Battle of France The UK declared war on
Germany, on 3 September 1939, following their
invasion of Poland. The 1st Infantry Division landed in France on 20 September 1939 and arrived on the Franco–Belgian border on 3 October. Along with the three other divisions of the
BEF, it was based east of
Lille. During the rest of the year and into 1940, training took place as well as the construction of
field fortifications.
David Fraser, a historian and former British general, wrote that the regular formations of the BEF were well-trained in small arms, but lacked tactical skill. Though mobile, the formations lacked specialist weapons, ammunition, spare parts, and communication equipment because of the budget cuts of the inter-war period. On 10 May 1940, Germany
invaded Belgium. In response, the Anglo–French armies moved into Belgium in accordance with the
Allied Dyle Plan. The division reached the
River Dyle without difficulties. Although tactical success was achieved in its first action on 15 May, strategic developments forced the BEF to withdraw the next day towards the
Escaut. The 3rd Infantry Brigade provided a rearguard and was attacked on 18 May, was almost cut off but was able to extradite itself with the support of the divisional artillery. A few days later, the division fought back an assault on their position at the Escaut. The British official campaign history alleged that the Germans preceded their attack with
troops dressed as civilians or British officers. On 23 May, a further withdrawal took place as the division moved back to defend the western bank of the
Lys. Three days later, with the majority of the BEF now bound within a closing perimeter on the French coast and lacking the ability to hold the position, the decision was made to
evacuate from Dunkirk, the only remaining port in British hands. By the end of the month, three of the division's battalions were dispatched to reinforce the
5th Infantry Division while the main body of the 1st Infantry Division withdrew into the newly established
Dunkirk perimeter. The divisional engineers constructed a makeshift pier from
lorries at
Bray-Dunes, which became vital once
small ships arrived to help with the evacuation. Meanwhile, the division's infantry (alongside the
46th Infantry Division) defended the
Canal de Bergues between
Bergues and
Hoymille. On 31 May/1 June, they were heavily attacked; some positions were retained while others were breached and the troops forced back to the
Canal des Chats. During this fighting,
Captain Marcus Ervine-Andrews earned the
Victoria Cross. By the end of the next day, the division had been evacuated back to the UK. The 1st Battalion,
King's Shropshire Light Infantry, provided the division's rearguard and left via the Dunkirk
mole on the
ferry St Helier, alongside the final remnants of the BEF that had made it to Dunkirk, just prior to midnight. Left within the heavily damaged town, was upwards of 30,000 French soldiers who covered the final stage of British withdrawal.
Home defence scramble up cliffs during a live-firing exercise at Cromer in Norfolk, 21 April 1942. Once back in the UK, the division moved to
Lincolnshire to defend the coast, and to partially replace the
2nd Armoured Division that was relocated and the
66th Infantry Division that had been broken-up. It remained through 1941, during which time it moved further inland to act as a reserve as the
Lincolnshire County Division took over coastal defence. From its return from France, the division was seen as one of the better equipped and trained formations based in the UK, and was held in a reserve role to be rushed to southern England in the event of a
German invasion. During this period, the Guards Brigade was replaced by the
38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade. In 1942, the division moved to
East Anglia and in June reorganised as a mixed division. This concept called for an infantry division to have one infantry brigade removed and for it to be replaced by a brigade of tanks. To this point in the war,
British tank brigades–containing
infantry tanks–were independent formations allocated to higher commands and assigned to subordinate formations as needed. This move, to incorporate them into divisions, was described by
Lieutenant-General Giffard Le Quesne Martel, commander of the
Royal Armoured Corps, as "the absorption of the armoured forces into the rest of the army". In June, the
34th Tank Brigade joined the division and the Irish brigade left in early July to bring the division into conformation with the new organisation. Despite
battle drill existing for infantry-tank co-operation, training between the infantry and the tank brigade did not start until August. The following month, the 34th were replaced by the
25th Tank Brigade. The mixed concept was found not to be successful as it left the division with too few infantry. This resulted in a revision to an infantry division organisation in November, when the 25th Tank Brigade departed and were replaced by the
24th Infantry Brigade (Guards). In 1943, the division joined the forming
First Army and departed the UK on 28 February bound for North Africa.
Tunisian campaign The division arrived in North Africa on 9 March 1943 and moved to the
Medjez-Bou Arada area of
Tunisia. It joined the ongoing
Tunisian campaign, by conducting patrols over the following weeks. On 4 April, it was temporarily redesignated as the 1st British Infantry Division, to avoid confusion with the
US 1st Infantry Division that was also active in the campaign.
Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, commander of the Axis
Panzer Army Africa, was aware that Allied forces were intending to launch a major offensive. To attempt to cause delays, he approved for the
Division Hermann Göring and the
334th Infantry Division to attack, supported by the
10th Panzer Division and
Tiger I tanks. On 21 April, six German battalions attacked the British 1st and the 4th Divisions near
Medjez el Bab. The 3rd Brigade, holding a ridgeline nicknamed 'Banana Ridge', bore the brunt of the attack in the division's sector. While the German assault caused a potentially dangerous situation to arise for artillery that had been moved forward in preparation for the Allied offensive, it was repulsed with just 106 casualties among the 1st Division. Thirty-three German tanks and 450 prisoners were claimed. The next morning,
Operation Vulcan began, which was intended to be the final Allied effort in the Tunisian campaign and to capture
Tunis. firing a captured German
MG42 machine gun, 27 April 1943. Two days later, the 1st Division began their part of the operation. Backed by massed artillery and 45 tanks of the
142nd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, the 2nd Brigade assaulted a ridge between
Grich el Oued and
Gueriat el Atach. Initial success was thwarted by the inability to dig in and construct
defensive fighting positions and a swift German counterattack. Back and forth fighting continued throughout the day, resulting in the ridge remaining in German hands. The 2nd Brigade suffered over 500 casualties and 29 of the supporting tanks were rendered disabled or destroyed. Notably,
Lieutenant Willward Alexander Sandys-Clarke was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross for his actions during this fighting. The next day, 24 April, the 3rd Brigade launched a new attack and seized the ridge. They were then subjected to German bombardments and suffered over 300 casualties. On 27 April, the division's next major attack started when the 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards) attacked
Djebel bou Aoukaz, another defended ridge. The initial attack was almost successful, but ultimately failed. A renewed effort the following day seized the ridge, but it was lost following a German counterattack by elements of the 10th Panzer Division. With the overall Allied advance having slowed, Operation Vulcan came to end short of Tunis. However, the division continued back and forth fighting until the ridge was eventually secured on 5 May. The fighting resulted in over 300 casualties in one battalion, and two more Victoria Crosses being earned by members of the division. The capture of Djebel bou Aoukaz secured the flank for the new offensive, which started on 6 May and used forces other than the 1st Division. Tunis was captured the following day, and Axis forces in North Africa capitulated on 12 May 1943.
Pantelleria Pantelleria, part of the
Pelagian Islands, is located between Sicily and Tunisia. The Italians had fortified the island as a strategic counterweight to
Malta. By 1943, it was garrisoned by 12,000 troops (five untried battalions supported by militia), contained radar sites that could track movement from North Africa towards Italy, and included an airbase with underground hangars. With Axis forces defeated in North Africa, the Allied powers set their sights on
Sicily and made the decision to capture Pantelleria (
Operation Corkscrew) as a prelude to the
Allied invasion of Sicily. To avoid the need for a bloody assault, which would be conducted by the 1st Infantry Division, the island was subjected to a heavy aerial bombardment. From 18 May until 11 June, around of bombs were dropped. Unbeknown to the Italian garrison, the ships carrying the 1st Division arrived offshore on the morning of 11 June. Around the same time, the ranking members of the Italian garrison held a conference where they acknowledged their situation was untenable and made the decision to surrender. The latter coincided with the start of the division's landing operations. Under the cover of fighters, a final bombing raid, and naval gunfire, the 1st Division came ashore around noon and were greeted by white flags. The remaining Pelagian Islands were taken the next day, without incident. With the islands secured, the division was withdrawn back to North Africa on 14 June. Four days later, the first Allied aircraft started operating from the island and would go on to provide air cover during the assault on Sicily. The capture of Pantelleria resulted in a German decision to send additional troops to
Sardinia and Sicily. Allied deception, however, had convinced the Germans that it was just the first step in a series of attacks that would conclude with an invasion of Greece.
Anzio landing Back in North Africa, the division trained and guarded
prisoners of war. This lasted until early December 1943, when it was transferred to Italy and concentrated near
Cerignola in preparation to join the
Eighth Army fighting on the east coast of the country. In the preceding months, Allied forces had
landed in southern Italy, accepted the
surrender of Italy, and pushed German forces north to where they entrenched along the
Winter Line barring the Allies from capturing Rome. From late September onwards, consideration for an
amphibious landing behind the front line were made, but logistical and strategical constraints delayed such a venture from gaining traction until the end of the year.
Anzio, south of Rome, was chosen as the landing site. The
Fifth Army, fighting on the west coast of Italy, was assigned the dual task of advancing north through the Winter Line and conducting the landing. The division was allocated to the Fifth Army to take part in the operation. Accordingly, it moved to the
Salerno-
Naples area in early January and started specialized training on 14 January 1944. Between 17 and 19 January, Exercise Oboe was conducted in the
Bay of Salerno. This was a full-scale rehearsal for the 2nd Infantry Brigade, which would land first, while elements from the rest of the division took part on a scaled down level. The day after the exercise ended, the division joined the US
VI Corps that was to oversee the landing for Fifth Army. The initial assault was carried out by the 2nd Infantry Brigade (reinforced with tanks, reconnaissance troops, artillery, engineers, and additional infantry), while the rest of the division was held as a floating reserve to be committed as needed across the entire landing zone. Just after 02:00, on 22 January, the 2nd Brigade went ashore and advanced inland against little resistance. The rest of the division started to land a few hours later and were all ashore by the end of the next day although still in a reserve role. During the day, the first German counterattacks began when several infantry companies attacked the 2nd Brigade and were repulsed. On 24 January, the division was relieved of its reserve duties and its forward patrols reached
Aprilia (nicknamed 'the factory' by the advancing troops) as well as positions along the
Moletta River to secure the left flank of the landing zone. By this point, German troops from Germany, France, Yugoslavia, and elsewhere in Italy had started to redeploy to oppose the landing.
Route 7, a highway and a vital supply line from central Italy to German forces based at the Winter Line, passes through
Cisterna di Latina. The town was thus a target of the Allied landing.
Carroceto and Aprilia were captured on 25 January, as the division worked to assist VI Corps achieve this goal. Over the course of the following days, patrols were conducted, minor tactical gains were made, and the division fended off several further German counterattacks that saw at least one British company overrun. While the initial corps-wide attack had failed, a renewed effort began on 30 January after sufficient forces had landed and the corps had secured its logistical base. For the divisions part, it had to advance towards
Albano Laziale and
Genzano di Roma, with the aim to create conditions for the US
1st Armored Division to exploit potentially towards Rome. While the division reached Campoleone, it was unable to push beyond, and the US tanks failed to make their own impact due to mud and terrain limitations. The division regrouped to consolidate the ground captured, a salient deep. By early February, the Germans had assembled a force that was almost on parity with the Allied forces in the bridgehead. On the division's front, between 3–4 February, German efforts concentrated on destroying the salient. Due to terrain, some the division's units were not able to set up mutually supporting positions and this was exploited by the German who infiltrated between them. While some of the initial German attacks were fought back, some British positions were overrun, or the troops forced to fall back. By the end of 4 February, the German assault had forced the division back to the positions held on 30 January and had inflicted 1,400 casualties. Further German attacks steadily gained ground and by the end of 10 February, Aprilia and Carroceto had also been lost by the division. It then moved into reserve. During this period, the divisional commander Major-General
Ronald Penney was wounded necessitating several days away.
Stalemate at Anzio There was severe fighting throughout the next few weeks as the Germans launched several fierce counterattacks in an attempt to drive the Allied force back into the sea. Testimony to this was when, on 17 February, Penney was wounded by shellfire and command of the 1st Division was taken by Major General
Gerald Templer of the recently arrived
56th (London) Infantry Division, from 18 to 22 February, when Penney resumed command. Because of the fighting seen by the division throughout February and March, the 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards) was withdrawn from the division, due to a lack of Guards replacements (even at this stage of the war the Guards were the only infantry regiments in the British Army to receive drafts of replacements from their own regiment), and replaced by the
18th Infantry Brigade from the
1st Armoured Division, which was in North Africa at the time.
Operation Diadem was the
final battle for Monte Cassino the plan was the
U.S. II Corps on the left would attack up the coast along the line of Route 7 towards Rome. The
French Expeditionary Corps (CEF) to their right would attack from the bridgehead across the Garigliano into the Aurunci Mountains.
British XIII Corps in the centre right of the front would attack along the Liri valley whilst on the right
2nd Polish Corps would isolate the monastery and push round behind it into the Liri valley to link with XIII Corps.
I Canadian Corps would be held in reserve ready to exploit the expected breakthrough. Once the
German Tenth Army had been defeated, the U.S. VI Corps would break out of the Anzio beachhead to cut off the retreating Germans in the Alban Hills. carry out maintenance on a
Vickers machine gun at
Anzio, Italy, 21 February 1944. As the Canadians and Polish launched their attack on 23 May, Major General
Lucian Truscott, who had replaced Lucas as commander of U.S. VI Corps, launched a two pronged attack using five (three American and two British) of the seven divisions in the bridgehead at Anzio. The German 14th Army facing this thrust was without any armoured divisions because Kesselring had sent his armour south to help the German 10th Army in the Cassino action. The 18th Infantry Brigade, which was temporarily attached to the division from February to August, returned to command of the 1st Armoured Division and were replaced by the
66th Infantry Brigade became a part of the division for the rest of the war. ,
Reconnaissance Corps, 23 June 1944. A Humber Mk IV armoured car passes the saluting base. In the fighting for the Anzio beachhead, 8,868 officers and men of the 1st Infantry Division were killed, wounded or missing in action. ==Post war==