British 78th Infantry Division
| 78th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
Formation sign of the 78th Infantry Division.
|
|
| Active | May 1942 – August 1946 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division, at war establishment strength 17,298-18,347 men |
| Nickname(s) | "Battleaxe Division" |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Battle honours |
1942: Tebourba Gap |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Vyvyan Evelegh Sir Charles Keightley |
1942: Tebourba Gap
1943: Oued Zarga, Medjez Plain, Tunis, Adrano, The Sangro
1944: Cassino II, Liri Valley, Trasimene Line, Advance to Florence
The 78th Infantry Division, also known as the Battleaxe Division, was an infantry division of the British Army, raised during World War II that fought, with great distinction, in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy from late 1942–1945.
Following the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Western Desert Campaign in North Africa became the primary focus of British military operations during the Second World War. Between 1940 and 1942, British Commonwealth forces fought a back and forth campaign with Italian and German troops across Italian Libya. Under the command of General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel, the Italian-German force gained the upper hand during the Battle of Gazala and inflicted a major defeat upon the British Eighth Army. The battle resulted in the fall of the port of Tobruk, a calamity second only to the fall of Singapore in February 1942. The Eighth Army retreated from its gains in Libya over the Frontier Wire into Egypt, where several battles were fought that culminated in the Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November).
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Wikipedia