British Norfolk County Division
Encyclopedia
The Norfolk County Division was an infantry
division
of the British Army
during the Second World War named after the County
of Norfolk
. It was formed on 24 December 1940. On 18 November 1941 it was redesignated as the 76th Infantry Division
.
It was commanded by Major General
W. M. Ozanne and its constituent brigade
s were:
It was under the command of II Corps.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Second World War named after the County
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. It was formed on 24 December 1940. On 18 November 1941 it was redesignated as the 76th Infantry Division
British 76th Infantry Division
The 76th Infantry Division was a Second World War British Army unit created for service during that war.- History :It was converted from the Norfolk County Division on 18 November 1941. It then became a reserve division and was finally disbanded on 1 September 1944...
.
It was commanded by Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
W. M. Ozanne and its constituent brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s were:
- 213th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)
- 9th BnBattalionA battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, The Royal Berkshire RegimentRoyal Berkshire RegimentThe Royal Berkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 49th Regiment of Foot and the 66th Regiment of Foot.The regiment was originally formed as The Princess Charlotte of Wales's , taking the... - 13th Bn, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment
- 14th Bn, The South Staffordshire RegimentSouth Staffordshire RegimentThe South Staffordshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 38th Regiment of Foot and the 80th Regiment of Foot. In 1959 the regiment was amlagamated with the North Staffordshire Regiment to form the Staffordshire Regiment...
- 220th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)
- 7th Bn, The Royal Norfolk RegimentRoyal Norfolk RegimentThe Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The Norfolk Regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of Norfolk...
- 9th Bn, The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire RegimentBedfordshire and Hertfordshire RegimentThe Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army originally formed in 1688...
- 9th Bn, The Royal Norfolk RegimentRoyal Norfolk RegimentThe Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The Norfolk Regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of Norfolk...
- 222nd Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)
- 8th Bn, The Leicestershire Regiment
- 8th Bn, The Lincolnshire Regiment
- 11th Bn, The Royal Scots FusiliersRoyal Scots Fusiliers-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
It was under the command of II Corps.