8th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)
Following the First Battle of El Alamein, which had stalled the Axis advance, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Eighth Army from Claude Auchinleck in August 1942.For the first night of the offensive, Montgomery planned that four infantry divisions from Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese's XXX Corps would advance on a 16 miles (26 km) front, to an objective codenamed the Oxalic Line, over-running the forward Axis defences.[2] Commanded by Brigadier Edward C. N. Custance, the 8th Armoured Brigade was equipped with 24 × Crusaders, 57 × Grants and 31 × Shermans when it took part in Operation Supercharge, better known as the Battle of El Alamein.The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry found a gap in the Axis defences and an attack was made that broke through and started the rout of the Afrika Korps.Early in November, the brigade reached the defences of Mersa Matruh and was ordered to halt; the rest of Eighth Army moved past.[1] At the end of November, the brigade came under the command of the 7th Armoured Division, the famous Desert Rats and was involved in the battles around El Agheila.[5] Having gained all their objectives, the brigade drove through the gap and the Axis forces, pressed by a fresh frontal attack and in danger of being encircled, withdrew some 60 miles (97 km) north-westwards to defensive positions around Wadi Akarit.Following the capitulation of the Axis forces in North Africa on 13 May, the brigade slowly made its way back to the Nile delta and then was transferred to Britain, arriving on 9 December 1943.The high level of experience gained by the brigade in North Africa contrasted with many of the other armoured units earmarked for the invasion; some of whom had not seen action since the fall of France in 1940.Shortly thereafter, Brigadier Bernard Cracroft assumed command of the brigade, which now comprised: While the staffs were involved in the planning of the invasion, the men took part in intensive training exercises.Unfortunately, the sea conditions in the 50th Division sector were adjudged too rough and the tanks were not launched 2 miles out as planned, but a couple of hundred yards from the shore.The 51st (Highland) Infantry Division from I Corps was to push south out of the Orne bridgehead to capture the town of Cagny six miles southeast of Caen.Fighting was almost continuous in the area from Rauray, Vendes, Tessel Wood and Fontenay, Lingèvres, Cristot and Le Parc du Bois Londes.[7] One of the casualties during the early fighting in Normandy was the English war poet, Captain Keith C. Douglas, killed by mortar fire on 9 June.The 13th/18th Hussars were to support the 50th (Northumbrian) Division, whose objective was the ridge known as Butte du Mont a Vent, ground which dominated that over which the rest of the brigade were to fight.By the evening of the 17th, the infantry had joined them in the St Honorine area, well beyond the river, and a great battle which had lasted for nineteen days and had caused many casualties, came to an end.Casualties in men and equipment were considerable, but within 72 hours the bridgehead was over 4 miles deep and the Royal Engineers had constructed a 680-foot folding bridge over which the remaining tanks of the 4/7 DG were able to cross.Instructions from General Horrocks were to cross the river immediately, to fork right and open up the route to the Somme for the Guards Armoured Division.The axis lay along the valley of the tributary river Epte towards Dangu and Gisors, the road dominated by high ground on both sides.The SRY made a left flanking attack through the Bois de Baquet to come in behind the enemy at St Remy, the 13/18 H reached Dangu by nightfall.A column composed of 8th Armoured Brigade, with 50th Reconnaissance Regiment and the 9th Durham Light Infantry under command, provided left flank protection.[7] Operation Market Garden (17–25 September 1944) was intended to secure a series of bridges over the main rivers of the German-occupied Netherlands to allow rapid advance by armoured units through large-scale use of airborne forces.After four days of rest, the brigade moved off after the Guards Armoured Division, who were to link up with the Airborne forces that had dropped at Eindhoven, Grave, Nijmegen and Arnhem in operation "Market Garden".The plan succeeded and, shortly after dark, the leading Troop made contact with the Polish paratroops, who were on the south bank of the Neder Rijn, and the much needed stores and ammunition were handed over in DUKWs.To the southeast of Nijmegen, the SRY made history, in company with the US 82nd Airborne Division, by capturing the village of Beek and establishing itself as the first British troops to enter Germany.The operation, named after the Scottish black male grouse, is relatively unknown despite the sometimes fierce battles that were fought for each and every village and hamlet within the "Roer Triangle".The operations of the 4/7 DG with the 4th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers in the rear of the German line had great effect and the frontal attack by 52nd (Lowland) Division met with little resistance.On 11 April, 130 Infantry Brigade and the SRY took the lead and two days later were on the outskirts of Kloppenburg, where fighting continued into the night before the town fell.On 4 May, Brigade HQ was at the village of Rhadereistedt, when the following message was received from the Commander XXX Corps: ‘’Germans surrendered unconditionally at 1820 hours.NO repeat NO advance beyond present front line without orders from me.’’ [12] The 8th Armoured Brigade was to proceed south and take over Hannover from the United States Army.
United KingdomBritish ArmyArmouredBrigadeCrusaderShermanNorth African CampaignOperation OverlordOperation Market GardenOperation BlackcockOperation Plunder6th Cavalry Brigade10th Armoured DivisionSherwood Rangers YeomanryStaffordshire YeomanryRoyal Scots Greys3rd Royal Tank RegimentBuffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)97th (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment3rd Infantry Division4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards13th/18th Royal HussarsKing's Royal Rifle CorpsSecond World War1st Cavalry DivisionPalestineCrusader tanksOperation Supercharge (1942)KhatatbaBattle of Alam el HalfaSecond Battle of El AlameinWestern Desert CampaignAlliedSuez CanalFirst Battle of El AlameinLieutenant-GeneralBernard MontgomeryBritish Eighth ArmyClaude AuchinleckOliver LeeseXXX CorpsRoyal EngineersHerbert LumsdenX CorpsBrigadier1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery97th (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal ArtilleryAfrika KorpsMersa Matruh7th Armoured DivisionDesert RatsEl AgheilaNofaliyaBueratTarhuna5th Regiment, Royal Horse ArtilleryMareth LineNew Zealand Corps2nd New Zealand DivisionFree FrenchPhilippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque1st Free French BrigadeTunisia CampaignOperation Supercharge II1st Armoured DivisionEl HammaBattle of Wadi AkaritTiger IEnfidavilleTakrounainvasion of Normandy29th Armoured Brigade11th Armoured Division24th Lancers27th Armoured Brigade147th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Horse ArtilleryRoyal Army Service CorpsGold BeachOmaha BeachJuno Beach716th Static Infantry Division352nd Infantry DivisionBritish Second Army50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division56th Independent Infantry Brigade231st Infantry BrigadeDD tanksHampshire RegimentDorset Regiment69th Infantry Brigade151st Infantry BrigadeEast Yorkshire RegimentGreen HowardsNormandy landingsSaint-LégerOperation PerchBritish 3rd Infantry DivisionI Corps1st Airborne Division51st (Highland) Infantry DivisionTilly-sur-SeullesVillers-BocageÉvrecyVendesFontenayLingèvresCristotfighting in NormandyCaptainKeith C. Douglas4th/7th Dragoon Guards13th/18th HussarsQueen's WestminstersErroll Prior-Palmer43rd (Wessex) DivisionAmaye-sur-SeullesJurquesLa BigneTiger IIConde sur Noireau5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards86th (East Anglian) (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal ArtillerySextonSt HonorineVernonGeneral Horrocks