Post
by daveshoup2MD » 21 Feb 2022 00:21
Okay, to try and get back on track and in response to a request by Mr. Schwamberger, here's the 1943 version:
Here's a look at the British/Imperial/etc. "army" in 1943 based on Joslen and a couple of other sources, in the following regions, and at the divisional level:
North America (Canada)
Canadian 6th Division (activated 1942 for home service; one brigade group for COTTAGE in 1943; reduced strength 1944); Canadian 7th Division (1942/HS; reduced strength 1944); Canadian 8th Division (1942/HS; disbanded 1943);
UK:
British Guards Armoured (formed 1941); 9th Armoured (formed 1940; disbanded 1944); 11th Armoured (formed 1941); 42nd (converted from infantry in 1941; disbanded 1943); 79th Armoured (formed 1942; reorganized as non-standard TO&E in 1943); Canadian 4th Armoured Division (arrived UK in 1942); Canadian 5th Armoured Division (arrived UK 1941 as 1st Armoured; redesig and to MTO in 1943; to NW Europe, 1945); Polish 1st Armoured (formed 1942)
British 1st Infantry (to MTO, 1943), 3rd, 4th (to MTO, 1943), 15th, 38th (LE, disbanded 1944), 43rd, 45th (LE, disbanded 1944), 46th (to MTO, 1943), 47th (LE, disbanded 1944), 48th (LE, reduced 1943), 49th, 52nd (Mountain, 1942), 53rd, 54th (LE, disbanded 1943), 55th (LE, 1942), 59th (disbanded NW Europe, 1944), 61st, 76th (LE, disbanded 1944), 77th (LE, disbanded 1944); 80th (LE, formed 1943, disbanded 1944); 1st Airborne (formed 1941, to MTO 1943, to NW Europe 1943); 6th Airborne (formed 1943); Royal Marines Division (LE, 1942; disbanded 1943); Canadian 1st Division (to MTO, 1943, to NW Europe, 1945); Canadian 2nd Division; Canadian 3rd Division (arrived UK 1941),
MENA - i.e. North Africa/Balkans/SW Asia (Italy to Iran, basically)
British 1st Armoured (to Italy, 1943, disbanded, 1945); British 6th Armoured (to Italy, 1943); British 7th Armoured (to Italy, 1943; to NW Europe, 1944);10th Armoured (disbanded, 1944); British 1st Infantry (to Italy, 1943), British 4th Infantry (to Italy, 1944; to Greece, 1944), British 5th Infantry (arrived from India, 1942; to Italy, 1943; to NW Europe, 1945); British 46th Infantry (to Italy, 1944; to Greece, 1945); British 50th Infantry (to Italy, 1943; to NW Europe, 1943; disbanded, 1944); British 56th Infantry (to Italy, 1943; to NW Europe, 1944); British 56th Infantry (to Italy, 1943); British 78th Infantry (to Italy, 1943); 4th Indian (to Italy, 1944; to Greece, 1944); 6th Indian (LE, disbanded 1944); 8th Indian (to Italy, 1943); 10th Indian (to Italy, 1944); 1st South African (to SA, 1943); 6th SA Armoured (formed 1943; to Italy, 1944); Australian 9th (to SWPA, 1943); New Zealand 2nd (to Italy, 1943); Polish 3rd Division (-) (to Italy, 1944); Polish 5th Division (-) (to Italy, 1944)
East Africa
11th (formed 1943, to SEAC, 1943); 12th, (disbanded 1943);
West Africa
81st (formed 1943, to SEAC 1943); 82nd (formed 1943, to SEAC 1944)
South Africa
South African 3rd (formed 1940; one brigade served in Madagascar in 1942-43; division disbanded 1943);
SEAC (India to Malaya)
British 2nd Infantry (arrived from UK, 1942); British 5th Infantry (arrived from UK, 1942; to MENA, 1942); British 70th Infantry (from MENA, 1942; converted to Chindit structure, 1943, disbanded as such 1943); British 36th (redesignated from 36th Indian, 1944)
Indian 32nd Armoured (formed 1941; reorganized as 44th Armoured in 1943; disbanded, 1944); Indian 43rd Armoured Division (formed 1942; disbanded, 1944); 5th Indian (from MENA, 1943); 7th Indian (formed 1940); 14th Indian (formed 1941; destroyed (essentially) 1st Arakan, 1942-43; then LE/training); 17th Indian (formed 1941); 19th Indian (formed 1941); 20th Indian (formed 1942); 23rd Indian (formed 1942); 25th Indian (formed 1942); 26th Indian (formed 1942); 34th Indian (1942, Ceylon garrison/fortress, disbanded, 1945); 36th Indian, LE (formed 1942, redesignated British 36th, 1944); 39th Indian (LE, training); 44th Indian Airborne (formed 1944);
Southwest and South Pacific (Australia/Fiji/New Zealand)
Australian 1st Armoured (formed 1941, disbanded 1943); 2nd Armoured Division (converted, 1942; disbanded, 1943); 3rd Armoured Division (converted, 1942; disbanded, 1943); 1st Division (1941, disbanded, 1945); 2nd Division (1941, disbanded, 1944); 3rd Division (1941, to NG, 1943); 4th Division (1941, disbanded, 1944); 5th Division (1942, to NG, 1943); 10th Division (formed/disbanded, 1942); 11th Division (formed 1942, to NG, 1942-43); 12th Division (formed 1942); New Zealand: 1st NZ Division (LE, 1942; disbanded, 1943-44); 3rd NZ Division (LE, two brigades, Fiji; disbanded, 1944); 4th NZ Division (LE, 1942; disbanded, 1943-44); 5th NZ Division (LE, 1942; disbanded, 1943-44);
So, in terms of "deployable" divisions that were raised in 1942 or earlier, in 1943, it looks like in the MTO/ETO, there were 21 British (Gds, 1st, 6th, 7th, 11th armoured, 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 15th, 43rd, 46th, 49th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 56th, 59th, 78th infantry; 1st Airborne); 5 Canadian (two armoured - 4th, 5th - and three infantry - 1st, 2nd, 3rd); 3 Indian (all infantry, 4th, 8th, 10th); and one NZ (infantry; 2nd). The British 6th Airborne and South African 6th Armoured were in training for 1944, as were the three Polish divisions, but three British divisions (one armoured and two infantry) were broken up in 1944 in Europe for replacements.
In SEAC, there were (more or less) two British (2nd and 70th/36th), eight Indian (5th, 7th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 23rd, 25th, 26th), with three African divisions in training. In the Pacific, there were three AIF divisions, plus the various "local" Australian and New Zealand formations, but these could not have been deployed outside of the SWPA and SPA.
Call it ~39 or 40, more or less, from the UK to India, and including British, Indian, Canadian, and New Zealand divisions; the British, South Africans, African "Colonial," and Poles were on track to add 5-8 more in 1944, but with some significant caveats, including that not all of these formations can really be regarded as equivalents, or "available" outside of the two main theaters, Italy/UK/NW Europe (MTO/ETO) on the one and India/Burma (i.e. SEAC) on the other.