This article is intended to start filling in the many gaps that presently exist in the British OB in Europa. While it is comprehensive, and hopefully accurate, readers should note that it is in 'draft' form. A finished OB, that which would appear in an Europa game, would be smoother with some transfers, conversions, and other changes factored out.

This OB only deals with the ground forces. Air units, and naval units (including coastal artillery) are not included. In addition, the OB only covers land forces as they appear in the ETO and MTO. Units which remain in other parts of the Empire and Commonwealth are excluded. Australian units of this type have already been described by Stuart Lee in TEM #11. Hopefully the complete OB of the Indian Army will soon be presented in this magazine. In addition, it is designed to use existing counters where possible, and many non- divisional units such as MG battalions are therefore factored into divisions, rather than being shown on their own.

More important, this OB does not reflect some of the new concepts which John Astell has introduced into the Europa system, such as forming/full, garrison units, and self-supported divisions. The OB/OA has not been revised to reflect these changes since we assume that Europa players would prefer to experiment with an OB which endeavors to use existing counters and maps. At the end of these notes, suggestions are made regarding the implications of the new concepts.

General Comments

Notes on specific units will be found scattered through the OB/OA. These comments are intended to provide Europa players with an outline of the British Army of the period, and to explain why specific counter values were assigned.

A fundamental decision, one that affected most units and formations was the decision of the British Government to double the size of the Territorial Army in April of 1939. This, while it represented a massive increase in the size of the Army, threw its structure into confusion. In effect it delayed the formation date of all non-regular units by some six months. As a result, this OB is only applicable for 1939. In 1938 the Army would have been much weaker, but many Territorial Divisions would have Ljeen available much earlier. The intention was to create by 1941 an army composed of six armoured, six motorised, and 18 infantry divisions, with some ten extra Commonwealth divisions. This OB shows the impact of reality and Dunkirk on this plan.

John Astell has provided informative and detailed information in the last few issues of TEM on the German Army of 1939. These comments are intended to do the same for the 1939 British Army.

Organization

The British equivalent of the Wehrkries was the 'District', most of which became an active 'Command' on mobilization. The exceptions are Aldershot District, a small area of Hampshire which contained the headquarters and training functions of much of the Regular Army, London District containing the Depots of the Guards and the Royal Artillery, and Northern Ireland. In peacetime the Districts were merely the geographical areas in which the various Territorial units and formations were stationed. Note that the British did not have the elaborate Reserve, Training and Replacement system of the Germans, although there were a number of depot units.

Infantry

All British infantry divisions had, at least in theory, the same organization. Each had three brigades containing three battalions and in some cases a company with 9 AT guns (these were French 25mm weapons.) There were also three field artillery regiments, each with 24 guns. At this time the gun was the 18/25lb, a modern 25lb tube on the mounting of the 18lb field gun of 1914. Each division contained the equivalent of a battalion of engineers, and an anti-tank regiment which was supposed to have 48 guns, either the French 25mm or the new 2lb. Note that there were no anti- aircraft units. The total strength was some 13,500 men, making the division somewhat smaller than a German infantry division. These theoretically identical divisions can be divided into three groups, comparable to German 'Waves'.

The regular divisions raised in the United Kingdom are rated at 8-8, better than a first-wave German division of the same period. This is because a number of additional units have been factored in. Two, a n MG battalion with 48 Vickers MMG, and a light AA regiment with 36 40mm Bofors guns later became standard components of the divisions. In addition a 'cavalry' regiment equipped with 28 light tanks and 44 carriers is considered to be present at mobilization. In April I 40 these are removed to form independent brigades.

The nine 7-8 infantry divisions are the "Ist Line Territorial' formations, those which existed before the doubling of the Territorial Army in 1939. It is assumed that they retained two thirds of the trained units available, including two artillery regiments. It took several months before all units were considered to be combat capable. The 7-8 rating is probably too generous for this period, and is only arrived at by assuming that newly formed MG battalions are assigned to the division. The 56th Division was called the 1st London Division in this period.

The twelve 4-6 Infantry Divisions are the '2nd Line' formations. Most seem to have experienced massive problems of organization, and a phenomenal lack of equipment. As late as May 1940 several were considered to be only suitable for use as construction engineers. The 47th Division was called the 2nd London Division in this period. It was supposed, as were the 23rd and 59th Divisions, to be a motorised division. This is ignored in the OB as these plans were overtaken by events.

There are three motorised divisions rated at 5-8. Each contained two brigades with three battalions, two field artillery regiments and a single motor-cycle battalion. They were intended to operate in conjunction with the armoured divisions. After Dunkirk all were reorganised into standard infantry divisions.

Artillery

The expansion of the Territorial Army had a major effect on the Artillery. While it was relatively easy to train the mass of conscripts that were assigned to infantry units, it took time to equip and organise the new artillery regiments required to support them. In effect, when the war started, Britain only had the artillery sufficient to support the regular divisions, the 12 First Line Territorial divisions, and the Corps and Army troops which had existed in 1938. It was not until early 1940 that the new artillery units started to become combat effective, and the process was not visualised as being complete until 1941.

There were also delays in the provision of new weapons. The 25lb gun did not appear in any numbers until early 1940, and the new medium and heavy artillery pieces were still in the final stages of design. As a result the artillery went to war with the weapons of World War One.

The organization of the Field ('Light') Regiments has already been described. The Medium Regiments had 16 6" howitzers and/or 60lb guns. A Heavy Regiment contained four 6" guns and 12 8" howitzers. In the OB a 4-3-8 artillery brigade is considered to contain two field and two medium units; a 3-8 artillery brigade two medium and one heavy unit. The 2-1-2 siege artillery is something of an abstraction. Two 9.2 inch railroad howitzers were sent to France, not enough to justify a counter. Four of the normal (i.e., road transport) 9.2" howitzers have been added to justify the rating.

The remaining weapons of these Super Heavy Batteries are included in the other artillery counters. There is much confusion over these heavy guns, with some reports suggesting that as many as 27 9.2" howitzers were in France.

Equally tricky is the issue of what siege and railroad units the British would have formed had the German attack been delayed. For the moment this is left for Grand Europa.

The Support Groups were supposed to contain one field regiment, one mixed AT/AA Regiment and two battalions of motorised infantry.

Armour

The notes in the OB describe the derisory state of the British Armour in some detail. The significant point is that while many 'armoured' units existed, it took a long time before any armoured divisions could be formed. An example is the 3-8 armoured brigades, supposed to form part of an armoured formation, but given slow infantry tanks instead. The OB assumes that each had an infantry battalion attached on a semi-permanent basis.

Special Rules

1) The British receive one Inf RP on the I turn of each month, commencing with the July 1 40 turn. Infantry RP are also available as conditional reinforcements.

2) Unless otherwise stated in scenario instructions each British division with a movement rate of 8 or greater has one intrinsic light AA point. Note that 0-2-8 Hv AA X have an AA value of 5.

3) When playing a campaign, the British player is required to transport at least 8 REs of ground troops to France each month of 1939, and 4 REs each month of 1940. This requirement may be superceded by the need to keep in the United Kingdom a garrison of at least 24 REs, 2 REs of which must be in Northern Ireland. Forming units can be counted in this calculation, with each forming division counting as one RE.

4) Any British unit may be disbanded, and the appropriate Replacement Points obtained from the disband. A disbanded unit is permanently removed from the game.

5) A British division may break down. Any brigade counter of the appropriate type which is not in play may be used.

6) A unit 'in garrison' may be placed on the map in any city in its District or area whenever the enemy enters that District or area, or announces that he intends to do so by making an air or naval landing.

Updating the OB

Owners of recent Europa games, especially First to Fight, will have noted several changes in unit types and abilities. This concluding section offers some simple suggestions as to how some could be applied to this OB.

1) The most important idea is that of the division which can only support itself, combined with a distinction between supported and non-supported cadres. Adopting this concept means the wholesale abolition of about 100 brigade counters! It also debars one clever trick used by British players in Their Finest Hour of stacking every brigade in sight on top of a single artillery unit-neat, but not exactly matching what the British were capable of. Make the following changes:

a) Delete:
all 2-8 Inf X appearing on Sep 139
all 1-6 Inf X appearing on Sep I and Oct 1139
all 0-1-4 Static X whenever they appear.
all 2-8 Inf X available to upgrade from 1-6 Inf X

b) Replace the above with the following:
3x 2-8 Inf X with 1x 5-6-6* Inf XX
2x 2-8 Inf X with 1x 4-6* Inf XX
3x 1-6 Inf X with 1x 3-5-5* Inf XX
3x 0-1-4 Static X with 1x 2-3-4* Static XX

c) Add to the OB for Oct II 1939 anywhere in the United Kingdom:
3x 1-6 Inf X

2) These new divisions should be used in concert with the forming/full unit concept. For simplicity sake assume that all:

Divisions are considered to be forming when replacing brigades. 5-6-6* and 4-6* divisions are full on Jan I 40; 3-5-5* divisions are full on June I 40. 2-3-4* divisions are full on Sep I 40. Upgrade to 7-8 Infantry XX takes place as per the OB. Note that the 4-6* divisions upgrade to 5-8 divisions on Jan I 40. It costs 1 Art Point to upgrade the 5-6- 6* and 4-6* divisions. It costs 2 Art Points and 2 Inf RP to upgrade a 3-5-5* to a 7-8 division. Retain all other brigades, which may in any case be used for breakdowns. Note that the 'new' divisional counters may not break down.

3) Separate AA points are being reduced in number. To reflect this assume that all:

a) 4-3-8 and 3-8 Artillery X contain one integral Lt AA point.

b) Fortress X contain one integral Lt AA point.

In order to experiment with this system a player will need to make the following counters:

9x 5-6-6* (cadre 2-6*) 42, 43, 44, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54
3x 4-6* (no cadre) 50, 55, 56
12x 3-5-5* (cadre 1-6) 9, 12, 15, 18, 23, 38, 45, 46, 47, 59, 61, 66

The British Army Order of Battle September 1939 to December 1940

Overview
Commands and Initial Forces
Reinforcements and Reaction Forces
Replacements and Glossary