British Armoured Brigades, 30 April 1945

[Master Zen]

Anyone here know which British/Canadian Armoured Brigades were in action at the end of the war and in what corps they were in? I'm also interested in the other international brigades fighting with the British Army at the time. Thanks

[Andy H]

British
2nd Armd-8th Army
4th-52 (L) Inf Div
5th Gds-Gds Armd Div
6th Gds-15 Inf Div
7th-13 Corp
8th-30 Corp
9th- AFHQ UK
21-8th Army
22-7 Armd Div
23-Land Forces Greece
25 Armd Eng-8th Army
26-10 Corp
29-21 Army Group (LOC Troops)
30-79 Armd Div
31-79 Armd Div
33-Netherland District Command
34-1 Corp

Andy H

[Master Zen]

Excellent

Just one question, units like the 22 Armd Bde which you mention as part of the 7 Armd Div for example, were they "attached" to the unit as a seperate brigade like the US tank battalions or were they acting as the Armd Bde of that division? (in other words, did 7th Armd Div have another Bde in it besides the 22nd?)

[Andy H]

Hi

The 22nd Armoured Brigade was the intergral Brigade of this division within the timeframe you specified. In addition the 7th Armoured Divison included the 131st Infantry Brigade plus the usual Divisonal support arms

Andy H

[Andy H]

The following Brigades also served within 7th Armoured Division

Lt Armd Bde (Egypt) 03/09/39-15/02/39
Hvy Armd Bde (Egypt) 03/09/39-15/02/39
4th Hvy Armd Bde 16/02/40-13/04/40
4th Armd Bde 14/04/40-29/07/41, 01/11/41-19/12/41 & 04/01/42-25/06/42
7th Lt Armd Bde 16/02/40-13/04/40
7th Armd Bde 14/04/40-18/05/40, 02/07/40-30/04/41 & 20/05/41-27/11/41
1st Army Tk Bde 29/07/41-09/11/41
22nd Armd Bde 04/01/42-08/02/42 & 26/07/42-31/08/45
7th Sp Gp 22/01/40-12/04/41, 06/06/41-04/01/42 & 19/01/42-08/02/42
7th Mot Bde 09/02/42-26/06/42 & 05/07/42-11/09/42
131st Lor Inf Bde 01/11/42-03/03/44
131st Inf Bde 04/03/44-31/08/45

Andy H

[Gerry Chester]

British
2nd Armd-8th Army
4th-52 (L) Inf Div
5th Gds-Gds Armd Div
6th Gds-15 Inf Div
7th-13 Corp
8th-30 Corp
9th- AFHQ UK
21-8th Army ****
22-7 Armd Div
23-Land Forces Greece
25 Armd Eng-8th Army
26-10 Corp
29-21 Army Group (LOC Troops)
30-79 Armd Div
31-79 Armd Div
33-Netherland District Command
34-1 Corp

****
Andy, 21st was a Tank Brigade not an Armoured Brigade.

Cheers, Gerry

[Andy H]

Hi Gerry

I'm sure your right. I'll check when I get home

Regards

Andy

[Master Zen]

British
2nd Armd-8th Army
4th-52 (L) Inf Div
5th Gds-Gds Armd Div
6th Gds-15 Inf Div
7th-13 Corp
8th-30 Corp
9th- AFHQ UK
21-8th Army
22-7 Armd Div
23-Land Forces Greece
25 Armd Eng-8th Army
26-10 Corp
29-21 Army Group (LOC Troops)
30-79 Armd Div
31-79 Armd Div
33-Netherland District Command
34-1 Corp

Andy H

So, from this list exactly which divisions were working as the intergrated brigades and not as independent ones? (Besides the 22nd of course)

[Andy H]

Andy, 21st was a Tank Brigade not an Armoured Brigade.

Cheers, Gerry

Yes, it didn't become a Armoured Brigade till June 11th 1945, by redesignating the 21st Tank Brigade.

Andy H

[Delta Tank]

What is the difference between a British tank bde and an amored bde? If you could state the size in numbers of vehicles so I can translate it into American organization. Example: a British troop is an American platoon, where as an American troop (company size element) is a Brithish squadron, where as an American squadron is a battalion size organiztion (500-700 man unit depending on TO&E [Table of Organization and Equipment]).

Mike

[Andy H]

As one can appreciate, the TOE's varied over the course of the war.

The examples below are dated as November'43

Armoured Brigade
HQ Armd Bde & HQ Sqn (10 Cruisers)
1 Motorized Infantry Btn
3 Armoured Regts, each with Recce Tp (11Lt Tanks), 1 AA Tp (6AA Tanks), 3 Armoured Sqn's (19 tanks each)

Total strength being 226 Tanks plus 18 AA Tanks, manned by 37Officers and 655 OR's

Tank Brigade
HQ Tk Bde & HQ Sqn: 4Cruisers, 2AA & 3 Bridge Laying Tanks
3 Tk Btn's each with HQ (Tk) Btn (4 Inf Tanks & 2 OP Tanks), HQ (Tk) Sqn with 11 Lt Tanks & 6 AA Tanks, plus 3 Tk Sqns containing some 18 Tanks.

Total strength being 234 Tanks plus 6 AA Tanks, manned by 38 Officers and 670 OR's

Andy H