A 2-pdr anti-tank gun of 44 Battery, 13th Anti-Tank Regiment, 2nd Division in the snow near Beuvry, 15 February 1940. The crew wear snow suits and the gun is camouflaged with white sheets.
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
BEF commander Lord Gort and Chief of the General Staff Pownall study a map at GHQ in the Chateau at Harbarcq, 26 November 1939.
First Expeditionary Force
- General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
- 5th Infantry Division (Major-General Harold Franklyn)
I Corps (Lieutenant-General Michael Barker)
II Corps (Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke)
III Corps (Lieutenant-General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam[1]
- 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, British Expeditionary Force Headquarters Troops
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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
- Brigade manning armoured cars
- 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
- Brigade manning armoured cars
- 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
- Brigade manning infantry and cavalry tank
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]
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I Corps
Lieutenant-General Michael Barker
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I Corps Troops, Royal Engineers
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I Corps Artillery Troops
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1st Infantry DivisionMajor-General Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander
2nd Infantry DivisionMajor-General Henry Charles Loyd
48th (South Midland) Infantry DivisionMajor-General Augustus Francis Andrew Nicol Thorne
II CorpsLieutenant-General Alan Brooke
3rd Infantry DivisionMajor-General Bernard Montgomery
4th Infantry DivisionMajor-General Dudley Johnson
50th (Northumbrian) Motor Infantry Division
III CorpsLieutenant-General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam[3]
42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division
44th (Home Counties) Infantry DivisionMajor-General Edmund Osborne
Saar ForceOn 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
51st (Highland) Infantry DivisionMajor-General V. M. Fortune
Formations undergoing training and performing labour duties12th (Eastern) Infantry DivisionMajor-General R. L. Petre[nb 4][5]
23rd (Northumbrian) DivisionMajor-General W. N. Herbert[nb 4]
46th Infantry DivisionMajor-General H. O. Curtis[nb 4]
HQ Lines of Communication British Expeditionary ForceMajor-General Philip de Fonblanque[6]
Units arriving in France after 10 May 19401st Armoured Division
Air Component
Second Expeditionary ForceThe 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. 52nd (Lowland) Infantry DivisionMajor-General J. S. Drew
See alsoNotes
Footnotes
References
External links
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