Canada: 1^st Canadian Army in Italy August 19, 1944
v.1.0 June 9, 2002

Ravi Rikhye

Source: The Canadians in Italy 1943-45 Volume II of the Official History, by Lt. Col. G.W.L. Nicholson, Ottawa 1957.

[The Official History groups the units by arm and service, not by formation. We may have made errors in our grouping.]

First Canadian Army

Lt. General A.G.L. MacNaughton

Note: HQ 1^st Canadian Army remained in the United Kingdom.  The politics of breaking up the army to send troops to Italy were predicated on two factors. The Government and people did not want their army broken up and wanted all Canadian troops to remain under a Canadian commander.  This was almost entirely because of the belief, based on World War I experience, that British generals would heedlessly expend Canadian lives while conserving their own men.  (Australian and New Zealand war coalition politics were even more driven by this consideration, in great part because of Galipolli 1915). Conversely, the Canadians believed they needed to give their units battle experience before the planned invasion of Northwest Europe in 1944, and Italy was the logical theatre for them to get this. The British, aware of Canadian concerns regarding command, carefully clarified when they first asked for Canadian troops, that the Canadians would have to answer to 8^th Army.  This was accepted. There was no reason not to: the British were already exhausted before entering World War II. Four years of war had shown that the British avoided, as much as possible, expending lives – their own or those of their colonial or former colonial troops.

As such, First Canadian Army does not belong on the orbat.  Nonetheless, a number of Army level troops were dispatched, and even as Canadian I Corps answered tactically to 8^th Army, HQ 1^st Canadian Army remained concerned with all aspects of its subordinate corps.

Army Troops (about 3,700)

1^st Armored Brigade [Brig. W.C. Murphy]

-         11^th Armored Regiment (The Ontario Regiment)

-         12^th Armored Regiment (The Three Rivers Regiment)

-         14^th Armored Regiment (The Calgary Regiment)

1^st Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery [Brig. W.E. Huckvale]

-         1^st Medium Regiment

-         2^nd Medium Regiment

-         5^th Medium Regiment

-         11^th Field Regiment

A, B, G Squadrons, 25^th Armored Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment)

Medical Corps

-         1^st General Hospital

-         3^rd General Hospital

-         5^th General Hospital

-         14^th General Hospital

-         15^th General Hospital

-         28^th General Hospital

-         1^st Convalescent Depot

Miscellaneous Support Troops (different corps)

-         1^st Drilling Company (assigned to L of C/GHQ Troops)

-         41^st Army Transport Company

-         1^st Army Tank Troops Workshop

-         1^st Line of Communications Provost Company

Signals

-         1^st Armored Brigade Signals

Replacement [Brig. E.W. Haldenby]

-         1^st Base Replacement Group with:

      1^st Base Reinforcement Group

      2^nd Base Replacement Depot

1^st Canadian Corps [Lt. Gen. E.L.M. Burns]

1^st Canadian Corps Troops (about 8,500)

1^st Armored Car Regiment (Royal Canadian Dragoons)

Artillery

-         1^st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Royal Canadian Artillery)

-         7^th Anti-Tank Regiment

-         1^st Survey Regiment

-         1^st Corps Defense Company (from the Lorne Scots)

RASC

-         31^st Corps Troops Company

-         32^nd Corps Troops Company

-         1^st Corps Transport Company

-         1^st HQ Corps Car Company

-         1^st Motor Ambulance Convoy

Engineers

-         9^th Field Park Company

-         12^th Field Company

-         13^th Field Company

-         14^th Field Company

Ordnance (Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps)

-         1^st Corps and Army Troops Sub-Park

-         201^st Infantry Ordnance Sub-Park

-         205^th Armored Ordnance Sub-Park

Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

-         1^st Corps Troops Workshop

-         1^st Recovery Company

Provost Corps

-         1^st Provost Company (RCMP)

-         3^rd Provost Company

-         5^th Provost Company

-         35^th Traffic Control Company

Medical Corps

-         4^th Casualty Clearing Station

-         5^th Casualty Clearing Station

Dental Corps

-         1^st Dental Company

-         3^rd Dental Company

-         8^th Dental Company

-         11^th Base Dental Company

Signals

- 1^st Corps HQ Signals

1^st Canadian Division [Maj. Gen. C. Vokes]

Support Units

-         1^st Infantry Division Signals

-         1^st Infantry Divisional Troops Company (RCASC)

-         1^st Infantry Brigade Company

-         2^nd Infantry Brigade Company

-         3^rd Infantry Brigade Company

-         4^th Field Ambulance

-         8^th Field Ambulance

-         24^th Field Ambulance

-         1^st Infantry Troops Workshop

Engineers

-         2^nd Field Park Company

-         1^st Field Company

-         3^rd  Field Company

-         4^th Field Company

Division Artillery

-         1^st Field Regiment (RCHA)

-         2^nd Field Regiment

-         3^rd Field Regiment

-         1^st Anti-Tank Regiment

-         2^nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

-          

The Saskatoon Light Infantry (Machine Gun battalion)

1^st Infantry Brigade [Brig. J.A. Calder]

-         The Royal Canadian Regiment

-         The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment

-         48^th Highlanders of Canada

2^nd Infantry Brigade [Brig. M.P. Broget]

-         Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry

-         The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada

-         The Loyal Edmonton Regiment

3^rd Infantry Brigade [Brig. J.P.E. Bernatchez]

-         Royal 22e Regiment

-         The Carleton and York Regiment

-         The West Nova Scotia Regiment

5^th Canadian Armored Division [Maj. Gen. B.M. Hoffmeister]

Support Units

-         5^th Armored Division Transport Company (RCASC)

-         5^th Armored Brigade Company

-         11^th Infantry Brigade Company

-         12^th Infantry Brigade Company

-         7^th Light Field Ambulance (RCAMC)

-         8^th Field Ambulance (RCAMC)

-         24^th Field Ambulance (RCAMC)

-         5^th Armored Division Signals (Royal Canadian Corps of Signals)

Engineers

-         4^th Field Park Squadron

-         1^st Field Squadron

-         19^th Field Squadron

Division Artillery

-         4^th Anti Tank Regiment

-         5^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

-         8^th Field Regiment (Self-Propelled)

-         17^th Field Regiment

3^rd Armored Reconnaissance Regiment (The Governor General’s Horse Guards)

5^th Armored Brigade [Brig. I.H. Cumberland]

-         2^nd Armored Regiment (Lord Strathcona’s Horse(Royal Canadians))

-         5^th Armored Regiment (8^th Princess Louise’s (New Brunswick) Hussars)

-         9^th Armored Regiment (The British Columbia Dragoons)

11^th Infantry Brigade [Brig. I.S. Johnstone]

-         11^th (Independent) Machine Gun Company (The Princess Louise Fusiliers)

-         The Perth Regiment

-         The Cape Breton Highlanders

-         The Irish Regiment of Canada

12^th Infantry Brigade [Brig. J.S.H. Lind]

-         12^th (Independent) Machine Gun Company

-         4^th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards

-         The Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment

-         The Westminister Regiment (Motor)