British 231st Infantry Brigade
Encyclopedia
.
unit, originally formed from the 1st Malta Brigade.It was composed of regular British Army
battalions, was stationed on Malta
at the start of the Second World War. After Rommel’s defeat at El Alamein
, Malta lost some of its strategic significance and 231st Brigade, joined the 8th Army
in North Africa, who were preparing for the invasion of Sicily, which was to be Brigades first of three amphibious assault landings of the war. After some hard fighting, including 2nd Devons at Regalbuto amongst the foothills of Mount Etna
, the Germans were driven from Sicily and the Allies prepared to invade Italy. The Brigades second assault landing was at Porto San Venere on 7 September 1943. After this they were recalled home, along with the rest of 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division , as they were now experienced amphibious assault troops, to prepare for the invasion of France. The third landing on Gold Beach
was indeed the hardest and costliest of the assault landings and the battle of Normandy extracted a heavy toll on the Brigade. After Normandy they followed the armoured divisions across northern France to Belgium, where they assisted the Guards Armoured Division, in liberating Brussels, and on the Dutch border. They held Joe's Bridge in Lommel
across the Escaut Canal at the start of XXX Corps , advance to Arnhem
and was then present during the Nederrijn
campaign in North West Europe.
Brigadier Roy Urquhart
, made famous as commander of the 1st Airborne Division, was in command of this brigade during the Sicily landings.
It was transferred back to the United Kingdom
in December 1944, to serve as a Training Brigade. At the same time, it switched the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment, for the 1/6th Battalion Queen's Regiment
Allied invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944. It lay between Omaha Beach
and Juno Beach
, was 8 km wide and divided into four sectors. From West to East they were How, Item, Jig, and King.
The task of invading Gold Beach was given to the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and the British 8th Armoured Brigade
. The beach was assaulted in multiple brigades of the 50th Infantry Division; on the West was the 231st Infantry Brigade, followed by the 56th Brigade
, attached to this was a regiment of DD tank
s from The Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwood Rangers)
, the infantry assault battalions that attacked in the West were; the 1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment, and the 1st Battalion Dorset Regiment
. On the East 69th Brigade
, followed by 151st Brigade
, again a regiment of DD tanks was attached, they were from the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards
.
Their primary objective was to seize the town of Bayeux
, the Caen
-Bayeux
road, and the port of Arromanches with the secondary objectives being to make contact with the Americans landing at Omaha Beach
to the West and the Canadians landing at Juno Beach
to the East. The 716th Static Infantry Division commanded by Generalleutnant
Wilhelm Richter, and elements of the 1st Battalion of the German 352nd Infantry Division
commanded by Generalleutnant
Dietrich Kraiss
, defended the Channel coast for the Germans.H-Hour for the Gold beach landing was set for 0725 hours,
At 0725 hours, the 50th (Northumbrian) Division assault landed Gold beach with the objective of taking the beach, then moving to Bayeux and making a rendezvous with the American troops at Omaha
beach. The landing crafts were deployed seven miles off the beach, compared to the American ones that were deployed 12 miles off the beaches, this meant they had a shorter run in.
The first battalion to come ashore suffered heavy casualties, among them their CO and the second-in-command, because their higgins boat's grounded earlier than expected and they had to wade ashore.
By midnight on the June 6, 1944, 24,970 men had landed on Gold Beach, and had penetrated six miles into occupied France. They fulfilled one of their secondary objectives by meeting up with the Canadians who had landed at Juno Beach
, but failed in their primary objective of reaching the Caen-Bayeux road and in their secondary objective of meeting the Americans from Omaha Beach
. However they had established a foothold into Fortress Europa that would ultimately be a stepping stone to victory
The Longues-sur-Mer gun battery
(as seen in the movie The Longest Day
where the German officer looks out at the Invasion fleet), surrendered on the 7th June to 231st Brigade
History
The 231st Infantry Brigade was a Second World War British ArmyBritish 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...
unit, originally formed from the 1st Malta Brigade.It was composed of regular British Army
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...
battalions, was stationed on Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
at the start of the Second World War. After Rommel’s defeat at El Alamein
El Alamein
El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
, Malta lost some of its strategic significance and 231st Brigade, joined the 8th Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
in North Africa, who were preparing for the invasion of Sicily, which was to be Brigades first of three amphibious assault landings of the war. After some hard fighting, including 2nd Devons at Regalbuto amongst the foothills of Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
, the Germans were driven from Sicily and the Allies prepared to invade Italy. The Brigades second assault landing was at Porto San Venere on 7 September 1943. After this they were recalled home, along with the rest of 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division , as they were now experienced amphibious assault troops, to prepare for the invasion of France. The third landing on Gold Beach
Gold Beach
Gold Beach was the code name of one of the D-Day landing beaches that Allied forces used to invade German-occupied France on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
was indeed the hardest and costliest of the assault landings and the battle of Normandy extracted a heavy toll on the Brigade. After Normandy they followed the armoured divisions across northern France to Belgium, where they assisted the Guards Armoured Division, in liberating Brussels, and on the Dutch border. They held Joe's Bridge in Lommel
Lommel
Lommel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006 Lommel had a total population of 31,898. The total area is 102.37 km² which gives a population density of 312 inhabitants per km².-Lutlommel:...
across the Escaut Canal at the start of XXX Corps , advance to Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
and was then present during the Nederrijn
Nederrijn
thumb|left|300px|Course of the NederrijnNederrijn is the name of the Dutch part of the River Rhine from the confluence at the town of Angeren of the cut-off Rhine bend of Oude Rijn and the Pannerdens Kanaal...
campaign in North West Europe.
Brigadier Roy Urquhart
Roy Urquhart
Major General Robert "Roy" Elliott Urquhart, CB, DSO was a British military officer. He became prominent for his role commanding the British 1st Airborne Division during Operation Market Garden.-Early career:...
, made famous as commander of the 1st Airborne Division, was in command of this brigade during the Sicily landings.
It was transferred back to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in December 1944, to serve as a Training Brigade. At the same time, it switched the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment, for the 1/6th Battalion Queen's Regiment
Commanders
- Brig. K.P. Smith
- Brig. R.E. UrquhartRoy UrquhartMajor General Robert "Roy" Elliott Urquhart, CB, DSO was a British military officer. He became prominent for his role commanding the British 1st Airborne Division during Operation Market Garden.-Early career:...
- Brig. A.D. WardAlfred Dudley WardGeneral Sir Alfred Dudley Ward, GCB, KBE, DSO , was a British Army officer during the Second World War and later Governor of Gibraltar. He served as an ordinary soldier for three years before being sent for officer training in 1926...
- Brig. G.W.B. Tarleton
- Brig. G. Murray
- Brig. Sir A.G.B. Stanier
- Brig. J.D. Russell
Component Units
- 1st Bn, Dorsetshire Regiment
- 1st Bn, The Hampshire Regiment
- 2nd Bn, The Devonshire RegimentThe Devonshire RegimentThe Devonshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army which served under various titles from 1685 to 1958. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles.-Origin and titles:...
- 1/6th Bn, The Queen's Royal Regiment
D Day 6th June 1944
Gold Beach
Gold Beach was the Allied codename for the centre invasion beach during the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Allied invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944. It lay between Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...
and Juno Beach
Juno Beach
Juno or Juno Beach was one of five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. The sector spanned from Saint-Aubin, a village just east of the British Gold sector, to Courseulles, just west of the British Sword sector...
, was 8 km wide and divided into four sectors. From West to East they were How, Item, Jig, and King.
The task of invading Gold Beach was given to the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and the British 8th Armoured Brigade
British 8th Armoured Brigade
The 8 Armoured Brigade was a British Army brigade, formed in August 1941 during the Second World War and active until 1956. The brigade was formed by the re-designation of 6th Cavalry Brigade when the 1st Cavalry Division based in Palestine , converted from a motorised formation to an armoured...
. The beach was assaulted in multiple brigades of the 50th Infantry Division; on the West was the 231st Infantry Brigade, followed by the 56th Brigade
British 56th Infantry Brigade
The British Army's 56th Infantry Brigade was originally a Kitchener's Army brigade within 19th Division during the First World War.Later during the Second World War it was reformed on 15 February 1944 in the United Kingdom....
, attached to this was a regiment of DD tank
DD tank
DD tanks , were a type of amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War...
s from The Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwood Rangers)
Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry
The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry is one of the five squadrons of the Royal Yeomanry , an armoured regiment of the Territorial Army. Designated as 'S' Squadron, the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry's current role is to support the Formation Reconnaissance Regiments and the Joint Chemical Biological Nuclear...
, the infantry assault battalions that attacked in the West were; the 1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment, and the 1st Battalion Dorset Regiment
Dorset Regiment
The Dorset Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1958, the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951 it was formally called The Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets".-History:...
. On the East 69th Brigade
British 69th Infantry Brigade
.The 69th Infantry Brigade was a World War II British Army formation. It was a 2nd Line Territorial Army unit and during the Battle of France served with the British 23rd Division a division which suffered such heavy losses that it was disbanded...
, followed by 151st Brigade
British 151st Infantry Brigade
The 151st Infantry Brigade was a World War II British Army formation. Part of the British 50th Infantry Division.-Commanders:* Brig. Viscount Downe* Brig. J. A. Barstow* Brig. G. W. E. J. Erskine...
, again a regiment of DD tanks was attached, they were from the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards
4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards
The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1922 to 1992.It was formed in India in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards and 7th Dragoon Guards , as the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards; it gained the distinction Royal in 1935...
.
Their primary objective was to seize the town of Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
, the Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
-Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
road, and the port of Arromanches with the secondary objectives being to make contact with the Americans landing at Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...
to the West and the Canadians landing at Juno Beach
Juno Beach
Juno or Juno Beach was one of five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. The sector spanned from Saint-Aubin, a village just east of the British Gold sector, to Courseulles, just west of the British Sword sector...
to the East. The 716th Static Infantry Division commanded by Generalleutnant
General (Germany)
General is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to the rank of Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
Wilhelm Richter, and elements of the 1st Battalion of the German 352nd Infantry Division
German 352nd Infantry Division
The 352nd Infantry Division was a formation of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. A western front unit, the 352nd became notable for its tenacious defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944.-Formation and strengths:...
commanded by Generalleutnant
General (Germany)
General is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to the rank of Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
Dietrich Kraiss
Dietrich Kraiss
Dietrich Kraiss was a German Generalleutnant during World War II, awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.Kraiss was born in Stuttgart...
, defended the Channel coast for the Germans.H-Hour for the Gold beach landing was set for 0725 hours,
At 0725 hours, the 50th (Northumbrian) Division assault landed Gold beach with the objective of taking the beach, then moving to Bayeux and making a rendezvous with the American troops at Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
beach. The landing crafts were deployed seven miles off the beach, compared to the American ones that were deployed 12 miles off the beaches, this meant they had a shorter run in.
The first battalion to come ashore suffered heavy casualties, among them their CO and the second-in-command, because their higgins boat's grounded earlier than expected and they had to wade ashore.
By midnight on the June 6, 1944, 24,970 men had landed on Gold Beach, and had penetrated six miles into occupied France. They fulfilled one of their secondary objectives by meeting up with the Canadians who had landed at Juno Beach
Juno Beach
Juno or Juno Beach was one of five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. The sector spanned from Saint-Aubin, a village just east of the British Gold sector, to Courseulles, just west of the British Sword sector...
, but failed in their primary objective of reaching the Caen-Bayeux road and in their secondary objective of meeting the Americans from Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...
. However they had established a foothold into Fortress Europa that would ultimately be a stepping stone to victory
Longues-sur-Mer battery
The Longues-sur-Mer battery was a World War II artillery battery constructed by the Wehrmacht near the French village of Longues-sur-Mer in Normandy. It formed a part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications....
(as seen in the movie The Longest Day
The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
where the German officer looks out at the Invasion fleet), surrendered on the 7th June to 231st Brigade