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50 th (Northumbrian) 150 th Infantry 4 th ,

The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British that saw distinguished service in the Second World War. Pre-war, the division was part of the Territorial Army (TA) and the two Ts in the divisional insignia represent the three main rivers of its recruitment area, namely the rivers Tyne, Tees and Humber. The division served in almost all of the engagements of the European War from 1940 until late 1944 and also served with distinction in North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East from mid-1941 to 1943. The 50th Division was one of two British divisions (the other being the 3rd Infantry) to land in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944, where it landed on . Four men of the division were awarded the during the war, more than any other division of the during the Second World War. 50 th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division 150 th Infantry Brigade 4 thBattalion, Green Howards

The Green Howards 50 th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division 1939

Bourton on the Hill Moreton in Marsh Cotswold

50 th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division

Pre-War and Mobilisation The 50th Division had been reformed in 1920 as an infantry division of the (TF), which was soon renamed as the Territorial Army (TA). It contained the same infantry as before, the 149th (4th to 7th Royal Northumberland ), 150th (4th battalion East Yorkshire , 4th and 5th Green Howards and 5th Durham ), and 151st (6th to 9th battalions ) In the late 1930s some of its infantry battalions were converted to anti- aircraft , and in 1938, as part of the conversion of a number of infantry regiments into divisional support units, the whole of the 149th Infantry Brigade was so converted reducing the division to two brigades, and it was converted to a motorised infantry division. The division was mobilised on 1 September 1939, the day the invaded Poland, and until 2 October also administered the units of its 2nd Line duplicate formation, the 23rd (Northumbrian) Division, until its headquarters were formed. In October 1939, the 50th Division, under the command of Major- Giffard Le Quesne Martel, was concentrated in the Cotswolds for training and in January 1940 it was moved to France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).

France and the BEF Disembarking at Cherbourg, France on 19 January 1940, the 50th Division joined the 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions as part of -General Sir Alan Brooke's II , itself part of the BEF under General Lord Gort. By March the division was at work preparing the defences in the Lille—Loos area. With the German attack on the West on 10 May, the British and French acted according to their Dyle Plan and advanced to the River Dyle in Belgium. The next day the 25th Infantry Brigade and other supporting units were added to the division while it was in reserve on the Belgian border. Ordered to moved on 16 May, the 50th Division headed to the west of the Belgian city of Brussels and took up positions on the river Dender, only to be part of the withdrawal and by 19 May was on the Vimy ridge, north of Arras. It had become known to the Allies that the German Army's southern spearheads had pierced the Peronne–Cambrai gap and were threatening Boulogne and Calais, cutting the BEF's lines of communication and separating it from the main French . A plan by French General Maxime Weygand to close this gap between the French and British forces included Frankforce (after Major-General , GOC of the ), consisting of the 5th and 50th Divisions and the 1st Army Brigade attacking southward, and French divisions attacking northward from around Cambrai. 50 th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division Arras Instead of divisions, the attack was made by two battalion sized columns, with many of the armoured units already unserviceable. Of the 5th Infantry Division's two brigades, one had been sent to hold the line of the river Scarpe to the east of Arras, together with the 150th Brigade of the 50th Division, while the other was in reserve. The two columns comprised the 6th and 8th Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry (D.L.I.) of 151st Brigade supporting the 4th and 7th (R.T.R.), one of each in both columns, artillery and other supporting , totalling 74 tanks and around 2,000 men. Attacking on 21 May, the right column (8th D.L.I. and 7th R.T.R.) initially made rapid progress, taking the villages of Duisans and Warlus and a number of German prisoners but they soon ran into German infantry and Waffen-SS, and were counterattacked by Stukas and tanks and had many casualties. The left column (6th D.L.I. and 4th R.T.R.) also enjoyed early success, taking Danville, Beaurains and reaching the planned objective of Wancourt before running into opposition from the infantry units of Generalmajor 's 7th Panzer Division. French tanks and carriers enabled British to evacuate Warlus, and the carriers of the 9th Durham Light Infantry (in reserve) helped those in Duisans withdraw to their former positions that night. Next day the Germans regrouped and continued their advance; Frankforce had taken around 400 German prisoners and inflicted a similar number of casualties, as well as destroying a number of tanks. The attack had been so effective that 7th Panzer Division believed it had been attacked by five infantry divisions. The attack also made the German of Panzergruppe von Kleist nervous, with forces left behind to guard lines of communication.

Withdrawal to Dunkirk By now Arras was becoming a salient in the German lines and increasingly vulnerable. The four Brigades of the 5th and 50th Divisions were becoming hard pressed and on the night of 23–24 May received orders to withdraw to the canal line. After fighting on the canal line the 5th and 50th Divisions were withdrawn north to to fill a threatening gap developing between the Belgian Army and the BEF, after a strong German attack on the Belgians on 25 May. It was late on 27 May when the 50th Division arrived at Ypres to find their positions already being shelled and the Belgian Army being pushed north-eastwards away from them. The gap was covered by the side-stepping 3rd Division, under the-then Major-General , the next day. On that day (28 May) the Belgians surrendered, opening up a 20-mile gap south from the English Channel, which the Germans aimed to rapidly exploit. The division was now ordered to form a line east of Poperinghe, with the 3rd Division east of them up to Lizerne, this was done by the morning of 29 May, forming the southern edge of the Dunkirk corridor. In contact with the Germans from the start the 50th Division was forced back and by late 30 May was in the eastern end of the Dunkirk perimeter. The division was reinforced by some remnants from the 23rd (Northumbrian) Division on 31 May, which were needed as the Germans continued to attack and shell the 50th Division's positions. Withdrawn to the beach on 1 June, the 151st Brigade was informed it may be used in a diversionary attack to cover the evacuation and formed two columns, but this became unnecessary. That night the 50th Division was evacuated from the beaches (150th Brigade, RASC and gunners) and the Mole (151st Brigade and others), with Lieutenant-General Brooke having estimated its strength on 30 May at 2,400 men.

North Africa – 150th Brigade ( 4th Battalion Green Howards ) 50 th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division

Home Defence While in Britain the division made good its losses with new recruits and convalescents, and was converted into a three brigade infantry division with the permanent addition, at the end of June, of the 69th Infantry Brigade (5th East , 6th and 7th Green Howards) from the disbanded 23rd (Northumbrian) Division, which had been mauled in France. It become part of XII Corps, Home Forces, on anti-invasion duty, stationed initially in and to the West of Bournemouth, later on the North coast of . The 50th Division was first informed of an overseas move in September 1940 to North Africa, and embarkation leave was given over Christmas. However the VIII Corps ordered intensive exercises on the moors of Somerset and Devon, another grant of embarkation leave was granted in March 1941, and on 22 April the division headquarters and 150th Brigade sailed from Liverpool. The remainder of the division sailed from Glasgow on 23 May. While in the North Atlantic the majority of the escorts of the Glasgow convoy were detailed away from the convoy in the search for the Bismark leaving only the cruiser HMS Exeter. North Africa The 150th Brigade had returned to the Western Desert in November 1941. After training around Bir Thalata, it was ordered into and saw action, capturing eight guns and a prisoner from the . Directed to the Bir Hakeim position it erected wire, laid mines and dug trenches. Exchanging with the Free French in February 1942 it moved North, and rejoining the rest of the division took over a 25 miles (40 km) of the Line from the 4th Indian Division; it was now part of XIII Corps in the British Eighth Army, commanded by Lieutenant-General . The Gazala Line was a series of defensive "boxes", protected by mine-fields and wire and with little showing above ground, each occupied by a brigade of infantry with attached artillery, engineers and a field ambulance. The Brigades' B echelons, with stores and motor transport, were sited some miles to the rear. These boxes were intended to pin down attacking Axis forces while the British 1st and 7th Armoured Divisions attacked them in turn. Close by to the north was the 1st South African Division, isolated to the South were the Free French. Other boxes were sited to the rear of the main line, such as the Knightsbridge Box. Patrols began, with the aims of gathering intelligence and disrupting German and Italian operations. These ranged in size from two to three of infantry and anti tank guns, to battalion sized formations containing most of the arms of the division. One such operation, Fullsize, launched at the end of March consisted of three columns and was commanded by John S. Nichols, commander of the 151st Brigade. This ranged up to 30 miles (48 km) from Gazala to raid Luftwaffe landing grounds, in order to distract them from a bound convoy. At the end of April the 150th Brigade was moved South to relieve the 201st Guards Motor Brigade in a large box with a perimeter of 20 miles (32 km), 6 miles (9.7 km) from 69th Brigade to the north and 10 miles (16 km) from the Free French to the South. 50 th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division

Battle of Gazala By the middle of May the British were aware that Rommel intended to attack. On 26 May he launched a diversionary attack on the Gazala line, then the next day staged a wide sweeping movement around the left flank of the Gazala line at Bir Hakeim, then north behind it, while the Italians mounted diversionary attacks against the South Africans and 50th Division. By the middle of May the British were aware that Rommel intended to attack. On 26 May he launched a diversionary attack on the Gazala line, then the next day staged a wide sweeping movement around the left flank of the Gazala line at Bir Hakeim, then north behind it, while the Italians mounted diversionary attacks against the South Africans and 50th Division. Intense fighting quickly developed behind the 150th Brigade box in an area known as The Cauldron, as four German and Italian armoured divisions fought and initially overran the British formations which were committed piecemeal to the . After two days, with the Free French holding out at Bir Hakeim, Rommel's supply situation was becoming desperate due to the long detour to the south, an increasing toll of tanks was being taken by the Desert Air Force. Some supplies reached Rommel through the weakly held mine fields north and south of the 150th Brigade box, but by May 31 the situation was again serious, such that General Bayerlein was considering surrender. Rommel had turned his attention to the 150th Brigade box as a means to shorten his lines of communication and began attacking it on 29 May from the rear, using parts of 15th Panzer, Trieste Motorised and 90th Light Divisions, supported by heavy bombing attacks. The box was gradually reduced over a stubborn defence, and it was overrun by noon on 1 June, with the capture of all three infantry battalions and attached artillery and engineers. During this time the other brigades of the division, noting the flow of supplies in front of them, mounted vigorous patrols to disrupt and steal these supplies. Particularly prized was fresh water from the wells at Derna to supplement their own meagre ration, all other types of stores and weapons were taken as well as prisoners. This commerce raiding continued until, after the withdrawal of the Free French on 10 June and the defeat of the remaining British armour on 13 June, the remaining Gazala boxes realised they were now almost cut off. On 14 June they received orders to withdraw North Africa – 150th Brigade in the Cauldron