5th Canadian Division

5th Canadian Division 1st Canadian Armoured Division 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division
5th Canadian Division formation patch
Active	February 1917 – February 1918 1939–1945 2013–present
Country	Canada
Allegiance	Queen Elizabeth II
Branch	Canadian Army
Type	Infantry Armoured
Size	Division
Nickname(s)	The Mighty Maroon Machine, Maroon 5
Engagements	Italian Campaign North-West Europe
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier-General D.A. Macaulay
Division CWO	Chief Warrant Officer S.E. Croucher
Notable commanders	Bert Hoffmeister

The 5th Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army. It was first created as a formation of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. It was stood down during the war only to be reactivated through the renaming from '1st Canadian Armoured Division' to the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division during the Second World War. In both wars the division was recognized by the distinctive Maroon patch worn on the sleeve of its soldiers.

First World War

The 5th Canadian Division of the Canadian Corps was formed during World War I. The 5th began assembling in Britain in February, 1917, but was broken up in February 1918 before it was fully formed. Its men were used as reinforcements for the other four Canadian divisions, helping to maintain the over-strength Divisions of 22,000–25,000 with more than 100,000 men total. It was reactivated in 2013.^[1]

Second World War

Formation patch used to identify vehicles of the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division.

The 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division was a Canadian division during World War II. Following its redesignation from 1st Canadian Armoured Division, the bulk proceeded overseas in one main convoy, arriving in the United Kingdom at the end of November 1941.

The 5th Armoured Division spent two years of the war uneventfully in the United Kingdom, finally transferring to the Mediterranean theatre in November 1943 to join the 1st Canadian Infantry Division as part of I Canadian Corps, under command of the British Eighth Army. The division moved without its tanks and vehicles, inheriting heavily used equipment as a legacy from the veteran British 7th Armoured Division ("The Desert Rats") who they relieved on the Italian Front. The majority of the vehicles were completely worn out, having first been issued in North Africa or were two-wheel drive–useless in Italy. It took several months for the division to be fully equipped with new vehicles, including M4 Shermans. Only the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade was committed prior to 31 January 1944.^[2]

The 5th Armoured took part in the Italian Campaign until the end of 1944, seeing notable action on the Hitler Line after the Allied breakthrough at Cassino in May 1944 and also during Operation Olive on the Gothic Line in August 1944. During the latter battle its single infantry brigade was augmented by a second, which was raised using reinforcements and units serving in other roles. Among them was the 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards–1st Canadian Division's armoured reconnaissance regiment. As with other Allied armoured divisions in the Mediterranean, local resources were used to establish an additional infantry brigade, the 12th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Based on the colour of its shoulder patch, the division became known as the "Mighty Maroon Machine".^[3]

A Sherman Firefly of the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division assists British troops of the 11th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers, British 49th Infantry Division, to clear the Germans from Ede, the Netherlands, 17 April 1945.

In January 1945, the division, together with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, as part of Operation Goldflake, moved by truck, train, and naval transport to Belgium via Livorno and Marseille. After arriving on the Western Front, it disbanded the 12th Brigade, and re-equipped to join the First Canadian Army in time to participate in the final advance into Germany.

Commanding officers

B.M. Hoffmeister

• Jun 1941 to Jan 1943 Major-General E.W. Sansom
• Jan 1943 to Oct 1943 Major-General C.R.S. Stein
• Oct 1943 to Jan 1944 Major-General G.G. Simonds
• Jan 1944 to Mar 1944 Major-General E.L.M. Burns
• Mar 1944 to Jun 1945 Major-General B.M. Hoffmeister

Land Forces Atlantic Area and 2013 reactivation of the 5th Canadian Division

LFAA was created on 1 September 1991, taking command of what was previously the militia areas and the Regular Force Army units and formations in Atlantic Canada. At that point in time, the Militia Areas ceased to exist, and the subordinate Militia Districts were reorganised.^[4]

Later that decade, the reserve force districts were again reorganized into two Canadian Brigade Groups.

In 2013, LFAA was renamed 5th Canadian Division. With this change of name, the formation was also granted the identifying patch and historical lineage of the division that served in the two world wars.

Regular Force

Structure of the 5th Canadian Division

Reserve Force

See also

• List of military divisions
• List of Canadian divisions in World War II

Notes

References

• Dancocks, Daniel G. (1991). The D-Day Dodgers. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc. ISBN 978-0-7710-2544-0.
• Groningen, J. Niemeijer "History of 17th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, 5th Canadian Armoured Division" by (J. Niemeijer Groningen, 1946)
• Zuehlke, Mark, "The Liri Valley: Canada's World War II Breakthrough to Rome", Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., Vancouver, 2003