The 34th Armoured Brigade was an armoured

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

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 Gurkha ...

that saw active service 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 opposi ...

. It was formed in 1941 as the 34th Army Tank Brigade and subsequently redesignated as the 34th Tank Brigade in February 1945 and became part of the 79th Armoured Division. It was equipped with

Churchill tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, ...

s and provided close support for assaults by the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

. During the fighting in North-west Europe from July 1944 to May 1945 the brigade served with both the

First Canadian Army The First Canadian Army (french: 1reArmée canadienne) was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 ...

and the

British Second Army The British Second Army was a field army active during the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front throughout most of the war and later active in Italy. During the Second World War the army ...

. The brigade was disbanded in early 1946.Joslen, pp. 184 & 207.

History

The brigade was formed on 1 December 1941 as one of ten

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

Army Tank brigades to be equipped with

s. In June 1942, the word "Army" was dropped from the brigade's title and it became part of the 1st Mixed Division. The 34th Tank Brigade was transferred to the 43rd Mixed Infantry Division in September 1942 and in September 1943 it returned to independent status (attached 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 (Ro ...

), when the concept of mixed divisions was abandoned.

Normandy

7th Royal Tank Regiment supporting 8th Royal Scots 28-06-1944

The first two and half years of the brigade's existence were spent in training in the south of England and it saw its first active service in the Normandy bridgehead. 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 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 i ...

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 The 153rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (153 RAC, sometimes known as 153 (Essex) Regt RAC) was an armoured regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps, part of the British Army, and was raised during the Second World War. The regiment saw brief but intens ...

suffered particularly severe casualties, including its commanding officer. Overall, the brigade lost 30

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...

and 156 other ranks in this action. The brigade continued in active service in Normandy until late August.

Operation Astonia

After a 14-day rest and reorganisation and now under the

, 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 The 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1917 until disbandment in 1959. History The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The regi ...

, 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 A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

The British Army in the Normandy Campaign 1944 B7636

Around this time, the Allied armies' supply lines were under great stress due to the lack of usable ports and the brigade's transport was added to the supply chain for the front line in Belgium. The brigade as such was effectively grounded and out of action. By 18 September, the brigade was concentrated about midway between Dieppe and Rouen. On 29 September. still lacking its transport, the brigade's 300 Churchills (including a delivery squadron), heavily loaded with munitions, moved on tracks northwards for three days to Desvres, near Boulogne. On 2 October, one regiment, 7th Royal Tank Regiment, was detached to assist the containment of Dunkirk by 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, where it took an active and successful part in the siege. By 6 October, the brigade had reached the Eindhoven area and all regiments were immediately deployed into the front line.

Clarkeforce

The strategic requirement now was to clear the

Scheldt Estuary The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

and get the port of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

into use as an Allied supply base. 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 Wuustwezel () is a municipality located in the north of the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality as it is now originated in 1977, when Wuustwezel merged with the municipality of Loenhout. It now consists of three major villages, Wuustwe ...

in Operation Rebound. This mobile force was commanded by

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

W.S. Clarke of 34th Tank Brigade and named 'Clarkeforce'. Controlled by 34th Tank Bde's HQ, Clarkeforce consisted of

s of 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, with C Squadron carrying infantry of D Company, 1st Battalion,

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

, accompanied by a troop of

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pe ...

self-propelled 17-pounders from 248 Bty,

62nd (6th London) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery The 6th County of London Brigade, Royal Field Artillery was a new unit formed when Britain's Territorial Force was created in 1908. Its origin lay in Artillery Volunteer Corps formed in the Surrey suburbs of South London in the 1860s, which had l ...

, a troop of Churchill Crocodile flamethrowing tanks of the

1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (FFY) was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. It saw action in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the Scottish Horse to form the Fife ...

and two sections of

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 head ...

. The field artillery support was provided by the 25-pounder guns of

191st (Hertfordshire and Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery The 191st (Hertfordshire and Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment was a unit of Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) formed during World War II. Created around experienced drafts from existing Territorial Army units, it trained as mobile artillery with an a ...

.34 Tank Bde War Diary October 1944, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 171/643.107 RAC War Diary October 1944, TNA file WO 171/876.Sainsbury, pp. 240–4. Operation Rebound (part of the larger offensive of

Operation Pheasant Operation Pheasant, also known as the Liberation of North Brabant, was a major operation to clear German troops from the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War. This offensi ...

) 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 The M3 Stuart/Light Tank M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version of the tank entered service as the M5 in 1942 to be supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. i ...

('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 gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled ...

s 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 An Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA) was a British Commonwealth military formation during the Second World War and shortly thereafter. Generally assigned to Army corps, an AGRA provided the medium and heavy artillery to higher formations within the ...

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 The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...

, 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 Roosendaal () is both a city and a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Towns/villages of the municipality * Roosendaal (population: 66,760) * Wouw (4,920) * Heerle (1,900) * Nispen (1,440) * Wouwse P ...

(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 The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

and cut the Wouwe–

Bergen-op-Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands. Etymology The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soi ...

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 The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somerset and Cornwall ...

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 Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the capital of the Netherlands Antilles pr ...

on the

Hollands Diep Hollands Diep ( pre-1947 spelling: Hollandsch Diep) is a wide river in the Netherlands and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse rivers. Through the Scheldt-Rhine Canal it connects to the Scheldt river and Antwerp. The Bergse Maas river and the N ...

(part of the Maas Estuary). This was 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. The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU1770

The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU1770

Operation Veritable

In February, 1945, the 34th Armoured Brigade provided armoured support to infantry units, mainly the

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought in both the First and Second World Wars. Originally raised in 1908 as the Welsh Division, part of the Territorial Force (TF), the division saw service ...

, during the

Battle of the Reichswald A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, 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 The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II consisted of the campaigns of the Pacific War in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Indochina, Burma, India, Malaya and Singapore between 1941 to 1945. Japan attacked British and American ...

when the war ended.

Commanders

The 34th Armoured Brigade had just two commanding officers: Brigadier J. N. Tetley until June 1943 (left to command 25th Tank Brigade) and then Brigadier W. S. Clarke, who commanded the brigade until it was disbanded in 1946.

Order of battle

The composition of 34th Armoured Brigade was as follows: ; 1 December 1941 (formation date) : Brigade Headquarters (formed from 226th Independent Infantry Brigade) :

North Irish Horse The North Irish Horse was a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War. Raised and patronised by the nobility from its inception to the present day, it was o ...

(Lt.‑Col. D. Dawnay) :

147th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps The 147th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (147 RAC) was an armoured regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps raised by the British Army in the Second World War. The regiment was created by the conversion of the 10th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. Th ...

( Lt.‑Col. A. R. W. S. Koe) (formerly 10th 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 regim ...

) :

(Lt.‑Col. C. L. Wilson, M.C.) (formerly 8th Battalion,

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

) ; Autumn, 1942 : Brigade Headquarters :

(Lt.‑Col. A. R. W. S. Koe) : 151st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Lt.‑Col. S. H. Crow) renamed in December 1943 as 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (formerly 10th Battalion,

King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the r ...

) :

(Lt.‑Col. C. L. Wilson, M.C.) The British Army in Italy 1945 NA23553

; 4 September 1944 Shortly after 15 August 1944, 153 RAC were disbanded and their men and materièl were used to make up losses in the remaining regiments in the brigade. : Brigade Headquarters : 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps :

(Lt.‑Col. A. R. W. S. Koe) (temporarily attached to

until end September) :

: 9th Royal Tank Regiment 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.Joslen, pp. 9–10, 142.

Notes

References

* John Buckley, ''Monty's Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe'', London: Yale University Press, 2013, . * * L.F. Ellis, ''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, . * * J.D. Sainsbury, ''The Hertfordshire Yeomanry Regiments, Royal Artillery, Part 1: The Field Regiments 1920-1946'', Welwyn: Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Trust/Hart Books, 1999, .

External sources

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:34 Armoured Armoured brigades of the British Army Armoured brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946