Formation Signs 8 May 1945

Headquarters formation badges of the units comprising the 21st Army Group.

The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation in charge of two field armies in WWII, consisting primarily of Australian and English soldiers. The unit was established in 1943 and participated in the amphibious landings in Normandy, known as Operation Overlord. The unit remained deployed on the continent through the end of the war in that theater – May 8, 1945.

This is a diagram showing the emblems of the various brigades, divisions, and regiments that comprised the 21st Army Group on V-E Day. Dutch, Belgian and Czech commands are represented alongside troops from the Commonwealth. Other units, including some from Poland, would have been attached at certain points during various operations, but this image immortalizes those comprising the formation at the end of its long campaign.