3rd Division (United Kingdom)

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3rd (United Kingdom) Division

British 3rd Infantry Division2.png

Insignia of the division
Lineup June 18, 1809
Country United Kingdom
Armed forces British Army
Branch of service Armored infantry
Type division
Subordinate troops

1st Armored Infantry Brigade
12th Armored Infantry Brigade
20th Armored Infantry Brigade
101 Logistic Brigade

Location Bulford Camp, Wiltshire
Nickname Iron Sides
commander
Major General Nick Borton
Memorial of the 3rd Div. in Caen

The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division ( German  3rd Infantry Division ) was an infantry and later a tank division of the British Army . The division has been renamed several times in the course of its history: 3rd Division from 1907 to 1976, 3rd Armored Division from 1976 to 1992, 3rd (UK) Division from 1992 to 1999, 3rd (UK) Mechanized Division from 1999 to 2014 and since 2014 3rd ( United Kingdom) Division . It was first erected during World War II and was stationed in Germany from 1976 to 2015 as part of the British armed forces . In July 2014 the association was renamed the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division or 3rd Division (United Kingdom) . It is one of two currently active divisions in the British Army. The division badge is a black equilateral triangle on the base, which is divided into four equal-sized triangles by a red equilateral triangle placed on the top, which bisects the sides of the triangle with the tips.

history

The history of the division begins when it was first established by Sir Arthur Wellesley during the Napoleonic Wars in 1809. It fought on the Iberian Peninsula and in the Waterloo campaign in 1815. The division was also deployed in the Crimean War . There she took part in the battle of the Alma and the siege of Sevastopol .

In the period 1899-1902, the 3rd Division took first under command of General William Gatacre the Second Boer War in part, some of the units, however, was the Natal Field Force under Francis Clery assumed.

First World War

In the First World War it was, in contrast to the Kitchener divisions , a division of the regular army and in 1916 was nicknamed the Iron Division ("Iron Division"). It was one of the first divisions to be sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force .

As part of the II. Corps (General James Grierson ), the 3rd Division landed in northern France on August 16, 1914.

Outline in August 1914

General Hubert Hamilton

7th Brigade, Brigadier General FWN McCracken

  • 3rd Worcestershire
  • 2nd South Lancashire
  • 1st Wiltshire
  • 2nd Royal Irish Rifles

8th Brigade, Brigadier General BJC Doran

  • 2nd Royal Scots
  • 2nd Royal Irish
  • 4th Middlesex
  • 1st Devonshire
  • 1st Honorable Artillery Company

9th Brigade, Brigadier General Shaw FC

  • 1st Northumberland Fusiliers
  • 4th Royal Fusiliers
  • 1st Lincolnshire
  • 1 Royal Scots Fusiliers

The 3rd Division, led by General Hubert Hamilton, fought in the Battle of Mons , near Le Cateau and took part in the counter-offensive on the Marne in the Château-Thierry area from September 9, 1914 . After taking part in the Battle of the Aisne , the division was transferred to La Bassée during the race to sea , where General Hamilton was killed by enemy shell fire at Vieille-Chapelle on October 14 . In the First Battle of Flanders , the division moved to Estaires in the area south of Armentières suffered losses of 8,355 men from mid-October to the end of November 1914. Under the leadership of General Haldane , the division took over in the spring of 1915 after passing into trench warfare in space south-east of Ypres the section from the heights of Messines to St. Eloi.

During the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, the division was deployed in the Bazentin section and against the Delville Forest. As part of the V. Corps (Fanshawe), the 3rd Division was set up in mid-November 1916 together with the 2nd and 51st Divisions against the German defense north of the Ancre . In April and May 1917, the division led by Major General Cyril Deverell as part of the Battle of Arras attacks on the Scarpe , Arleux, Monchy and Roeux. In the Third Battle of Flanders in September 1917, the division lost 4032 soldiers in the attacks on Menin Road and in the Polygon Forest within a few days. During the German Michael Offensive from March 21, 1918, the 3rd Division was again in the Arras area and held the front from Guémappe to Croiselles, where it was relieved by Canadian troops on March 29 in a defensive battle. In April 1918 the 3rd Division was moved north and also used in the Battle of the Lys . During the Hundred Days Offensive , the division crossed the Canal du Nord in September 1918 and was involved in the fighting for Cambrai and the Battle of the Selle .

Second World War

2nd Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles march inland from Sword-Beach (D-Day) in 1944
2nd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment 1944 in Holland
Members of the 3rd Div on Sherman tanks in July 1944
3rd Div UK 2016 maneuvers
Chieftain main battle tank as the main weapon system of the 3rd Armored Division

The division was part of the British Expeditionary Force ( BEF ) and was commanded by General Bernard Montgomery from August 1939 to summer 1940 . After months of seated warfare , the German attack on May 10, 1940 began the western campaign , during which the Allied forces had to retreat quickly to the Channel coast. After the German attack on Dunkirk , the 3rd Division was successfully evacuated to sea during the Battle of Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo at the end of May.

Outline in May 1944

8th Brigade:

9th Brigade:

185th Brigade:

The 3rd Division under General Tom Rennie was on 6th June 1944 during Operation Overlord , the first division, on D-Day at the beach section Sword landed and was a part of the reinforcement, which already landed the 6th Airborne Division after Operation Tonga supported .

The division landed as part of the I. Corps (General John Crocker ) from 7.25 a.m. east of the Orne and Caen Canal. For defense, parts of the German 716th Infantry Division and forces of the 21st Panzer Division , which were able to intervene from the nearby hinterland, lay on Sword Beach . To the east, behind the Dives, the 711th Infantry Division was also stationed. Despite the German resistance, the British were able to penetrate inland and unite with the soldiers of the 6th Airborne Division. The advance on Caen was severely hindered by the German 21st Panzer Division. It took until mid-July to fully consume Caen.

After the battle in the Reichswald (February 7-22, 1945), the 3rd Division under Major-General Lashmer G. Whistler advanced to the Rhine in the Kleve area . During Operation Plunder (March 1945) the division was part of the XXX. Corps and participated in the breakout from the bridgehead near Wesel .

post war period

The division was reformed on April 1, 1951 on the Suez Canal under the command of General Sir Hugh Stockwell and was part of the Middle East Land Forces.

In 1976 it became the 3rd Armored Division, which from 1977 was stationed in the St. Sebastian Barracks near Körbecke (Möhnesee) near Soest . During the 1970s the division consisted of two core brigades, the 6th and 33rd Armored Brigade. In 1976 it was renamed the 3rd Armored Division and subordinated to the I. BR Corps. In the event of war, it would have been regrouped into the ECHO and FOXTROTT Task Force. In the 1980s, the association was the 4th Armored Brigade (4th Armored Brigade), the 6th Airmobile Brigade (6th Airmobile Brigade) and the 19th Infantry Brigade (19th Infantry Brigade). The division had an armored reconnaissance regiment (Armored Recce Rgt) and three artillery regiments with 105mm FV433 Abbot SPG self-propelled guns and 155mm M109 self-propelled howitzers . The concept of the airmobile anti-tank barrier was first tested on the free-running NATO exercise Lionheart 84 in southern Lower Saxony . The main weapon system of the 3rd Armored Division was initially the Chieftain and later the Challenger main battle tank. Of the latter, the association led 224. While the 3rd and 4th Armored Divisions were assigned their position rooms directly at the VRV, the 2nd Armored Division was kept ready as an operational reserve in the rear area of ​​responsibility of the I. BR Corps.

The division was given a new role as a mechanized division in 1992, so it became the 3rd Mechanized Division with headquarters in Bulford, Wilshire. As such, she took part in the peace operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995/1996 and 1998 . At that time it consisted of three brigades: the 1st mechanized, 19th mechanized and the 5th airborne brigade.

In September 1999 the division was repurposed. As the 3rd (UK) Mechanized Division, it formed the only continuously combat-ready division in the United Kingdom , as the second combat-ready division of the British Army, the 1st Armored Division , was stationed in Germany. She was stationed at Picton Barracks, Bulford Camp.

Outline during the Cold War

  • 1st Mechanized Brigade
  • 4th Mechanized Brigade
  • 12th Mechanized Brigade
  • 3rd Divisional Headquarters and Telecommunications Regiment
  • 5th Regiment Heeresflieger Korps (Lynx helicopter)
  • 36th Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers
  • 3rd Regiment, Royal Military Police
  • The Royal Wessex Yeomanry

present

Structure of the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division, 2018/19

In the course of the army reform "Army 2020", the division was renamed 3rd (United Kingdom) Division and has since consisted of the following components: 1st, 12th and 20th armored infantry brigades, 101 logistics brigade and the Royal Wessex Yeomanry, which is a British Army Reserve Regiment is. The divisional headquarters are still in Bulford , Wiltshire .

Commanders

Commanders 3rd Division

  • Major-General Sir Bruce M. Hamilton (1902 - May 1904)
  • Major-General William E. Franklyn (May 1907 - May 1910)
  • Major-General Sir Henry Rawlinson (June 1910 - May 1914)
  • Major-General Hubert IW Hamilton (May - October 1914)
  • Major-General Colin J. Mackenzie (October 1914)
  • Major-General FDV Wing (October – November 1914)
  • Major-General Aylmer Haldane (November 1914 - August 1916)
  • Major-General Cyril Deverell (August 1916 - April 1919)
  • Major-General Robert D. Whigham (June 1919 - July 1922)
  • Major-General William Heneker (July 1922 - July 1926)
  • Major-General John T. Burnett-Stuart (July 1926 - May 1930)
  • Major-General Harry HS Knox (May 1930 - November 1932)
  • Major-General Walter W. Pitt-Taylor (November 1932 - October 1934)
  • Major-General Robert Gordon-Finlayson (October 1934 - April 1936)
  • Major-General Cecil P. Heywood (April - October 1936)
  • Major-General Denis JCK Bernard (December 1936 - August 1939)
  • Major-General Bernard Montgomery (August 1939 - July 1940)
  • Major-General James AH Gammell (July 1940 - November 1941)
  • Major-General Eric C. Hayes (November 1941 - December 1942)
  • Major-General William HC Ramsden (December 1942 - December 1943)
  • Major-General Thomas G. Rennie (December 1943 - June 1944)
  • Major-General Lashmer G. Whistler (June 1944 - January 1947)
  • Major-General John B. Churcher (January-June 1947)
  • Major-General Hugh C. Stockwell (April 1951 - May 1952)
  • Major-General JH Nigel Poett (May 1952 - March 1954)
  • Major-General John B. Churcher (March 1954 - March 1957)
  • Major-General George C. Gordon Lennox (March 1957 - November 1959)
  • Major-General Charles HP Harington (November 1959 - October 1961)
  • Major-General Vivian W. Street (October 1961 - September 1962)
  • Major-General R. Michael P. Carver (September 1962 - August 1964)
  • Major-General Cecil H. Blacker (August 1964 - June 1966)
  • Major-General Anthony J. Deane-Drummond (June 1966 - July 1968)
  • Major-General Terence DH McMeekin (July 1968 - June 1970)
  • Major-General Glyn CA Gilbert (June 1970 - June 1972)
  • Major-General Richard E. Worsley (June 1972 - June 1974)
  • Major-General Robin M. Carnegie (June 1974 - June 1976)

Commanders 3rd Armored Division

  • Major-General Michael JH Walsh (June 1976 - November 1978)
  • Major-General Henry SL Dalzell-Payne (November 1978 - November 1980)
  • Major-General J. Norman S. Arthur (November 1980 - November 1982)
  • Major-General Antony KF Walker (November 1982 - October 1984)
  • Major-General David J. Ramsbotham (October 1984 - March 1987)
  • Major-General C. Edward W. Jones (March 1987- June 1988)
  • Major-General Michael J. Wilkes (June 1988 - June 1990)
  • Major-General Christopher BQ Wallace (June 1990 - April 1992)

Commanders 3rd (UK) Division

  • Major-General Hew WR Pike (April 1992 - April 1994)
  • Major-General Michael D. Jackson (April 1994 - July 1996)
  • Major-General Cedric NG Delves (July 1996 - January 1999)

Commanders 3rd (UK) Mechanized Division

  • Major-General F. Richard Dannatt (January 1999 - November 2000)
  • Major-General John C. McColl (November 2000 - July 2003)
  • Major-General Graeme CM Lamb (July 2003 - June 2005)
  • Major-General A. Richard D. Shirreff (June 2005 - October 2007)
  • Major-General Barney WB White-Spunner (October 2007 - May 2009)
  • Major-General James R. Everard (May 2009 - April 2011)
  • Major-General John G. Lorimer (June 2011 - April 2013)

Commanders 3rd (United Kingdom) Division

  • Major-General James M. Cowan (April 2013 - May 2015)
  • Major-General Patrick NYM Sanders (May 2015 - December 2016)
  • Major-General Nick Borton (December 2016 -)

Web links

literature

  • David Isby and Charles Kamps Jr: Armies of NATO's Central Front , Jane's Publishing Company. 1985. ISBN 978-0-7106-0341-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. Steven Zaloga, Simon McCouai: Tank War: Central Front NATO vs. Warsaw Pact (=  Elite series . Band 26 ). Osprey Publishing, London 1989, ISBN 0-85045-904-4 , pp. 23 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
  2. ^ Graham Watson and Richard A. Rinaldi: The British Army in Germany: An Organizational History 1947-2004. Tiger Lily Pubn. Llc. 2005. p. 100, ISBN 978-0-9720296-9-8 .
  3. Chieftain Power Pack on www. harveyblackauthor.org (en.)
  4. Heiner Möllers and Rudolf J. Schlaffer: Sonderfall Bundeswehr ?: Armed Forces in National Perspectives and in International Comparison (Security Policy and Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, Volume 12). De Gruyter Oldenbourg. 2014. p. 86ff. ISBN 978-3-11-034812-5 .