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This is a list of Allied forces in the Normandy campaign between 6 June and 25 August 1944. Primary ground combat divisions and brigades are listed here; unit articles may contain a complete order of battle.

United States

United Kingdom

See also Hastings Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy

Independent and GHQ brigades included 30th Armoured; 1st Tank Brigade; 4th Armoured; 1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers; 31st Tank; 34th Tank; 6th Guards Tank Brigade; 27th Armoured (to 9.1944); 33rd Armoured; 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade; the headquarters of 74th, 76th, 80th, 100th, 101st, 105th, 106th and 107th Anti-Aircraft Brigades; numerous light anti-aircraft (LAA) and HAA regiments; and 56th Infantry Brigade, which joined 49th Division from 20 August 1944.

Canada

Free French forces & Fusiliers Marins

Free Polish forces

Free Belgian forces

Free Czechoslovak forces

Free Dutch forces

Free Norwegian forces

Approximately 1,950 Norwegian military personnel took part in the Normandy campaign in separate Norwegian units or as part of other Allied units in addition to 45 civilian ships with approximately 1,000 men from Nortraship. The Norwegian units operated under British command and were therefore primarily employed in the Gold, Sword and Juno sectors.

Some of the participating units:

• Air Force
  • 331 Squadron
  • 332 Squadron
• Navy
  • HNoMS Stord S-class destroyer
  • HNoMS Svenner S-class destroyer
  • HNoMS Glaisdale Hunt-class destroyer
  • HNoMS Andenes Flower-class corvette
  • HNoMS Eglantine Flower-class corvette
  • HNoMS Rose Flower-class corvette
  • HNoMS Nordkapp fishery protection vessel
  • Motor Launches No. 128, 213 and 573

See also

• Australian contribution to the Battle of Normandy

Notes

1. There was panic at SHAEF HQ in Southwick House when Convoy U2 of 140 ships carrying Barton and the US 4th Infantry Division to Utah beach (which had furthest to go) failed to heed the radio message to turn back on 3 June and could not be located; with visions of the flotilla invading alone!. The destroyer USS Forrest went out. It took all day for a Walrus seaplane search aircraft to locate them, with cloud down to 100 feet (30 m). Two message canisters were dropped; the first fell into the sea, but the ship got the second one and turned round.

Citations

1. Caddick-Adams, Peter (2019). Sand & Steel: A New History of D-Day. London: Hutchinson. p. 345. ISBN 978-1-84794-8-281.
2. Tucker-Jones, Anthony (2019). D-Day 1944: The Making of Victory. Brimscombe, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-7509-8803-2.
3. Berg 1997: 136

References

• Armed forces during the Battle of Normandy in 1944 D-Day Overlord
• Joslen, H. F. (2003) . Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
• "The Assault Landings in Normandy : Order of Battle British Second Army" (PDF). Defence Academy of the United Kingdom.
• "British Army Follow-on Divisions Operation Overlord: 6 June 1944" (PDF). 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. 2010.
• Berg, Ole F. (1997). I skjærgården og på havet – Marinens krig 8. april 1940 – 8. mai 1945 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Marinens krigsveteranforening. ISBN 82-993545-2-8.
• OdB and history of units having taken part to the Falaise pocket battle at memorial-montormel.org(en/fr)
• Canadiansoldiers.com
• Regiments.org
• U.S. Army official site
• Maj-Gen Hubert Essame, The 43rd Wessex Division at War 1944–45, London: William Clowes, 1952. .

• World War II orders of battle
• Operation Overlord
• Lists of military units and formations of World War II
• Allies of World War II