List of Allied forces in the Normandy campaign
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This is a list of Allied forces in the Normandy campaign between 6 June and 25 August 1944. Primary ground combat divisions and brigades are listed here; unit articles may contain a complete order of battle.
United States
United Kingdom
See also Hastings Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy
Independent and GHQ brigades included 30th Armoured; 1st Tank Brigade; 4th Armoured; 1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers; 31st Tank; 34th Tank; 6th Guards Tank Brigade; 27th Armoured (to 9.1944); 33rd Armoured; 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade; the headquarters of 74th, 76th, 80th, 100th, 101st, 105th, 106th and 107th Anti-Aircraft Brigades; numerous light anti-aircraft (LAA) and HAA regiments; and 56th Infantry Brigade, which joined 49th Division from 20 August 1944.
Canada
| Unit | Arrival | Beach | Commander | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division | 29 July | Juno ? | Major General George Kitching Major General Harry W. Foster (from 22 August) | |
| 2nd Canadian Infantry Division | 7 July | Juno | Major General C. Foulkes | |
| 3rd Canadian Infantry Division | 6 June | Juno | Major General Rodney F.L. Keller | |
| 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade | 6 June | Juno | Brigadier Robert A. Wyman | |
| Others | ||||
| 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (attached to the British 6th Airborne Division) | 6 June | Orne Brighead | Lieutenant-Colonel George Bradbrooke | |
Free French forces & Fusiliers Marins
| Unit | Arrival | Commander | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2e Division Blindée | 1 August | General Philippe Leclerc | ||
| Others | ||||
| Nos 1 and 8 Troop, No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando (attached to No. 4 Commando) | 6 June | Capitaine de frégate Philippe Kieffer | ||
| 3ème Bataillon d'Infanterie de l'Air (3e BIA) (3ème Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes (3e RCP) from 1 August) / (3rd SAS) |
17 July | Capitaine Pierre Château-Jobert | ||
| 4ème Bataillon d'Infanterie de l'Air (4e BIA) (2ème Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes (2e RCP) from 1 August) / (4th SAS) |
6 June | Capitaine Pierre-Louis Bourgoin | ||
Free Polish forces
| Unit | Arrival | Commander |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Armoured Division | NLT 7 Aug | Major-General Stanisław Maczek |
Free Belgian forces
| Unit | Arrival | Commander |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade ( "Brigade Piron") | Between 30 July – 8 August | Colonel Jean-Baptiste Piron |
Free Czechoslovak forces
| Unit | Arrival | Commander |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group | 30 August | Major General Alois Liška |
Free Dutch forces
| Unit | Arrival | Commander |
|---|---|---|
| HNLMS Flores | 6 Jun | |
| HNLMS Soemba | 6 Jun | |
| No. 320 (Netherlands) Squadron RAF | 6 Jun | |
| Koninklijke Nederlandse Brigade "Prinses Irene" ("Princess Irene Brigade") | 6 Aug | Colonel A. C. de Ruyter van Steveninck |
Free Norwegian forces
Approximately 1,950 Norwegian military personnel took part in the Normandy campaign in separate Norwegian units or as part of other Allied units in addition to 45 civilian ships[3] with approximately 1,000 men from Nortraship. The Norwegian units operated under British command and were therefore primarily employed in the Gold, Sword and Juno sectors.
Some of the participating units:
- Air Force
- Navy
- HNoMS Stord S-class destroyer
- HNoMS Svenner S-class destroyer
- HNoMS Glaisdale Hunt-class destroyer
- HNoMS Andenes Flower-class corvette
- HNoMS Eglantine Flower-class corvette
- HNoMS Rose Flower-class corvette
- HNoMS Nordkapp fishery protection vessel
- Motor Launches No. 128, 213 and 573
See also
Notes
- There was panic at SHAEF HQ in Southwick House when Convoy U2 of 140 ships carrying Barton and the US 4th Infantry Division to Utah beach (which had furthest to go) failed to heed the radio message to turn back on 3 June and could not be located; with visions of the flotilla invading alone!. The destroyer USS Forrest went out. It took all day for a Walrus seaplane search aircraft to locate them, with cloud down to 100 feet (30 m). Two message canisters were dropped; the first fell into the sea, but the ship got the second one and turned round.[1][2]