British Expeditionary Force order of battle (1940)

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

High-level order of battle

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

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 [nb 1] [nb 1] [nb 1] [nb 1] [nb 1] [nb 1]

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

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

22nd Animal Transportation 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

10th Salvage Unit

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

23rd (Northumbrian) Division

Major-General W. N. Herbert

46th Infantry Division

Major-General H. O. Curtis

HQ Lines of Communication British Expeditionary Force

Major-General Philip de Fonblanque

Units arriving in France after 10 May 1940

1st Armoured Division

Major-General R. Evans

Air component

Air Vice-Marshal Charles Blount (Data from Jackson 1974 unless indicated.)

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

81 Squadron: Blenheim I (strategic reconnaissance)

57 Squadron: Blenheim I (strategic reconnaissance)

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

• Order of battle for the Battle of France
• List of British Empire divisions in the Second World War

Notes

Footnotes

References

Baughen, G. (2016). The RAF in the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain: A Reappraisal of Army and Air Policy 1938–1940. Stroud: Fonthill Media. ISBN 978-1-78155-525-5.

Ellis, Major L. F. (2004) [1953]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940. History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series (repr. Naval & Military Press, Uckfield ed.). HMSO. ISBN 978-1-84574-056-6. Retrieved 21 October 2016.

Jackson, R. (1974). Air War over France 1939–40 (1st ed.). London: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0510-5.

External links

"Documents – France & Norway 1940". British Military History. Retrieved 2019-10-27.

"British Expeditionary Force, May 1940". niehorster.org. Retrieved 2019-10-26.

"British Infantry Brigades, 1st thru 215th - 1939-1945" (PDF). web.archive.org. 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2019-10-29.