British 223rd Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)
Encyclopedia
The 223rd Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) was part of the British Army
during the Second World War, it was created as a Home Defence brigade on 17 October 1940 .
under which title it parachuted into Normandy
on D-Day
and crossed the Rhine during Operation Varsity
.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Second World War, it was created as a Home Defence brigade on 17 October 1940 .
History
On 7 November 1942 it was converted to 3rd Parachute BrigadeBritish 3rd Parachute Brigade
The 3rd Parachute Brigade was an airborne formation raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The brigade was initially part of the 1st Airborne Division, but remained in Britain when that division was sent overseas, and became part of the 6th Airborne Division.The brigade first went...
under which title it parachuted into Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
on D-Day
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
and crossed the Rhine during Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
.
Component Units
- 6th Bn, The Northamptonshire Regiment
- 8th Bn, The Suffolk Regiment
- 10th Bn, The Essex Regiment (became the 9th Parachute Battalion)
- 10th Bn, The York and Lancaster Regiment