Syria-Lebanon Campaign order of battle
Encyclopedia
This is the order of battle
for the Syria-Lebanon Campaign
, a World War II
campaign between the Western Allies
and Vichy France
during June and July, 1941.
: General Sir Archibald Wavell
General Officer Commanding Palestine and Trans-Jordan: General Sir H. Maitland Wilson
(Armée du Levant) identifies the armed forces of France
and then Vichy France
which occupied a portion of the "Levant
" during the "interwar period"
and early World War II
. In 1920, the French were given a mandate over Syria
and Lebanon
by the League of Nations
. During this period of time, Syria was known as the French Mandate of Syria
and Lebanon was known as the French Mandate of Lebanon
.
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
for the Syria-Lebanon Campaign
Syria-Lebanon campaign
The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June–July 1941, during World War II. Time Magazine referred to the fighting as a "mixed show" while it was taking place and the campaign remains little known, even...
, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
campaign between the Western Allies
Western Allies
The Western Allies were a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It generally includes the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, the United States, France and various other European and Latin American countries, but excludes China, the Soviet Union,...
and Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
during June and July, 1941.
Allied Forces
Commander-in-Chief Middle East CommandMiddle East Command
The Middle East Command was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to defend British interests in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region.The...
: General Sir Archibald Wavell
General Officer Commanding Palestine and Trans-Jordan: General Sir H. Maitland Wilson
South Syria and Lebanon - Australian I Corps (command activated 18 June)
General Officer Commanding I Corps: Lieutenant-General John LavarackJohn Lavarack
Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state....
- Australian 7th Division - Major-General John Lavarack (until 18 June) then Major-General Arthur "Tubby" AllenArthur Samuel AllenMajor General Arthur Samuel "Tubby" Allen CB CBE DSO VD was an Australian soldier. During World War II he reached the rank of Major General and commanded Allied forces in the Syria-Lebanon and New Guinea campaigns...
- Divisional Troops
- 6th Division Cavalry
- 9th Division Cavalry
- 2/3 Machine Gun battalion
- The Royal Scots Greys and The Staffordshire Yeomanry (composite mechanised regiment detached from British 1st Cavalry Division)
- One squadron, The Royals (detached from 1st Cavalry Division )
- C battalion Special Service Brigade (commandos based in Cyprus for seaborn landings)
- Artillery (Brigadier F H BerrymanFrank Horton BerrymanLieutenant General Sir Frank Horton Berryman, KCVO, CB, CBE, DSO was an Australian Army officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general during the Second World War. The son of an engine driver, he entered Duntroon in 1913. Graduating early due to the First World War, he served on the Western...
)- 2/4 Field Regiment
- 2/5 Field Regiment
- 2/6 Field Regiment
- 2/2 Anti-tank Regiment
- 57 Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
- 21st Australian Brigade (Brigadier J E S StevensJack StevensMajor General Sir Jack Edwin Stawell Stevens KBE, CB, DSO, ED was a senior officer in the Australian Army during the Second World War...
)- 2/14 Infantry battalion
- 2/16 Infantry battalion
- 2/27 Infantry battalion
- 25th Australian Brigade25th Brigade (Australia)The 25th Brigade was a brigade-sized infantry unit of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War. Raised in July 1940 and consisting of three infantry battalions, the 25th Brigade served in the United Kingdom, the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo before being disbanded in...
(Brigadier A R Baxter-CoxAlfred Richard Baxter-CoxBrigadier Alfred Richard Baxter-Cox, CBE, ED was an Australian military officer and architect who served during both the First and Second World Wars.-Early life:...
until 22 June, Brigadier E.C.P. Plant thereafter))- 2/25 Infantry battalion
- 2/31 Infantry battalion
- 2/33 Infantry battalion
- 17th Australian Brigade (from 28 June) (Brigadier S G SavigeStanley SavigeLieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, KBE, CB, DSO, MC, ED , was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant general....
)- 2/3 Infantry battalion
- 2/5 Infantry battalion
- 2/2 Pioneer battalion
- Divisional Troops
- 'Gentforce' (command activated 12 June until 18 June) - Major-General P L LegentilhommePaul LegentilhommePaul Legentilhomme was an officer in the French Army during World War I and World War II. After the fall of France in 1940, he joined the forces of the Free French...
(wounded 12 June and succeeded by Brigadier W L LloydWilfrid Lewis LloydMajor-General Wilfrid Lewis Lloyd CBE, DSO, MC was an officer in the British Army and the Indian Army during World War I and World War II.-World War I:...
until 18 June) - British 6th Infantry Division (activated 18 June) - Major-General J F EvettsJohn Fullerton EvettsLieutenant-General Sir John Fullerton Evetts CB, CBE, MC was a career soldier of the British Army.-Military career:Educated at Lancing College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Evetts was commissioned into The Cameronians in 1911.He fought on the Western Front during World War I, and was...
- British 16th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier C E N Lomax) from 20 June
- 2nd battalion King's Own Royal Regiment
- 2nd battalion Leicestershire Regiment
- 2nd battalion Queen's Royal Regiment
- British 23rd Infantry Brigade (Brigadier A Galloway) from 29 June
- 1st battalion Durham Light InfantryDurham Light InfantryThe Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham...
- 11th Czechoslovakian Infantry Battalion
- 4th battalion Border RegimentBorder RegimentThe Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th Regiment of Foot and the 55th Regiment of Foot....
- 1st battalion Durham Light Infantry
- 5th Indian Infantry Brigade5th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 5th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was converted for the 9th Indian Infantry Brigade in September 1939, and assigned to the 4th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade fist moved to Egypt and took part in the early battles in North...
(Brigadier W L Lloyd) (Lieut.-Col. L.B. Jones of 4/6th Rajputana Rifles6th Rajputana RiflesThe 6th Rajputana Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army. They moved away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...
while Lloyd commanded Gentforce)- 1st battalion Royal Fusiliers
- 3/1st Punjab Regiment1st Punjab RegimentThe 1st Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Regiment....
- 4/6th Rajputana Rifles6th Rajputana RiflesThe 6th Rajputana Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army. They moved away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...
- 18th Field Company Bombay Sappers and MinersBombay Engineer GroupThe Bombay Engineering Group, or the Bombay Sappers as they are informally known, are a regiment of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers. The Bombay Sappers draw their origin from the erstwhile Bombay Presidency army of the British Raj. This regiment has its centre in Khadki, Pune in...
- 1st Field Regiment, Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- 1st Free French Light Division1st Free French DivisionThe 1st Free French Division was one of the principal units of the Free French Forces during World War II, and the first Free French unit of divisional size.-World War II:...
- Major-General P L Legentilhomme- Brigade d'Orient
- 1 March Battalion
- 2 March Battalion
- 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade13th Foreign Legion Demi-BrigadeThe 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade is a mechanized infantry demi-brigade in the French Foreign Legion. It is the only permanent demi-brigade in the French Army, and is a unit of particular notoriety and reputation within the Legion...
- One battery field artillery (4 75 mm guns)
- One company of tanks (9 tanks)
- One anti-tank company
- One battalion Marine Fusiliers
- Circassian Cavalry (300 troops) (Colonel Collet)
- Brigade d'Orient
- British 16th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier C E N Lomax) from 20 June
Advancing on the Euphrates
- 10th Indian Infantry Division - Major-General W J SlimWilliam Slim, 1st Viscount SlimField Marshal William Joseph "Bill"'Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC, KStJ was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia....
- 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers
- 157th Field Regiment RA
- 21st Indian Infantry Brigade21st Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 21st Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was converted from the Quetta Brigade in September 1940, and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry Division. In March 1941, it was transferred to the 10th Indian Infantry Division and took part in...
(Brigadier C.J. WeldCharles Joseph WeldCharles Joseph Weld CIE MC was an officer in the British Indian Army during the interwar years, World War II, and post-war.As part of Iraqforce, Brigadier Weld commanded the 21st Indian Brigade of the Indian 10th Infantry Division during the Anglo-Iraqi War and the Syria-Lebanon campaign.As part...
)- 2/10th Gurkha Rifles
- 2/4th Gurkha Rifles
- 4/13th Frontier Force Rifles13th Frontier Force RiflesThe 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions.-History:...
- 25th Indian Infantry Brigade25th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 25th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in February, 1941 at Ahmednagar in India and assigned to the 10th Indian Infantry Division....
(Brigadier R MountainRonald Gervase MountainRonald Gervase Mountain was an officer in the British Indian Army during World War II. "Gervase" may also be spelled "Gervais."-Biography:Mountain was born in Caistor, Lincolnshire...
)- 1/5th Mahratta Light Infantry5th Mahratta Light InfantryThe 5th Mahratta Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, whenthe Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment fought in World War II and raised 30 battalions...
- 2/11th Sikh Regiment11th Sikh RegimentThe 11th Sikh Regiment were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments....
- 3/9th Jat Regiment9th Jat RegimentThe 9th Jat Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.-World War II:...
- 2/8th Gurkha Rifles (detached from 20th Indian Infantry Brigade20th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 20th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1940, by the conversion of the Khojak Brigade and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry Division...
)
- 1/5th Mahratta Light Infantry
In northern Iraq and the "Duck's Bill" region of Syria
Under command of HQ British Troops Iraq: Lieutenant-General Sir Edward QuinanEdward Quinan
General Sir Edward Pellew Quinan KCB, KCIE, DSO, OBE was a British army commander during the Second World War. In the early part of his career, he was involved in Indian Army campaigns in Afghanistan and Waziristan on the North West Frontier of the Indian Empire, also known as the British Raj...
- 20th Indian Infantry Brigade20th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 20th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1940, by the conversion of the Khojak Brigade and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry Division...
(detached from 10th Indian Infantry Division) (Brigadier D PowellDonald PowellDonald Powell was an officer in the British Indian Army during World War II'-Biography:As part of Iraqforce , Brigadier Powell commanded the 20th Indian Brigade of the Indian 10th Infantry Division during the Anglo-Iraqi War, the Syria-Lebanon campaign, and the Anglo-Soviet invasion of...
)- 2/7th Gurkha Rifles
- 3/11th Sikh Regiment11th Sikh RegimentThe 11th Sikh Regiment were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments....
- 17th Indian Infantry Brigade17th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 17th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in November 1940, at the Delhi Cantonment in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. They were sent to participate in the Anglo-Iraqi War and the Syria-Lebanon Campaign...
(Brigadier Douglas Gracey)- 1/12th Frontier Force Regiment12th Frontier Force RegimentThe 12th Frontier Force Regiment was part of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. In 1945 the prenomial "12th" was dropped when the British...
- 5/13th Frontier Force Rifles13th Frontier Force RiflesThe 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions.-History:...
- 1/12th Frontier Force Regiment
In Central Syria
- Habforce commanded by Major-General J.G.W. ClarkJohn George Walters ClarkJohn George Walters Clark CB, MC was a British army officer in both World War I and World War II.-Early life:Clark was commissioned into the 16th The Queen's Lancers in 1911 and fought with them during World War I. In 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross...
- British 4th Cavalry Brigade of the British 1st Cavalry Division (Brigadier J.J. KingstoneJames Joseph KingstoneBrigadier James Joseph Kingstone DSO MC was an officer in the British Army during World War II.During the Anglo-Iraqi War, Brigadier Kingstone was under the command of Major General J. G. W...
until 24 June, Brigadier J G E Tiarks from 29 June)- Household Cavalry RegimentHousehold Cavalry RegimentThe Household Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and is one of two regiments that are formed from the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1992, under the Options for Change reforms, by the amalgamation of The Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. Both regiments were...
- North Somerset YeomanryNorth Somerset YeomanryThe North Somerset Yeomanry was first raised in Frome in 1798. A condition of service was that it should not be required to march more than 10 miles from the town and it was soon disbanded in 1802...
- Royal Wiltshire YeomanryRoyal Wiltshire YeomanryThe Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom established in 1794. It was disbanded as an independent Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when the strength of the TA was greatly reduced...
- Household Cavalry Regiment
- 1st Battalion of the Essex RegimentEssex RegimentThe Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
- Arab Legion Mechanised RegimentArab LegionThe Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
- 237th Battery, Royal Artillery (60th Field Regiment)
- An Australian battery of 2 pounder anti-tank guns
- 169th Light Anti-aircraft Battery
- British 4th Cavalry Brigade of the British 1st Cavalry Division (Brigadier J.J. Kingstone
Vichy French Forces
The Army of the LevantArmy of the Levant
The Army of the Levant identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied, and were in part recruited from, a portion of the "Levant" during the interwar period and early World War II.-Origins:...
(Armée du Levant) identifies the armed forces of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and then Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
which occupied a portion of the "Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
" during the "interwar period"
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
and early World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1920, the French were given a mandate over Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
by the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. During this period of time, Syria was known as the French Mandate of Syria
French Mandate of Syria
Officially the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire...
and Lebanon was known as the French Mandate of Lebanon
French Mandate of Lebanon
The state of Greater Lebanon, the predecessor of modern Lebanon, was created in 1920 as part of the French scheme of dividing the French Mandate of Syria into six states....
.
- South Lebanon Sector
- Saïda Sub-Sector
- III/22nd Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- I/Colonial Artillery Regiment of the Levant
- I/8th Algerian Spahi Regiment
- II/22nd Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- I/29th Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- I/6th African Chasseur Regiment
- IV/6th Foreign Legion Regiment6th Foreign Infantry RegimentThe 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment , or 6e Régiment Étrangère d'Infanterie, was an infantry regiment in the French Foreign Legion from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1949 to 1955.-History:...
- I/24th Mixed Colonial Infantry Regiment
- Foreign Legion Levant Artillery Battalion
- Merdjayoun Sub-Sector
- II/29th Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- I/22nd Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- 1st Lebanese Chasseur Battalion
- II/Colonial Artillery Regiment of the Levant
- Saïda Sub-Sector
- South Syria Sector
- Direct sector control
- 1st Metropolitan Artillery Regiment of the Levant
- III/17th Senegalese Tirailleur Regiment
- Hauran Sub-Sector
- II/17th Senegalese Tirailleur Regiment
- L'Hermon Sub-Sector
- I/17th Senegalese Tirailleur Regiment
- Sector Reserve
- V/1st Moroccan Tirailleur Regiment
- III/29th Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- I/16th Tunisian Tirailleur Regiment
- III/16th Tunisian Tirailleur Regiment
- II/24th Mixed Colonial Infantry Regiment
- III/24th Mixed Colonial Infantry Regiment
- Direct sector control
- Levant Cavalry
- 1st Moroccan Spahi Regiment
- 2 March (provisional) Spahi Regiment
- 6th African Chasseur Regiment
- 7th African Chasseur Regiment
- Special Cavalry (Three companies of Méhariste, two companies of Druze, eight various companies stationed in Syria, and twenty companies of Circassians)
- Forces in central Lebanon, mid- to late-June 1941
- Task Force Albord
- I/22nd Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- II/29th Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- 1st Lebanese Chasseur Battalion
- III/6th Foreign Legion Regiment
- II/16th Tunisian Tirailleur Regiment
- Task Force Barré
- I/6th Foreign Legion Regiment
- II/17th Senegalese Tirailleur Regiment
- III/17th Senegalese Tirailleur Regiment
- Alep Special Artillery Battalion
- Spahi Cavalry Battalion
- Lehr-Olive Detachments
- I/6th African Chasseur Regiment
- II/24th Colonial Infantry Mixed Regiment
- Task Force Rougie
- II/16th Tunisian Tirailleur Regiment, later replaced by the II/22nd Algerian Tirailleur Regiment
- II/6th Foreign Legion Regiment
- Task Force Albord