Operation Epsom order of battle

This is the order of battle for Operation Epsom, a World War II battle between British and German forces in Normandy, France between June 26 and June 30, 1944.

British Order of Battle

*21st Army Group - General Sir Bernard MontgomeryWilmot, p. 732]
**Second Army - Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey
***VIII Corps - Lieutenant-General Sir Richard O'ConnorClark, pp. 34 – 35]
****21st Army Group Troops (attached to VIII Corps for Epsom)
*****8th Army Group Royal Artillery
****Corps Troops
*****91st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
*****121st Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
****11th Armoured Division - Major-General George Roberts
*****Divisional Troops
******2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry (minus A Squadron) (Reconnaissance regiment) (Cromwell tanks)Fortin, pp. 14 and 92]
******77th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery
******75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
******58th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (parts)
******Counter-Mortar Battery, Royal Artillery
******13th, 612th, 147th Field Park Squadrons, Royal Engineers
******10th Bridging Troop, Royal Engineers
*****4th Armoured Brigade (attached for Epsom) - Brigadier J.C.C. CurrieClark, p. 36]
******The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons) (Sherman II / Sherman VC)Fortin, pp. 44]
******3rd County of London Yeomanry (The Sharpshooters) (Sherman II / Sherman VC)
******44th Battalion, The Royal Tank Regiment (Sherman II / Sherman VC)
******2nd Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps (Motor Battalion)
******4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
******144th Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery (Sexton self-propelled artillery)
*****29th Armoured Brigade - Brigadier C.B.C. Harvey
******23rd Hussars (Sherman V / Sherman VC)
******3rd Battalion, The Royal Tank Regiment (Sherman V / Sherman VC)
******2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (Sherman V / Sherman VC)
******8th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Motor battalion)
******13th (Honourable Artillery Company) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
******119th Battery, 75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
*****159th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier J.G. Sandie
******4th Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry
******1st Battalion, The Herefordshire Regiment
******3rd Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment
******2nd (Independent) Machine-Gun Company, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
******151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
******117th Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
******81st Squadron, 6th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers
****15th (Scottish) Infantry Division - Major-General G.H. MacMillan
*****Divisional Troops
******15th Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
******HQ and 346th Battery, 97th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
******HQ 119th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
******HQ 15th Division Engineers Regiment
******624th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
******26th Bridging Platoon, Royal Engineers
*****44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade - Brigadier H.D.K. Money
******8th Battalion, The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)
******6th Battalion, The Royal Scots Fusiliers
******6th Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers
******141st (The Buffs) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (attached from 79th Armoured Division)
******A Company, 1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun)
******190th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
******159th Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
******Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery
******81st Squadron, 6th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers
******279th Field Company, Royal Engineers
*****46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade - Brigadier C.M. Barber
******9th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
******2nd Battalion, The Glasgow Highlanders
******7th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders
******A Squadron, 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry (attached from 11th Armoured Division) (Cromwell)
******141st (The Buffs) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (two troops of Churchill Crocodile) (attached from 79th Armoured Division)
******B Company, 1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun)
******181st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
******161st Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
******Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery
******81st Squadron, 6th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers
******278th Field Company, Royal Engineers
*****227th (Highland) Infantry Brigade - Brigadier J.R. Mackintosh-Walker
******10th Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment)
******2nd Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders
******2nd Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
******C Company, 1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment, Royal Artillery
******131st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
******286th Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
******391st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery
******20th Field Company, Royal Engineers
*****31st Independent Tank Brigade (attached for Epsom) - Brigadier G.S. Knight
******7th Battalion, The Royal Tank Regiment (Churchills)
******9th Battalion, The Royal Tank Regiment (Churchills)
******C Squadron, 2nd County of London Yeomanry (Westminster Dragoons)
******B Squadron, 22nd Dragoons
****43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division - Major-General G.I. Thomas
*****Divisional Troops
******43rd (Gloucestershire) Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
******HQ 8th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun)
******HQ and 236th Battery, 59th (Hampshire) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
******HQ, 360th and 362nd Batteries, 110th (7th Dorset) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
******HQ 43rd Division Engineers Regiment
******20th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
*****129th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier G.H.L. Luce
******4th Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry
******4th Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment
******5th Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment
******A Company, 8th Battalion The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun)
******94th (Dorset and Hampshire) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
******235th Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
******360th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery
******20th Independent Anti-Aircraft Troop
******206th Field Company, Royal Engineers
*****130th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier N.D. Leslie
******7th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment
******4th Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment
******5th Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment
******B Company, 8th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun)
******112th (Wessex) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
******223rd Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
******362nd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery
******32nd Independent AA Troop, royal Artillery
******553rd Field Company, Royal Engineers
*****214th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier H. Essame
******7th Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry
******1st Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment
******5th Battalion, The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
******C Company, 8th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun)
******179th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
******333rd Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
******361st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery
******31st Independent Anti-Aircraft Troop, Royal Artillery
******20th Field Company, Royal Engineers
*****32nd (Guards) Infantry Brigade (Attached to the division on 28 June from the Guards Armoured Division for Epsom) [Jackson, p. 40] - Brigadier G.F. Johnson
******5th Battalion, Coldstream GuardsFortin, p. 37]
******3rd Battalion, Irish Guards
******1st Battalion, Welsh Guards

German Order of Battle

*Seventh Army - General Friedrich Dollmann (until 1700 hours June 28)Reynolds, p. 23]
*Panzer Group West - General der Panzertruppen (General of Armoured Troops) Leo Geyr von SchweppenburgClark, p. 73] (from 1700 hours June 28)
**Projector Brigade 7 (Nebelwerfers)
**Projector Brigade 8 [Clark, p. 97] (Nebelwerfers) [Reynolds, p. 32]
**I SS Panzer Corps - SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp DietrichClark, p. 27]
***Heavy SS Panzer Battalion 101Clark, p. 28] - SS-Obersturmbannführer Heinz von Westerhagen [Forty, p. 61] (Tiger I)
***12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend - SS-Standartenführer Kurt Meyer
****SS-Panzer Regiment 12 (Mark IV / Mark V Panther) [Clark, p. 25]
****SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 25
****SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 26
****SS-Panzer Artillery Regiment 12
****SS-Reconnaissance Battalion 12
****SS-Anti-Tank Battalion 12
****SS-Projector Battalion 12
****SS-Anti-Aircraft Battalion 12
****SS-Panzer Pioneer Battalion 12
****1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (Vanguard arrived on June 27 [Clark, p. 61] and attacked to 12SS) - SS-Obersturmbannführer Albert Frey
*****Battlegroup FreyClark, p. 80]
******SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 3 (elements)
******SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 4 (elements)
***21st Panzer Division (elements)Clark, p. 24] - Generalmajor Edgar FeuchtingerFord, p. 14] (tanks / Assault Guns)Clark, p. 64]
****One battlegroup based around a tank battalionClark, p. 63]
***Panzer-Lehr-Division (elements) - Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein [Forty, p. 30] (Mark IV / Mark V Panther) [Clark, p. 26]
****2nd SS Division Das Reich - SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Weidinger (arrived on June 27 and attached to Panzer-LehrMeyer, p. 409] , transferred to II SS Panzer Corps on June 29 [Reynolds, p. 21] )
*****Battlegroup Weidinger
******1st Battalion, 4th SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment "Der Führer"
******14th, 15th and 16th (Support) Companies, 4th SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment "Der Führer"
******1st Battalion, 3rd SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment "Deutschland"
**II SS Panzer Corps - SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser (until morning of June 29) SS-Obergruppenführer Willi Bittrich
***9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen - SS-Standartenführer Thomas Müller (Mark IV / Mark V Panther / Assualt Guns) [Clark, pp. 108–109]
****SS-Panzer Regiment 9
****SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 19
****SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 20
****SS-Panzer Artillery Regiment 9
****SS-Reconnaissance Battalion 9
****SS-Anti-Tank Battalion 9
****SS-Anti-Aircraft Battalion 9
****SS-Panzer Pioneer Battalion 9
***10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg - SS-Oberführer Heinz Harmel (Mark IV / Assault Guns) [Clark, pp. 176 and 179]
****SS-Panzer Regiment 10
****SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 21
****SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 22
****SS-Panzer Artillery Regiment 10
****SS-Reconnaissance Battalion 10
****SS-Anti-Aircraft Battalion 10
****SS-Panzer Pioneer Battalion 10
**III Anti-Aircraft Corps - General der Flak Wolfgang Pickert
***4th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (88mm Anti-Aircraft and other guns)
**XLVII Panzer Corps
***2nd Panzer Division (elements) (Mark V Panther)
****One battlegroup based around a tank battalion

See also

Footnotes

References

*
*cite book| first=Ken|last=Ford|authorlink=| coauthors=| series=| title=Caen 1944: Montgomery's Breakout Attempt |publisher=Osprey Publishing| date=2004| origdate= | isbn=1-84176-625-9
*cite book| first=Ludovic |last=Fortin |authorlink=| coauthors=| series=| title=British Tanks In Normandy|publisher=Histoire & Collections| date=2004| origdate=| isbn=2-91523-933-9
*cite book| first=George|last=Forty|authorlink=| coauthors=| series=Battle Zone Normandy| title=Villers Bocage|publisher=Sutton Publishing| date=2004| origdate= | isbn=0-75093-012-8
*
*cite book| first=Hubert|last=Meyer|authorlink=Hubert Meyer| coauthors=| series=| title=12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division Volume I|publisher=Stackpole Books| date=2005| origdate=| isbn=0-81173-198-7
*
*cite book|first=Chester|last=Wilmot|coauthors=Christopher Daniel McDevitt|title =The Struggle For Europe|publisher=Wordsworth Editions Ltd|date=1997|origdate=1952|isbn=1-85326-677-9