I British Corps and XXX British Corps, First Canadian Army, North West Europe, 1944-1945

British and Allied Formations Under Command First Canadian Army, (5 May 1945)

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I British Corps (1 August 1944 to 1 April 1945)

6th Airborne Division (to 3 September 1944), including 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion

1st Belgian Infantry Brigade (10 August 1944 to 10 September 1944)

Prinses Irene Brigade, Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division

51st (Highland) Infantry Division (to 19 December 1944)

33rd Armoured Brigade (to September 1944)

104th Infantry Division (United States) (mid October to early November, 1944)

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Composition of I Corps in the North West Europe Campaign

General Officer Commanding: Lieutenant-General John Crocker

During the Second World War, I Corps' first assignment was again to the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) where it was commanded by General Sir John Dill, and then Lieutenant General Michael Barker from April 1940. After the Germans broke through Allied lines in the Battle of France in May 1940, the BEF was forced to retreat to Dunkirk for evacuation to England. The Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the BEF, General Lord Gort, ordered Barker to form the rearguard with I Corps to cover the evacuation, and surrender to the Germans as a last resort. However, the acting commander of II Corps, Major General Bernard Montgomery, advised Gort that Barker was in an unfit state to be left in final command, and recommended that Major General Harold Alexander of the 1st Division should be put in charge. Gort did as Montgomery advised, and in the event the bulk of I Corps was successfully evacuated. As Montgomery recalled: '"Alex" got everyone away in his own calm and confident manner'.

After returning to England I Corps then remained in the United Kingdom, based at Hickleton Hall in South Yorkshire within Northern Command on anti-invasion duties, preparing defences to repel a German invasion of the United Kingdom. I Corps, now commanded by Lieutenant General John Crocker, then took part in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 where, along with XXX Corps, under Lieutenant General Gerard Bucknall (who had commanded I Corps between April and August 1943), it was a spearhead corps of Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey's British Second Army, itself part of the 21st Army Group. The corps was then involved in the Battle of Normandy in fierce attritional fighting for control of the Normandy beachhead. After fighting for two months in the Battle for Caen, I Corps was subordinated on 1 August 1944 to the Canadian First Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Harry Crerar, for the remainder of the Normandy campaign [34] and the subsequent operations in the Low Countries.[35] During Operation Pheasant, I Corps was unique in that it fielded multi national divisions - Polish 1st Armoured Division, the Canadian 4th Armoured Division the British 49th Polar Bears Division and the US 104th Timberwolf Division. After the Battle of the Scheldt I Corps Headquarters then took over administration of the 21st Army Group's logistics area around the port of Antwerp, Belgium until the end of the war.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3225615)

Lieutenant General Crocker shaking hands with Colonel Gorbatov, member of the Russian mission from Moscow, 28 July 1944.

Assignments of corps to armies, and divisions to corps, changed frequently during the campaign:

As of 6 June 1944

British 3rd Infantry Division

3rd Canadian Infantry Division

6th Airborne Division

As of 7 July 1944

British 3rd Infantry Division

The 3rd British Infantry Division was the first British formation to land at Sword Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944, as part of the invasion of Normandy, part of the larger Operation Overlord. For the assault landing, 3rd British Division was organised as a Division Group, with other formations temporarily under its command. These included 27th Armoured Brigade (Sherman DD amphibious tanks) and 22nd Dragoons (Sherman Crab flail tanks), 1st Special Service Brigade and No. 41 (Royal Marine) Commando, 5th Royal Marine Independent Armoured Support Battery (Centaur IV close support tanks), 77 and 79 Assault Squadrons of 5th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers (Churchill AVREs).

The division's own artillery were all self-propelled (field regiments: M7 Priest; anti-tank regiment: M10 tank destroyer) and the SP field guns and RM Centaurs were able to fire from their landing craft during the run-in to the beach. In addition, 3rd British Division had 101 Beach Sub-Area HQ and Nos. 5 and 6 Beach groups under command for the assault phase: these included additional engineers, transport, pioneers, medical services and vehicle recovery sections.

The 3rd Division's brigades were organized as brigade groups for the assault, with 8 Brigade Group making the first landing, followed by 185 Brigade Group and 9 Brigade Group in succession during the morning and early afternoon.

After D-Day the 3rd Infantry Division fought through the Battle for Caen, in Operation Charnwood and Operation Goodwood. With the fighting in Normandy over after the Battle of the Falaise Gap, the division also participated in the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine and fought in the Netherlands and Belgium and later the Allied invasion of Germany. For the campaign in Normandy, the division was commanded by Major-General Tom Rennie until he was wounded on 13 June 1944; Major-General 'Bolo' Whistler, a highly popular commander, took command on 23 June 1944.During the campaign in Normandy, the division won its first Victoria Cross of the Second World War, awarded in August 1944 to Corporal Sidney Bates of 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment, part of the 185th Brigade. Private James Stokes of the 2nd Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry, also of the 185th Brigade, was the second recipient awarded the Victoria Cross in March 1945.

During the often intense fighting from Sword Beach to Bremen, the 3rd Division suffered 2,586 killed with over 12,000 wounded. (Wikipedia)

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3rd Canadian Infantry Division

51st (Highland) Infantry Division

59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division

6th Airborne Division

As of 1 August 1944 (now part of First Canadian Army)

51st (Highland) Infantry Division

6th Airborne Division (returned to United Kingdom 3 September 1944)

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division

7th Armoured Division

Corps troops:

Inns of Court Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (armoured cars)

62nd (6th London) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery[37]

9th Survey Regiment, RA[38]

I Corps Troops, Royal Engineers

I Corps Signals, Royal Corps of Signals

Attached:

4th Army Group, Royal Artillery

150th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (suspended animation January 1945)

53rd (London) Medium Regiment, RA (209 & 210 (London) Batteries)

65th (Highland) Medium Regiment, RA (222 (Fraserburgh) & 223 (Banffshire) Batteries)

68th Medium Regiment, RA (233 & 234 Batteries)

79th (Scottish Horse Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, RA

51st (Lowland) Heavy Regiment, RA

After the defeat of Germany, the 21st Army Group became the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), and 1 Corps, under the command of Lieutenant-General Ivor Thomas, was transformed into a corps district, with an administrative, rather than combat, role. It was disbanded in 1947.  In October 1951 the corps was reactivated to become the principal combat element of the BAOR, with its HQ based in Bielefeld. In March 1952, following the reactivation of 6th Armoured Division, its component formations were:

2nd Infantry Division

6th Armoured Division

7th Armoured Division

11th Armoured Division. 4th Division was reformed from 11th Armoured Division on 1 April 1956.

Included as part of this was Canada's contribution to the NATO land forces in Germany. The Canadian mechanized brigade remained part of BAOR until 1970. The size of this force, 6,700, was such that it was referred to within British circles as a "light division".

XXX British Corps (January to March 1945 for Operation Veritable)

XXX Corps (30 Corps) was a corps of the British Army during the Second World War. The Corps was formed in the Western Desert in September 1941. It provided extensive service in the North African Campaign and many of its units were in action at the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942. It then took part in the Tunisia Campaign and formed the left flank during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.

It returned briefly to the United Kingdom; it then served in the Allied Invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Due to the failure of allied troops to seize the Nijmegen bridge, it arrived too late at the Arnhem bridge as planned and most of the British 1st Airborne Division were lost during Operation Market Garden. It continued to serve in the Netherlands, and finally in Operation Veritable in Germany until May 1945.

Composition of XXX Corps in NW Europe Campaign

Lieutenant-General Gerard Bucknall (to 3 August 1944)

Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks (from 4 August 1944)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3919948)

Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks on the right with Brigadier Rockingham on the left, c1944.

‍Guards Armoured Division

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division

52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division

elements of 79th Armoured Division

4th Armoured Brigade

6th Guards Armoured Brigade

8th Armoured Brigade

34th Armoured Brigade

Corps Troops:

11th Hussars (armoured cars)

73rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

27th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA

4th (Durham) Survey Regiment, RA

XXX Corps Troops, Royal Engineers

XXX Corps Signals, Royal Corps of Signals

5th Army Group, RA

4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery

7th Medium Regiment, RA

64th (London) Medium Regiment, RA

84th (Sussex) Medium Regiment, RA

121st (West Riding) Medium Regiment, RA

52nd (Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery

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Photos from the Library and Archives Canada collection of British and Allied Formations Under Command First Canadian Army, (5 May 1945)

I British Corps (1 August 1944 to 1 April 1945)

6th Airborne Division (to 3 September 1944), including 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion

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(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3565512)

Lieutenants Joseph Philippe Rousseau (left) and Joseph Maurice Rousseau, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, at a transit camp near Down Ampney, England, 13 February 1944. Both officers were later killed in action, Philippe on 7 June 1944 and Maurice on 20 September 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3586536)

Three paratroopers of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, Carter Barracks, Bulford, England, 13 February 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524473)

6th British Airborne Division, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion Captain John Russell Madden, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, supervising the loading of a Universal Carrier into an RAF General Aircraft Hamilcar Mk. I glider, in preparation for Operation Varsity (Rhine Drop), England, 18 Mar 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191613)

Mass drop from RAF Douglas Dakota'transports of personnel of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, 6 February 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3225419)

Captains S.A. Mooney and I.C. Stewart, Forward Observation Officers attached to the 6th Airborne Division, British Army, Greven, Germany, 5 April 1945.

1st Belgian Infantry Brigade

1st Belgian Infantry Brigade, April 1945. They moved into Holland in April 1945, under the command of the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, where they took charge of the Canadian sector on the north bank of the Waal, and freed Opheusden.

(IWM Photo, BU 512)

Scenes of jubilation as British troops liberate Brussels, 4 September 1944. A Universal Carrier crewed by Free Belgian troops is welcomed by cheering civilians.

Prinses Irene Brigade, Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade

Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, August 1944.

During the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, later known as the Princess Irene Brigade (Dutch: Prinses Irene Brigade) was a Dutch military unit initially formed from approximately 1,500 troops, including a small group guarding German prisoners-of-war, who arrived in the United Kingdom in May 1940 following the collapse of the Netherlands. Elements of this force became the nucleus of what was originally called the "Dutch Legion."

Although augmented by conscription from overseas citizens from Canada, the United States, the Middle East, the Dutch West Indies (Netherlands Antilles and Suriname), South Africa and Argentina; the Dutch force grew very slowly as troops were detached for other duties i.e. the Commandos, the Navy etc. The unit never totalled more than about 2,000 men at one time with a total of around 3,000 serving, less than the 3,000 to 4,000 personnel normally associated with a brigade. While some 500 Surinamese volunteered for service in the brigade, they were rejected by the Dutch government, on the grounds that their racial background might cause offense to volunteers and conscripts from South Africa.[4] Despite this some Surinamese did serve in the Brigade and fight during the war. Some Dutch West Indian personnel nevertheless later saw action with the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in the Pacific theatre. On 11 February 1941, by approval of Queen Wilhelmina, the Dutch Legion gained a new name, the Prinses Irene Brigade (P.I.B.).

On 6 August 1944, the first troops of the P.I.B landed at Graye-sur-Mer Normandy, in northern France. Later, the main force landed and the P.I.B. served under the First Canadian Army until it moved forward with the British Second Army. Heavy fighting took place around the Chateau St Come ("Hellfire Corner") and the brigade liberated Pont Audemer in the progress. In mid-September, the P.I.B. became involved in fighting with German forces at the town of Beringen.

The brigade would be trained first in Guelph, then Stratford, Ontario alongside British units.

It first re-entered Dutch territory at Borkel en Schaft on 20 September 1944, as part of Operation Market Garden – the operation to simultaneously capture nine bridges between the Bocholt-Herentals Canal and the Rhine (at Arnhem). At around this time, the brigade was also involved in combat against the Dutch Waffen-SS volunteer formation Landstorm Nederland, German SS, and paratroopers.

From 26 September, the P.I.B guarded the then unnamed bridge spanning the River Maas at Grave. (The bridge known later as John S. Thompsonbrug, was the longest to attack and defend during the operation.)

On 24 October, the brigade was ordered to move south-west to Tilburg to attack the town from the south during Operation Pheasant while the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division attacked from the east. The P.I.B. was unable to get to Tilburg and was stranded at Broekhoven, where fighting took place and four soldiers were killed.

The Prinses Irene Brigade spent the winter of 1944/45 in the region of Walcheren and Noord-Beveland (Zeeland), losing several soldiers. From Zeeland, the P.I.B. went back to North Brabant.

On 31 March 1945, the commander of the P.I.B., Colonel De Ruyter van Steveninck, said goodbye to the three platoons of Marines; the latter subsequently formed II Independent Company and were sent to the USA to join the Royal Netherlands Marines Brigade, who had originally assigned these troops to the P.I.B. so the brigade would have enough troops participating in the liberation of Europe, as requested by the British government. The gap left by the Dutch Marines was filled with replacements from the volunteers from the liberated parts of the Netherlands, who had been trained at Bergen Op Zoom under the command of Frank Looringh van Beeck, a South African officer.

On 2 March 1945, the P.I.B. was put under the command of the Netherlands District, under Major General A Galloway, based at the HQ in the city of Tilburg.

The P.I.B. was involved in heavy fighting in the town of Hedel, north of Den Bosch, on the River Maas in April 1945. The P.I.B. was supposed to link up with the 30 Royal Marines, of the 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines, at Kerkdriel in an attempt to liberate the Bommelerwaard. However, the Royal Marines gave up due to German opposition in the town of Kerkdriel, leaving the P.I.B. stranded at the bridgehead of Hedel.[citation needed] The Prinses Irene Brigade was under command of the 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines at this time. Still, they fought the Germans with great gallantry, and were able to hold the town for three days. In these fights, the P.I.B. lost twelve men; around thirty were wounded. Several gallantry medals were later awarded for actions in Hedel. At 11:15 hours on 25 April the order to withdraw from the bridgehead, in Hedel, came from 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines. At 23:30 hours III Independent Company withdrew from the town as the last unit to the south side of the river Maas. This effort was completed at 00:30 hours on 26 April.

The Princess Irene Brigade entered The Hague on 9 May 1945 as liberators. After the war, the traditions of the brigade were perpetuated by the Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene.

(Dutch National Archives Photo)

Liberation Route, Princess Irene Brigade, Utrecht-Woerden-Alphen and Rijn-Leiden-The Hague, cheered by a crowd. To the right of the town hall . Almost all visible buildings were demolished after the war, 8 May 1945.

(Anefo Photo)

Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade (Prinses Irene Brigade) on the Tilburg Breda road, 26 October 1944.

(IWM Photo, B 10050)

A Lloyd Carrier with Dutch Army markings of the Prinses Irene Brigade, Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, 18 Sep 1944.

1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade

1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade, October-November 1944, Siege of Dunkirk.

(Wikipedia Photo)

Czechoslovak soldiers of the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade at the end of the War in La Panne (Belgium) near Dunkerque in 1945.

The 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade was created on 1 September 1943, when the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Brigade (itself originally formed as 1st Czechoslovak Mixed Brigade in July 1940 from remnants of the 1st Czechoslovak Division serving in the French Army) converted to armour and was renamed the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group (this was often simplified to 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade or abbreviated 1st CIABG). The brigade was under the command of Major General Alois Liška. The motorised infantry battalion of the brigade traced its lineage back to Czechoslovak units that had fought in Libya and Lebanon, notably the 11th Infantry Battalion which took part in the defence of Tobruk.

The formation continued to train in the UK until the summer of 1944 when, with some 4,000 troops under command, it moved to Normandy, joining 21st Army Group at Falaise on 30 August. On 6 October, the brigade advanced to Dunkirk, northern France, and relieved the 154 (Highland) Infantry Brigade on the eastern side of fortress Dunkirk. The brigade was subordinated to the First Canadian Army, which was responsible for the conduct of the siege.

The brigade's tank units were primarily equipped with the Cromwell tank and a number of 17-pounder Sherman tanks (Sherman Firefly), Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger tanks and M5 Stuart light tanks. Crusader AA tanks were dispatched with the brigade but believed not to have been used. They were supported by a Motor Battalion in M5 Half-tracks and Universal Carriers, an anti-tank battery of 12 Ordnance QF 17-pounder anti-tank guns and a Field Artillery Regiment of two batteries of Ordnance QF 25 pounder gun-howitzers. The unit was supported by a Reconnaissance Squadron that used Humber Light Reconnaissance Cars, M5 Stuarts, Humber Scout Cars and Cromwell tanks.

1st Brigade spent the remainder of the war at Dunkirk, alternately attacking and being attacked by the energetic German garrison, including a successful major raid on German positions on 28 October 1944, Czechoslovak Independence Day. During that time, the brigade was reinforced by French units formed from local French Forces of the Interior (FFI) troops; on 15 October, these were amalgamated into the 110th FFI Infantry Regiment with two battalions allocated for the Siege of Dunkirk. On 24 January 1945, the 110th FFI Regiment was disbanded, with two its battalions and two other FFI battalions used to re-form the French 51st Infantry Regiment, a unit of the regular army. Various British and Canadian formations also supported the siege at one time or another.

In November, the brigade passed from the First Canadian Army to the 21st Army Group. In the spring of 1945, the 1st Armoured Brigade Group was expanded to 5,900 Czechoslovak officers and men, some of whom came from nationals recruited in liberated France and a significant group of a tank battalion, an artillery regiment, a motor transport company and a company of engineers from Czechs and Slovaks forced to serve in the Wehrmacht and who were captured by the Allies in Normandy.On 23 April, a symbolic 140-men strong unit detached from the troops besieging Dunkirk, led by Major Sítek, joined with the 3rd US Army and raised the Czechoslovak flag on its homeland border crossing on 1 May 1945 at Cheb.

On 23 April, a symbolic 140-men strong unit detached from the troops besieging Dunkirk, led by Major Sítek, joined with the 3rd US Army and raised the Czechoslovak flag on its homeland border crossing on 1 May 1945 at Cheb.

The Dunkirk garrison did not surrender until after the surrender of Germany, 9 May 1945, when 15,500 German troops and three U-boats were captured by the Czechoslovaks. The brigade then marched to Prague, reaching the city on 18 May 1945, eight days after the arrival of Soviet-sponsored Czechoslovak troops commanded by Ludvík Svoboda.

During the siege of Dunkirk, the Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade suffered 668 casualties; 167 dead, 461 wounded, and 40 missing. (Wikipedia)

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division

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(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224234)

Members of the Kensington regiment of the British 49th Division having a tea break. 9 January 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191580)

Mortar men of the Kensington Regiment, British 49th Division, Zetten, Netherlands, 20 Jan 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224242)

Kensington Regiment soldiers of the British 49th Division, firing a 4.2-inch mortar, Zetten, Netherlands, 20 Jan 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224236)

Soldiers of the Kensington Regiment of the British 49th Division, firing with their machine guns at the enemy, 20 Jan 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205797)

Vehicles of the 49th Division maneuvering during the attack on Arnhem, with a soldier in foreground, 13 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199040)

Vehicles of the 49th Division rolling under a railroad bridge in the attack on Arnhem, 13 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199036)

German prisoners being brought back from Arnhem by soldiers of the 49th English Division, under the command of the 1st Canadian Corps, 13 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205463)

Troops of the 49th British Division inside a damaged factory, 13 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205272)

General Charles Foulkes taking salute during marchpast of the 49th British Division, 13 May 1945.

(IWM Photo, B 6045)

Loyd Carrier w/ Ordnance QF 6-pdr anti-tank gun of the Durham Light Infantry, 49th (West Riding) Division alongside a knocked-out German Panther tank in Normandy during Operation 'Epsom' - June 27, 1944.

51st (Highland) Infantry Division (to 19 December 1944)

33rd Armoured Brigade (to September 1944)

104th Infantry Division (United States) (mid October to early November, 1944)

The 104th Infantry Division sailed for the Western Front on 27 August 1944. It landed in France on 7 September 1944. The division was assigned to III Corps of the Ninth United States Army, part of the Twelfth United States Army Group. The division then organized and assembled at Manche, France before heading into combat.

Joining the Battle of the Scheldt, the division moved into defensive positions in the vicinity of Wuustwezel, Belgium on 23 October 1944. The Timberwolves were then assigned to Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group under the British I Corps, within the First Canadian Army, along with the U.S. 7th Armored Division, in order to clear out the Scheldt Estuary and open the port of Antwerp. While the U.S. 7th Armored Division was assigned static duty holding the right flank of the gains made during the failed Market Garden operation, the 104th Infantry Division was to participate in the First Canadian Army's taking of the Scheldt. The Timberwolves travelled across France by train and debarked near the Belgian-Dutch border and waited for word to take part in a new allied offensive, Operation Pheasant, taking the place of the experienced British 49th Infantry Division on the left flank and the Polish 1st Armored Division on the right.

The Americans were given responsibility for taking 22 miles of wet, low country from the Belgian border to the Meuse (Maas). The width of their front was approximately 8,000 yards. General Allen planned to employ all three of his regiments at the same time, shoulder to shoulder. The 104th began combat operations on 25 and 26 October and began to attack the Germans, who offered varying levels of resistance. Along the division's front, the Germans were spread thinly and did not have continuous lines of defense. However, they did possess deadly strong points and endeavored to make the Timberwolves' progress as time-consuming and costly as possible, making heavy use of mines, booby traps, and roadblocks. Despite this, the advance was steady, though paid for in the lives of the 104th Division soldiers. Conditions were rainy, chilly, wet, and muddy. Moisture seemed to grip everything and everyone. Sleet beat down on the troops, who went for days soaked to the skin and slimy with mud. On 30 October, after five days of continuous operations the division had pushed about 15 miles to within sight of the Mark River and had liberated Zundert, gained control of the Breda-Roosendaal Road, and overrun the Vaart Canal defenses. Leur and Etten fell as the division advanced to the Mark River, arriving there by 31 October.[14] A coordinated attack over the Mark River at Standdaarbuiten on 2 November established a bridgehead and the rest of the division crossed the river. With the Allies firmly on the north side of the Mark River, German resistance collapsed. For the next two days, the Timberwolves pursued enemy remnants north to the Meuse. Zevenbergen was captured and the Meuse was reached on 5 November. That same day, General Allen received orders from the U.S. First Army, releasing it from Canadian control. While the bulk of the division moved near Aachen, Germany, elements remained to secure Moerdijk until 7 November, when they were relieved. During this time, the division was reassigned to VII Corps of the U.S. 1st Army, also part of the Twelfth Army Group. By 7 November, the fighting in the Netherlands cost the Timberwolves 1,426 casualties, including 313 killed and 103 missing. Montgomery and the Canadian commanders sent their congratulations, and General Allen disseminated copies of their letters to his regiments and wrote a personal letter of thanks to everyone in the division, concluding with his favorite motto, "Nothing in Hell must stop the Timberwolves!" As a result of the actions of the 104th and their Allied counterparts, the Scheldt Estuary was cleared. The Royal Navy took three weeks to sweep the estuary waters clear of mines, and in early December 1944, the port of Antwerp was open to Allied shipping.  (Wikipedia)

(US Army Photo)

A German Sturmgeschütz III that was captured during January-February 1945 in the Battle of the Bulge by the U.S. Army's 104th Infantry Division, here seen in service with the 104th Division. The Americans have added concrete armour, and a large white star painted on top to avoid fire from friendly aircraft. This photo was taken by a U.S. Army journalist embedded in the 104th.

51st (Highland) Infantry Division

Most of the 51st landed in Normandy as part of Operation Overlord on 7 June 1944, a day after D-Day, as part of British I Corps, under Lieutenant-General John Crocker. After spending a brief period supporting the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, it was sent across the River Orne, and spent two months supporting the 6th Airborne Division in its bridgehead. During this period it fought many difficult actions at places such as Bréville (11–12 June) and Colombelles (11 July).

On 1 August 1944 the division, along with the rest of British I Corps, became part of the newly activated Canadian First Army. The division fought alongside this army in Operation Totalize, before advancing to Lisieux. It then continued east over the River Seine and headed, on General Montgomery's orders[44] for Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, the scene of the division's surrender in June 1940. The division's massed pipes and drums played in the streets of the town, and a parade included veterans of the 1940 campaign in France who were with the 51st Division in 1944.

A similar event occurred at Dieppe when it was liberated by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. Leaving Saint Valéry, the 51st Division was engaged in Operation Astonia, the battle for the French port of Le Havre, in September 1944.

On 1 August 1944 the division, along with the rest of British I Corps, became part of the newly activated Canadian First Army. The division fought alongside this army in Operation Totalize, before advancing to Lisieux. It then continued east over the River Seine and headed, on General Montgomery's orders[44] for Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, the scene of the division's surrender in June 1940. The division's massed pipes and drums played in the streets of the town, and a parade included veterans of the 1940 campaign in France who were with the 51st Division in 1944.

A similar event occurred at Dieppe when it was liberated by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. Leaving Saint Valéry, the 51st Division was engaged in Operation Astonia, the battle for the French port of Le Havre, in September 1944. After the capture of the town of Le Havre, the division went on to take part in Operation Pheasant in October 1944, finally passing into reserve and garrisoning the Meuse River during the Battle of the Bulge, now as part of XXX Corps, under Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks. It was not involved in heavy fighting during the early stages of the battle and was deployed as a stopgap in case the Germans broke through.

In January 1945, the division, along with the rest of XXX Corps, helped to cut off the northern tip of the German salient, linking up with the U.S. 84th Infantry Division at Nisramont on 14 January.[48] Following this, the division was involved in Operation Veritable, the clearing of the Rhineland. In late March the 51st took part in Operation Turnscrew[49] within the framework of Operation Plunder, the crossing of the River Rhine, near the town of Rees, where the GOC, Major General Tom Rennie, was killed by enemy mortar fire. He was replaced by Major General Gordon MacMillan, a very highly experienced and competent commander who had previously been the GOC of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.  

The division advanced through Germany and ended the war in the Bremerhaven area of Northern Germany. During the North-West Europe campaign the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division had suffered a total of 19,524 battle casualties. (Wikipedia)

7th Armoured Division

The 7th Armoured left Italy  for the United Kingdom in late December 1943, handing over its battered vehicles and equipment to the recently arrived 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division.  ,The last units arrived on 7 January 1944. The division was re-equipped with the new Cromwell cruiser tanks and in April and May received 36 Sherman Vc Fireflies; enough to organize each troop so that they had a complement of three 75 mm gun Cromwell tanks and a 17-pounder gun Firefly. The Desert Rats were the only British armoured division to use the Cromwell as their main battle tank.

The 7th Armoured Division was one of the three British follow-up divisions of the two British assault corps earmarked for the Normandy landings. The 22nd Armoured Brigade embarked on 4 June and most of the division landed on Gold Beach by the end of 7 June, a day after the initial landings. The division, part of Lieutenant General Gerard Bucknall's XXX Corps, initially took part in Operation Perch and Operation Goodwood, two operations that formed part of the Battle for Caen, itself part of Operation Overlord, codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy. During Perch, the division was to spearhead one arm of a pincer attack to capture the city. Due to a change in plan, elements of the division engaged tanks of the Panzer-Lehr-Division and the Heavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101 in the Battle of Villers-Bocage. Following the capture of Caen, the division took part in Operation Spring, which was intended to keep the German forces pinned to the British front away from the Americans who were launching Operation Cobra and then Operation Bluecoat, an attack to support the American break-out and intercept German reinforcements moving to stop it. After the Battle of the Falaise Gap, which saw most of the German Army in Normandy destroyed, the 7th Armoured Division then took part in the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine.

Following the advance across France, the division took part in the Allied advance through Belgium and the Netherlands; liberating Ghent on 6 September. The division then took part in the advance to and securing of the River Maas, where the division, now commanded by Major General Lewis Lyne, a highly experienced commander, was slightly reorganized, with many experienced men who had been overseas with the division for five years returning home. In January 1945 the division, with the 8th Armoured and 155th Infantry Brigades (from the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division) under command, took part in Operation Blackcock to clear the Roer Triangle. The division had a short rest for training in late February. This was followed by Operation Plunder; the 7th Armoured Division crossed the River Rhine near Xanten and Wesel and advanced on the German city of Hamburg as its destination, as part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany, where the division ended the war. On 16 April 1945, the 7th Armoured Division liberated Stalag 11B in Fallingbostel, which was the first prisoner-of-war camp to be liberated. The 7th Armoured Division's final battle of the war was the Battle of Hamburg.  In July 1945 the 7th Armoured Division moved to Berlin where it took part in the Berlin Victory Parade of 1945, alongside American, French and Russian troops. The division remained in Germany as part of the occupation forces and then into the 1950s as part of the British Army of the Rhine standing watch against the Warsaw Pact.  (Wikipedia)

(IWM Photo, BU 5411)

A Cromwell tank and Challenger tank of 8th Hussars, 7th Armoured Division, surrounded by German civilians outside Dammtor railway station in Hamburg, 5 May 1945.

XXX British Corps (January to March 1945 for Operation Veritable)

Guards Armoured Division

The division was created in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1941 during the Second World War from elements of the Guards units, the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards, and the Household Cavalry.

The division remained in the United Kingdom, training, until 13 June 1944, when it landed several armoured command vehicles at Arromanche. It lagered its advanced tactical headquarters in communication with GHQ awaiting the bulk of the armour Normandy, France, during Operation Overlord as part of VIII Corps. Its first major engagement was Operation Goodwood, the attack by three armoured divisions towards Bourguebus Ridge in an attempt to break out of the Normandy beachhead. That was followed by Operation Bluecoat, the advance east of Caen as the Falaise pocket formed. Transferred to XXX Corps, the division liberated Brussels. It led the XXX Corps attack in Operation Market Garden, the ground forces' advance to relieve airborne troops aiming to seize the bridges up to Arnhem, capturing Nijmegen bridge in conjunction with American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division. The Tac HQ reached Arnhem but was not able to seize the bridge because German anti tank guns were entrenched on the North side and the British airborne had surrendered or were too far away to help. During the Ardennes offensive, it was sent in bitterly cold weather, which forced the tanks to start their engines every hour to prevent the fuel and oil freezing, to the Meuse as a reserve in case the Germans broke through the American lines; some German tanks breaking through were stopped. It endured hard fighting in Operation Veritable, the advance towards the Rhine through the Reichswald, and again in the advance through Germany. The division existed until 12 June 1945, more than two months after Victory in Europe Day, when it was reorganized as an infantry division, the Guards Division, after almost exactly four years as an armoured division. (Wikipedia)

(Internet Photo)

Shown here is a photo of a King Tiger of the 503rd heavy tank battalion, after it was rammed by a British Sherman named Ballyragget, commanded by Lieutenant John Gorman of the 2nd Armoured Irish Guards, Guards Armoured Division during Operation Goodwood. Gorman and his crew then captured most of the Tiger's crew. The event took place on 18 July 1944 to the west of Cagny, Normandy, France. During a battle between several German tanks including the King Tiger vs several Shermans, British tanker Lieutenant Gorman executed a flanking maneuver.  While the King Tiger was busy engaging other Shermans, Gorman rolled down a hill at full speed and rammed the side of the King Tiger without the Germans spotting them.  Gorman's gunner also fired a shell at the turret at point blank range at the moment before impact.  The impact shook up both tank crews.  Both crews were injured and shaken up, and both tanks ended up immobile. Curiously, once Gorman exited, still dazed from the impact, he ran to a group of men he thought were his crew. He had, in fact, accidentally followed the German tank crew, but was met with no aggression, they just saluted each other and Gorman ran back to his crew.

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division

43rd played a large part in Operation Veritable attached to First Canadian Army, through the month-long fighting in the Reichswald to capture Kleve, roll up the Siegfried Line defences, cross the Goch escarpment and seize Xanten on the Rhine River.

Operation Veritable

Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the Second World War. The operation was conducted by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group, primarily consisting of the First Canadian Army under Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar and the British XXX Corps under Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks.
Veritable was the northern pincer movement and started with XXX Corps advancing through the Reichswald (German: Imperial Forest) while the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, in amphibious vehicles, cleared German positions in the flooded Rhine plain. The Allied advance proceeded more slowly than expected and at greater cost as the American southern pincer; Operation Grenade was delayed by the deliberate flooding of the Rur River by German forces under Alfred Schlemm, which allowed them to be concentrated against the Commonwealth advance.
The fighting was hard, but the Allied advance continued. On 22 February, once clear of the Reichswald, and with the towns of Kleve and Goch in their control, the offensive was renewed as Operation Blockbuster and linked up with the U.S. Ninth Army near Geldern on 4 March after the execution of Operation Grenade. Fighting continued as the Germans sought to retain a bridgehead on the west bank of the Rhine at Wesel and evacuate as many men and as much equipment as possible. Finally, on 10 March, the German withdrawal ended and the last bridges were destroyed.

(IWM Photo, B 15531)

43rd (Wessex) Division troops and vehicles in the main street of Xanten, 11 March 1945.

52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division

During 1946, the First Canadian Army was withdrawn from Germany and disbanded. As it withdrew from Germany, it "turned over its responsibilities" to the 52nd Division.  The 157th Infantry Brigade landed first at the end of the first week of October, and the rest of the division arrived over the course of the following fortnight. On 15 October, the 157th Brigade was, temporarily, attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division[28] and relieved the Canadian units in the bridgehead over the Leopold Canal.  From 23 October until December, the 52nd (Lowland) Division was assigned to the Canadian First Army, serving first under II Canadian Corps and then British I Corps. The division's first operation would be to aid in opening the vital Belgian port of Antwerp, in the Battle of the Scheldt. Ironically, the first operation of the division would not be in mountainous terrain or being deployed by air, but fighting below sea level on the flooded polders around the Scheldt Estuary of Belgium and the Netherlands. Operation Vitality and Operation Infatuate were aimed at capturing South Beveland and the island of Walcheren to open the mouth of the Scheldt Estuary. This would enable the Allies to use the port of Antwerp as a supply route for the troops in North-West Europe. It was in this vital operation that the 52nd Division was to fight its first battle with brilliant success that earned them high praise. During the battle, the division was given command "of all the military operations" on Walcheren. This included command of the 4th Commando Brigade, after it had landed on the island, and No. 4 Commando during the assault on Flushing. Following the battle the division would remain on Walcheren until November, when it was relieved by the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. On 5 December, the division was transferred to XXX Corps of the British Second Army. (Wikipedia)

(IWM Photo, BU 3140)

A Universal carrier of the 6th Cameronians, 52nd (Lowland) Division, crossing the Dortmund-Ems Canal, 4 April 1945.

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division

The 53rd (Welsh) Division landed in Normandy on 28 June 1944 (although a small detachment from no.2 Platoon arrived on 12 June including Norman Branch), the second last British infantry division to land and was placed under command of XII Corps, defending the Odon Valley position. The division was involved in much fighting in this area, with the 158th Brigade detached to fight with the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division in the Second Battle of the Odon (Operation Greenline) before Operation Goodwood in mid-July. In August it began to push beyond the Odon and crossed the river Orne, helping to close the Falaise Pocket. It was during this fighting that Acting Captain Tasker Watkins, Officer Commanding (OC) B Company of the 1/5th Battalion, Welch Regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross, the first and only to be awarded to the regiment and division during the war, as well as the only Welshman of the British Army during the Second World War to be awarded the VC.

In December 1944, attached to XXX Corps, it was one of the British divisions that took part in the mainly American Battle of the Bulge, helping to cut off the northern tip of the German salient. For the next few weeks, the division absorbed large numbers of replacements and trained the newcomers. Still with XXX Corps, which was attached to the First Canadian Army, it was later sent north in front of the Siegfried Line to take part in Operation Veritable (the Battle of the Reichswald Forest) in February 1945 where the division, supported by Churchill tanks of the 34th Armoured Brigade, was involved in some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign thus far, against determined German paratroopers and fighting in terrain similar to that found at Passchendaele 27 years before but with the addition of the cold of "winter rain, mud and flooding", where the mud was knee-deep.

The division took part in Operation Plunder, the crossing of the Rhine, and advancing into Germany, where they ended the war. Throughout its 10 months of almost continuous combat, the 53rd (Welsh) Division had suffered nearly 10,000 casualties: 113 officers and 1,396 other ranks killed, 387 officers and 7,221 other ranks wounded and 33 officers and 1,255 other ranks missing. Of those declared missing, 3 officers and 553 other ranks rejoined their units, bringing the total casualties for the division to 9,849 killed, wounded or missing.

(IWM Photo, B13431)

3-inch mortar team of 2nd Monmouthshire Regiment in action during the advance of 53rd (Welsh) Division towards Laroche in Belgium, 5 January 1945.

Elements of 79th Armoured Division

The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day.

Major-General Percy Hobart commanded the division and was in charge of the development of armoured vehicles that were solutions to problems of the amphibious landing on the defended French coastline; these unusual-looking tanks it developed and operated were known as "Hobart's Funnies". They included tanks that floated, could clear mines, destroy defences, carry and lay bridges, and roadways. The practical use of these specialist tanks was confirmed during the landings on the beaches. Its vehicles were distributed as small units across the divisions taking part in the landings and subsequent operations. The division remained in action during the North-west European Campaign, providing specialized support during assaults to the 21st Army Group and, occasionally, to American units outside 21st. Again they were of significant use during the Rhine crossings. The 79th Armoured Division was disbanded on 20 August 1945. Hobart subsequently commanded the Specialized Armour Development Establishment (SADE), which was formed from elements of the 79th together with the Assault Training and Development Centre.

(IWM Photo, MH 3660)

(Duplex Drive) amphibious tank with waterproof float screens. When in the water the float screen was raised and the rear propellers came into operation, 1 January 1944.

(IWM Photo, MH 38080)

Sherman crab flail tank under test, 79th Armoured Division, 27 April 1944.

(IWM B 5095)

Medics attending to wounded in the lee of a Churchill AVRE from 5th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers, on Queen beach, Sword area, 6 June 1944. An M10 Wolverine 3-inch self-propelled gun from 20th Anti-Tank Regiment can be seen in the background, 6 June 1944.

(IWM Photo, H 37411)

Churchill AVRE carpet-layer with bobbin, 79th Armoured Division, 1 April 1944.

(IWM Photo, BU 860)

Churchill tanks and a bridgelayer of 34th Tank Brigade during the assault on Le Havre, 13 September 1944.

(IWM Photo, MH 9563)

Churchill Ark Mk II (UK pattern) bridging vehicle, 1944.

(British Army Photo)

AVRE with Fascine Carrier (a cradle that could tilt forward to deposit fascine), 1944.

4th Armoured Brigade

The brigade landed in Normandy in June 1944 as an independent brigade and fought during the Battle of Normandy during the Battle for Caen. The 4th Armoured Brigade was the first to cross the Rhine into Germany. The first tanks for the Brigade landed in Normandy on 7th June 1944 and almost immediately took part in the action to take the Douvres Radar Station and having supported many actions by British Infantry Divisions and the 11th Armoured Division, to cross the River Odon (during Operation Epsom), it fought its way out of of the killing fields that were Normandy, via the Odon Bridgehead and Hill 112, Operation Bluecoat - Vire, and helped in closing the Falaise Pocket then pushed on through Northern France into Belgium and Holland helping to clear German forces from the the Low Countries. Click here to see the Brigade Order Of Battle at this time. As part of this part of the Brigade linked up with US Paratroops during Operation Market-Garden in September 1944 and then helped clear the flanks of the allied advance from the Wilhelmina Canal and the Lower Rhine. It remained in Holland for November and December 1944, into January 1945, continuing to keep the pressure on the German forces on the Maas. In March 1945, the Brigade moved from the Maas into Germany itself and then took part in the crossing of the Rhine, before advancing across Germany to Bremen, finally meeting up the Russians at Wismar, before moving to Hamburg just as the victory over Nazi Germany was won. The end of the Second World War found 4th Armoured Brigade was in Northern German as part of the occupying forces, between Geesthacht and Hamburg. In March 1948 the Brigade was disbanded, but was reformed in 1981 in Munster, West Germany.

(IWM Photo, BU 2486)

Sherman DD tank of 44th Royal Tank Regiment, 4th Armoured Brigade, passing carriers of the 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers east of the Rhine, 25 March 1945.

6th Guards Armoured Brigade

The brigade was equipped with the Churchill tank when it served in the North West Europe campaign, after landing in Normandy on 20 July 1944.

The brigade took part in the Battle of Normandy in Operation Bluecoat and Operation Veritable.  It ended the war at Lübeck on the Baltic Sea where the brigade captured a U-boat.

The 6th Guards Tank Brigade was constituted as follows during the war:

4th Tank Battalion Coldstream Guards

4th Tank Battalion Grenadier Guards

3rd Tank Battalion Scots Guards

Prior to Operation Plunder & after Operations Veritable & Blackcock, the 6th Guards had units of Artillery, Engineer and other units to their formation. The Brigade then became known as the 6th Guards Armoured Brigade through to VE day.

(IWM Photo, BU 1232)

Churchill tanks of 6th Guards Tank Brigade lay a smokescreen during the advance on Venray, Holland, 17 October 1944.

8th Armoured Brigade

The Brigade went ashore at Gold Beach on D-Day.

The Brigade consisted of the following units:

4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards (4/7 DG)

24th Lancers (24L)

Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY)

147th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery

12th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps

168th (City of London) Light Field Ambulance

552nd Company Royal Army Service Corps

8th Armoured Brigade Workshops REME

265th Forward Delivery Squadron.

Gold Beach was the Allied codename for the centre invasion beach during the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. It lay between Omaha Beach and Juno Beach, was 8 km wide and divided into four sectors. From west to east they were How, Item, Jig, and King.

The landing area was defended by elements of Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter's 716th Static Infantry Division and the 1st Battalion of the 916th Infantry Regiment, which had been detached from Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss's 352nd Infantry Division.

Gold Beach was allocated to the British Second Army's XXX Corps. The actual assault was to be made by 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, which had been reinforced with 56th Independent Infantry Brigade and supported by the 8th Armoured Brigade. The Division's primary objective was to seize the town of Bayeux, the Caen-Bayeux road, and the port of Arromanches; the secondary objectives being to make contact with the Americans landing at Omaha Beach to the West and the Canadians landing at Juno Beach to the East.

The 231st Infantry Brigade, followed by the 56th Infantry Brigade, landed in the west, with DD tanks from the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwood Rangers) in support. The assault battalions were the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment on Jig Green (west side) and the 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment on Jig Green (east side).

The 69th Infantry Brigade, followed by 151st Infantry Brigade, landed in the east with DD tanks from the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards in support. The assault battalions were the 5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment on King Red and the 6th Battalion, Green Howards on King Green.

H-Hour for the Gold beach landing was set for 0725 hours. For the first time in history, tanks were to lead an assault from the sea on all sectors of the beaches. The secret of the "Duplex Drive" had been well kept, for the German appreciation was that they would have no tanks thrown against them during the first five hours. 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. In spite of this, the 4/7 DG lost 5 and the SRY 8 in the breakers. Throughout the day both Regiments had all three squadrons continually committed, supporting in turn 231st Infantry Brigade, 151st Infantry Brigade and 69th Infantry Brigades. Night fell with all objectives obtained, all tanks committed and no reserves on shore. 8th Armoured Brigade were ordered to strike south from their lodgement created on 6 June to capture the town of Bayeux. They wwere to then capture the town of Tilly-sur-Seulles. Once Tilly-sur-Seulles had been captured, the 7th Armoured Division would pass through the 50th (Northumbrian) and push south to capture the town of Villers-Bocage before turning east to capture the town of Évrecy.

During the remainder of the month, the brigade was deployed in support of 49th and 50th Divisions. Fighting was almost continuous in the area from Rauray, Vendes, Tessel Wood and Fontenay, Lingèvres, Cristot and Le Parc du Bois Londes. Casualties were heavy and 124 tanks were put out of action in 25 days. The brigade claimed 86 tanks and Self Propelled Guns destroyed, knocked out or captured during the same period.

(IWM Photo, B 13924)

Infantry of 1st Glasgow Highlanders ride on white-washed Sherman tanks of 8th Armoured Brigade in Hongen, 19-20 January 1945.

Operation Plunder

Commencing on the night of 23 March 1945, Operation Plunder was the crossing of the Rhine river at Rees, Wesel, and south of the Lippe Canal by the British Second Army, under Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey (Operation Turnscrew, Operation Widgeon, and Operation Torchlight), and the US Ninth Army, (Operation Flashpoint), under Lieutenant General William Simpson. XVIII US Airborne Corps, consisting of British 6th Airborne Division and US 17th Airborne Division, conducted Operation Varsity. All of these formations were part of the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery. This was part of a coordinated set of Rhine crossings.

The 8th Armoured Brigade now had four Armoured Regiments, as the Staffordshire Yeomanry returned under Brigade command after they had converted to Duplex Drive tanks under the 79th Armoured Division. The Brigade was to support 51st (Highland) Division in the Rhine crossing.

On 23 March, at 2100 hours, the leading elements of 51st (Highland) Division crossed the Rhine in assault craft just north of Rees. They were followed by the DD tanks of C Sqn, Staffordshire Yeomanry. The remainder of the Regiment crossed at first light and were up with the infantry before any enemy counter-attack could be launched. On the evening of 24 March, the 4/7 DG began to cross, followed in the next two days by the 13/18 H and the SRY. On 27 March, Brigade HQ, 12th K.R.R.C. and the Essex Yeomanry made the crossing. For seven days the Brigade then supported 51st (Highland) Division, 43rd Division and the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, who were involved in fighting within the bridgehead. On 28 March, Ijsselburg was captured and the road from Anhoh to Gendringen was in allied hands.

On 30 March, the Brigade moved forward with 4th Somerset Light Infantry in Kangaroo personnel carriers under command. By evening, the outskirts of Varsseveld were reached and 12th K.R.R.C. were in Silvolde. The next objective was to seize a crossing of the Twente Canal at Lochem. At dawn on 31 March, a battle took place at Ruurlo, but the advance continued to Lochem and the Brigade covered 25 miles during the day. The next objective was to capture crossings south of Delden. The 12th K.R.R.C. advanced towards Delden, and the next day linked up with the forward troops of 4th Canadian Armoured Division advancing from their bridge-head over the Twente Canal. The advance continued with the objective being Bremen, still over 100 miles distant. The Brigade was next deployed to support 214th Infantry Brigade with 13/18 H and 129th Infantry Brigade with 4/7 DG. The SRY was placed in reserve with 130th Infantry Brigade.

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. The last main road from Bremen to the Netherlands had been severed. On the same day the 8th Armoured Brigade, with 4/7 DG, 12th K.R.R.C. and Essex Yeomanry, was placed under command of British 3rd Infantry Division, which was some 75 miles away to the east. The SRY and 13/18 H were left with 43rd (Wessex) Division.

3rd Division were engaged with the enemy in the numerous villages south of Bremen and on 15 April a series of attacks began. After several days of fighting, 3rd Division had captured all the ground south of the flooded area. It was now decided to cross the Weser upstream at Verden, where a bridge had been secured, and to attack Bremen from the east. The 52nd (Lowland) Division were to attack with their left on the river, while 43rd Division were to be on their right supported by 8th Armoured Brigade, less 4/7 DG who were to remain with 3rd Division.

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. Hostilities on all Second Army front will cease at 0800 hours tomorrow 5 May 45. NO repeat NO advance beyond present front line without orders from me.’’

34th Armoured Brigade

February 1945 and became part of the 79th Armoured Division. It was equipped with Churchill tanks and provided close support for assaults by the infantry. During the fighting in North-west Europe from July 1944 to May 1945 the brigade served with both the First Canadian Army and the British Second Army. The brigade was disbanded in early 1946.

Advance parties departed to Normandy on D + 10 (16 June) but the entire brigade was not gathered together in France until early July 1944. Its first combat was in support of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division in Operation Greenline from 15 to 18 July, to enlarge the Odon bridgehead and advance beyond Hill 112; the German opposition held a strong position and 153rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps suffered particularly severe casualties, including its commanding officer. Overall, the brigade lost 30 officers and 156 other ranks in this action. The brigade continued in active service in Normandy until late August.

After a 14-day rest and reorganization and now under the First Canadian Army, the brigade crossed the River Seine on 4 September to prepare to assault Le Havre. On arrival outside Le Havre on 6 September, the brigade came under command of 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division, who were to assault Le Havre from the north east and east. The defenders' morale was low despite impressive defence works and victory was completed on 12 September with minimal casualties. A troop of 7th Royal Tank Regiment, without infantry, had entered the fort at 11:30am and had captured Oberst Hermann-Eberhard Wildermuth, the garrison commander, his whole staff and 400 prisoners.

By 6 October, the brigade had reached the Eindhoven area and all regiments were immediately deployed into the front line. The strategic requirement now was to clear the Scheldt Estuary and get the port of Antwerp into use as an Allied supply base.[4] As part of these operations, 49th (West Riding) Division was to attack towards Loenhout, and then unleash a mobile force to exploit the breakthrough and move up the main road to Wuustwezel in Operation Rebound. This mobile force was commanded by Brigadier W.S. Clarke of 34th Tank Brigade and named 'Clarkeforce'.

Controlled by 34th Tank Bde's HQ, Clarkeforce consisted of Churchill tanks of 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, with C Squadron carrying infantry of D Company, 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment, accompanied by a troop of Achilles self-propelled 17-pounders from 248 Bty, 62nd (6th London) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, a troop of Churchill Crocodile flamethrowing tanks of the 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and two sections of Royal Engineers. The field artillery support was provided by the 25-pounder guns of 191st (Hertfordshire and Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.

Operation Rebound (part of the larger offensive of Operation Pheasant) began on 20 October with a barrage fired by the field regiments of 49th (WR) Division reinforced by two medium regiments, then 56th Infantry Bde and 9th Royal Tank Regiment seized Stapelheide as a start line for Clarkeforce, which was launched through the gap at 16.00. The column bypassed some strongpoints to be mopped up by supporting troops, but progress was not fast: the route was restricted to one tank's width, and the M3 Stuart ('Honey') light tanks of 107th RAC's Reconnaissance Troop were held up by the bad tank going. At 17.00 B Sqn 107th RAC reached a road junction and detached half the squadron to cover this, while the rest of the squadron pushed on to 'Stone Bridge'. The fight for this point, supported by fire from 191st (H&EY) Fd Rgt, took most of the remaining daylight, but the bridge was seized before it could be completely demolished and B Sqn crossed, followed by the Recce Trp. B Squadron formed a bridgehead facing north and north-west, and A Sqn passed through to complete the bridgehead to the south and south-west. By now it was dark, but C Sqn and the infantry pushed on to clear Wuustwezel, taking some prisoners. By 22.00, 147th Infantry Brigade of 49th (WR) Division had moved up to relieve Clarkeforce, and the tanks were ordered to push on: 'The night was pitch dark, it was raining, and there was no moon'. Progress was slow and the Recce Trp scouting ahead were held up by a roadblock of trees, which were cleared by the leading Churchills.

After a short rest, 107th RAC and the company of Leicesters moved on at 0800 the following morning towards Nieuwmoer. By now the Recce Trp had run out of fuel, and the advance was led by A Sqn of 49th (West Riding) Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps. When they came across a bridge that had been blown, the reconnaissance troops and tanks had to fan out to the flanks in search of alternative crossings, and with no cover they were engaged over the flat country by German Self-propelled guns concealed in Nieuwmoer. The advance had to be covered by smoke. Once clearance of the village was well in hand, the Recce Trp came up and pushed on carelessly into a wood occupied by German troops and SP guns. Four Honeys were knocked out, bringing 107th RAC's casualties to eight tanks in the day. Meanwhile the troops round Stone Bridge, including 1st Leicesters and 191st (H&EY) Fd Rgt, had to beat off counter-attacks by German armour. 532 Field Battery, which had already crossed over, was called upon to deploy and fire its 25-pounders in an anti-tank (A/T) role, while the other batteries backtracked and found an alternative route forwards. At last light, 191st (H&EY) Fd Rgt called in fire from every divisional and Army Group Royal Artillery gun within range (about 200) to devastate the woodland that was holding up Clarkeforce.

On 22 October, the advance continued towards Esschen, 107th RAC engaging enemy infantry and SP guns, and crossing a canal by means of one of 34th Tank Bde's bridge-laying tanks. 191st (H&EY) Field Rgt moved up to Nieuwmoer, despite pockets of enemy resistance along the route, which ambushed some of 107th RAC's A Echelon vehicles and a field artillery reconnaissance party. 49th Recce Rgt began clearing the enemy pockets before nightfall. For the next day's advance the Leicesters were relieved by two companies from 7th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment, who attacked Schanker successfully with C Sqn's Churchills on the morning of 24 October. The infantry's A/T guns then took over the defence.

Clarkeforce rested on 25 October to plan the next phase of its advance towards Roosendaal (Operation Thruster). Once again, 56th Infantry Bde prepared the way by advancing from Esschen to Nispen during the night of 25/26 October. After supporting this advance, 191st (H&EY) Fd Rgt's Forward Observation Officers (FOOs) rejoined Clarkeforce for its push towards Brembosch, beginning at 10.00 the following morning. The advance encountered strong enemy rearguards, losing four tanks and an SP gun from 245 Bty, 62nd A/T Rgt, but Clarkeforce reached the town by the end of the day. The following morning the Leicesters crossed a massive anti-tank ditch using ladders, then a bulldozer tried to make it passable. In the end, the top of the concrete obstacle was shot away using high explosive and armour-piercing shells from the Churchills and Achilles. It took the rest of the day and concentrated artillery firepower to push the enemy off two hilltop strongpoints.

The following day, 107th RAC supported the Leicesters in an attack along the Brembosch–Wouwe Hil road, and reached Oostlaar by nightfall. At first light on 28 October, while replenishing their tanks, C Sqn came under fire, lost some vehicles and had to withdraw under smoke and covering fire, but at 08.15 the regiment was ready to support an attack by 11th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers and cut the Wouwe–Bergen-op-Zoom road, despite enemy SP guns. The advances were masked by smoke and covered by the remaining Achilles. Clarkeforce spent the night in Wouwe.

49th (WR) Division found the approaches to Roosendaal strongly held, and the commanding officer of 1/4th Bn King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry requested a set-piece artillery- and armour-supported assault. The artillery support involved three field, two medium and two heavy anti-aircraft regiments as well as 191st (H&EY) Fd Rgt, while 107th RAC was positioned to support an attack by the infantry and 9th RTR. However, a patrol infiltrated the town under cover of mist and found that the Germans had pulled out.

49th (WR) Division's final objective was Willemstad on the Hollands Diep (part of the Maas Estuary). This was 10 miles (16 km) away across poor country for armour, so Clarkeforce was disbanded and the division carried out a conventional infantry advance (Operation Humid), supported by 34th Tank Bde in its more familiar infantry tank role. Willemstad was liberated on 6 November after the German garrison withdrew across the Maas.

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In February, 1945, the 34th Armoured Brigade provided armoured support to infantry units, mainly the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, during the Battle of the Reichswald, in ground conditions that caused more damage to its tanks than the enemy. After the Rhine crossings, the brigade saw no further active service in Europe and was in preparation for transfer to South-East Asian theatre when the war ended. (Wikipedia)

(IWM Photo, B 6124)

A Churchill tank of 7th Royal Tank Regiment, 31st Tank Brigade, supporting infantry of 8th Royal Scots during Operation 'Epsom', 28 June 1944.

The headquarters of a tank or armoured brigade in 1944 was equipped with 10 tanks plus eight Armoured Observation Post (OP) tanks for the use of attached artillery units. By the time of the Normandy campaign it also included three Churchill bridgelayer tanks. By March 1945 the number of gun tanks at HQ had been reduced to seven, but two Crusader anti-aircraft (AA) tanks had been added to the establishment.

(IWM Photo, B 5129)

Crusader AA Mk III tank, 'Allahkeef' of 22nd Armoured Brigade HQ, 7th Armoured Division, coming ashore from a landing ship, Normandy, 7 June 1944.

(IWM Photo, B 8439)

A Crusader AA tank comes ashore from an LSTon to the pierhead at the Mulberry artificial harbour at Arromanches, August 1944.