227th Brigade was an infantry formation 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 ...

formed for Home Service under various short-lived titles in the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and the

Second World Wars 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 opposing ...

. Later it was upgraded to a field formation composed of Scottish troops, and saw heavy fighting in the

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and North West Europe Campaign.

First World War

On the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

(TF) immediately mobilised for home defence, but shortly afterwards (31 August 1914), its units were authorised to raise 2nd battalions formed from those men who had not volunteered for, or were not fit for, overseas service, together with new volunteers, while the 1st Line went overseas to supplement the Regulars. Early in 1915 the 2nd Line TF battalions were raised to full strength to form new divisions, and began to form Reserve (3rd Line) units to supply drafts. The remaining Home Service men were separated out in May 1915 to form brigades of Coast Defence Battalions (termed Provisional Battalions from June 1915).

10th Provisional Brigade

10th Provisional Brigade was formed with the following composition: * 10th Provisional Cyclist Company formed in July 1915 from the home service details of 2/1st Northern Cyclist Battalion * 21st Provisional Battalion formed on 26 May 1915 at Long Benton,

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, as Northern Coast Defence Battalion from home service details of the 4th and 7th TF battalions of the

Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution an ...

. Name changed to 21st Provisional Battalion on 10 June 1915. * 84th Provisional Battalion. * 85th Provisional Battalion formed at

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...

in April 1915 from home service details of the

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 ...

and the

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 ...

. * 86th Provisional Battalion formed from home service details of the 5th and 8th Battalions,

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 ...

and 4th, 5th (Prince of Wales's) and 6th Battalions,

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 ...

. * 4th Northern Home Battery,

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

, became 10th Provisional Battery RFA in May 1915. * 10th Provisional Field Company

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

. * 10th Provisional Field Ambulance

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

, formed from home service details of 3rd Lowland Field Ambulance. * 839 Horse Transport Company Army Service Corps, formed at

Herne Bay, Kent Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government ...

, 23 April 1916, provided the 10th Provisional Brigade Train.839 Company ASC War Diary, The National Archives file WO 95/5458. By July 1916 the brigade was at Herne Bay under the control of Southern Army of

Central Force In classical mechanics, a central force on an object is a force that is directed towards or away from a point called center of force. : \vec = \mathbf(\mathbf) = \left\vert F( \mathbf ) \right\vert \hat where \vec F is the force, F is a vecto ...

227th Mixed Brigade

The

Military Service Act 1916 The Military Service Act 1916 was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom during the First World War to impose conscription in Great Britain, but not in Ireland or any other country around the world. The Act The Bill which became ...

swept away the Home/Foreign service distinction, and all TF soldiers became liable for overseas service, if medically fit. The Provisional Brigades thus became anomalous, and at the end of 1916 their units became numbered battalions of their parent units. Part of their role was physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas. 10th Provisional Brigade became 227th Mixed Brigade at Herne Bay in December 1916, with its units redesignated as follows: * 10th Provisional Battery became 1212th West Riding Battery RFA. * 10th Provisional Field Company became 649th West Riding Field Company RE. * 21st Provisional Battalion became 35th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. * 84th Provisional Battalion became 17th 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 ...

. * 85th Provisional Battalion became 11th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry. * 86th Provisional Battalion became 15th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment. * 10th Provisional Field Ambulance became 335th Lowland Field Ambulance RAMC. * 839 HT Company ASC constituted 227 Mixed Brigade Train. By early 1918 the brigade had moved from Kent to

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, with its HQ at

Saxmundham Saxmundham ( ) is a market town in Suffolk, England, set in the valley of the River Fromus about north-east of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the main A12 road between London and Lowestoft. The town is ser ...

, and was attached to

67th (2nd Home Counties) Division The 2nd Home Counties Division was a 2nd Line Territorial Force division of the British Army in World War I. The division was formed as a duplicate of the 44th (Home Counties) Division in November 1914. As the name suggests, the division recrui ...

. Here it was joined by the following units: * 2/25th (Cyclist) Battalion, London Regiment in March 1918. * 2/1st Welsh (Cernarvonshire) Heavy Battery,

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

, joined from 68th (2nd Welsh) Division in May 1918. In May 1918 each of the Mixed Brigades was called upon to provide a battalion (redesignated a Garrison Guard battalion) to reconstitute the 59th (2nd North Midland) Division, which had been virtually destroyed during the German spring offensive. 227th Mixed Brigade supplied 11th Somerset Light Infantry and immediately raised a new 13th (Home Service) Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry to take over its coast defence duties. The brigade remained with this composition until the end of the war, after which it was demobilised in June 1919.

Second World War

In 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 ...

, the brigade number was reactivated for 227th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home). formed within

Scottish Command Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is a command of the British Army. History Early history Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. The Scottish District was comman ...

on 15 February 1941, initially 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 ...

(the suffix '(Home)' was dropped on 1 December 1941). The brigade was always composed of Scottish regiments.Joslen, pp. 390–1.

Order of Battle

The brigade had the following units: * 7th Battalion,

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...

''(left 13 October 1941)'' * 9th Battalion,

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw servic ...

''(left 30 November 1942)'' * 12th Battalion,

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Reg ...

''(24 February 1941 – 7 May 1942)'' * 10th Battalion,

Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd Regiment of Foot, 42nd (Roy ...

''(4 March 1941 – 18 November 1942)'' * 6th Battalion,

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusi ...

''(7 May 1942 – 18 August 1842)'' *

Lovat Scouts The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment of the British Army. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit and in 1916 formally became the British ...

''(30 September 1942 – 9 July 1943)'' * 2nd Battalion,

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...

''(18 November 1942 – 15 March 1943)'' * 10th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry ''(joined 3 December 1942)'' * 13th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry ''(20 January–9 July 1943)'' * 4th Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) ''(20 June–9 July 1943)'' * 2nd Battalion,

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

''(previously 15th Battalion, redesignated after 2nd Battalion captured at the

fall of Singapore The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் வீழ்ச்சி; ja, シンガポールの戦い took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of ...

; joined 15 July 1943)''Keegan, pp. 169–70. * 2nd Battalion,

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

''(previously 15th Battalion, redesignated after 2nd Battalion captured at Singapore; joined 31 July 1943)'' During July 1943 three of the brigade's Territorial Army and hostilities-only battalions were replaced by two reconstituted Regular battalions of Highland regiments serving in

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, the brigade was redesignated 227th (Highland) Infantry Brigade and assigned to

15th (Scottish) Infantry Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served during the Second World War. It was raised on 2 September 1939, the day before war was declared, as part of the Territorial Army (TA) and served in ...

Commanders

The brigade had the following commanders: * Brigadier G.P. Miller * Brigadier J.R. Mackintosh-Walker (from 29 July 1942; killed 15 July 1944) * Brigadier

Edward Colville Major-General Edward Charles Colville (1 September 1905 – 10 January 1982) was a senior British Army officer. Military career Born the son of Admiral Sir Stanley Colville and Adelaide Jane Meade, Colville was commissioned into the Gordon Hig ...

(from 16 July 1944)

'Scottish Corridor'

The 227th (Highland) Brigade landed in Normandy on 18 June 1944 with 10th Highland Light Infantry (10 HLI), 2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (2 A&SH) and 2nd Gordon Highlanders (2 Gordons). It was soon thrown into action in

Operation Epsom Operation Epsom, also known as the First Battle of the Odon, was a British offensive in the Second World War between 26 and 30 June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy. The offensive was intended to outflank and seize the German-occupied city ...

on 26 June, when 15th (Scottish) Division was given the task of advancing five miles to capture the bridges over the

Odon Odon may refer to: ;People * Odon Bacqué, American politician and non-fiction writer * Odon of Greater Poland, duke of Greater Poland * Odon de Pins, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller * Jorge Odón, Argentine mechanic and inventor ;Pla ...

, thereby creating what became known as 'Scottish Corridor' to allow

11th Armoured Division The 11th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army which was created in March 1941 during the Second World War. The division was formed in response to the unanticipated success of the German panzer divisions. The 11th Armou ...

to cross and push on to the

Orne Orne (; nrf, Ôrne or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, but 2nd Argylls made rapid progress against light opposition, taking the last two miles to the Tourmauville Bridge at a run and seizing a bridgehead for the

Sherman tank } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It w ...

s of

23rd Hussars The 23rd Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised during World War II and in existence from 1940 to 1946. It had no lineal connection with the earlier 23rd Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (1794–1802). History The regiment was rai ...

from 11th Armoured to cross over. The following day (28 June) 2nd Argylls were ordered to move upstream towards the Odon bridges at Gavrus. Patrols found them undefended, and the battalions seized these as well. But while still isolated, they were counter-attacked by tanks and infantry of the newly arrived

10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg The 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg" (german: 10. SS-Panzerdivision "Frundsberg") was a German Waffen-SS armoured division during World War II. The division's first battles were in Ukraine in April 1944. Afterwards, the unit was then trans ...

. However, they held on to the bridges until reinforcements arrived.

Bluecoat

In the early part of July 1944, 15th (Scottish) took part in the fighting round Caen, then at the end of the month it moved west to the Caumont sector, where it was to join in VIII Corps's break-out southwards from the Normandy bridgehead (

Operation Bluecoat Operation Bluecoat was a British offensive in the Battle of Normandy, from 30 July until 7 August 1944, during the Second World War. The geographical objectives of the attack, undertaken by VIII Corps and XXX Corps of the British Second Army (L ...

). Its attack on 30 July was led by 227th Brigade advancing alongside 11th Armoured on the right and

43rd (Wessex) 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 ...

on the left. 227 Brigade was organised as a brigade group, with an additional infantry battalion, supported by 4th Tank Battalion,

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

from 6th Guards Tank Brigade ( Churchill tanks) and accompanied by

flail tank A flail is an agricultural tool used for threshing, the process of separating grains from their husks. It is usually made from two or more large sticks attached by a short chain; one stick is held and swung, causing the other (the swipple) to st ...

s to deal with the mines sown thickly by both sides during the previous two months of stalemate. They began their advance a few minutes before 07.00. First the Highlanders had to clear two village strongpoints within a mile of Caumont and then capture les Logues and Point 226 (or Quarry Hill) a few miles further south. 'As soon as the leading troops showed themselves on the forward slopes of the Caumont ridge they ran into heavy defensive fire, and seven of the Churchills and two flail tanks were put out of action by mines'. However, the surviving flails made passages, the tanks caught up with the infantry and the first objectives were taken by 10.00. While the infantry carried on mopping-up, the tanks drove on to Point 226. 43rd (Wessex) had been held up, so 6th Guards Tank Brigade took Point 306 on the left as well, and then had to hold on until 18.00 when the first infantry caught up. Now they came under heavy shelling followed by an attack from

Jagdpanther The ''Jagdpanther'' (German: "hunting Panther"), Sd.Kfz. 173, was a tank destroyer (''Jagdpanzer'', a self-propelled anti-tank gun) built by Germany during World War II. The ''Jagdpanther'' combined the 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun, similar to th ...

s of ''654 schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung'' (654th Heavy Anti-Tank Battalion), which drove over Point 226. However, with the arrival of more of 227th Brigade's infantry, the position on Point 226 was consolidated, the tanks remaining all night while the infantry continued mopping up. Over succeeding days VIII Corps advanced towards

Mont Pincon Mont may refer to: Places * Mont., an abbreviation for Montana, a U.S. state * Mont, Belgium (disambiguation), several places in Belgium * Mont, Hautes-Pyrénées, a commune in France * Mont, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a commune in France * Mont, Sa� ...

, beginning the process of closing the Falaise 'Pocket'.

Crossing the Seine

In late August 1944, 15th (Scottish) was transferred to

XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII ...

and chosen to seize a bridgehead over the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

for that corps. On 27 August 227th Brigade began crossing the 300-yard wide river at two points. At le Mesnil Andé, D Company of the 2nd Gordons in the lead suffered heavy casualties from machine gun fire directed against the vulnerable storm boats, and all those who got across were captured. 2nd Gordons' attack was halted, but at St Pierre du Vauvray, two miles downstream, 10th HLI had crossed without opposition, and the brigade was ferried over in

DUKW The DUKW (colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the -ton CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War. Designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Step ...

s. Before midnight on 28 August the engineers had bridges open and XII Corps began to pass through the Scottish bridgehead.

Market Garden

The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 B11391

During

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 ...

, XII Corps played a subsidiary role securing the left flank of XXX Corps' main thrust, but 15th (Scottish) had five days' hard fighting in securing the town of

Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

, just beyond the Wilhelmina Canal.

Veritable

The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU1720

In the opening of

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 ...

(8 February 1945), 15th (Scottish), operating as part of Lieutenant-General

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 ...

' XXX Corps, had the task of breaching the northern extension of the

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall'', was a German defensive line built during the 1930s (started 1936) opposite the French Maginot Line. It stretched more than ; from Kleve on the border with the Netherlands, along the west ...

, consisting of anti-tank ditches, minefields, concrete emplacements and barbed-wire entanglements, and then seizing the key ground around Cleve. The division led with 46th (Highland) Brigade on the right and 227th (Highland) on the left. The opening phase went well, the troops having more difficulties with mud and mines than with the enemy. By dark, 227th Brigade had captured Kranenburg. But the follow-up attack by 44th (Lowland) Brigade, carried on tanks and in Kangaroo APCs, and preceded by flail and bridging tanks, was held up on the rough tracks. However, Horrocks heard that the Scots were entering Cleve, so he launched 43rd (Wessex) Division to pass through 15th (Scottish). He afterwards referred to this as "one of the worst mistakes I made in the war..." 15th (Scottish) had not got as far as reported, and the arrival of 43rd caused "one of the worst traffic jams of the whole war ... The language heard that night has seldom if ever been equalled." The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 B14603

The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 B14603

The battle then turned into (in Horrocks's words) "a slogging match". 15th (Scottish) finally took Cleve on 11 February, and then had to face a counter-attack by

XLVII Panzer Corps XLVII Panzer Corps (also: 47th Panzer Corps or XXXXVII. ''Panzerkorps'' or XXXXVII Panzer Corps) was a panzer corps of the German Army in World War II that was formerly designated as XLVII Corps. Various formations of the corps fought in the Fren ...

the following day. During the second phase of VERITABLE on 22 February, 15th (Scottish) again faced heavy opposition, from

Panzer Lehr Division The Panzer-Lehr-Division (in the meaning of: Armoured training division) was an elite German armoured division during World War II. It was formed in 1943 onwards from training and demonstration troops (''Lehr'' = "teach") stationed in Germany, ...

, as well as mines, mud, and an anti-tank ditch, but pushed the front to within two miles of

Weeze Weeze (, Dutch: ''Wees'') is a municipality in the Lower Rhine (Niederrhein) region, in the northwestern part of North Rhine-Westphalia in the district of Kleve in the region of Düsseldorf. The municipality consists of the town of Weeze and th ...

and took many prisoners. They were then relieved by British 3rd Infantry Division.

Torchlight

15th (Scottish) Division had returned to XII Corps by the time of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

crossing ('

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 ...

'), and it was chosen for the Corps' main assault crossing opposite

Xanten Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the wor ...

, codenamed 'Operation Torchlight'. 227 and 44 Brigades were extensively trained for this operation, with two practice crossings of the Maas ('Exercise Buffalo') on 14 and 15 March 1945 to rehearse with the Buffalo amphibious vehicles that would carry them. The attack went in at 02.00 on 24 March, five hours after

51st (Highland) Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

began crossing a few miles downstream. Brigadier

planned 227 Brigade's attack, codenamed 'Nap', to assault with 10 HLI on the right and 2 A&SH on the left, aiming to seize the villages of Overkamp and Lohr respectively. 2 Gordons would then cross and relieve the other two battalions. Although 44th Brigade's assault went well against weak opposition, 227th Brigade's crossing did not go well. For one thing the Buffaloes (crewed by the East Riding Yeomanry) had difficulty climbing the far bank of the river, and secondly the opposition (from the German 7th Parachute Division) was tougher. The leading companies of 10 HLI crossed without casualties, but were landed several hundred yards to the right of their objective, leaving a gap between the assaulting battalions. They then found the dyke strongly held and suffered numerous casualties. The second 'flight' of Buffaloes also went astray, battalion HQ ended up in no-man's-land, and the Observation Post of 131st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery was wiped out, delaying supporting fire. However, by dawn 10 HLI was secure in the outskirts of Overkamp. 2 A&SH had similar difficulties: the Buffaloes carrying D Company fund it impossible to land on the Eastern side of an inlet and had to land on the western side and march round it. They lost surprise and got into a tough fight with German paratroops. By first light they were joined by C company and together the companies cleared Hübsch, though with heavy casualties. Meanwhile, A and B companies had pushed north towards their objective ('Area X'). However, an attempt to capture Roperhof failed, and daylight revealed it to be a strongpoint occupied by paratroops. At 06.15, A Company of 2 Gordons began to cross the river in stormboats, expecting to support 10 HLI, but drifting down to 2 A&SH's landing place, losing men to snipers along the riverbank. B Company, due to follow, suffered mortar fire at their launching place and abandoned the attempt. The rest of 2 Gordons crossed at 10.30 and joined 2 A&SH in clearing Lohr, which was complete by 13.30. During the morning the divisional reserve, 46th Brigade, began landing on 227's right with Buffaloes and

Sherman DD DD or Duplex Drive tanks, nicknamed "Donald Duck tanks", were a type of amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War. The phrase is mostly used for the Duplex Drive variant of the M4 Sherman medium tank, that was ...

amphibious tanks of 44th Royal Tank Regiment. Beginning at 17.15, 9th Cameronians and A Squadron of 44 RTR attacked Haffen from the SE, while 2 Gordons attacked from the West. By 23.00 15th (Scottish) was in a firm position on the East bank of the Rhine, though the holdups to 227th Brigade meant that not all the objectives had been reached. The division had also made contact with the US 17th Airborne Division, which had dropped beyond the river that morning as part of

Operation Varsity Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest air ...

. Over following days, 15th (Scottish) continued to advance northwards against stubborn resistance and repeated counter-attacks until on 26 March it made contact with XXX Corps and secured a bridgehead over the River Issel, which it expanded next day. The division had suffered 824 casualties over the four days of the battle.

Drive to the Elbe

The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU3426

15th (Scottish) joined VIII Corps for the final drive on to the

River Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

. On 11 April 1945 the division led the corps advance on the

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...

–

Uelzen Uelzen (; officially the ''Hanseatic Town of Uelzen'', German: ''Hansestadt Uelzen'', , Low German ''Ülz’n'') is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the county of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a ...

axis, with 11th Armoured Division using minor roads on its left. The division reached Celle against patchy opposition on 12 April, where it had to bridge the

Aller Aller may refer to: Places Rivers * Aller (Germany), a major river in North Germany *Aller (Asturian river), a river in Asturias, Spain *River Aller, a small river on Exmoor in Somerset, England Inhabited places in the United Kingdom *Aller, Devo ...

. Switching to minor roads to avoid demolitions on the main road, the Scots made rapid progress during the night of 13–14 April, and by dawn were almost into Uelzen. There they ran into an advancing German force from

Panzer Division Clausewitz Panzer-Division ''Clausewitz'' was a German panzer division during World War II, named for Carl von Clausewitz. It was formed in central Germany area at the beginning of April 1945 under the command of Generalleutnant Martin Unrein, from the 2 ...

and

233rd Reserve Panzer Division The 233rd Reserve Panzer Division was a Nazi Germany, German panzer division during World War II which was mainly deployed in Denmark. History The division was before known as the Division 233 (motorisiert) (15 May – 7 July 1942), 233rd Panz ...

. There was bitter fighting that day and night, but on 15 April the Scots closed in on the town, while 11th Armoured and

6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. Despite its name, the 6th was actually the second of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, the other being t ...

s bypassed it to north and south respectively to hem in the garrison. Although a group of Clausewitz Division got away during the night of 17 April, the town was captured the following day. On 29 April, 15th (Scottish) made one last assault crossing with Buffaloes, stormboats and Sherman DD tanks, to get over the Elbe. With overwhelming artillery and tactical air support, opposition was limited. Three days later negotiations began for the surrender of all German forces in North Germany.Ellis, p. 337.

Notes

References

* A. F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . *

Lionel Ellis Lionel Frederic Ellis CVO CBE DSO MC (13 May 1885 – 19 October 1970) was a British Army officer and military historian, author of three volumes of the official ''History of the Second World War''. Between the two World Wars, he was General S ...

, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol I: ''The Battle of Normandy'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1962/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * L. F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol II: ''The Defeat of Germany'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Brian Horrocks, ''A Full Life'', London: Collins, 1960. * * John Keegan, ''Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris'', London: Jonathan Cape, 1982/Penguin 1983, . * Alexander McKee, ''Caen: Anvil of Victory'', London: Souvenir Press 1964/Pan Books 1966, . * Tim Saunders, ''Operation Plunder: Rhine Crossing: The British and Canadian Operations'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2006, .

External sources

The Long, Long Trail

David Porter's work on Provisional Brigades at Great War Forum
{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War Infantry brigades of the British Army Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1917 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations of Scotland