The 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an

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 ...

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. B ...

of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

that saw active service during

World War I 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 ...

and

World War II 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 ...

as part of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. The brigade fought on the Western Front during World War I from December 1915 to November 1918, and in Normandy and north-west Europe in 1944–1945 during World War II. It was a square formation of four infantry battalions during World War I, but was reduced to a triangular formation of three battalions during World War II.

History

World War I

Raised in December 1915 in France, the 8th Brigade formed part of the 3rd Canadian Division, and was formed from six Mounted Rifles regiments that were converted into infantry units, forming four infantry battalions. The brigade's first major action was fought around Mount Sorrel, where the brigade's commander, Brigadier General

Victor Williams Victor L. Williams (born September 19, 1970) is an American actor best known as Doug Heffernan's (Kevin James) best friend Deacon Palmer on ''The King of Queens.'' He has also appeared on several other hit TV shows, including '' Homicide: Life ...

, was captured. After this, the brigade took part in most of the major actions fought by the Canadians on the Western Front for the next two-and-a-half years until the armistice in November 1918.

World War II

Formed once again as part of the 3rd Canadian Division, the 8th Brigade headquarters formed in September 1940, consisting of three infantry battalions supported by an anti-tank company. Training was conducted in Canada, and by July 1941, the brigade departed for the United Kingdom. After training in Britain, the 8th Brigade formed part of the assault forces on D-Day, at Juno Beach. The 8th went ashore in the area

Courseulles-sur-Mer Courseulles-sur-Mer (, ), commonly known as ''Courseulles'', is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Until 1957, the town's name was simply ''Courseulles''. It lies 3 km west of Bernières-sur-Mer and 18&nbs ...

Bernières-sur-Mer Bernières-sur-Mer (, literally ''Bernières on Sea''), in the arrondissement of Caen, is a commune in the Calvados department of Normandy, in northwestern France. It is part of the canton of Courseulles-sur-Mer. It lies on the English Channe ...

and

St Aubin-sur-Mer Saint Aubin-sur-Mer (, literally ''Saint Aubin on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department, in northwestern France. Administratively, it is part of the arrondissement of Caen and the canton of Courseulles-sur-Mer. It is 2.1 km east ...

, its task was to clear the beach and establish a beachhead perimeter before moving inland. Clearance of Courseilles was quickly done, thanks to detailed planning. Although the 8th Brigade reached is objectives by D-Day evening, "mopping-up" of by-passed German strongpoints took another ten days.

Structure

World War I

During World War I, the 8th Brigade consisted of the following units: *

1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF The 1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Army. Raised for service during the First World War as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), it was formed in November 1914, in Brandon, Manitoba. ...

: December 1915 – 11 November 1918 *

2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF The 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion, (known colloquially as the 2nd Battalion, CMR or simply 2 CMR) was authorized on 7 November 1914 as the 2nd Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF. The battalion recruited in Victoria and Vernon, British C ...

: December 1915 – 11 November 1918 *

4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured reconnaissance regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group and is based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the most se ...

: December 1915 – 11 November 1918 *

5th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF The 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles were a mounted infantry unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during World War I. The unit was raised from volunteers of the 7th and XIth (Canadian) Hussars from the Eastern Townships of Que ...

: December 1915 – 11 November 1918 In addition, the brigade was supported by a machine gun company and a trench mortar battery.

World War II

During World War II, the 8th Brigade consisted of the following units: *1st Battalion,

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada ("In peace prepared") , colours = None (Rifle regiments have no colours) , march = , mascot = , battle_honours = See #Battle honours , website ...

*1st Battalion, Le Régiment de la Chaudière *1st Battalion,

The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, and is part of the 5th Canadian Division's 37 Canadian Brigade Group. The regiment is headquartered in Bathurst, New Brunswick, with sub-units l ...

*8th Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (

Lorne Scots The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of the 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. Organization The sub-units of the Lorne Scots are situated ...

)

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Canadian World War II brigades Infantry brigades of the Canadian Army Canadian World War I brigades Military units and formations disestablished in the 1940s