Second World War
During the Second World War the division, now named the 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division, was initially part of III Corps forming part of the British Expeditionary Force until the evacuation of Dunkirk.
Later it was sent to North Africa and fought at the Battle of Alam Halfa and the Second Battle of El Alamein. It is considered to have performed poorly during Alam Halfa, where the 132nd Brigade was attached to 2nd New Zealand Division. It only had one brigade (The 132nd Infantry Brigade) at El Alamein, as the others (the 131st Brigade and 133rd Brigade) had been incorporated into the 7th Armoured Division and 10th Armoured Divisions as Motorised Brigades (The 7th had theirs transferred to the 1st Armoured Division and the 10th was a brand new Armoured Division). The 44th was disbanded after the battle, and the 132nd Brigade and 133rd Brigade were dispersed with most battalions ending up as British battalions in British Indian Army brigades.
General Officers Commanding during the Second World War included:
- Maj.Gen. Edmund Osborne
- Maj.Gen. Arthur Percival
- Maj.Gen. Noel Mason-Macfarlane
- Maj.Gen. Brian Horrocks
- Maj.Gen. I.T.P. Hughes
Read more about this topic: 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division
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