23rd (Northumbrian) Infantry Division

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 23rd (Northumbrian) Division


caption=
dates= World War II
country= United Kingdom
allegiance=
branch= Territorial Army
type=Infantry
role=
size=
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= Battle of France
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=

The 23rd (Northumbrian) Division was a 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate of the British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division during the Second World War.

History

The 23rd Northumbrian Division was raised in October 1939, and was sent to France on 22 April 1940 on Labour and training duties, without any of its artillery , signals, or administration units.

On 20 May 1940 the division suffered heavy casualties trying to delay the German advance at Arras. On its return to Britain, after Dunkirk, the 23rd Division was disbanded due to the heavy losses it had suffered. Ironically both of its infantry brigades would still survive till 1944 and see action in Normandy. The 70th being apart of the 49th Division and the 69th having seen action in the desert prior to Normandy as a part of the 50th Northumbrian Division . It's Machine Gun and Motorcycle Battalions, the 8th (Motorcycle)and 9th (Machine Gun)Battalions the Northumberland Fusiliers, would also survive with the 9th surviving until February 1942 as the Machine Gun Battalion for the 18th Division until its capture at Singapore and the 8th would survive until the end of the war having been converted to the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment the Reconnaissance Corps under the 3rd British Infantry Division right up till the end of the war.

Commanders

* Maj.Gen. W.N. Herbert

Component Units

*69th Infantry Brigade
**5th The East Yorkshire Regiment
**6th The Green Howards
**7th The Green Howards

*70th Infantry Brigade
**10th Durham Light Infantry
**11th The Durham Light Infantry
**12th The Durham Light Infantry

*Support Units
**8th The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers,3rd Regiment Reconnaissance Corps
**9th The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers , Machine Gun Battalion

External links

* [http://www.unithistories.com/units_index/default.asp?file=../units_british/units_british.html British Unit Histories]
*