02

1) Mac Force Maj-Gen Mason-Macfarlane
2) ?
3) May 1940
4) ?
5) 127th Infantry Brigade/42nd Inf Div + 52nd & 53rd RA Fld Regts, 1 AT-TK Bty from 56th AT-TK Regt, the 'Hopkinson Military mission ( a ground recce unit under the CO Lt Col Hopkinson) plus some RE & Admin units
6) ACars and MCycles etc
7) To protect the rear area on the BEF's right boundary with the French 1st Army
8.) Captains of the Gates by Denis Blomfield-Smith
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#32

Post by Andy H » 23 Dec 2004, 02:05

1) Ark Force
2)
3) Dec'44
4) ?
5) 139th Infantry Brigade +
6)
7) Took part in the Allied intervention in Greece in 1944
8.) ?


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#33

Post by Andy H » 23 Dec 2004, 02:07

1) Maurice Force
2)
3) April'40
4) ?
5) 146th Infantry Brigade +
6)
7) Took part in the Allied intervention in Norway
8.) ?

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#34

Post by Andy H » 23 Dec 2004, 02:13

1) Norman Force
2) Lt-Gen JH Marshall Cornwall
3) 15/06/40
4) ?
5) 3rd Armoured Brigade,157th Infantry Brigade Group, which inc 157th Inf Bde plus 71st F.Regt RA plus Transport Coy from 52nd Division
6)
7) French campaign of 1940
8.) London Gazette May21st 1946
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#35

Post by Andy H » 23 Dec 2004, 02:20

1) Force 292
2) ?
3) Sept'43
4) ?
5) 234th Infantry Brigade +
6)
7) Defence of the Dodecanese Islands
8.) ?

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#36

Post by Andy H » 23 Dec 2004, 02:21

1) Maas Force
2) ?
3) May'45
4) ?
5) 308th Infantry Brigade +
6) ?
7) ?
8.) ?

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#37

Post by Andy H » 24 Dec 2004, 17:45

1) Preston Force
2) ?
3) 11/01/45
4) 15/01/45
5) 28th Brigade,30 Fld Regt RA,4th RA Btn, 2 NF (Newfoundland?) MG Btn + the 4th,5th & 6th Greek Nationa Guard Brigades
6) ?
7) Occupation of Greece in 1945
8.) ?

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#38

Post by Andy H » 24 Dec 2004, 19:25

1) E Force under the CO of Brig D W Reid
2) ?
3) November'41
4) 28/11/41?
5) 2nd SA Fld Regt, 6th SA Armd Car Regt, 7th SA Recce Btn, 6th LAA Regt RA, 3/2nd Punjab, plus engineer,signals,transport and RAMC elements.
6) Bofors guns (6th LAA) +?
7) Southern feint in support of Op.Crusader and the relief of Tobruk
8.) A Noble Crusade (The History of the British 8th Army 1941- 45) by Richard Doherty

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#39

Post by Andy H » 24 Dec 2004, 19:50

1) Oasis Force under the CO of Brig C W Reid
2) 29th Indian Infantry Brigade
3) Nov'41
4) Dec 22nd (at least)?
5) 29th Indian Infantry Brigade Group & 6th SA Armd Car Regt
6) ?
7) To secure Jarabub, advance to protect landing-ground 125, and seize Jalo. Later its mission was extended to harrasment of Axis forces falling back towards El Agheila via the Trigh el Abd
8.) The Med & Middle East Vol III by Playfair

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#40

Post by Andy H » 13 Feb 2005, 20:24

1) Sparrow Force LTC(?) Leggatt
2) 23rd Infantry Brigade
3) Jan'42
4) ?
5) 2/40th Australian Infantry, Australian No.2 or the 2/2nd Independent Company, 79th RA AA Bty. Total Australian contingent was around 1400. Plus some 600 Dutch troops commanded by Col v Straaten. A more complete OoB is available at http://orbat.com/site/ww2/drleo/017_bri ... nf_23.html
6) ?
7) Stationed on Timor and combat the invading Japanese Forces
8.) http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/remembering ... script.htm and Independent research.

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#41

Post by Andy H » 17 Mar 2005, 00:11

) Black Force (Brigadier AS Blackburn VC)
2) ?
3) Feb'42
4) March 12th 1942
5) The Australians, under Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur S. Blackburn, had been landed from the transport ship Orcades and were being retrained for the guarding of airfields until a final decision was taken about the defence of Java. These two Australian fighting battalions, 2/3 Machine-Gun - 710 men and 2/2 Pioneer Battalions - 937 men, accompanied by the following AIF units with approximate strengths, 2/6 Field Company HQ and one platoon of guards - 43 men, 105th General Transport Company - 206 men, 2/3 Reserve Motor Transport Company - 471 men, 2/2 Casualty Clearing Station - 93 men, Stragglers - 165 men, Details - 73 prisoners, formed an ad hoc composite mobile brigade. Under command of the now promoted Brigadier A. Blackburn, a gallant and enterprising officer who had served on Gallipoli in the ranks, won a VC as a subaltern at Pozieres 1916 and between wars commanded a MG battalion plus led the 2/3MG Battalion in the Syria campaign with the 2/2 Pioneers as support against the Vichy French, and for operations "Blackforce" would be directly under Lieutenant General Hein Ter Poorten, Dutch Commander-in-Chief. 176 Australian deserters at Singapore forced themselves on the Empire Star on the 11th February 1942 and arrived in Java.Blackburn absorbed them into his command,however unreliable they could have been. Some 2920 men in total
7) Defense of Java
8.) High Command-Australian & Allied Strategy 1939-45, by D M Horner plus http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 1&start=60

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#42

Post by Andy H » 17 Mar 2005, 00:22

) West Force (Maj-Gen Gorden Bennett)
2) ?
3) 1942
4) ?
5) Australian troops
6) ?
7) ?
8.) High Command-Australian & Allied Strategy 1939-45, by D M Horner

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#43

Post by Andy H » 01 Apr 2005, 19:00

1) Gazelle Force (Colonel FW Messervy)
2) 5th Indian Division
3) 20/01/41(?)
4) March 1941
5) Skinners Horse, Sqn 4th RTR, 25th & 31st Fd Regts RA, 390th Fd Bty -FTp/144th RA Field Regt, 2 Camerons, a Motor MG group Sudan Defence Force
6) 4x 25Pdr guns of 39th Bty
7) Battle for Keren
8.) Ball of Fire-5th Indian Infantry Division in WW2 by Antony Brett-James
The Years of Retreat 1939-41 (History of the Royal Regiment if Artillery by Gen Sir Martin Farndale

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#44

Post by Andy H » 01 Apr 2005, 19:12

1) Fletcher Force (Colonel BC Fletcher)
2) 5th Indian Division
3) March 1941
4) May'41
5) Central Indian Horse plus at various stages:- B Sqn (-1Tp) 4th RTR, (Bren) Carrier Sqns from 9th & 10th Indian Inf Bdes, and 3/1 Punjab Regt Skinners Horse, 51 Commando, 1 Coy 3/12 FF Regt, MMG Coy SDF, 1 Tp 25Pdrs, 1 Tp 6" How, Tp 3.7" How plus Sect of Sappers/Miners
6) 36 Bren Carriers and 14 I Tanks
7) Road-block in the Dongolaas Gorge which was to stop any Italian reserves intervening in the Battle for Keren
8.) Ball of Fire-5th Indian Infantry Division in WW2 by Antony Brett-James
The Years of Retreat 1939-41 (History of the Royal Regiment if Artillery by Gen Sir Martin Farndale
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Indi ... ica-8.html
War Despathes: The War in East Africa 1939-45 Ed. by Grehan & Mace

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1) Flit Force (Colonel B Fletcher)
2) 4th Indian Division
3) April 1941
4) April 1941
5) Central Indian Horse plus 2MMG Companies of the Sudan Defence Force
6) ?
7) Pursuit of fleeing Italian from Decamere to Adigrats after the Battle for Keren. Some 3500 prisoners were taken
8.) Ball of Fire-5th Indian Infantry Division in WW2 by Antony Brett-James

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#45

Post by Andy H » 10 Apr 2005, 19:49

1) R Force (FM Montgomery)
2) 21st Army Group
3) ?'44
4) ?'45
5) All Arms force
6) ?
7) Allotted special operational roles under FM's direct command
8.) ?

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