![Major-General Charles Keightley (on right), the commanding officer of the 78th Infantry Division](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Keightley_near_Cassino_NA_13591.jpg/142px-Keightley_near_Cassino_NA_13591.jpg)
On 3 September 1939, at the start of the Second World War, the United Kingdom had 2 armoured, 24 infantry, and 7 anti-aircraft divisions. A division was a self-contained formation that possessed all the required forces for combat, which was supplemented by its own artillery, engineers, communications and supply units. In September, the British Army stated that 55 divisions (a mix of armoured, infantry and cavalry) would be raised to combat Germany. The UK would provide 32 of these formations and the remainder would be raised by the Dominions and India. In 1941, this goal was adjusted to 57 divisions, with the UK to provide 36. By the end of 1941, the UK had met its quota. During the war, 85 divisional formations were raised but did not all exist simultaneously and not all of them were combat formations. The 85 divisional formations included 2 airborne, 12 anti-aircraft, 11 armoured, 1 cavalry, 10 coastal defence (known as County Divisions) and 49 infantry divisions. At the end of the war, in 1945, the British Army had 24 divisions. (Full list...)