7-я пехотная дивизия британской армии: история и боевой путь

British Army unit

The 7th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army, first established by The Duke of Wellington as part of the Anglo Portuguese Army for service in the Peninsular War, and was active also during the First World War from 1914 to 1919, and briefly in the Second World War in 1939.

During the French Revolutionary Wars and early in the Napoleonic Wars, the largest permanent organised structure within the British Army was the brigade. The brigade, which consisted of two or more battalions grouped together under the command of a major general, suited the small size of the army and the operations that it conducted. When needed, larger forces were organised on an ad hoc basis. This included multiple brigades grouped into 'lines' or 'columns'. As the army and its operations grew, it implemented divisions—a single formation of two or more brigades, usually commanded by a lieutenant general. The division concept was not new and had been used by other European armies towards the end of the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). On 18 June 1809, Lieutenant General Arthur Wellesley, commander of British forces in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular War, reorganised his force into four divisions. The following year, with the further expansion of his force, Wellington created the 7th Division. It consisted of British, German, Portuguese, and French troops. Due to the mixture of nationalities as well as line and light regiments, the division had a multitude of uniforms. This coined the nickname of The Mongrels. The division was present at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro the Battle of Vitoria the Battle of the Pyrenees the Battle of Nivelle the Battle of the Nive and the Battle of Orthez.

The 7th Division was re activated during the Second Boer War. The division took part in the Battle of Poplar Grove (March 1900) and the following occupation of Bloemfontein, then took part in Lord Roberts′ march to Pretoria.

The 7th Division was a Regular Army formation that was formed in September 1914 by combining units returning from garrison outposts in the British Empire at the outbreak of the First World War the previous month. During the war, the division fought in the First Battle of Ypres, the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the Battle of Aubers Ridge, the Battle of Festubert, the Battle of Loos, the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Passchendaele, and the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. A floating division, the 7th was the first British Division to enter Ypres on 14 October. It was ordered to hold the line, while Field Marshal French brought up his remaining six divisions and redeployed them from the Aisne to the sea. The division held an 8 mile front for two weeks, opposite some 340,000 Germans. Some 18,000 soldiers strong on 15 October, the 7th left the line on 31 October, with just 2,000 troops remaining, mostly transport and supply. The 7th Division fought in most of the major battles on the Western Front through to 1917 before being sent to the Italian Front for the remainder of the war. At the battle of Loos in late 1915, the division's General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major General Thompson Capper, was killed in action at the height of the fighting. Unlike the first six regular divisions of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), a third of whose strength was made up of regular reservists, the 7th Division was originally composed entirely of serving regular soldiers, which gave rise to the division's nickname, 'The Immortal Seventh'. The division was deployed to Palestine on internal security duties as part of a build up of 18,500 men in the region. This force then began to suppress the revolt. Meanwhile, Palestinian guerrillas had overrun the Old City of Jerusalem. O'Connor's men proceeded to sweep the area, declaring the Old City free of militants on 19 October. The same day, the division seized Acre and by the end of the month were clearing Jaffa of rebels. Many Palestinians were detained and rebel activity significantly dropped off in the area. In the north, the 8th Infantry Division, under Major General Bernard Montgomery, and Special Night Squads engaged in counter terror operations, with O'Connor writing that one brigadier "always encouraged his men to be brutal". General Officer Commanding (GOC) British Forces in Palestine and Trans Jordan Robert Haining wrote in late 1938 that "unnecessary violence, vindictiveness , [and] killing in cold blood" had to be curbed. O'Connor was likewise opposed to the measures in the north, and wrote "harshness and unnecessary violence on the part of our soldiers" had to be curbed. During the operation in Jerusalem, only four to nineteen guerrillas were killed. In early 1939, the revolt finally came to an end.

On 31 August, just prior to the war beginning, the headquarters of the 7th Infantry Division relinquished command of all its troops. O'Connor and the divisional staff then left Jerusalem bound for Cairo, Egypt. From Cairo, the men moved forward to Mersa Matruh arriving on 7 September. The headquarters was then assigned all troops based there, with the exception of the 7th Armoured Division. The British Official Historian, I. S. O. Playfair, comments that this decision was undertaken to relieve the burden on Lieutenant General Henry Maitland Wilson, GOC British Troops in Egypt, of "direct control of operations which had been his in addition to the command of all troops in Egypt". Due to the logistical problems in maintaining substantial forces across the Western Desert and on the Libya–Egypt border, Mersa Matruh was the forward British base of operations and supplied by rail. Positioned 200 mile (322 km) west of Alexandria and 120 mile (193 km) from the border, the location had been chosen to shield forward Royal Air Force (RAF) landing strips behind it and to defend the Nile Delta. Mersa Matruh also offered the British the strategy of drawing Italian or other forces forward to them, to allow a counter attack after they ran into supply difficulties. On 3 November, the division was renamed the 6th Infantry Division.

+Appointment dateRankGeneral officer commandingNotesSource(s)5 March 1811Major GeneralThe division was formed in Portugal, for service in the Peninsular War.1 August 1811Major GeneralTemporary commander; relinquished position due to ill health in OctoberOctober 1811Lieutenant General2 May 1812Major General23 September 1812Major General25 October 1812Lieutenant General9 October 1813Major General18 November 1813Major GeneralTemporary commander; relinquished position on 27 February 1814February/March 1814Major GeneralAt the conclusion of the Peninsular War, in 1814, the division was disbanded in France. The final troops departed in June.24 August 1815Major GeneralThe division was merged into the Army of Occupation in France on 30 November. December 1899Lieutenant GeneralThe division was mobilized in the United Kingdom for service in the Second Boer War. Tucker maintained command through to the end of 1900 when, while still in southern Africa, the division was broken up.23 June 1902Major GeneralThe division was reformed in Ireland. Morton died in office30 April 1906Major GeneralIn 1907, the division was renumbered as the 5th Division27 August 1914Major GeneralThe division was formed in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, for service in the First World War. Capper was wounded in action on 1 April 1915.6 April 1915Brigadier GeneralActing commander19 April 1915Major General14 July 1915Brigadier GeneralActing commander19 July 1915Major GeneralCapper died of his wounds on 27 September 191526 September 1915Brigadier GeneralActing commander27 September 1915Major General7 January 1917Major General1 April 1917Major GeneralLeft division on sick leave on 9 February 19189 February 1918Brigadier GeneralActing commander22 March 1918Major GeneralThe division demobilised in Italy, following the conclusion of hostilities in 1919.29 September 1938Major GeneralThe division was reformed in Palestine, for service during the Arab revolt. The division was renumbered as the 6th Infantry Division on 3 November 1939.