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 |
Read more about this topic: 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Famous quotes containing the words formation, early and/or organization:
“Out of my discomforts, which were small enough, grew one thing for which I have all my life been grateful—the formation of fixed habits of work.”
—Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844–1911)
“No two men see the world exactly alike, and different temperaments will apply in different ways a principle that they both acknowledge. The same man will, indeed, often see and judge the same things differently on different occasions: early convictions must give way to more mature ones. Nevertheless, may not the opinions that a man holds and expresses withstand all trials, if he only remains true to himself and others?”
—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749–1832)
“In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908)