In September 1914, Portugal offered to send troops to fight with the Allies, and organized a Divisiao Auxilar from units of 1 and 7 Divisiaos. The divisional OB was as follows: Infantry: la Bda: RI 1 (1/RI 1, 2&3/ RI 5) RI 2 (2 &3/RI 2, 1/RI 6) GM3 ex GM 8 2a Bda: RI 3 (2&3/ RI 7, 1/RI 21) RI 4 (1/RI 15, 2&3/RI 22) GM4 ex GM 4 Machineguns: GM1 (ex GM 1 & 7) GM2 (ex GM 5 & 6) Artillery 4 Gpo Btias (each 3 btias of 75m ex RA 1, 2, 3, 5, & 8 1 Btia Obuses (150mm) ex CEL Engineer. Medical, Telegraphist, etc, ex 1 and 7 Divs. The infantry regiments were to have three battalions, with each battalion having four companies, and carried the 6.5mm MauserVergueiro rifle. At the start of the war, most regiments only one active battalion, the 1st, and one reserve battalion, the 2nd. The 3rd Battalions were raised after the start of the war, and often used for service in the Portuguese colonies. The machinegun was the Maxim in 6.5mm, but does not appear to have been assigned to the infantry at the start of the war, but rather kept in separate units. These groups each had two batteries, with each battery having four weapons. Artillery batteries were also of four weapons. Light artillery used a mountain gun version of French 75mm that could be broken down for transportation. Heavy artillery was supplied by Krupp 15cm and 28sm guns and howitzers. The Allies were more interested in obtaining surplus artillery pieces and munitions (the Portuguese were known to have some up-to-date heavy artillery), and only accepted the Portuguese offer reluctantly. In the meantime, the need to organize expeditionary forces for Africa imposed delays. Then (in January 1915) the British announced that they could not guarantee the frontiers of the Portuguese colonies, and recommended that Portugal reserve her forces for their defense. The idea of sending an expeditionary force to France was dropped for the time being.  African Colonies Portugal's concern over her African colonies was justified, for there were clashes with the Germans along the borders of both Angola and Mozambique in 1914. In addition, there was a major rising in Southern Angola which the Portuguese claimed was German inspired. These events led to the dispatch of a series of expeditionary forces from Portugal to her African colonies. These troops were drawn from the 3rd Battalions of certain infantry regiments, and served alongside the existing colonial garrisons. The actual make-up of those units and their campaigns is outside the scope of this article. However, elements of the following units were sent: TO ANGOLA: 1914: 3/RI 14, 2/GM 1, 3/RC 9, 2/ArtMonthana, Engineers, Services 1915: 1st Expedition: 3/RI 16, 3/RI 17, 2/GM 2, 2/GM 3, 3/RC 11, 1&3/ArtMonthana, Engineers, Services 1915: 2nd Expedition: 3/RI 18, 3/RI 19, two cias RI 20, 1/GM 1,1/GM 3, 2/GM 6, 3/RC 3, 3/RC 4, 5/RA 7, 5/RA 8, 8/RA 1, 8/RA 2, 6/RA 3, Engineers, Services, also Bat Expedicionario de Marinha TO MOZAMBIQUE: 1914: 3/RI 15, 4/RC 10, 4/ArtMonthana, Engineers, Services 1915: 3/RI 1, 2/GM 7, 4/RC 3, 5/ArtMonthana, Engineers, Services 1916: 3/RI 23, 3/RI 24, 3/RI 28, two cias RI 21,1/GM 5,1/GM 4, 2/GM 8, 1 GpoArt,2 GpoArt,l/ArtMonthana, 2/ArtMonthana, 4/ ArtMonthana,Engineers, Services 1917: 3/RI 29, 3/RI 30, 3/RI 31, 2 Was ArtMonthana, cia Engineers, 1918: Bat Expedicionario de Marinha TO CABO VERDE: 1917: 3/ArtMonthana, Btia Marinha The Angolan forces were not involved in any fighting against the Germans in Southwest Africa, but were committed against native forces. The Mocambique expeditions did see action against the Germans in East Africa. This began with an attempted Portuguese invasion of German East Africa, which was defeated at Nevala. In 1917, Von Lettow's German forces entered Portuguese East Africa and overran a number of posts. The Portuguese were forced to allow British forces to enter their territory, and so it was the British forces that conducted most of the pursuit operations. As mentioned, throughout these African campaigns the metropolitan troops served alongside the Colonial Forces. The various African Expeditionary Forces were formed from the 3rd Battalions of the infantry regiments, or the cavalry and artillery equivalents. The need for machine gunners was clearly recognized from 1915 on, while cavalry were perceived to be of little use. Germany declared war on Portugal in March 1916, following the latter's seizure of certain German ships. This led to the formation of a Corpo Expedicionario Portugues (CEP) for service in France. The CEP was originally a two-brigade "Training Division" formed at Tancos in Portugal in May 1916. Its composition at this period is not known but probably consisted of la and 2a Brigades as shown below. In January 1917, the first elements left for France and a 3rd Brigada was mobilized. At this period, the CEP consisted of a Divisioo Reforcada (Reinforced Division). Its composition was then as follows: Infantry: la Bda: RI 1 (1/RI22, 1/RI21,1/RI34) RI 2 (1/RI7, 1/RI15,1/RI26) 2a Bda: RI 3 (1/RI24, 1/RI23,1/RI35) RI 4 (1/RI14, 1/RI9,1/RI12) 3a Bda: RI 5 (1/RI3 1/RI28,1/RI29) RI 6 (1/RI10, 1/RI3,1/RI20) Machineguns: Grupos 2a, 5a, 6a, 7a, (each 2 btias x 4 MGs) Mortars: Light Mortar Btias la - 6a Heavy Mortar Btias la - 3a Cavalry: Two esq 2a RC Artillery: 4 Gpo (each 3 Was of 75mm ex RA 2a, 3a, 7a, 8a,) 3 Gpo (each 2 Was of 11.4mm ex RA la, 2a, 3a,) Engineer: Only la and 2a coys noted in OB  In February 1917, additional units were mobilized, and the CEP was divided into a corps of two divisions, each organized as follows: 2 Infantry Brigadas (each with two regiments of three battalions) 2 MG Grupos (each 2 btias) 3 Field Artillery Grupoas (each with 3 btias of 4 guns each) 1 Howitzer Grupoa (2 btias of 4 guns each) 1 Coy Sapper/Miners The detailed composition of these formations is unknown. In April 1917, the divisions were reorganized and re-armed in order to conform to the British pattern. The one exception to this is that the Portuguese seem to have kept their 75mm guns, and were not equipped with the 18# gun. The Howitzer Grupos were issued the 4.5" howitzer,and split up, with their Batarias attached to the field Artillery Grupos. The new divisional structure was as follows: 3 Infantry Brigadas (each of four battalions) 2 MG Grupos (each 2 btias) 3 Field Artillery Grupoas (each with 3 btias of 4 guns each 1 btais howitzers) 3 Light Mortar Batarias 2 Medium Mortar Batarias (2 btias of 4 guns each) 2 Coys Sapper/Miners The formations' structure and composition remained almost unchanged for the rest of the year, the only changes being to the mortar batteries. The basic composition were as follows: Corps: One Artilharia Corpo Pesada (10 btias) 1a Div 1a Bda 22a, 21a, 34a, 28a Infantry Battalions la Light Mortar Btias,la Medium Mortar Btias 2a Bda 24a, 23a, 35a, 7a Infantry Battalions 2a Light Mortar Btias,2a Medium Mortar Btias 3a Bda 14a, 9a, 12a, 15a Infantry Battalions 3a Light Mortar Btias,3a Medium Mortar Btias 1a, 2a, MG Gpos 1a Heavy Mortar Btias 1a, 2a, 3a GBAs (Grupoas de Batarias de Artilharia) 2a Div 4a Bda 3a, 8a, 29a, 20a Infantry Battalions 6a Light Mortar Btias,16a Medium Mortar Btias 5a Bda 4a, 5a, I la, 17a Infantry Battalions later 4a, 10a, 13a, 17a Infantry Battalions 5a Light Mortar Btias,5a Medium Mortar Btias 6a Bda la, 2a, 10a, 13a Infantry Battalions later la, 2a, 5a, l la Infantry Battalions 3a Light Mortar Btias,3a Medium Mortar Btias 3a, 4a, MG Gpos 1a Heavy Mortar Btias 4a, 5a, 6a GBAs (Grupoas de Batarias de Artilharia) Notes to the above: As noted, the composition of 5a and 6a Bdas seems to have been changed subsequently (the date is unknown but prior to April 1918). The various sub-units were switched around to some extent. In October 1917, the GBAs were allotted as follows: la Div la, 4a, 5a; 2a Div 2a, 3a, 6a; and by November 1917 la and 4a Bdas Infantari had been switched round. The CEP was made up of 1st Battalions from most of the 35 regular infantry regiments. Those that did not contribute were RI's 25, 26, and 27 (which were stationed in the Azores of Madeira) and RI 31 (which had lost heavily in Africa). BIs 6, 16, 18, 19, 30, 32, and 33 were deputed to act as depot units in France (though BI 33 did not in fact leave Libson) and the remainder were incorporated into the field divisions. The Grupos de Batarias de Artilharias were derived as follows: la GBA (Light) ex 2a RA 2a GBA (Light) ex 7a RA 3a GBA (Light) ex 8a RA 4a GBA (Light) ex 3a RA 5a GBA (Light) ex la RA 6a GBA (Light) ex la RA 1a GBA (How) ex 6a RA 2a GBA (How) ex 4a RA 3a GBA (How) ex 5a RA The Ligiera (Light) 3" Stokes Trench Mortar batteries were provided by infantry regiments, the Pesada (Medium) 6" Newtons by artillery regiments, as follows: 1a Ligiera ex 15a RI 2a Ligiera ex 34a RI 3a Ligiera ex 35a RI 4a Ligiera ex 12a RI 5a Ligiera ex 19a RI 6a Ligiera ex 13a RI la Pesada ex 2a RA 2a Pesada ex 7a RA 3a Pesada ex 8a RA  In early 1918, there was a military coup in Portugal. The new government was opposed to the war, but it could not withdraw because that would have left the Portuguese colonies exposed in any post-war settlement. It compromised by refusing to send any reinforcements (other than political opponents) to France. This meant that CEF units spent unusually long periods in the line (1 a-3a GBAs served there for nine months whereas normal British practice to rotate artillery units every three months) and their fighting strength and motivation deteriorated. In March 1918, 1a Divisao was withdrawn from the line, leaving its 3a Bda with 2a Divisao. This division then gave way under the weight of the April German offensive (the Portugese call this the Batalha do Lis) and was withdrawn for reorganization. The CEP was then reduced to one division by a process of successive reorganizations. 6a Bda was disbanded in May 1918, elements going to 4a and 5a Bdas. 5a Bda was now la Bn (10& 13), 2a Bn (1, 2, &4), 3a Bn (11 &17). Then 5a Bda was disbanded, elements going to 4a Bda, now composed of l a Bn (3,10, 20), 2a Bn (8, 13, 29), 3a Bn (1, 2, 5). Meanwhile, the units which had preserved their coherence were organized into three brigades as follows: (July 1918): la Bda 21a, 22a, 28a, 34a Infantry Battalions GM 2 Machineguns la Light Mortar Btias la & 4a Medium Mortar Btias 2a Bda 11/17a, 23a, 24a, 35a, Infantry Battalions GM 6 Machineguns 2a Light Mortar Btias 2a Medium Mortar Btias 3a Bda 9a, 12a, 14a, 15a Infantry Battalions GM 3 Machineguns 3a Light Mortar Btias 3a Medium Mortar Btias In October 1918, a final reorganization of the infantry elements produced the following "new" la Divisao: 1a Bda BI I (ex 22 and others) BI 2(ex21,28) BI 3 (ex 1, 2, 8, 29, 34) la Light Mortar Btias 2a Bda BI 4 (ex 23 and others) BI 5 (ex 24,35 ) BI 6 (ex 11, 17, 24) 2a Light Mortar Btias 3a Bda BI 7 (ex 14 and others) BI 8(ex5,9) BI 9 (ex 13, 15) 3a Light Mortar Btias Divisional Troops 3, 4, 6 GBAs 1, 2 Btias Medium Mortars 1, 2, 3, Cias Sap Mineurs la Cia Div Teleg la Bat Pioniers la Machinegun Sctn Div Observadores 4, 5, 6, Ambulances This Divisao remained in reserve until September 1918. The Portuguese forces in action between April and September were two Artilharia Grupos, whose Batarias were attached to British formations as independent units: 1a Gpo la Btia to 10 Artillery Brigade, XII Corps 2a Btia to 81 Artillery Brigade, XVII Corps 3a Btia to 53 Artillery Brigade, XVII Corps 4a Btia to 30 Artillery Brigade, XVIII Corps 5a Btia to 79 Artillery Brigade, XI Corps 2a Gpo la Btia to 46 Artillery Brigade, I Corps 2a Btia to 18 Artillery Brigade, I Corps 3a Btia to 28 Artillery Brigade, XI Corps 4a Btia to 52 Artillery Brigade, XIII Corps 5a Btia to 16 Artillery Brigade, VIII Corps In addition to the CEF proper, the Portuguese agreed to provide a Corpo de Artilharia Pesada (Independent Heavy Artillery Corps) of 3 Gpos x 3 Btias each to serve with the French Army. It was equipped at first with Krupp 9cm guns from Portuguese inventory,and later with French-supplied 19cm, 24cm, and 32cm (the later two being railroad guns). The CAPI went to France in 1918 but did not see action. It was disbanded in November of that year. OTT Notes on The Portuguese Army Greg Novak For 1917-1918, the CEF should be organized as the British Army, and use the same weapons data. For experience and morale, I would rate the Portuguese as Regular (OTT Experienced), with a morale of 8 in 1917, and 7 in 1918. I would reduce the infantry companies in 1918 to three infantry stands each. The batteries attached to the British Artillery may have been issued the 18# gun in 1918. When I wrote Over The Top back in 1988, there were two armies I was not able to find good information on: those of Greece and of Portugal. One of those gaps is now filled though the kind services of Peter Abbott, who sent the information about the WWI Portuguese Army. Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Quarterly # 5 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Greg Novak. 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