| 66th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:66_inf_div.svg) The shoulder insignia of the division, which was designed but never worn. | |
| Active | 27 September 1939 – 23 June 1940 |
| Branch | &sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Flag_of_the_British_Army.svg){kind=small} Territorial Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | War establishment strength: 13,863 men[a] |
The 66th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army, which was active between September 1939 and June 1940 during the Second World War. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Germany as a European power and its occupation of Czechoslovakia, the British Army increased the number of divisions within the Territorial Army by duplicating existing units. The 66th Infantry Division was formed in September 1939, as a second-line duplicate of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. The division's battalions were all raised in the Lancashire and Cumbria area.
It was intended that the division would remain in the United Kingdom to complete training and preparation, before being deployed to France within twelve months of the war breaking out. Instead, the division spent the majority of its existence guarding vulnerable points in the United Kingdom. By May 1940, the division had been assigned to the initial plan to defend the country against any potential German invasion. As a result of the rapid German victory on mainland Europe in 1940, the division was not deployed overseas. Once the British Army returned from France, it implemented experience gained from the campaign. This involved the break-up of several divisions, including the 66th Division, in order to bring others up to full strength.
- ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 130–131.
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