Norfolk County Division

The Norfolk County Division was a temporary British Army formation established during the Second World War. It was formed on 24 December 1940, at a stage of the war when Britain was reorganizing and expanding its home-defence forces in response to the threat of invasion. The formation was commanded by Major-General W. H. Ozanne and remained under the operational command of II Corps throughout its existence. Unlike a conventional fully equipped infantry division, the Norfolk County Division was organized around three Independent Infantry Brigades (Home). These brigades provided the division's principal infantry strength, while artillery, engineers, signals, reconnaissance, transport, and other combat-support functions were expected to be supplied by other local or higher-level formations. This structure reflected the emergency and territorial character of Britain's wartime home-defence arrangements rather than a mature overseas combat formation. The three brigades associated with the division were the 213th, 220th, and 222nd Independent Infantry Brigades (Home). Their battalions came from a range of county and national infantry regiments, including the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Royal Berkshire Regiment, South Staffordshire Regiment, Royal Fusiliers, Royal Norfolk Regiment, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, Lincolnshire Regiment, Leicestershire Regiment, and Royal Scots Fusiliers. The 23rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, left the 220th Brigade on 5 July 1941. The brigades were assigned to the division from 12 December 1940 until 17 November 1941, although the division itself was formally created on 24 December 1940. On 18 November 1941, the Norfolk County Division was disbanded as a named formation through redesignation as the 76th Infantry Division. The three constituent brigades were correspondingly redesignated as the 213th, 220th, and 222nd Infantry Brigades, losing the 'Independent' and '(Home)' wording in their titles. The formation therefore had a brief administrative and military life and should be understood as a wartime British Army division rather than as a commercial brand or operating company. Available reference material documents its formation, command relationship, brigade composition, and conversion into the 76th Infantry Division, but does not establish a separate headquarters location, commercial activity, products, campaigns, or corporate ownership.

The Norfolk County Division was formed by the British Army during the Second World War as part of Britain's home-defence organization. Its creation occurred on 24 December 1940, following the crisis created by the possibility of a German invasion of the United Kingdom and the continuing need to organize large numbers of infantry units for domestic defence. The division was a temporary formation rather than a standard field division with a complete organic establishment. Its infantry component consisted of three Independent Infantry Brigades (Home): the 213th, 220th, and 222nd. The brigades brought together battalions from established British infantry regiments. The 213th Brigade included the 13th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment; the 9th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment; and the 14th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment. The 220th Brigade included the 23rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, the 7th and 9th Battalions, Royal Norfolk Regiment, and the 9th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. The 23rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, departed on 5 July 1941. The 222nd Brigade comprised the 8th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment; the 8th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment; and the 11th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers. The division was placed under II Corps for its entire existence. Its organization was infantry-only: artillery, engineers, and other combat-support capabilities were not permanently incorporated in the same way as they would have been in a conventional fully established infantry division. Instead, these capabilities were to be provided by other local formations or supporting organizations. This arrangement illustrates the provisional character of British home-defence formations in the early-war period. The three brigades were associated with the division from 12 December 1940 to 17 November 1941. On 18 November 1941, the Norfolk County Division ceased to exist as a separate named formation when it was redesignated as the 76th Infantry Division. At the same transition, the 213th, 220th, and 222nd Independent Infantry Brigades (Home) were redesignated as the 213th, 220th, and 222nd Infantry Brigades. The change marked an administrative transformation rather than the continuation of the Norfolk County Division under its original name. The available historical record focuses on the formation's organizational role, brigade order of battle, command relationship, and redesignation. It does not identify a commercial headquarters, founder, owner, products, advertising activity, or civilian corporate successor. Consequently, the entity is best catalogued as a defunct wartime military formation rather than as a conventional consumer or corporate brand.

• 1941

  Departure of the 23rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers

  [1]Norfolk County Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The 23rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, left the 220th Independent Infantry Brigade on 5 July 1941.

• 1941

  Redesignation as the 76th Infantry Division

  [1]Norfolk County Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  On 18 November 1941, the Norfolk County Division was disbanded as a named formation through redesignation as the 76th Infantry Division.

• 1940

  Formation of the division

  [1]Norfolk County Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The Norfolk County Division was formed on 24 December 1940 as a British Army home-defence infantry formation during the Second World War.

• 1940

  Assignment of constituent brigades

  [1]Norfolk County Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The 213th, 220th, and 222nd Independent Infantry Brigades (Home) were associated with the division from 12 December 1940.

A wartime home-defence infantry formation designed to coordinate three independent infantry brigades under II Corps. It was not a commercial brand, product business, or corporate entity.

• 1941

  Conversion into the 76th Infantry DivisionStrategy

  Background

  The Norfolk County Division was an interim home-defence formation with an infantry-only structure and supporting arms supplied by other formations.

  Action taken

  The British Army ended the division under its original designation on 18 November 1941 and redesignated it as the 76th Infantry Division. Its three brigades were likewise redesignated without the 'Independent' and '(Home)' labels.

  Aftermath

  The Norfolk County Division became defunct, while the successor 76th Infantry Division continued the relevant organizational lineage under a new designation.

  Source

1. 1Norfolk County Divisionen.wikipedia.org