ISBN 1-874622-80-9
88 pages

Introduction; Abbreviations and Nomenclature; Notes for Wargamers; Bibliography

   Are there more English-language books about German OBs and TOEs, or British OBs and TOEs? Dunno. It's a close-run race, but these two armies definitely take the gold and silver.
   Mark Bevis' new book from Helion is the latest addition to the British side of the ledger. Upon hearing of this title for the first time, readers might be tempted to dismiss it as just one more in a long line of Brit OB compilations. Who needs another one when everything has already been compiled by Joslen and Bellis and Hughes?
   Well, Bevis offers a somewhat different perspective on the same basic OB/TOE information, and he also adds new a layer of detailed data about exact quantities and types of weapons and vehicles. Interestingly, he approaches all this as a wargamer. Whatever one might think of wargaming as a hobby, it seems undeniable that good wargame designers are usually at the forefront of determining just exactly what were the most crucial elements of a given battle or campaign, because those elements are the ones that will need to be most carefully modeled. This also seems to be true when good wargame designers research OBs and TOEs: they are mostly concerned with the organization, strength, and weapons not of the theoretical structure or the ideal, but of the practical realities of the units as they actually existed at the time of the battle.
   British and Commonwealth Armies very much reflects this approach. Bevis has sliced some very thin cross-sections of important units at specific moments in time, and he examines each of the cross-sections in minute detail. This means that not every unit is represented in his book, and not every slice of time is included for the units which do appear, but each of his unit cross-sections conveys remarkable amounts of information.
   The book is divided into six main parts:

Part 1: North-West European Theatre, 1939-43
Part 2: North African Theatre, 1938-1943
Part 3: Middle East, Central and West African Theatres, 1938-43
Part 4: Mediterranean Theatre, 1939-43
Part 5: Far East, Australasian and Indian Theatres, 1939 - late 1943
Part 6: Special Forces (all theatres)

   Within each part are anywhere from seven to thirty-three separate TOE entries. Some units are represented on multiple occasions at different points during the war. While most of the examination occurs at divisional level, many smaller and more unusual forces receive equally detailed treatment. Here's a list of the individual entries from Part 3.

3.1 Indian 1st/31st Armoured Division, April-December 1941, Iraq/Persia
3.2 Indian 2nd Armoured Brigade, August 1941, Persia
3.3 South African 7thArmoured Brigade, September-November 1942, Madagascar
3.4 African Infantry Division, July-November 1940, East Africa
3.5 African Infantry Division, November 1940-November 1941, East Africa
3.6 Indian Infantry Division, October 1940-November 1941, East Africa
3.7 Indian Infantry Division, 1940-41, Iraq/Persia
3.8 South African 1st Infantry Division, October 1940-February 1941, East Africa
3.9 Australian Infantry Division, 1941, Syria
3.10 East African 22nd Brigade, September-November 1942, Madagascar
3.11 British Cavalry Division, July 1940-March 1942, Palestine
3.12 Sudanese Home Defence Forces, 1939-September 1940, Sudan
3.13 British Garrison Forces, 1939-August 1940, British Somaliland
3.14 Kenyan Home Defence Forces, 1939-November 1940, Kenya, S. Abyssinia
3.15 Gideon Force, December 1940-May 1941, W. Sudan, W. Abyssinia
3.16 British Garrison Forces, 1940-41, Habbiniya Airbase, Iraq
3.17 British Habforce, May-July 1941, Iraq/Syria
3.18 British Force 121, May-September 1942, Madagascar

   It's difficult to think of a British WWII unit more famous than 7th Armored Division, so of course Bevis offers several entries for various dates: March-September 1940, October 1940-February 1941, April-May 1941, June-August 1941, September-December 1941, and August 1942-May 1943. As with the other TOE cross-sections, each entry gives the organization structure down to battalion, company, squadron, troop, platoon, and section level. In addition, Bevis lists the principal weapons and vehicles actually available to each unit. Finally, the author closes most entries with notes about radios, artillery ratings, unusual weapons or equipment, and formation training and morale—all with wargaming needs in mind.
   As a fairly typical example of a TOE for a division during a specific period of time, here's one of the 7th Armored's entries:

2.5 BRITISH 7TH ARMOURED DIVISION, JUNE-AUGUST 1941, NORTH AFRICA

      The Division's main combat elements were:
         7th Armoured Brigade (2nd and 6th RTR)
         Divisional Recce Regiment (11th Hussars)
         2 Divisional Motor Battalions (1st Btn King's Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Btn Rifle Brigade) During this period an Army Tank Brigade with two regiments of Matilda II was also attached (see list 2.16) containing 4th and 7th RTR. The Division is rated at average training and good morale.

SUPPORT UNITS

   Divisional Support
   Included:
      3 Artillery Batteries, each: Battery HQ (4 rifle secs, 3 lorries, radio van, 1 AALMG)
         2 Troops, each: 4 x 25pdr, 5 trucks, radio truck, 1 AALMG, 1 Boys
      4th Royal Horse Artillery Regiment:
         2 Batteries, each: Battery HQ (4 rifle secs, 3 lorries, radio van, 1 AALMG)
            2 Troops, each: 4 x 25pdr, 5 trucks, radio truck, 1 AALMG, 1 Boys
      1 A/T Battery: Battery HQ (1 rifle sec, 1 truck)
         3 Troops, each: 4 x 2pdr on portees, 2 LMG
      1 Engineer Squadron: Sqdn HQ (2 rifle secs, 1 lorry)
         4 Troops, each: 4 (12 man) rifle/engineer secs, 3 LMG, 2 lorries
      3 AA Batteries, each: Battery HQ (1 rifle sec, 1 truck)
         3 Troops, each: 4 x 40mm Bofors, 6 trucks
      1 Squadron, 3rd Hussars: Sqdn HQ (3 x Vickers VIC)
         4 Troops, each: 3 x Vickers VIB light tanks
      7th Hussars Armoured Regiment (in Egypt, re-equipping): 18 x A-13 Cruisers
      3rd Hussars Armoured Regiment (in Egypt, re-equipping): some Vickers VIB

   Brigade Support
      Armoured Brigade HQ (4 x A-10, 1 x ACV, 3 x Daimler S/C)

MAIN COMBAT ELEMENTS

   2nd Royal Tank Regiment
      RHQ (4 x A-13 Mk.2 Cruisers, 3 x Scammel Wreckers)
         1 Squadron: Sqdn HQ (1 x A-9, 1 x A-13 Mk.2)
            3 Troops, each: 3 x A-9
         1 Squadron: Sqdn HQ (1 x A-10, 1 x A-10 CS, 1 x A-13 Mk.2)
            3 Troops, each: 3 x A-10
         1 Squadron: Sqdn HQ (1 x A-13 Mk2, 2 x A-13 CS)
            4 Troops, each: 3 x A-13
         1 Recce Troop: 2-3 sections, each: 3 x Daimler S/C

   6th Royal Tank Regiment
      RHQ (4 x Crusader I, 3 x Scammel Wreckers)
         3 Squadrons, each: Sqdn HQ (4 x Crusader I)
            4 Troops, each: 3 x Crusader I
         1 Recce Troop: 2-3 Sections, each: 3 x Daimler Scout Cars

   11th Hussars Divisional Recce Regiment
      RHQ (4 x Marmon-Herrington II)
         4 Sections, each: 3 x Daimler S/C
         3 Squadrons, each: Sqdn HQ (4 x Marmon-Herrington II)
            4-5 Troops, each: 3 x Marmon-Herrington II

   Divisional Motor Battalion
      Btn HQ (2 trucks, 1 lorry, 2 rifle secs)
         3 Companies, each: Coy HQ (1 rifle sec, 1 x 2",1 Boys, 2 trucks)
            3 Platoons, each: 4 rifle secs, 4 Boys, 1 x 2", 3 LMG, 4 trucks
            1 Platoon: 2 x 3" mortars, 2 MMG, 4 trucks
            1 Platoon: Pl HQ (1 x Carrier, 1 x Daimler S/C, 1 LMG)
               3 Sections, each: 3 x Carrier, 3 LMG, 1 Boys, 1 x 2",1 rifle sec

Notes
1. Radios were in all AFVs and other Pl HQs. Artillery is rated as Assigned FC.
2. Infantry sections had No.73 or No.74 or No.75 A T grenades.
3. 2pdr fired AP only, 25pdr had no AP rounds.
4. Carrier is Universal type.
5. For wargames purposes, up to one Armoured Troop can replace Stuart with M2A4 from July 1941. Divisional AA batteries must be deployed around the artillery. Marmon-Herrington II armament could be (10% chance of each): 3.7cm PAK35; 20mm Breda M; 47/32 A T gun; Quad LMGM; 25mmL72 A T gun; turret Boys and co-axial MG; 2.8cm PzB41 A T rifle; Twin LMGM.

   By way of comparison, we can look at what some other OB compilations show for the same division during the same period.
   First, Malcolm Bellis' self-published Divisions of the British Army, 1939-45 provides two pages of distilled data for the division: four lines of general history of the division, description of divisional insignia, theaters (with dates) in which the division served, divisional assets (with dates) such as recce and anti-tank units, brigades and the dates they were assigned to the division, and battalions and the dates they were assigned to the division's brigades. No information is given on composition of battalions or on weapons and equipment.
   The material given by Bellis owes a great deal to H.F. Joslen's seminal British OB volume, Orders of Battle, Second World War, 1939-1945. Joslen's material for 7th Armored covers three larger pages with the following: four lines of general history of the division, list of divisional commanders (with dates served), divisional assets (with dates), brigades and the dates they were assigned to the division, higher formations under which the division served (with dates), theaters (with dates) in which the division served, battle honors for the division (with dates), and additional notes. Again, no information is given on composition of battalions or on weapons and equipment.
   As can be seen, neither Bellis nor Joslen delves into the same level of detail as Bevis, and neither provides any numbers or types of weapons, equipment, or vehicles. Much closer to Bevis' approach is that of David Hughes, James Broshot, and Alan Philson (the latter later replaced by David Ryan) in the volumes of The British Armies in World War Two: An Organisational History published by George Nafziger. Hughes and his mates, much like Bevis, slice their own cross-sections for key dates during the war. Their entry for 7th Armored Division, for example, includes about a dozen TOE tables and amounts to about eighteen pages all told including the narrative history they use to tie everything together. Here's Hughes' take on 7th Armored's TOE for June 1941, which is not exactly the same as the Bevis material but includes some text which helps explain the differences:

Table 7A:7 7th Armoured Division Operation Battleaxe: June 1941

Divisional Headquarters	? Cruiser Tanks
4th Armoured Brigade Group
4th Royal Tank Regiment	44 A 12 Infantry, 6 Mk Vl Light, 2 A 10 Cruisers
7th Royal Tank Regiment	48 A 12 Infantry, 6 Mk Vl Light, 2 A 10 Cruisers
31st Field Artillery Regiment	24 25 pdr field guns
Squadron 3rd Hussars	c15 Mk Vl Light
Company 2nd Rifle Brigade	(motor company)
7th Armoured Brigade Group	4 A 10 Cruisers
2nd Royal Tank Regiment	10 A 9, 11 A 10, 21 A 13 Cruisers
6th Royal Tank Regiment	52 Crusader I Cruisers
11th Hussars	Mormon-Harrington II Armoured Cars
Battery 1st LM Regiment	12 40 mm M guns
7th Support Group
1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps	(motor battalion)
2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade	(motor battalion - less one company)
A Squadron Royals	Mormon-Harrington II Armoured Cars
4th Royal Horse Artillery	16 25 pdr field guns
Battery 3rd RHA	12 2 pdr portee AT guns
2 Batteries 1st LM Regiment	24 40 mm M guns
3rd Field Squadron
Abbreviations: RHA: Royal Horse Artillery	LAA: Light Anti-aircraft

Note the peculiarities of this Order of Battle. First, 4th Armoured Brigade should have been labelled a tank brigade, the universal practise for a formation equipped with infantry tanks. The problem was that the two regiments involved had been sent out without their own higher command, the 1st Tank Brigade. The 4th Armoured Brigade lacked any regiments of its own and was assigned the job, even though it had no experience in the infantry support role. Logically it should have been permanently under the command of the 4th Indian Division whose troops the Matildas would be aiding, but logic took second place to the influence of the cavalry lobby. Furthermore, its support elements came from two different divisions and had never worked together before - the artillery from 4th Indian and the motor company and light tank squadron from 7th Armoured. The 7th Armoured Brigade was short a full regiment, and was gifted with no less than four types of Cruiser tank, all with different speeds and mechanical reliability. As for the missing units, the 7th Hussars in Egypt were reduced to eighteen Cruisers, while their B squadron was exchanging its light tanks for A 13 Cruisers. The 3rd Hussars were in a similar state, although one squadron was with the Matilda tanks of 4th Armoured Brigade. In fact, the only element to match the official organisation was 7th Support Group!

   As can be seen, the data is not entirely consistent between Hughes and Bevis. One of the strengths of the Hughes volumes is also the only real shortcoming with British and Commonwealth Armies. That is, Hughes writes considerable explanatory text to accompany his TOEs, while with Bevis the data stands alone save for a few very brief notes.
   For readers who already own Joslen and Bellis and Hughes, there's probably little reason to acquire the Bevis volume as well unless you're seriously interested in British OB and TOE material. On the other hand, OB/TOE enthusiasts will discover a wealth of data here which appears nowhere else. In particular, the final part, "Special Forces," contains hard-to-locate material on independent companies, commando forces, the Royal Marines, MNBDO organizations, the Long Range Desert Group, SAS and SOE formations, Special Boat Service squadrons, etc.
   Despite a few quirks—for example, what might or might not be an indenting problem makes the TOE for the Somaliland Camel Corps difficult to decipher—Mark Bevis has done a good job compiling an enormous amount of hard data about the ever-fascinating subject of British forces in World War II. This reviewer will certainly be making good use of this volume and looking forward to the next volume and the supplements promised by the author.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Helion & Company.
   Thanks to Helion for providing these review copies.