During the Second World War the allies realised the need for the landing zone of an amphibious assault to be organised for the efficient passage of follow on forces. The British formed such units from all three services Navy (Commandos), Army and Air Force, with the Army component comprising Infantry, Engineers, Ordnance, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Medical and Service Corps. The equivalent U.S. units were called Beach Battalions.
Formation[]
After the Operation Torch landings the need for a beach organisation became apparent for the larger planned operations. In the U.K. Beach Groups were formed and began to train in Scotland. In the Mediterranean the equivalent organisations were called Beach Bricks and were formed in Egypt and trained at Kabrit. The Chief of Combined Operations Lord Louis Mountbatten described the functions of a beach group in late 1942:-[1]
- Arrange and control the movement of all personnel and vehicles from the landing craft to inland assembly areas.
- Move stores from ships' holds and craft to dumps in the beach maintenance areas.
- Develop and organise the beaches and beach maintenance area in regard to defence, movement and administration, including the evacuation of all casualties and recovery of vehicles.
- Provide the beach signal organisation.
- The removal to the UK of casualties, prisoners of war and salvaged equipment.
- The creation of dumps to hold petrol ammunition and rations that were being landed.
- Assembly areas for the arriving personnel and their vehicles.
For this a tri-service formation was created around an infantry battalion, added to this were smaller units from the Royal Engineers, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Pioneer corps, Royal Army Service Corps and the Corps of Military Police. The Navy provided royal Navy Beach Commandos and a signal unit, and the Royal Air Force provided for beach anti-aircraft defence. The beach commandos were composed of 76 officers and men, led by the one Principle Beach Master and three Beach Masters, who would land assaulting troops and have the following duties:-[2]
- Marking the limits of the beachhead
- Set up a protected area for the beach commander to operate from
- Calling in landing craft to the beach via radio, signal lamp or loud-hailer.
- Unloading landing craft according to priority.
- Providing salvage parties to recover damaged landing craft, stores and equipment.
- Providing fire fighting parties, using modified DUKWs
- Ensuring personnel and equipment could move through the beachhead as quickly as possible
- Mooring landing craft correctly
Each commando was to control the landing area for a brigade, they were subdivided into a headquarters and three sub units each controlling a battalion landing area.[2] They wore army battledress with navy headgear.
The infantry component was intended to be a fighting force if any pockets of resistance remained on the beach immediately after the landings.[3] After the beach was secured the battalion was to provide manpower for any other tasks, for example 6th Battalion Border Regiment was split up as follows,[4]
- A and D Companies - beach companies
- B Company - a labour unit of the ammunition section of the beach ordnance detachment
- C Company - reserve
- S Company - (the carrier, mortar and anti-tank platoons), to provide labour for the petrol depot.
As well as the treatment and dispatch of casualties back to Britain, the Medical Corps was also tasked with the provision of drinking water for the troops.[5]
The precise mix and number of units depended of the perceived need of each location.
Training[]
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Deployment[]
On 8 June a German fighter plane dropped a bomb on the petrol and ammunition depot on Sword Beach, with the ensuing fire threatening to destroy large quantities of supplies. Men of 5 and 6 Beach Groups worked to save the supplies, and seven were awarded the George Medal.[6]
- Lt.Col. R D R Sale (1 Bucks)
- Maj. L Pepper (RAOC)
- Lt. E Fairbrother (RE)
- Sgt H Grant (Pioneers)
- Sgt J S MacGowen (RAOC)
- Sgt A G Wakeford (RASC)
- Pte A Catley (Pioneers)
Beach Groups[]
No. 3 Beach Group[]
Formed in the UK, it sailed to Sicily with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, landing on 10 July 1943. It contained the 68th RAF Beach Unit.[7] Utilised again for the Salerno landings, and attached to the British 56th Infantry Division, landing on Rodger beach on 9 September 1943, for this operation it contained the 68th and 69th RAF Beach Units.[8]
No.4 Beach Group[]
Reserve for Juno Beach.
No.5 Beach Group[]
Landed on Sword Beach, Queen sector.
Composition[9]
| Service | Arm of Service (Army only) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | Beach Commando Unit F | |
| 13th Beach Signals | ||
| Army | Infantry | 5th Battalion The King's Regiment |
| R.A.M.C. | 20th, 21st, 30th, 39th Field Dressing Stations | |
| 1st Field Sanitary Section | ||
| 39th, 40th, 55th Field Surgery Units | ||
| 21st, 29th Field Transfusion Units | ||
| 16th Gas Clearing Station | ||
| R.A.O.C. | 44th Ordnance Ammunition Company | |
| 11th Ordnance Beach Detachment | ||
| Pioneer Corps | 53rd, 102nd, 129th, 267th, 292nd, 303rd Pioneer Companies | |
| R.E.M.E. | 20th Beach Recovery Section | |
| R.A.S.C. | 96th Detail Issue Depot | |
| H.Q. 21st Transport Column R.A.S.C. | ||
| 39th, 101st, 635th General Transport Companies | ||
| 257th Petrol Depot | ||
| Royal Engineers | 84th Field Company | |
| 18th G.H.Q. Troop Engineers | ||
| 940th Inland Waterway Transport | ||
| 8th Stores Section | ||
| 20th port detachment | ||
| Military Police | 241st Provost Company | |
| Royal Air Force | 101st RAF Beach Flight | |
No.6 Beach Group[]
Reserve for Sword Beach.
Composition[10]
| Service | Arm of Service (Army only) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | Beach Commando Unit R | |
| 18th Beach Signals | ||
| Army | Infantry | 1st (Buckinghamshire) Battalion Ox & Bucks Light Infantry |
| R.A.M.C. | 9th, 12th, Field Dressing Stations | |
| 2nd Detachment Field Sanitary Section | ||
| 37th, 38th Field Surgery Units | ||
| R.A.O.C. | 12th Ordnance Beach Detachment | |
| Pioneer Corps | 85th, 149th Pioneer Companies | |
| R.E.M.E. | 21st Beach Recovery Section | |
| R.A.S.C. | 138th Detail Issue Depot | |
| 299th General Transport Company | ||
| 238th Petrol Depot. | ||
| Royal Engineers | 91st Field Company | |
| 50th Detachment Mechanical Equipment Platoon | ||
| 1028th Port Operating Company | ||
| Military Police | 245th HQ Provost Company | |
| Royal Air Force | 102nd RAF Beach Section | |
No.7 Beach Group[]
Landed on Juno Beach, Mike sector.
Composition[11]
| Service | Arm of Service (Army only) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | Beach Commando Units L, P & S | |
| Army | Infantry | 8th (Irish) Battalion The King's Regiment |
| R.A.M.C. | 1st, 2nd Field Dressing Stations | |
| 3rd Field Sanitary Section | ||
| 39th, 40th, 55th Field Surgery Units | ||
| 13th, 14th Field Transfusion Units | ||
| R.A.O.C. | 45th Ordnance Ammunition Company | |
| 7th, 14th Ordnance Beach Depots | ||
| Pioneer Corps | 190th, 225th, 243rd, 293rd Pioneer Companies | |
| R.E.M.E. | 20th Beach Recovery Section | |
| R.A.S.C. | 139th Detail Issue Depot | |
| 282nd General Transport Company | ||
| 240th Petrol Detachment | ||
| Royal Engineers | 72nd, 85th Field Companies | |
| 11th Port Operating Group | ||
| 19th Stores Section | ||
| Military Police | 242nd Provost Company | |
| Royal Air Force | 107th RAF Beach Section | |
No.8 Beach Group[]
Landed on Juno Beach, Nan sector.
Composition[12]
| Service | Arm of Service (Army only) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | Beach Commando Unit P | |
| 19th Beach Signals Section | ||
| Army | Infantry | 5th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment |
| R.A.M.C. | 32nd, 34th Field Dressing Stations | |
| 32nd Casualty Clearing Station | ||
| R.A.O.C. | 45th Ordnance Ammunition Company | |
| Pioneer Corps | 115th, 144th, 170th Pioneer Companies | |
| R.E.M.E. | 23rd Beach Recovery Section | |
| R.A.S.C. | 140th Detail Issue Depot | |
| 30th Transport Company HQ | ||
| 199th General Transport Company | ||
| 242nd Petrol Company | ||
| Royal Engineers | 20th Field Company | |
| 1034th Port Operating Company | ||
| 20th Stores Section | ||
| 59th Mechanised Equipment Section | ||
| 966th Inland Water Transport | ||
| Military Police | 242nd Provost Company | |
| Royal Air Force | 974th RAF Beach Flight | |
No.9 Beach Group[]
Landed on Gold Beach, King sector.
Composition[13]
| Service | Arm of Service (Army only) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | Beach Commando Units J, G & T | |
| B10 Beach Signal Section | ||
| Army | Infantry | 2nd Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment |
| Royal Artillery | Heavy Anti-Aircraft Detachments | |
| Light Anti-Aircraft Detachments | ||
| R.A.M.C. | 3rd, 32nd, 35th Field Dressing Stations | |
| 47th, 48th Field Sanitary Units | ||
| 3rd, 10th Casualty Clearing Stations | ||
| 24th, 30th Field Transfusion Units | ||
| R.A.O.C. | 7th, 36th Ordnance Beach Detachment | |
| Pioneer Corps | 75th, 208th, 209th Pioneer Companies | |
| R.E.M.E. | 24th Beach Recovery Section | |
| R.A.S.C. | 2nd Detail Issue Depot | |
| 305th General Transport Companies | ||
| 247th Petrol Depot | ||
| Royal Engineers | 69th, 89th, 183rd Field Company | |
| 74th Mechanised Equipment Section | ||
| 961st Inland Waterway Transport | ||
| 1043rd Port operating Company | ||
| 22nd Port Detachment | ||
| Military Police | 243rd Provost Company | |
| Royal Air Force | 54th RAF Beach Flight | |
| 98th Balloon Squadron | ||
No.10 Beach Group[]
Landed on Gold Beach, Jig sector.
Composition[14]
| Service | Arm of Service (Army only) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | Beach Commando Unit Q | |
| 7th Beach Signal Section | ||
| Army | Infantry | 6th Battalion Border Regiment |
| Royal Artillery | Anti-Aircraft Detachments | |
| R.A.M.C. | 25th, 31st Field Dressing Stations | |
| 30th, 41st, 42nd Field Sanitary Units | ||
| 24th, 30th Field Transfusion Units | ||
| R.A.O.C. | 12th Ordnance Beach Depot | |
| Pioneer Corps | 73rd, 112th, 120th, 173rd, 243rd Pioneer Companies | |
| R.E.M.E. | 25th Beach Recovery Section | |
| R.A.S.C. | 5th Detail Issue Depot | |
| 356th, 705th General Transport Companies | ||
| 244th Petrol Depot[15] | ||
| Royal Engineers | 90th Field Company | |
| 51st Mechanised Equipment Section | ||
| 23rd, 1035th Port Operating Companies | ||
| 23rd Stores Section | ||
| Military Police | 240th Provost Company | |
| Royal Air Force | 108th RAF Beach Flight | |
| 55th Balloon Squadron | ||
No.31 Beach Brick[]
Sicily.
No.32 Beach Brick[]
Sicily and Italy.
No.33 Beach Brick[]
Sicily and Italy.
No.34 Beach Brick[]
Sicily and Italy.
No.35 Beach Brick[]
Sicily and Italy.
No.36 Beach Brick[]
Sicily and Italy.
Reserve for Gold Beach.
Composition[16]
| Service | Arm of Service (Army only) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Army | Infantry | 18th Battalion Durham Light Infantry |
| Royal Artillery | HQ 100th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment | |
| 305th Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery | ||
| 328th Light Anti Aircraft Battery | ||
| R.A.M.C. | Detachments | |
| R.A.O.C. | Detachments | |
| R.E.M.E. | Detachments | |
| R.A.S.C. | Detail Issue Depot | |
| Royal Engineers | 503rd Field Company | |
| Mechanised Equipment Company | ||
| Military Police | Provost Detachment | |
| Royal Air Force | 15th RAF Beach Flight (?) | |
References[]
- ↑ Rogers p14
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rogers pp31-3
- ↑ Rogers p20
- ↑ Rogers p167
- ↑ Rogers p134
- ↑ Rogers p96
- ↑ Fenton, Mike. "R.A.F. Beach Units". http://www.rafbeachunits.info/html/_husky_.html. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ↑ Fenton, Mike. "R.A.F. Beach Units". http://www.rafbeachunits.info/html/_avalanche_.html. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ↑ Rogers p99-100
- ↑ Rogers p115
- ↑ Rogers pp127-8
- ↑ Rogers pp138-9
- ↑ Rogers p156-7
- ↑ Rogers p166-7
- ↑ Latham, H.B. (1958). "The Assault Landings in Normandy: Order of Battle, Second British Army". http://www.da.mod.uk/colleges/jscsc/jscsc-library/archives/operation-overlord/CONF4171_AssaultLandNormandy.pdf/view.
- ↑ Rogers p21
Bibliography[]
- Rogers, Joseph and David (2012). D-Day Beach Force: The Men who Turned Chaos into Order. The History Press ISBN 9780752463308
- http://www.rafbeachunits.info/
The original article can be found at Beach groups and the edit history here.