The 214th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
raised during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
that saw active service on the
North West Europe
Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically.
Geographic definitions
Geographically, Northw ...
.
History
Formation
The brigade was formed for service in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
on 11 October 1940, when the No 14 Infantry Training Group was redesignated as the 214th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home). It was initially composed of newly raised battalions. On 1 December 1941, it was redesigned as the 214th Independent Infantry Brigade.
[Joslen, p. 377.]
Service
On 5 September 1943, the brigade joined the
43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry division of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). The division was first formed in 1908, as the Wessex Division. During the First World War, it was broken-up and never served as a complete formatio ...
, replacing the
34th Tank Brigade, and along with the
129th Infantry Brigade and
130th Infantry Brigade reformed the 43rd Division as a standard infantry division, after an experiment as Mixed (infantry and tank) division was abandoned.
[
The brigade landed in Normandy on 24 June 1944, under the command of Brigadier ]Hubert Essame
Major General Hubert Essame, (24 December 1896 – 2 March 1976) was a British Army officer who fought in the First and Second World Wars. He was also a military lecturer, historian and broadcaster.
Early life
Born on 24 December 1896, Hubert ...
, and fought during Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...
, It fought against the German 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen
The 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" (german: 9. SS-Panzerdivision "Hohenstaufen") was a Waffen-SS armoured division of Nazi Germany during World War II. It participated in battles on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. The division was a ...
at Hill 112
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not as ...
, in July 1944, during the Battle for Caen
The Battle for Caen (June to August 1944) is the name given to fighting between the British Second Army and the German in the Second World War for control of the city of Caen and its vicinity during the larger Battle of Normandy. The battles ...
.[Essame.]
The 214th Brigade, along with the rest of the 43rd Division, were the first British units to cross the River Seine, with an assault crossing at the French town of Vernon opposed by the German 49th Infantry Division
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
.[ This enabled the armour of XXX Corps to thrust across northern France and into Belgium.
The brigade was later involved in ]Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...
, and supported the Guards Armoured Division
The Guards Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army during the Second World War. 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 G ...
.[Horrocks.] The brigade was later placed along the Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
as a reserve, during the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
. It then went on to be engaged in the fighting in the Klever Reichswald
The Klever Reichswald is an Imperial forest in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) between the rivers Rhine and Meuse at the German–Dutch border. The forest is located in the municipal territory of Kleve, Goch, Kranenburg and Bedburg-Hau. It is ...
(Operation Veritable
Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allies of World War II, Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the World War II, Second ...
) and the crossing of the Rhine (Operation Plunder
Operation Plunder was a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The crossing of the river was at Rees, Wesel, and south of the river Li ...
).[ By the end of hostilities they had reached the ]Cuxhaven
Cuxhaven (; ) is an independent town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has ...
peninsula of northern Germany.[
]
Order of battle
The 214th Brigade had the following composition:[
*As part of Area Commands and the Hampshire County Division.
** 19th Battalion, ]Royal Fusiliers
The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881.
The regiment served in many wars ...
''(11 October 1940 — 30 November 1941)''
** 20th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers ''(11 October 1940 — 30 November 1941)''
** 21st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers ''(11 October 1940 — 15 July 1941)''
** 6th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II.
The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...
''(11 October 1940 — 26 November 1941)''
** 11th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment
)
, march = ''Ça Ira''
, battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine
, anniversaries = Imphal (22 June)
The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was ...
''(15 July — 25 November 1941)''
** 11th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment
The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regi ...
''(13 November 1941 — 30 November 1941)''
** 12th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment ''(25 November 1941 — 30 November 1941)''
*As part of the 214th Independent Infantry Brigade under various commands
** 19th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers ''(1 December 1941 — 1 January 1942, converted to the 98th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery)''Wiltshire Regiment
The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot.
The ...
''(30 November 1941 — 11 September 1942)''
** 5th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959.
The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd (Cornwall Light ...
''(6 September 1942 — 5 September 1943)''
** 7th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry
The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Some ...
''(12 September 1942 — 5 September 1943)''
** 9th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry ''(2 June 1942 — 5 September 1943)''
** 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment
The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...
''(7 — 25 June 1943)''
*As part of 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
** 5th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry ''(from 6 September 1943)''
** 7th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry ''(from 6 September 1943)''
** 9th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry ''(6 — 30 September 1943)''
** 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment ''(from 30 September 1943)''
Commanders
The 214th Brigade had the following commanders:[
* Brigadier J.M. Prower (from 11 October 1940)
* Brigadier J.O. Carpenter (from 25 February 1941)
* Brigadier H. Essame (from 15 September 1942)
* Lieutenant-Colonel G. Taylor (acting) (from 16 June 1945)
* Brigadier R.E. Goodwin (from 22 June 1945)
]
Notes
References
* H. Essame, ''The 43rd Wessex Division at War 1944–45'', London: William Clowes, 1952.
* Ken Ford, ''Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944'', 2nd Edn, Bradford: Pen & Sword, 2011, .
* Brian Horrocks
Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, (7 September 1895 – 4 January 1985) was a British Army officer, chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World W ...
, ''A Full Life'', London: Collins, 1960.
*
* Cornelius Ryan, ''A Bridge Too Far'', London: Hamish Hamilton, 1974/Coronet 1975, ISBN
* Tim Saunders, ''Battleground Europe: Hill 112 - Battles of the Odon 1944'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword/Leo Cooper, .
* Tim Saunders, ''Battleground Europe: Operation Plunder –The British and Canadian Rhine Crossing'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2006, .
External links
Hill 112 memorial
{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War
214 Infantry
Operation Overlord