such modern guns, in addition to six First World War-vintage 18-pounder field guns, and twelve howitzers of similar vintage. The division had only six anti-tank guns, against a nominal establishment of 48, and only 154 of the required 307 Boys anti-tank rifles. It had 590 Bren light machine guns, compared to an establishment of 644. In regards to Universal Carriers, it had 63 instead of the required 140, these were supplemented with a number of Humber Light Reconnaissance Cars. In June, a Home Guard memorandum described the division as consisting of "two weak Brigades [134th and 136th] disposed on the coast", with orders to "hold their positions 'to the last man and the last cartridge'", and supplemented by Home Guard volunteers "manning barricades consisting of tree trunks, old motor cars, farm carts and barbed-wire trestles on the main approaches to towns and villages". British defensive thinking ideally called for a division to be deployed with two brigades forward, each with two battalions in coastal positions and the third positioned around inland to provide a counter-attack force. The third brigade would be positioned further inland to provide an additional counter-attacking force and in particular to retake airfields lost to German paratroopers. However, this layout was rare. With the return of the 135th Brigade on 10 July, the 45th Division was also given responsibility for coastal defence into Kent. From west to east, the 136th Brigade was based around the potential landing zones near Eastbourne, the 134th Brigade covered the coast between Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings, and the 135th Brigade was responsible for the area between Rye and Dymchurch. The division was placed under the command of XII Corps. By September, the 2nd New Zealand Division had been placed behind the 45th Division, to counter-attack any German force that assaulted the 45th Division's position. Assigned to I Corps in November, the division was moved off the south coast to Nottinghamshire. It was then placed directly under the command of Home Forces, and rotated between coastal defence duties in Essex and maintaining a position in the English hinterlands as a counter-attack formation. In July, the division was placed under the command of XI Corps. In December, the division was placed on the lower establishment and was deployed to the Essex coastline in 1942. After a year in this position, during March 1943, the division deployed to Northern Ireland, where elements were based in County