1st Division (Ireland)

Last updated

1st Division
XX
Active9 May 1941 – 1945
CountryFlag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
Branch Irish Army
Type Infantry
Size Division
Garrison/HQ Collins Barracks, Cork
Nickname(s)Thunderbolt
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Maj. Gen. Michael J. Costello
General Order of Battle, November 1943 General Order of Battle, November 1943.png
General Order of Battle, November 1943

The 1st Division, nicknamed "Thunderbolt", was an infantry division in the Irish Army during the Second World War. [1]

Contents

The division was one of two infantry divisions established by Ireland during the duration of the war. The authorisation for the creation of the division, along with the 2nd Division, was granted by Minister for Defence Oscar Traynor on the 9th of May, 1941 as part of military expansion. The division was headquartered at Collins Barracks, Cork as part of the Southern Command. [2]

Origins

Following the declaration of state emergency by the de Valera government in 1939, efforts were made for military expansion. However, there was no grave concern until the Fall of France in 1940, after which the neutral status of Ireland was in peril. [3] Prior to the outbreak of war in December 1937, it was estimated that a force of three divisions would be necessary to defend Ireland in the event of an invasion. [4] However, by September 1939, only two reinforced brigades (gravely understrength) were raised. By early 1941, seven brigades were mobilised — just over 40,000 men.

The question of divisions was put forth at the start of 1941, and so the decision to authorise the establishment of two divisions was given by Oscar Traynor, then Minister for Defence on the 9th of May, 1941. Six of the brigades would be organised into two divisions, thus leaving an independent brigade (the 5th) to be subordinated to the Curragh Command. [2]

Organisation

The division was organised as follows:

Each brigade also consisted of field companies of engineers, signals, supply & transport; a field medical company; and military police. [5]

In addition to these units, the division was given two Armoured Squadrons (which serviced armoured cars and light tanks) as well as several cyclist squadrons (for anti-paratrooper operations). [2]

Col. Michael J. Costello was promoted to Major General and appointed commander in May; a man reported to be a "down to earth soldier" [1] and prepared his division to a high state of readiness. His division was, counterintuitively, not subordinated to the Southern Command (which was under the command of Col. J. Hanrahan). [1] These regional commands, which had been supplemented with brigades before the divisional-level organisation, were given various battalions, mobile squadrons and static establishments (or garrison companies). [2]

Unit History

Over the course of the war, the division was primarily training and garrisoning key areas in the south of Ireland. Large-scale field exercises, named the Blackwater Exercises were held in the August and September 1942, when the 1st Division engaged the 2nd Division in various attack and defence exercises. Over 20,000 troops and 1,500 vehicles partook in the exercises — the largest manoeuvres ever undertaken by the Irish Defence Forces. [6] The results were satisfactory, with drawbacks including the area of supply — remedied by further training in this area. [2]

To quote Maj. Gen. Costello:

Given the inadequate armament and signal equipment of the Forces, training concentrated on attaining superiority over a potential invader in night operations with small forces expected to yield capture of enemy arms and ammunition, in cross country mobility and in marksmanship and the use of mines and explosives generally. The platoons made silent advances during dark nights over difficult and unknown country. [7]

Despite rather poor pay and sub-par living conditions, morale remained high throughout the Emergency. [4]

Related Research Articles

A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers.

Operation Compass British military offensive against Italy in Egypt and Libya during WWII

Operation Compass was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British Empire forces attacked Italian forces of the 10th Army in western Egypt and Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya, from December 1940 to February 1941.

The 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group was an armoured unit of expatriate Czechoslovaks organised and equipped by the United Kingdom during the Second World War in 1943.

Guards Armoured Division Military unit

The Guards Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was created in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1941 during the Second World War from elements of the Guards units, the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards, and the Household Cavalry.

1st Canadian Division Canadian Joint Operations Command formation based in Kingston, Ontario

The 1st Canadian Division is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and equipped to meet Canada’s military objectives to counter any potential threat.

5th Canadian Division Military unit

The 5th Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of most army units in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador; as well as some units in Kingston, Ontario. The division is recognized by the distinctive maroon patch worn on the sleeve of its soldiers.

6th Armoured Division (United Kingdom) Military unit

The 6th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, created in September 1940 during the Second World War and re-formed in May 1951 in the UK.

10th Indian Infantry Division Infantry Division of the Indian army during World War II

The 10th Indian Infantry Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the Anglo-Iraqi War, the Invasion of Syria-Lebanon, the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the North African Campaign, and the Italian Campaign.

The Malaya Command was a formation of the British Army formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of British Malaya, which comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States and the Unfederated Malay States. It consisted mainly of small garrison forces in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Taiping, Seremban and Singapore.

Headquarters Northern Ireland Military unit

HQ Northern Ireland was the formation responsible for the British Army in and around Northern Ireland. It was established in 1922 and disbanded, replaced by a brigade-level Army Reserve formation, 38 (Irish) Brigade, in 2009.

Bulgarian Land Forces Land warfare branch of the Bulgarian Armed Forces

The Bulgarian Land Forces are the ground warfare branch of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. The Land Forces were established in 1878, when they were composed of anti-Ottoman militia (opalchentsi) and were the only branch of the Bulgarian military. The Land Forces are administered by the Ministry of Defence, previously known as the Ministry of War during the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

Iraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II.

The Order of battle of the East African campaign shows the ground forces of both sides in East Africa on the date that the Italians declared war on Britain and France, 10 June 1940 and for the British and Commonwealth forces involved in the 1941 offensive.

1st Armoured Brigade (Australia) Formation of the Australian Army

The 1st Armoured Brigade was a formation of the Australian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in July 1941, at Greta, New South Wales from volunteers for the Second Australian Imperial Force and was assigned to the 1st Armoured Division. Raised initially for service in the Middle East, following Japan's entry into the war, the brigade was assigned to the defence of Australia in case of an invasion. After garrison duties in New South Wales and Western Australia, it was disbanded in November 1944 without seeing active service, although some of its former units saw action later with other formations.

2nd Armoured Brigade (Australia) 1941-1957 formation of the Australian Army

The 2nd Armoured Brigade was a formation of the Australian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in July 1941, at Puckapunyal, Victoria, from Second Australian Imperial Force volunteers. It was assigned to the 1st Armoured Division in July 1941, with the intention of deploying it to the Middle East. However, it was reassigned to home defence following Japan's entry into the war, and was then transferred to the 3rd Armoured Division in October 1942. The brigade remained in Australia, undertaking defensive duties in Victoria and Queensland before being disbanded in January 1944. While it did not see any active service as a formation, some of its constituent units eventually took part in the campaigns on Tarakan, Labuan, Bougainville and around Aitape–Wewak in 1944–1945 after transferring to other brigades.

7 South African Infantry Division Military unit

7 South African Infantry Division was a formation of the South African Army, active from the 1960s to 1999.

Structure of the British Army

The structure of the British Army of the United Kingdom (UK) will be reorganised in 2022 with the Future Soldier reform. The British Army is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), with Army Headquarters which is located in Andover, Hampshire. Subordinate to that post, there is a Commander Field Army, and a personnel and UK operations command, Home Command.

The following is a hierarchical outline for the structure of the British Army in 1989. The most authoritative source for this type of information available is Ministry of Defence, Master Order of Battle, and United Kingdom Land Forces, HQ UKLF, UKLF ORBAT Review Action Plan, HQ UKLF, 1990.

The 2nd Division, nicknamed "Spearhead", was an infantry division in the Irish Army during the Second World War.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The War Room - Irish Defense Forces Commanders 1939 - 1945". 1 January 2013. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Irish Army During the Emergency – transcript". The North Strand Bombing, 1941. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "The Emergency – A Brief Overview – The Irish Story" . Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Irish Defence Forces 1940-1949. The Chief of Staff's Reports".
  5. ↑ "The War Room - OOB Nov 1943". www.csn.ul.ie. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Emergency Military Archives Calendar 2020" (PDF).
  7. ↑ T O'Reilly. Our Struggle For Independence. p. 205.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.