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changed1944 Order of Battle Updates:At first glance, the British military seems to be at the zenith of its World War 2 power on the eve of the Normandy landings. British armoured brigades are powerful battering rams. British infantry divisions remain substantially larger than their allies and adversaries alike. Their anti-tank guns are among the finest in the world. Meanwhile, the RAF can challenge any opponent on equal or better terms in the skies above. Britain, and the Commonwealth generally, has come far since the dark days of 1940. Yet…a crisis brews beneath the surface. Years of total war from Malaysia to Tunisia have bled Britain dry. The Italian theater consumes manpower in hard-won bloodbaths like Anzio and Monte Cassino, while the fighting at Caen and the triumph in the Falaise Pocket inflict their own heavy price. By mid-August 1944, only 1,100 trained infantry replacements deemed ready to reinforce 21st Army Group remain in Home Forces. British infantry training levels stand on the precipice of a sharp decline. As fighting rages on in the Low Countries, Italy, Greece, and the Pacific, the demand for fresh infantrymen continues unabated. Britain must adapt, but the path forward is fraught with challenges.
changed1944 Order of Battle Updates:Adapting to the Crisis: Britain’s manpower inefficient infantry divisions posed a serious challenge as the replacement crisis deepened. British infantry divisions were large, upwards of 18,000 men, and lacked the battalion-level firepower common in contemporary armies. British commanders were hardly blind to these deficiencies and forces in the field engaged in a wide variety of local adaptations. The 5th Infantry Division hoarded an impressive 40 4.2” mortars, distributed at division and brigade levels. The 49th West Riding Division converted roughly half its rifle sections to SMG sections from July onwards. 51st Highland Division organized scout/sniper platoons in most battalions. In the summer some divisions in the Mediterranean started converting rifle battalion AT companies into mechanized infantry. By September some units were eliminating the anachronistic 4th rifle company per battalion entirely, and embracing a 2-LMG per squad organization. Ad-hoc combined arms columns were assembled from divisional anti-tank batteries to create quick reaction forces incorporating mechanized infantry, mortars, and tank-destroyers. Divisions in the field were skillfully adapting to the manpower crisis and deficiencies of their organizations, but the War Office did not institutionalize these adaptations army wide. Instead, the War Office focused its efforts on the equally important tasks of dissolving excess units and squeezing manpower out of other arms with merciless efficiency.
added1944 Order of Battle Updates:Playing UK 1944 UK 1944 primarily models the British army at its height between April and July. As such, the deleterious effects of the growing manpower crisis are perceptible, but they are not yet critical. Many infantry divisions now have variant organizations. Some excel in close combat, others enjoy superior AT capabilities, some buckle under the weight of mounting attrition; each has its own niche to fill. Britain enjoys substantial advantages in flexibility and mobility over past years, especially if commanders utilize creative battle-grouping. Mechanized MG and recon units, 4.2” mortar, M10/Achilles, and self-propelled AA companies, provide an excellent basis for combined-arms battlegroups. Use these battlegroups as cheap and effective combined arms support for your infantry brigades. The massive proliferation of 17pdrs, mounted in Shermans, M10s, Challengers, or even simply towed, presents a serious threat to enemy armor. The proper employment of 17pdrs means life or death against enemy tanks as the PIATs and 6pdrs controlled by infantry brigades will not defeat concentrated armor assaults. In defensive battles the British army in 1944 remains one of the most capable orders of battle in CAOS. Always keep
Combined Arms Operations Series changes
changedAt first glance, the British military seems to be at the zenith of its World War 2 power on the eve of the Normandy landings. British armoured brigades are powerful battering rams. British infantry divisions remain substantially larger than their allies and adversaries alike. Their anti-tank guns are among the finest in the world. Meanwhile, the RAF can challenge any opponent on equal or better terms in the skies above. Britain, and the Commonwealth generally, has come far since the dark days of 1940. Yet…a crisis brews beneath the surface. Years of total war from Malaysia to Tunisia have bled Britain dry. The Italian theater consumes manpower in hard-won bloodbaths like Anzio and Monte Cassino, while the fighting at Caen and the triumph in the Falaise Pocket inflict their own heavy price. By mid-August 1944, only 1,100 trained infantry replacements deemed ready to reinforce 21st Army Group remain in Home Forces. British infantry training levels stand on the precipice of a sharp decline. As fighting rages on in the Low Countries, Italy, Greece, and the Pacific, the demand for fresh infantrymen continues unabated. Britain must adapt, but the path forward is fraught with challenges.
changedAdapting to the Crisis: Britain’s manpower inefficient infantry divisions posed a serious challenge as the replacement crisis deepened. British infantry divisions were large, upwards of 18,000 men, and lacked the battalion-level firepower common in contemporary armies. British commanders were hardly blind to these deficiencies and forces in the field engaged in a wide variety of local adaptations. The 5th Infantry Division hoarded an impressive 40 4.2” mortars, distributed at division and brigade levels. The 49th West Riding Division converted roughly half its rifle sections to SMG sections from July onwards. 51st Highland Division organized scout/sniper platoons in most battalions. In the summer some divisions in the Mediterranean started converting rifle battalion AT companies into mechanized infantry. By September some units were eliminating the anachronistic 4th rifle company per battalion entirely, and embracing a 2-LMG per squad organization. Ad-hoc combined arms columns were assembled from divisional anti-tank batteries to create quick reaction forces incorporating mechanized infantry, mortars, and tank-destroyers. Divisions in the field were skillfully adapting to the manpower crisis and deficiencies of their organizations, but the War Office did not institutionalize these adaptations army wide. Instead, the War Office focused its efforts on the equally important tasks of dissolving excess units and squeezing manpower out of other arms with merciless efficiency.
addedPlaying UK 1944 UK 1944 primarily models the British army at its height between April and July. As such, the deleterious effects of the growing manpower crisis are perceptible, but they are not yet critical. Many infantry divisions now have variant organizations. Some excel in close combat, others enjoy superior AT capabilities, some buckle under the weight of mounting attrition; each has its own niche to fill. Britain enjoys substantial advantages in flexibility and mobility over past years, especially if commanders utilize creative battle-grouping. Mechanized MG and recon units, 4.2” mortar, M10/Achilles, and self-propelled AA companies, provide an excellent basis for combined-arms battlegroups. Use these battlegroups as cheap and effective combined arms support for your infantry brigades. The massive proliferation of 17pdrs, mounted in Shermans, M10s, Challengers, or even simply towed, presents a serious threat to enemy armor. The proper employment of 17pdrs means life or death against enemy tanks as the PIATs and 6pdrs controlled by infantry brigades will not defeat concentrated armor assaults. In defensive battles the British army in 1944 remains one of the most capable orders of battle in CAOS. Always keep
1944 Order of Battle Updates:
At first glance, the British military seems to be at the zenith of its World War 2 power on the eve of the Normandy landings. British armoured brigades are powerful battering rams. British infantry divisions remain substantially larger than their allies and adversaries alike. Their anti-tank guns are among the finest in the world. Meanwhile, the RAF can challenge any opponent on equal or better terms in the skies above. Britain, and the Commonwealth generally, has come far since the dark days of 1940. Yet…a crisis brews beneath the surface. Years of total war from Malaysia to Tunisia have bled Britain dry. The Italian theater consumes manpower in hard-won bloodbaths like Anzio and Monte Cassino, while the fighting at Caen and the triumph in the Falaise Pocket inflict their own heavy price. By mid-August 1944, only 1,100 trained infantry replacements deemed ready to reinforce 21st Army Group remain in Home Forces. British infantry training levels stand on the precipice of a sharp decline. As fighting rages on in the Low Countries, Italy, Greece, and the Pacific, the demand for fresh infantrymen continues unabated. Britain must adapt, but the path forward is fraught with challenges.
Adapting to the Crisis: Britain’s manpower inefficient infantry divisions posed a serious challenge as the replacement crisis deepened. British infantry divisions were large, upwards of 18,000 men, and lacked the battalion-level firepower common in contemporary armies. British commanders were hardly blind to these deficiencies and forces in the field engaged in a wide variety of local adaptations. The 5th Infantry Division hoarded an impressive 40 4.2” mortars, distributed at division and brigade levels. The 49th West Riding Division converted roughly half its rifle sections to SMG sections from July onwards. 51st Highland Division organized scout/sniper platoons in most battalions. In the summer some divisions in the Mediterranean started converting rifle battalion AT companies into mechanized infantry. By September some units were eliminating the anachronistic 4th rifle company per battalion entirely, and embracing a 2-LMG per squad organization. Ad-hoc combined arms columns were assembled from divisional anti-tank batteries to create quick reaction forces incorporating mechanized infantry, mortars, and tank-destroyers. Divisions in the field were skillfully adapting to the manpower crisis and deficiencies of their organizations, but the War Office did not institutionalize these adaptations army wide. Instead, the War Office focused its efforts on the equally important tasks of dissolving excess units and squeezing manpower out of other arms with merciless efficiency.
Playing UK 1944 UK 1944 primarily models the British army at its height between April and July. As such, the deleterious effects of the growing manpower crisis are perceptible, but they are not yet critical. Many infantry divisions now have variant organizations. Some excel in close combat, others enjoy superior AT capabilities, some buckle under the weight of mounting attrition; each has its own niche to fill. Britain enjoys substantial advantages in flexibility and mobility over past years, especially if commanders utilize creative battle-grouping. Mechanized MG and recon units, 4.2” mortar, M10/Achilles, and self-propelled AA companies, provide an excellent basis for combined-arms battlegroups. Use these battlegroups as cheap and effective combined arms support for your infantry brigades. The massive proliferation of 17pdrs, mounted in Shermans, M10s, Challengers, or even simply towed, presents a serious threat to enemy armor. The proper employment of 17pdrs means life or death against enemy tanks as the PIATs and 6pdrs controlled by infantry brigades will not defeat concentrated armor assaults. In defensive battles the British army in 1944 remains one of the most capable orders of battle in CAOS. Always keep
