| 78th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
 A battleaxe, thedivision insignia. | |
| Active | May 1942[1] – August 1946[2] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division, at war establishment strength 17,298-18,347 men[a] |
| Nickname | "Battleaxe Division"[4] |
| Battle honours | 1942: Tebourba Gap[5] 1943: Oued Zarga, Medjez Plain, Tunis, Adrano, The Sangro[5] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Vyvyan Evelegh Sir Charles Keightley |
The78th Infantry Division, also known as theBattleaxe Division, was aninfantrydivision of theBritish Army, raised during theSecond World War that fought, with great distinction, inTunisia,Sicily andItaly from late 1942–1945.
Following theBattle of France and theBattle of Britain in 1940, theWestern Desert Campaign inNorth Africa became the primary focus ofBritish military operations during theSecond World War.[6] Between 1940 and 1942,British Commonwealth forces fought a back and forth campaign withItalian andGerman troops acrossItalian Libya.[7] Under the command ofGeneral der PanzertruppeErwin Rommel, the Italian-German force gained the upper hand during theBattle of Gazala and inflicted a major defeat upon theBritish Eighth Army. The battle resulted in the fall of the port ofTobruk, a calamity second only to thefall of Singapore in February 1942. The Eighth Army retreated from its gains in Libya over theFrontier Wire intoEgypt, where several battles were fought that culminated in theSecond Battle of El Alamein(23 October – 11 November).[8][9]
On 7 December 1941, theEmpire of Japan entered the war by attacking theBritish colony of Malaya and theAmerican naval base atPearl Harbor.[10] Four days later, Germanydeclared war on the United States, bringing the Americans into theEuropean conflict.[11] TheUnited States military favouredOperation Sledgehammer, a cross-channel invasion ofGerman-occupied France.[12] Such a move was opposed by the British, who acknowledged the military weakness of theAllies to undertake such an endeavour, especially as theBritish Army would have to provide the main force for such an operation. In July 1942, the Anglo-Americans met inLondon and agreed thatOperation Roundup, Sledgehammer's successor, would be postponed and joint operations would begin in North Africa.[13]
During 1941, planning took place for a proposed British landing inFrench North Africa. This operation, codenamed Gymnast, aimed to support a successfulOperation Crusader offensive inCyrenacia by drawing off Axis reinforcements, then in conjunction with the Eighth Army would defeat the Axis forces in North Africa. Following the American entry into the war, theUnited States Army developed the British plan into "Super Gymnast". This plan assumed that theVichy French garrison would invite the Allied force to land and then rejoin the Allies. The combined force would then defeat the Axis forces in North Africa, but lack of shipping, setbacks for the Eighth Army, and a lack of co-operation from the French in North Africa, led to planning being suspended on 12 March.[14][15] During the Anglo-American meeting in London, in July 1942, Operation Gymnast was revived. The revised plan, known asOperation Torch, sought to clear Africa of Axis forces and release Allied shipping, relieve pressure on theSoviet Union, and allow American ground forces to engage the Germans.[14][16][b]
On 25 May 1942, the 78th Infantry Division was formed inScotland specifically as an assault formation forOperation Torch.[1][18][19] The division's firstGeneral Officer Commanding (GOC) wasMajor GeneralVyvyan Evelegh, and the division comprised the1st Infantry Brigade (Guards) and the11th and36th Infantry Brigades, along with supporting units.[1] At its formation, the war establishment (the on-paper strength) of an infantry division was 17,298 men.[3] The divisional insignia, representing abattle axe as used by acrusader, was selected by Evelegh. A variant of the insignia featured the battle axe on a circular background. All versions displayed the blade facing to the left.[18] The insignia gave rise to the formation's nickname: Battleaxe Division. HistorianMichael Chappell wrote that the insignia "was proudly worn on just about all forms of dress" and to the exclusion of other insignia such as "regimental titles, [and] arm-of-service strips".[4]
The brigades selected for the division were all veterans of the fighting in France, and had taken part in theDunkirk evacuation. Each had also been, since 1941, trained inamphibious warfare in anticipation of such an operation.[19] During August, the formation held the only divisional exercise it conducted before it left the United Kingdom. This exercise,Operation Dryshod, intended to simulate an amphibious landing. However, due to a lack of available shipping, the exercise was largely academic. Henry Swanston Eeles comments "fields were selected which represented ships ... after moving over a road" the infantry ""landed" on the beaches on the other side of it."[19][20][21] On 16 October, the division embarked for North Africa.[5] En route, the division conducted extensive drills in embarking in landing craft in preparation for impending assault.[22]
The plan for Torch called for American landings on the Atlantic coast ofMorocco and nearAlgiers andOran alongAlgeria's coastline. The British role in the initial landings called for an assault by elements of the 78th Infantry Division (9,000 men of the 11th and 36thBrigade Groups), near Algiers, alongsideBritish Commandos and the U.S.39th and168th Regimental Combat Team (RCT).[23] The assault called for the 11th Brigade Group to land to the west of Algiers and secure a beachhead, before advancing south to capture theBlida airfield and then push east to secure Bir Touta, southwest of Algiers, to control the road network. The 36th Brigade Group was to wait off shore inreserve. To cover the eastern flank of the landing, the 39th RCT was to land and advance south, while the 168th RCT was tasked with the capture of the city itself. Resistance by theFrench army andair force was expected to be slight, although the same could not be said of theVichy navy.[24] Once Algiers was secured, the Anglo-American force would come under the command of theBritish First Army and was tasked with rapidly moving eastwards to enterFrench Tunisia.[25]
After sunset on 7 November, the invasion fleet moved into position. At 11:50, 45 landing craft took the 1st Battalion,East Surrey Regiment and the5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion,Northamptonshire Regiment towards the Algerian coastline. The first wave landed at 01:00, 8 November.[26] No opposition was met by the 11th Brigade Group, who completed their landings by noon.[27] Resistance was mixed at the other Anglo-American landing sites around Algiers. While this fighting took place, AmericanMajor GeneralCharles W. Ryder entered the city and opened negotiations withGeneralAlphonse Juin (C-in-C of French Forces in North Africa), who had been granted permission to do so byAdmiral of the fleetFrançois Darlan (C-in-C of theFrench Armed Forces).[28] A ceasefire was agreed to, and Algiers was occupied at 19:00. Darlan issued a general ceasefire, across Morocco and Algeria, on 10 November ending all fighting.[29]
Operation Torch had achieved complete surprise, and was a success.[30][16] While some Allied commanders, such asAdmiralSir Andrew Cunningham, believed that landings should have been conducted along the Tunisian coastline such a move had been ruled out during the planning of the operation due to the threat of Axis aircraft, submarines, and a shortage of Allied shipping.[31][32] On 9 November,Lieutenant GeneralSir Kenneth Anderson landed in Algiers and activated the British First Army. On 11 November, having sailed down the coast, the 36th Brigade Group landed in Algeria and capturedBougie.[33] In response to the Allied landings, Axis troops and aircraft were flown into Tunisia where they met no opposition from local Vichy French forces. On 14 November, Anderson ordered the 78th Infantry Division to move east–along with other American and British forces within the First Army–to seizeBizerta andTunis; aiming to achieve this goal before the end of the month, initiating theRun for Tunis.[34]
Thereafter the division, assigned mainly to Lieutenant GeneralCharles Allfrey'sV Corps, had a prominent role in theTunisian Campaign, gaining an excellent reputation.[18] In December 1942MajorWallace Le Patourel of the 2nd Battalion,Hampshire Regiment was awarded the 78th Division's firstVictoria Cross (VC) of the war.[35]
In February 1943 the 1st Infantry Brigade (Guards) was exchanged for the38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade of the6th Armoured Division. The 78th was to remain with this composition for the rest of the war. The division participated in the final stages ofOperation Ochsenkopf and the subsequent operations, including thecapture of Longstop Hill in April, which eventually led to the end of the campaign in Tunisia in mid-May, with nearly 250,000Axis soldiers surrendering.[18] It was during the capture of Longstop that the 78th Division gained its second VC of the war, belonging to MajorJohn Anderson,Commanding Officer (CO) of the 8th Battalion,Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.[36]
With the end of hostilities in North Africa the 78th Division participated in theVictory Parade in Tunis and had a rest after nearly six months of continuous fighting.[18] The First Army was disbanded soon afterwards, and the 78th Division was transferred to the veteranBritish Eighth Army, commanded byGeneralSir Bernard Montgomery.[37]
The 78th Division was initially held in reserve in North Africa for theAllied invasion of Sicily and spent the time bringing units up to strength with reinforcements, and training for future operations. However, Montgomery's Eighth Army, facing stiff German resistance, requested reinforcements and the 78th landed in Sicily in late July 1943, where it became part of Lieutenant GeneralSir Oliver Leese'sXXX Corps.[5] The division fought with distinction in Sicily, in particular at theBattle of Centuripe in August 1943.[38]
The division then, after a short rest after the fighting in Sicily was over, went on to fight in theItalian campaign, landing in Italy in late September 1943, transferring back to Lieutenant General Allfrey's V Corps.[5] Notable engagements in Italy (where, from December 1943 onwards the division was commanded by Major GeneralCharles Keightley)[1]) include the assaults on theViktor Line (Battle of Termoli), theMoro River Campaign, theBarbara Line and theWinter Line as well as theBattle of Monte Cassino–whereFusilierFrank Jefferson of the 2nd Battalion,Lancashire Fusiliers earned the division's third and final VC of the war–and theTrasimene Line.[18]
After this the 78th Division was, in July, withdrawn to the Middle East for a rest.[18] The 78th Division gained notoriety when on rest in Egypt, in mid-1944, by starting the Cairo riots. Some divisional signs are known to have included 'Cairo' as a mockbattle honour.[39] However, the rest did not last long and the division, now commanded by Major GeneralDonald Butterworth (soon replaced in October by Major GeneralKeith Arbuthnott[5]), soon returned to Italy, fighting around theGothic Line, under the command of Lieutenant-GeneralSidney Kirkman's XIII Corps once again, which was then under the command of theU.S. Fifth Army.[5] The division's second Italian winter was spent in the mountains, where morale was low. XIII Corps, stationed in theApennine Mountains, suffered the highest desertion rate in Italy, with over 1,100 men going missing, more than 600, over half, coming from the 78th Division. The division transferred back to the Eighth Army, now commanded by Lieutenant GeneralSir Richard McCreery, in January 1945, coming under the command of V Corps, now under Lieutenant General Keightley, the 78th Division's former commander. The division's final battle was in theBattle of the Argenta Gap, part of theSpring 1945 offensive in Italy where the division ended the war inAustria.[18]
The 78th Division was considered to be one of the best divisions of theBritish Army during the Second World War, due to its high morale and excellent leadership, and General Montgomery believed it to be the bestmountain warfare division in the British Eighth Army. This view was shared by many senior commanders, such as Lieutenant GeneralCharles Allfrey, commander ofV Corps, who claimed the 78th Division was the "finest fighting division of any that I had the privilege to have in 'V' Corps."[40]
| Appointed | General officer commanding |
|---|---|
| 14 June 1942 | Major-GeneralVyvyan Evelegh[1] |
| 13 December 1943 | Major-GeneralCharles Keightley[1] |
| 9 July 1944 | BrigadierRobert Keith Arbuthnott (acting)[1] |
| 30 July 1944 | Major-GeneralCharles Keightley[1] |
| 1 August 1944 | Brigadier Robert Keith Arbuthnott (acting)[1] |
| 21 August 1944 | Major-GeneralDonald Clunes Butterworth[1] |
| 10 October 1944 | Brigadier Robert Keith Arbuthnott (acting)[1] |
| 17 November 1944 | Major-General Robert Keith Arbuthnott[1] |
| 1946 | Major-GeneralJ. F. B. Combe[41] |
78th Infantry Division (1942–1945)
1st Infantry Brigade (Guards)(until 15 March 1943)[1]
38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade (from 15 March 1943)[1]
Divisional Troops