British Expeditionary Force order of battle (1940)

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A 2-pdr anti-tank gun of 44 Battery, 13th Anti-Tank Regiment, 2nd Division in the snow near Beuvry, 15 February 1940. The crew wear snow suits and the gun is camouflaged with white sheets.

This is the British Expeditionary Force order of battle on 9 May 1940, the day before the German forces initiated the Battle of France.

BEF commander Lord Gort and Chief of the General Staff Pownall study a map at GHQ in the Chateau at Harbarcq, 26 November 1939.

First Expeditionary Force

General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
5th Infantry Division (Major-General Harold Franklyn)
I Corps (Lieutenant-General Michael Barker)
1st Infantry Division (Major-General Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander)
2nd Infantry Division (Major-General Henry Charles Loyd)
48th (South Midland) Infantry Division (Major-General Augustus Francis Andrew Nicol Thorne)
II Corps (Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke)
3rd Infantry Division (Major-General Bernard Montgomery)
4th Infantry Division (Major-General Dudley Johnson)
50th (Northumbrian) Motor Infantry Division (Major-General Giffard Martel)
III Corps (Lieutenant-General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam[1]
42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division (Major-General William Holmes)
44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division (Major-General Edmund Osborne)
Saar Force (Major-General Victor Fortune)
51st (Highland) Infantry Division (Major-General V. M. Fortune)
Formations undergoing training and performing labour duties
HQ Lines of Communication British Expeditionary Force (Major-General Philip de Fonblanque)
Units arriving in France after 10 May 1940

Other formations

Air Component
Second Expeditionary Force

First Expeditionary Force

General Headquarters (GHQ)

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief: General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
Chief of the General Staff: Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Royds Pownall
Adjutant General: Lieutenant-General Sir W. D. S. Brownrigg
Quartermaster General: Lieutenant-General W. G. Lindsell
Deputy Chief of the General Staff; Major-General Philip Neame
Major-General Royal Artillery: Major-General Sydney Rigby Wason
Engineer-in-Chief: Major-General Ridley Pakenham-Walsh

GHQ, BEF Headquarters Troops

Armoured Brigades

1st Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade
Brigade manning armoured cars
1st Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade Headquarters and Signals Section, Royal Signals
1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
1st East Riding of Yorkshire Lancers
2nd Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade
Brigade manning armoured cars
2nd Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade Headquarters and Signals Section, Royal Signals
5th (Royal Inniskilling) Dragoon Guards
15th/19th (The King's) Royal Hussars
1st Army Tank Brigade
Brigade manning infantry and cavalry tank
1st Army Tank Brigade Headquarters and Signals Section, Royal Signals
4th Royal Tank Regiment
7th Royal Tank Regiment

Commander Royal Artillery

Commander Royal Engineers

Major-General Ridley Pakenham Pakenham-Walsh

Direct reports
100th (Monmouthshire) Army Field Company, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
101st (Monmouthshire) Army Field Company, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
216th (1st London) Army Field Company, Royal Engineers
228th (West Riding) Field Company, Royal Engineers
242nd (Lowland) Field Company, Royal Engineers
223rd (2nd London) Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
109th Workshop and Park Company, Royal Engineers
1st Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers
2nd Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers
19th Army Field Survey Company, Royal Engineers
119th Road Construction Company, Royal Engineers
135th Excavator Company, Royal Engineers
1st Boring Section, Royal Engineers
2nd Boring Section, Royal Engineers
1st Anti-Gas Laboratory, Royal Engineers
58th (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
61st (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
62nd (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
1st Tunnelling Group, Royal Engineers
170th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
171st Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
172nd Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
173rd Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers

5th Infantry Division

Major-General Harold Franklyn

I Corps

Lieutenant-General Michael Barker

1st Infantry Division

Major-General Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander

2nd Infantry Division

Major-General Henry Charles Loyd

48th (South Midland) Infantry Division

Major-General Augustus Francis Andrew Nicol Thorne

II Corps

Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke

3rd Infantry Division

Major-General Bernard Montgomery

4th Infantry Division

Major-General Dudley Johnson

50th (Northumbrian) Motor Infantry Division

Major-General Giffard Martel

III Corps

Lieutenant-General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam[3]

42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division

Major-General William Holmes

44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division

Major-General Edmund Osborne

Saar Force

Major-General Victor Fortune

On 10 May 1940, this force, which was really just the 51st Division reinforced by various small units, was part of the Colonial Army Corps of the French Third Army in front of the Maginot Line.

Units attached to the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division in April 1940 to form Saar Force

Lothians and Border Horse
7th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers (Machine-Guns)
1st Battalion Princess Louise's Kensington Regiment (Machine-Guns)
7th Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment (Pioneers)
6th Battalion The Royal Scots Fusiliers (Pioneers)
Sound Ranging and Survey Troop - detached from 3rd Survey Regiment RA
1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (Field)
51st (Midland) Medium Regiment Royal Artillery
385/97 Army Field Battery Royal Artillery
213th (North Midland) Army Field Company Royal Engineers
Topographic Section from 19th Army Field Survey Company Royal Engineers
22 Animal Transport Company Royal Indian Army Service Corps
Sub-Division from III Corps Ammunition Park Royal Army Service Corps
F Section from III Corps Petrol Park Royal Army Service Corps
10th Army Field Workshop Royal Army Ordnance Corps
10 Salvage Unit Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps

51st (Highland) Infantry Division

Major-General V. M. Fortune

Formations undergoing training and performing labour duties

12th (Eastern) Infantry Division

Major-General R. L. Petre[nb 4][5]

23rd (Northumbrian) Division

Major-General W. N. Herbert[nb 4]

46th Infantry Division

Major-General H. O. Curtis[nb 4]

HQ Lines of Communication British Expeditionary Force

Major-General Philip de Fonblanque[6]

Units arriving in France after 10 May 1940

1st Armoured Division

Major-General R. Evans[nb 5]

Air Component

Air Vice-Marshal Charles Blount[9] (Data from Jackson 1974 unless indicated.)[10]
85 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter)
87 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter)
607 Squadron: Gladiator (fighter, converting to Hurricane May 1940)
615 Squadron: Gladiator (fighter, converting to Hurricane May 1940)
3 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
79 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
504 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
From 22 (Army Co-operation) Group[9]
81 Squadron: Blenheim I (strategic reconnaissance)[9]
57 Squadron: Blenheim I (strategic reconnaissance)[9]
53 Squadron: Blenheim IV (bomber)
59 Squadron: Blenheim IV (bomber)
2 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
4 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
13 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
16 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
26 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)

Second Expeditionary Force

The following force was sent to France during the second week of June 1940 in an unsuccessful attempt to form a second British Expeditionary Force. This second formation was to be commanded by Lieutenant-General A. F. Brooke. All units were evacuated in late June 1940, during Operation Aerial.

1st Canadian Infantry Brigade (from 1st Canadian Infantry Division)
Royal Canadian Regiment
Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
48th Highlanders of Canada
1st Field Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery

52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division

Major-General J. S. Drew

See also

Notes

Footnotes

References

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