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North Africa - Sep 39

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North Africa (Egypt) - September 1939

 

GHQ Middle East Forces
1. Egypt
             
HQ British Troops Egypt
                   

7 Armoured Division known as The Armoured Division (Egypt)

'M/P' Battery, 3rd Royal Horse Artillery permanently attached from RA Group Middle

East on outbreak of war

'C' Battery, 4th Royal Horse Artillery permanently attached from RA Group Middle

East on outbreak of war

1st Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps

4 Armoured Brigade

1st Royal Tank Regiment

6th Royal Tank Regiment
                    

7 Infantry Division

'D/J' Battery, 3rd Royal Horse Artillery attached from RA Group ME

'M/P' Battery, 3rd Royal Horse Artillery attached from RA Group ME. one troop only

31st Field Regiment, RA attached from RA Group ME.

2nd Field Company, RE attached from Command Troops, ME

1st Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment attached, L of C Troops (ex 18 Inf Bde)

1st Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers MG battalion attached from Command Troops, ME

29 Infantry Brigade The Cairo Brigade until 20-Sep-39. HQ BTE but

under command 7 Infantry Division at Mersa

Matruh

1st Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent

2nd Battalion, The Scots Guards
                

11 Indian Infantry Brigade

1st Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles

2nd Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders

4th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment

4th Field Regiment, RA
                     

18 Infantry Brigade

1st Battalion, The Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment
                       

23 Infantry Brigade known as The Canal Brigade

1st Battalion, The Essex Regiment

1st Battalion, The Royal Sussex Regiment
                 

29 Infantry Brigade known as The Cairo Brigade. Under command 7 Infantry Division at Mersa Matruh

1st Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)

2nd Battalion, The Scots Guards
                  

7 Armoured Brigade detached from 7 Armoured Division

11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own)

7th Queen's Own Hussars

8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
         
Areas

Alexandria Sub-Area ? Until

1st Antiaircraft Battery, Royal Marines under Army command

20th Antiaircraft Battery, RA (20th Heavy AA Bty from

01-Jun-40)

3rd Battalion, The Coldstream Guards
                      
Command Troops

19th Heavy Battery (Coastal), RA

7th Medium Regiment, RA

3rd Royal Horse Artillery less one bty and one trp

4th Royal Horse Artillery less one bty

45th Fortress Company, RE

details from "E" Antiaircraft Company, RE

42nd Field Company, RE

54th Field Company, RE
         
           
The Egyptian Army Trained by the British Military Mission. Although

under its own national command, the Egyptian
Army was included in plans for the defence of

Egypt.

Frontiers District Administration five motorised squadrons in Ford pickups.

Sudanese troops 'very efficient'.

1 Egyptian Infantry Brigade

2 Egyptian Infantry Brigade

3 Egyptian Infantry Brigade

The three brigade HQs administered the following units:

Artillery

one 25pdr battery

one 3.7in howitzer bty (portee)

one antitank regiment (towed & portee)

one medium battery

Cavalry

two cavalry regiments Light tanks or Ford pickups.

Infantry

four infantry battalions in Cairo and the Delta

one infantry battalion at Aswan

two infantry battalions at El Arish in Sinai

two infantry battalions at Khartoum, The Sudan

two machine gun battalions at Mersa Matruh

 

 

 

Contact Steve Rothwell with comments and additional information