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Order of battle for Operation Epsom facts for kids

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This is the order of battle for Operation Epsom, a Second World War battle between British and German forces in Normandy, France between 26 June and 30 June 1944.

British Order of Battle

Second Army General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey

VIII Corps
Lieutenant-General Sir Richard O'Connor
Corps Troops
91st (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
121st (The Leicestershire Regiment) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
21st Army Group Troops (attached to VIII Corps for Epsom)
8th Army Group Royal Artillery 16 BL 5.5 inch Medium Guns,
16 BL 7.2 inch Howitzer Mk.Is
24 heavy anti aircraft guns.
11th Armoured Division
Major-General George Roberts
2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry Armoured reconnaissance regiment 'A' squadron was detached for Operation Epsom
Cromwell and M5 Stuart tanks
77th (Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery Attached from 8th AGRA
75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
58th (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery Less two batteries
Counter-Mortar Battery, Royal Artillery
13th, 612th Field Squadrons, Royal Engineers
147th Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers
10th Bridging Troop, Royal Engineers
4th Armoured Brigade
Brigadier J.C. Currie
Attached for Operation Epsom
The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons) Sherman II, Sherman Vc "Firefly" and M5 Stuart tanks
3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) Sherman II, Sherman Vc and M5 Stuarts
44th Royal Tank Regiment Sherman II, Sherman Vc and M5 Stuarts
2nd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery Sexton self-propelled 25 pounder guns
144th Battery, 91st (A&SH) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery M10C Achilles self-propelled anti-tank guns
29th Armoured Brigade
Brigadier C.B.C. Harvey
23rd Hussars Sherman V, Sherman Vc and M5 Stuarts
3rd Royal Tank Regiment Sherman V, Sherman Vc and M5 Stuarts
2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry Sherman V, Sherman Vc and M5 Stuarts
8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
13th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (Honourable Artillery Company) Sexton self-propelled 25 pounder guns
119th Battery, 75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery M10 and M10C SP Anti-Tank Guns
Troop, 612th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
159th Infantry Brigade
Brigadier J.G. Sandie
4th Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry
1st Battalion, The Herefordshire Regiment
3rd Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment
2nd (Independent) Machine-Gun Company, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery Towed 25-Pounder field guns
117th Battery, 75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
81st Squadron, 6th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers Elements attached from 79th Armoured Division
2 x Churchill Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) scissors bridges
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division
Major-General G.H. MacMillan
Divisional Troops
15th Scottish Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps Humber Light Reconnaissance Car
Humber armoured car
HQ and 346th Battery, 97th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
HQ 119th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
HQ 15th Divisional Engineers
624th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
26th Bridging Platoon, Royal Engineers
HQ 1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) Vickers machine guns and 4.2-inch mortars
44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade
Brigadier H.D.K. Money
6th Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers
6th Battalion, The Royal Scots Fusiliers
8th Battalion, Royal Scots
141st (Buffs) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps 2 x Troops Churchill Crocodiles attached from 79th Armoured Division
A Company, 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) Vickers MGs, platoon of 4.2-inch mortars
190th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery Towed 25-Pounder field guns
159th Battery, 97th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
Battery, 119th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
81st Squadron, 6th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers Two Troops Churchill AVREs attached from 79th Armoured Division
279th Field Company, Royal Engineers
46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade
Brigadier C.M. Barber
2nd Battalion, The Glasgow Highlanders
7th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders
9th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
A Squadron, 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry Attached from 11th Armoured Division
Cromwell tanks
Two Troops 141st (Buffs) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps Two troops Churchill Crocodiles attached from 79th Armoured Division
B Company, 1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) Vickers MGs, platoon of 4.2-inch mortars
181st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery Towed 25-Pounder field guns
161st Battery, 97th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
Battery, 119th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
81st Squadron, 6th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers Three troops Churchill AVREs attached from 79th Armoured Division
278th Field Company, Royal Engineers
227th (Highland) Infantry Brigade
Brigadier J.R. Mackintosh-Walker
2nd Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
2nd Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders
10th Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment)
C Company, 1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) Vickers MGs, platoon of 4.2-inch mortars
131st (Lowland – City of Glasgow) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery Towed 25-Pounder field guns
286th Battery, 97th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
391st Battery, 119th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
20th Field Company, Royal Engineers
31st Independent Tank Brigade
Brigadier G.S. Knight
Attached for Operation Epsom
7th Royal Tank Regiment Churchill tanks
9th Royal Tank Regiment Churchill tanks
C Squadron, 2nd County of London Yeomanry (Westminster Dragoons) Attached from 79th Armoured Division
Sherman Crab Flail tanks
B Squadron, 22nd Dragoons Attached from 79th Armoured Division
Sherman Crabs
43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
Major-General Ivor Thomas
Divisional Troops
43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (The Gloucestershire Regiment) Armoured cars, light reconnaissance cars; not in action during Epsom
HQ 8th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) Vickers machine guns and 4.2-inch mortars
HQ and 236th Battery, 59th (Duke of Connaught's Hampshire) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
HQ and 362nd Battery, 110th (7th Dorset) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
HQ 43rd (Wessex) Divisional Engineers
207th (Wessex) Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
129th Infantry Brigade
Brigadier G.H.L. Luce
4th Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry
4th Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment
5th Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment
A Company, 8th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) Vickers MGs, platoon of 4.2-inch mortars
94th (Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery Towed 25-Pounder field guns
235th Battery, 59th (DoCH) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
360th Battery, 110th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
30th Independent Anti-Aircraft Troop
206th (Hampshire) Field Company, Royal Engineers
130th Infantry Brigade
Brigadier N.D. Leslie
4th Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment
5th Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment
7th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment
B Company, 8th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) Vickers MGs, platoon of 4.2-inch mortars
112th (Wessex) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery Towed 25-Pounder field guns
233rd Battery, 59th (DoCH) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
362nd Battery, 110th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
32nd Independent AA Troop, Royal Artillery
553rd Field Company, Royal Engineers
214th Infantry Brigade
Brigadier H. Essame
1st Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment
5th Battalion, The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
7th Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry
C Company, 8th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) Vickers MGs, platoon of 4.2-inch mortars
179th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery Towed 25-pounder field guns
333rd Battery, 59th (DoCH) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
361st Battery, 110th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
31st Independent Anti-Aircraft Troop, Royal Artillery
260th (Wessex) Field Company, Royal Engineers
32nd (Guards) Infantry Brigade

Brigadier G.F. Johnson

The first major formation of Guards Armoured Division to land in Normandy; attached on 28 June for the remainder of Operation Epsom
1st Battalion, Welsh Guards
3rd Battalion, Irish Guards
5th Battalion, Coldstream Guards
55th (Wessex) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (West Somerset Yeomanry)
21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery Less one battery
615th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers

German Order of Battle

Seventh Army / Panzer Group West

General Friedrich Dollmann (until 1700 hours 28 June)
General der Panzertruppe (General of Armoured Troops) Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg (from 1700 hours 28 June)

Army Troops

  • Projector Brigade 7
  • Projector Brigade 8

I SS Panzer Corps

SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich

  • Corps Troops
    • Heavy SS Panzer Battalion 101 - SS-Obersturmbannführer Heinz von Westerhagen
    • SS-Artillery Battalion 101
    • Artillery Battalion 992
  • 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend - SS-Standartenführer Kurt Meyer
    • SS-Panzer Regiment 12
    • SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 25
    • SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 26
    • SS-Panzer Artillery Regiment 12
    • SS-Reconnaissance Battalion 12
    • SS-Anti-Tank Battalion 12
    • SS-Projector Battalion 12
    • SS-Anti-Aircraft Battalion 12
    • SS-Panzer Pioneer Battalion 12
  • 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler - SS-Obersturmbannführer Albert Frey
    • battlegroup Frey
      • SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 3 (elements)
      • SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 4 (elements)
  • 21st Panzer Division - Generalmajor Edgar Feuchtinger
    • One battlegroup
  • Panzer-Lehr-Division (elements) - Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein
  • 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich - SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Weidinger
    • Battlegroup Weidinger
    • 1st Battalion, 4th SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment "Der Führer"
    • 14th, 15th and 16th (Support) Companies, 4th SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment "Der Führer"
    • 1st Battalion, 3rd SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment "Deutschland"

II SS Panzer Corps

SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser (until morning of 29 June)
SS-Obergruppenführer Willi Bittrich (from morning of 29 June)

  • 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen - SS-Standartenführer Thomas Müller
    • SS-Panzer Regiment 9
    • SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 19
    • SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 20
    • SS-Panzer Artillery Regiment 9
    • SS-Reconnaissance Battalion 9
    • SS-Anti-Tank Battalion 9
    • SS-Anti-Aircraft Battalion 9
    • SS-Panzer Pioneer Battalion 9
  • 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg - SS-Oberführer Heinz Harmel
    • SS-Panzer Regiment 10
    • SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 21
    • SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 22
    • SS-Panzer Artillery Regiment 10
    • SS-Reconnaissance Battalion 10
    • SS-Anti-Aircraft Battalion 10
    • SS-Panzer Pioneer Battalion 10

III Anti-Aircraft Corps

General der Flakartillerie Wolfgang Pickert

  • 4th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (88mm Anti-Aircraft and other guns)

XLVII Panzer Corps

  • 2nd Panzer Division (elements)
    • One battlegroup based around a tank battalion

See also

  • List of orders of battle
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