BRITISH 51ST (HIGHLAND) INFANTRY DIVISION (WORLD WAR II)

''For the First World War unit, see British 51st (Highland) Division (World War I).''
The British '51st (Highland) Division' was a Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through.

Contents

History

Battles

New 51st Division

Order of Battle at formation

'Support Units'

'Commanders'

Cultural References

Music

External links

History

The 51st Division commanded by Major-General Fortune formed part of the British Expeditionary Force at the start of World War 2. With the capture of two of its brigades in France the division effectively ceased to exist. The Highland 9th Division was renumbered to replace the 51st which then served in the North Africa campaign. From there it went to Sicily before returning to France as part of the invasion of Northern Europe.

Battles

===France 1940===
The 51st Infantry Division had been stationed at the Maginot Line, and had thus escaped being encircled with the rest of the BEF at Dunkirk. It was then pulled back to the west of Northern France, where it was attached to the French 10th Army. For some time, it was forced to hold a line four times longer than that which would normally be expected of a division. During this period, the 154th Brigade was detached and withdrawn successfully. However, the 152nd and 153rd Brigades were trapped at Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, and surrendered on June 12.

New 51st Division

Later, the British 9th (Highland) Infantry Division, the 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate of the 51st Division, was converted into the new 51st Division, with the 26th and 27th Brigades redesignated as 152nd and 153rd Brigades, and the 28th being merged with the severely under strength 154th Brigade.

★ New 51st Highland Division was at El Alamein (October-November 1942)
It played a Major Part in ''Operation Lightfoot'', where it was in the center of the Northern Push, between the Australian 9th Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division. It faced the 21st Panzer Division and some Italian units. Initially unsuccessful during Lightfoot, the minefields it cleared were key in achieving a breakout during Operation Supercharge. It was involved in the battle at Wadi Akarit, Tunisia in early April 1943, and took part in the frontal assault on strongpoints guarded by deep minefields, where it was on the far right of the line. The battalion commander of the 7th Argylls, Lt Col Lorne Campbell, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his leadership during the battle. Later, the division took part in the invasion of Sicily and later, the invasion of Italy. It was then recalled from the 8th Army in Italy, on the wishes of the 8th Army's ex-commander, General Bernard Law Montgomery, together with 7th Armoured Division and 50th (Tyne-Tees) Division, to prepare for the invasion of North-West Europe.
===Battle of Normandy===
It landed on the 7 June, as part of I Corps. It was sent across the Orne River, and spent most of its time in Normandy supporting the 6th Airborne Division. Its performance in Normandy was considered disappointing, and it was stated that it "had failed every mission it was given" by Montgomery. This is not entirely surprising, as the division had been in almost constant action since El Alamein in October 1942 and by Summer 1944 and had lost many of its seasoned veteran volunteers as casualties, being increasingly replaced by young, green conscripts. It has been determined by military analysts that WW2 divisions reached their peak of efficiency and aggression within 6 months. Beyond that, efficiency tailed off markedly. By D-Day, the 51st had been in constant demand for nearly 2 years. As it was, the warning bells had been rung in Italy, when a group of recuperating wounded soldiers of the 51st returning from their North African hospital base to rejoin the division in Italy, were split up instead and ordered to various units and formations totally unrelated to the 51st Division or its component regiments. The Jocks regarding this as heartless administrative high-handedness and refused to follow these orders. A mutiny was taking place. That members of such such a prime, proud formation as the 51st were prepared to mutiny reflects the total disregard for efficiency and unit pride and subservience to numbers displayed by the British military authorities in that theatre of war at that time. The mutineers, having made their point, were distributed to various units regardless, while ringleaders were jailed. It is one of the less-proud moments of British military history and leadership and was swept under the carpet until recently.
It is interesting to compare the Normandy performances of the 51st, which had been in action for too long and were below par in Normandy, with the untried but very eager 15th (Scottish) Division in action for the first time and which helped bring the II SS Panzer Corps to a halt for a short but vital period in June 1944, in the face of intense attacks.
One bright note in the Normandy campaign and breakout was when Monty changed his order of battle in the Brittany region to allow the 51st (Highland) Division to liberate Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, the scene of the division's surrender in June 1940. The division relished the moment and made it into a mini-media event, with pipes and drums and veterans of the 1940 campaign who had escaped capture and were with the 51st in 1944.
Late in 1944, in the Netherlands it was involved in the Battle of the Scheldt. Later it was a reserve unit on the Meuse during the Battle of the Bulge. It did not take part in much heavy fighting, and was only deployed as a stopgap in case the Germans broke through. It was later part of Operation Varsity, the crossing of the Rhine. The 51st ended its war in the Bremerhaven area of Northern Germany.

Order of Battle at formation

; '152nd Brigade' :

★ 2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders

★ 5th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders

★ 5th Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
; '153rd Brigade' :

★ 5th Battalion, Black Watch

★ 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

★ 5/7th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
; '154th Brigade' :

★ 1st Battalion, Black Watch

★ 7th Battalion, Black Watch

★ 7th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

'Support Units'

★ 1/7th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment

★ 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry, Royal Armoured Corps

★ 126th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

★ 127th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

★ 128th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

★ 61st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

★ 274th Field Company, Royal Engineers

★ 275th Field Company, Royal Engineers

★ 276th Field Company, Royal Engineers

'Commanders'

★ Maj.Gen. V.M.Fortune

★ Maj.Gen. Sir Alan Cunningham

★ Maj.Gen. Sir Neil Ritchie

★ Maj.Gen. D.N.Wimberley

★ Maj.Gen.D.C.Bullen-Smith

★ Maj.Gen. T.G.Rennie

★ Maj.Gen. G.H.A.MacMillan

★ Maj.Gen. A.J.H.Cassels

Cultural References

Music

★ "The 51st (Highland) Division's Farewell to Sicily", a folk song written by Hamish Henderson, a former officer who served in the 51st Division during the Sicilian campaign. It has been recorded by a number of folk singers, including Dick Gaughan.

★ "The Beaches of St. Valery", performed by the Battlefield Band. Written by Davy Steele, it tells the story of the 51st Division's struggle to reach Saint-Valéry-en-Caux in 1940 only to find that no ships had been sent to evacuate them.

★ "The Old Boys", performed by the Scottish group Runrig, who sing in both English and Gaelic. The song which first appeared on the album Recovery (1981) and was reprised on Protera (2003) speaks of the declining numbers of Gaelic speaking members of the 51st who fought at St Valery.

External links

★ Heroic and overlooked involvement in Dunkirk evacuation

★ The Forgotten Heroes of World War 2 by Robert Beesley