Formation and Early Organization (1939)
At the start of World War II, the Canadian Active Service Force was initially composed of two divisions; the 1st and 2nd Canadian Infantry Divisions, both raised on the first of September 1939. The fighting power of this force lay in its constituent infantry brigades, of which each division had three. These were in turn composed of three rifle and one machine gun battalion, with additional divisional artillery and engineer units in support.
The 2nd Division, like its sister formation, was originally organized along regional lines. Its 4th Brigade was composed of regiments from Ontario, the 5th Brigade of regiments from Quebec, and 6th Brigade of regiments from Western Canada.
| 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, 1939 | |
|---|---|
| Unit | Region |
| 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade | |
| The Royal Regiment of Canada | Toronto, Ontario |
| The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) | Hamilton, Ontario |
| The Essex Scottish Regiment | Windsor, Ontario |
| The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (machine gun) | Ottawa, Ontario |
| 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade | |
| The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada | Montreal, Quebec |
| Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal | Montreal, Quebec |
| Le Régiment de Maisonneuve | Montreal, Quebec |
| Le Régiment de la Chaudière (machine gun) | Levis, Quebec |
| 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade | |
| The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| The South Saskatchewan Regiment | Estevan, Saskatchewan |
| The Calgary Highlanders | Calgary, Alberta |
| The Winnipeg Grenadiers (machine gun) | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
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