ashore. The 79th's vehicles were offered to all of the forces taking part in the landings of Operation Overlord, but the Americans declined all except the amphibious Sherman DD tank. Liddell Hart said of him: "To have moulded the best two British armoured divisions of the war was an outstanding achievement, but Hobart made it a "hat trick" by his subsequent training of the specialised 79th Armoured Division, the decisive factor on D-Day." The vehicles of the 79th did not deploy as units together but were attached to other units. By the end of the war the 79th had almost seven thousand vehicles. The 79th Armoured Division was disbanded on 20 August 1945. Hobart returned to retirement in 1946 and died in 1957 in Farnham, Surrey. A barracks in Detmold, Germany, was named after him. Hobart Barracks has since been handed back to the German government and no longer functions as a barracks. Awards and decorations In 1943, Hobart was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). After the war, he was awarded the American Legion of Merit. During his career, Hobart also became a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) and, for his actions in the First World War, received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and Military Cross (MC). During his military career he was also mentioned in despatches nine times. Footnotes References Further reading External links Royal Engineers Museum Royal Engineers biographies (Percy Hobart) British Army Officers 1939–1945 Generals of World War II Historical Warfare Major General Hobart |- |- 1885 births 1957 deaths Academics of the Staff College, Quetta British Army generals of World War II British Army personnel of World War I British Home Guard officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Clifton College British Army major generals Military personnel of British India Royal Engineers officers Recipients of the Military Cross