The 150th Infantry Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army that saw active service in the Second World War. A 1st Line Territorial Army brigade, it was part of the

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that saw distinguished service in the Second World War. Pre-war, the division was part of the Territorial Army (TA) and the two ''Ts'' in the divisional ins ...

. It served in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

and was evacuated from Dunkirk. Later it served in the Middle East and was overrun and forced to surrender during the Battle of Gazala in the North African Campaign. For almost 72 hours (29–31 May 1942) during the battle the 150th Brigade and the

44th Royal Tank Regiment The 44th Royal Tank Regiment (44 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army, which was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps that saw active service in World War II. The 44th RTR was formed before Worl ...

held out against

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

's concentrated attacks, without any support. On 1 June the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

finally forced their surrender. The brigade was not reformed.

Order of battle

The following units constituted the 150th Brigade:Joslen, p. 334. * 4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment * 4th Battalion, Green Howards * 5th Battalion, Green Howards * 150th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company – ''8 December 1939 to 1 January 1941''

Battle of France

50th (Northumbrian) Division was mobilised on the outbreak of war in September 1939. After training it travelled to France in January 1940 to join the new British Expeditionary Force (BEF).Joslen, pp. 81–2.Ellis, ''France & Flanders'', Chapter II.
/ref> The

began on 10 May with the German invasion of the Low Countries. The BEF followed the pre-arranged

Plan D A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal. F ...

and advanced into Belgium to take up defences along the

River Dyle The Dyle (french: Dyle ; nl, Dijle ) is a river in central Belgium, left tributary of the Rupel. It is long. It flows through the Belgian provinces of Walloon Brabant, Flemish Brabant and Antwerp. Its source is in Houtain-le-Val, near Nivelles ...

. 50th (N) Division was in reserve for the divisions along the Dyle line by 15 May. However, the

had broken through the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

to the east, forcing the BEF to withdraw again across a series of river lines. By the end of 19 May the whole force was back across the Escaut, with 50th (N) Division concentrating on Vimy Ridge above

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

and preparing to make a counter-attack on the German forces sweeping past towards the sea.Ellis, ''France & Flanders'', Chapter IV.
/ref> The attack (the Battle of Arras) was made on 21 May, but 150th Bde was not involved, being sent to strengthen the garrison of Arras and to hold the line of the

River Scarpe The Scarpe () is a river in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It is a left-bank tributary of the river Escaut (Scheldt). It is long. The source of the river is at Berles-Monchel near Aubigny-en-Artois. It flows through the towns of Arras, ...

. It carried out a raid across the river during the day. As the Germans continued to move west, behind the BEF, Arras was becoming a dangerous salient, and 150th Bde came under attack on 23 May. It fought its way out of Arras via Douai that night as the BEF scrambled to form a defensive ring round

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Ellis, ''France & Flanders'', Chapter XII.
/ref> By now the decision had been made to evacuate the BEF through Dunkirk ( Operation Dynamo), and 50th (N) Division held the line to allow this to proceed. All day on 29 May it was bombarded as it pulled back, still in contact with the enemy. The rest of

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

was evacuated on the night of 31 May/1 June, while 50th (N) Division continued to hold the line. Finally, 150th Bde's turn came, and it was evacuated to England on 2 June. 50th (N) Division spent almost a year re-equipping and training in the UK, taking its place in the anti-invasion defences, before it was chosen for renewed overseas service.

North Africa

50th (N) Division sailed to reinforce Middle East Forces on 23 April 1941, landing in Egypt on 13 June. It was then sent to garrison Cyprus, but 150th Bde was detached to Western Desert Force (WDF). However, the WDF's Operation Battleaxe had failed, 150th Bde was not immediately required, and in August it rejoined 50th (N) Division in Cyprus. In November the division moved by sea and road to Iraq, but once again 150th Bde was detached to Egypt as an independent brigade group, arriving on 29 November and joining Eighth Army on 22 December. While operating as an independent brigade group it included the following additional units: * 72nd (Northumbrian) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery * 232nd (Northumbrian) Field Company, Royal EngineersWatson & Rinaldi, p. 163. * 50th Recce Battalion – ''until 22 December 1941'' * 'B' Company,

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

* Sections, Royal Army Ordnance Corps

Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (United Kingdom), Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) ...

was just ending as the brigade arrived in the desert, and there was a lull of some months before active operations restarted. The rest of 50th (N) Division arrived in February, and 150th Bde reverted to its command on 22 February, but all of its brigades were to operate as independent groups in the next phase of fighting (the Battle of Gazala).

Battle of Gazala

The "

Gazala Line The Battle of Gazala (near the village of ) was fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, from 26 May to 21 June 1942. Axis troops of the ( Erwin Rommel) consisting of German and I ...

" was a series of occupied "boxes" each of brigade strength set out across the desert with minefields and wire watched by regular patrols between the boxes. When General

attacked on 26 May, 150th and 69th Bdes of 50th Division occupied two boxes: there was a gap of between 150th Bde at Sidi Muftah and 69th Bde to the north, and another gap of between 150th Bde and 1st Free French Brigade's box at

Bir Hakeim Bir Hakeim ( ar, بئر حكيم, translit=biʾr ḥakīm, lit=Wise Well ; sometimes written ''Bir Hacheim'') is in the Libyan desert at and is the site of a former Ottoman Empire fort built around the site of an ancient Roman well, dating to ...

to the south. The line was not equally manned, a greater number of troops covering the coast leaving the south less protected.

1st South African Division The 1st South African Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the South African Army, army of the Union of South Africa. During World War II the division served in East Africa from 1940 to 1941 and in the Western D ...

was nearest the coast, with 1st and 7th Armoured divisions waiting behind the main line as a mobile counter-attacking force.

2nd South African Division The South African 2nd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the army of the Union of South Africa during World War II. The division was formed on 23 October 1940 and served in the Western Desert Campaign and was captured (save for one ...

formed a garrison at Tobruk and

5th Indian Infantry Division The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three differe ...

(which had arrived in April to relieve

4th Indian Infantry Division The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, i ...

) was held in reserve. The German advance was spotted by the

4th South African Armoured Car Regiment Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

at first light on 27 May. At about 08:30 they overran the 7th Armoured Divisional HQ. This scattered the

7th Motor Brigade 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythol ...

, which withdrew to the Retma Box, fifteen miles east of Bir Hakeim, while 4th Armoured Brigade, fought all day to stem the attackers. By the afternoon, the German attack had shattered the 7th Armoured Division and they were in position to assault the

201st Guards Motor Brigade The 22nd Guards Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw distinguished active service during the Second World War. History The 22nd Infantry Brigade was formed by the redesignation of the 29th Infantry Brigade on 3 Septemb ...

, in the

Knightsbridge Box Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancient ...

. The Germans now attacked the Retma Box, which was garrisoned by the Rangers ( 9th King's Royal Rifle Corps), 2nd Rifle Brigade, C Bty 4th RHA, and a

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

n anti-tank unit. Accompanied by heavy artillery fire the Panzers swarmed in, swiftly overrunning the 9th KRRC, with the rest of the garrison then moving back to east of Bir El Gubi. The Germans now pushed their Panzers on to the north, moving behind the Gazala Boxes, where British resistance stiffened in what became known as the

Battle of the Cauldron The Battle of Gazala (near the village of ) was fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, from 26 May to 21 June 1942. Axis troops of the ( Erwin Rommel) consisting of German and ...

. By the evening of 28 May it was clear to Brigadier C.W. Haydon that his 150th Bde was going to be attacked from this direction, and he pulled in his southern battalion and prepared for all-round defence, reinforced by part of 1st Army Tank Bde, including 30 tanks. The garrison of 150th Bde Box now stood at: * 150th Infantry Brigade HQ (Brig C.W. Haydon) ** 4th East Yorkshires ** 4th Green Howards ** 5th Green Howards ** D Company, 2nd Cheshire Regiment (machine guns) ** 72nd (Northumbrian) Field Rgt, RA ** 25/26 Battery, 7th Medium Rgt, RA ** 259 Battery, 55th (Norfolk Yeimanry) Anti-Tank Rgt, RA ** 81 Battery, 25th Light Anti-Aircraft Rgt, RA ** 232 (Northumbrian Field Company, RE * Tactical HQ, 1st Army Tank Bde (Brig W.O.L. O'Carroll) ** One squadron,

42nd Royal Tank Regiment The 42nd Royal Tank Regiment (42 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1938 until 1956. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. Mobilisation The unit was formed on 1 November 1938 by c ...

To shorten their supply lines the Axis began clearing two paths through the minefield either side of the 150th Bde Box along the Trigh el Abd and Trigh Capuzzo. The brigade kept the supply lines under artillery fire and, although it was unable to stop the flow of traffic, it made the route so ineffective that the enemy armoured divisions to the east of the minefields were reduced to a parlous state for petrol, ammunition and food. Their water ration was down to half a cup a man. Early on 30 May elements of the '' Afrika Korps'' attempted to break through the brigade's position but drew off after taking losses. Next day the Italian Trieste Division and German 90th Light Division attacked, but made little progress against a defence that they described as 'skilful and stubborn'. On 1 June Rommel reinforced the attackers with the

21st Panzer Division The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the battles of the North African Campaign from 1941–1943 during World War II when it was one of the two armoured divisions making up the Deutsches Afrikakorps ...

and more artillery, and the assault was resumed after heavy

dive-bombing A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughou ...

. Early in the afternoon 150th Bde was overcome by a series of concentric attacks and overrun, Brigadier Haydon was killed, and the survivors (including Brigadier O'Carroll) became

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. :: said in its daily battle report. "The encircled enemy, supported by numerous infantry tanks, again resisted most stubbornly", "Each separate element within the fortress-like strengthened defences had to be fought for. The enemy suffered extraordinary heavy, bloody losses. Eventually the operation, which also caused considerable losses to our troops, ended in complete success"'

Commanders

The following commanded the brigade: * Brigadier H.S. Kreyer (on outbreak of war) * Lieutenant-Colonel W.E. Bush (acting from 9 April 1940) * Brigadier C.W. Haydon (from 26 April 1940; killed in action 1 June 1942)

Postwar

150th Brigade was not reformed when 50th (Northumbrian) Division was reconstituted in the Territorial Army in 1947. Instead, the reformed 4th East Yorkshires and 4th Green Howards became part of 151 Infantry Brigade, now subtitled 'Yorkshire & Durham'.Watson, ''TA 1947''.
/ref>

Notes

References

*

* * * * *

I.S.O. Playfair Major-General Ian Stanley Ord Playfair, (10 April 1894 – 21 March 1972) was a British Army officer. Military career Born the son of Colonel F.H.G. Playfair of the Hampshire Regiment and educated at Cheltenham College, Playfair joined the Roya ...

, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East, Vol III: (September 1941 to September 1942) British Fortunes reach their Lowest Ebb, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960 /Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018,

External sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:150th Infantry Brigade, British Infantry brigades of the British Army Army Reserve (United Kingdom) Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942