214th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
| 214th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) 214th Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
 43rd (Wessex) Division insignia, World War II | |
| Country |
 United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division |
| Engagements |
The Odon Caen Bourguebus Ridge Mont Pinçon The Nedderrijn The Rhineland The Rhine |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Brigadier Hubert Essame |
The 214th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army raised during World War II that saw active service on the North West Europe.
Origin
The brigade was formed for service in the United Kingdom on 11 October 1940 by No 14 Infantry Training Group in Western Command as 214th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home). It was initially composed of newly raised battalions from English infantry regiments. On 1 December 1941 it was redesigned 214th Independent Infantry Brigade for general service.[1]
Service
On 5 September 1943 the brigade joined the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, replacing the 34th Tank Brigade, and along with the 129th Infantry Brigade and 130th Infantry Brigade reformed the 43rd Division as a standard infantry division, after the experiment with Mixed divisions was abandoned.[1][2]
The Brigade landed in Normandy on 24 June 1944 under the command of Brigadier Hubert Essame and fought in the Battle of Normandy, where it faced off against the German 9th SS Panzer Division at Hill 112, in July 1944 during the Battle for Caen.[3][4]
The 214th Brigade, along with the rest of the 43rd Division, were the first British units to cross the Seine river, with an assault crossing at the French town of Vernon opposed by the German 49th Infantry Division.[3][5] This enabled the armour of XXX Corps under Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks to thrust across northern France into Belgium.
They later played a major role in Operation Market Garden, as the support to the Guards Armoured Division.[3][6][7]
_Division_resting_during_the_assault_on_Geilenkirchen_in_Germany%2C_18_November_1944._B11952.jpg)
They went on to play a small part in the Battle of the Bulge, where it was placed on the Meuse as a reserve, and a large part in the fighting in the Klever Reichswald (Operation Veritable) and the Crossing of the Rhine (Operation Plunder).[3][6][8]
By the end of hostilities they had reached the Cuxhaven peninsula of northern Germany.[3]
Order of battle
214 Brigade had the following composition during World War II:[1][9]
- 19th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (until 1 January 1942)
- 20th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (until 1 January 1942)
- 21st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (until 15 July 1941)
- 6th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (until 26 November 1941)
- 11th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (from 15 July until 25 November 1941)
- 11th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment (from 13 November 1941 until 8 September 1942)
- 12th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment (from 25 November 1941 until 5 September 1942)
- 7th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment (from 30 November 1941 until 11 September 1942)
- 5th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (from 6 September 1942)
- 7th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry (from 12 September 1942)
- 9th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry (from 2 June 1942 until 30 September 1943)
- 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment (from 7 to 25 June 1943)
- 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (from 30 September 1943)
Commanders
214 Brigade had the following commanders during World War II:[1]
- Brigadier J.M. Prower (from 11 October 1940)
- Brigadier J.O. Carpenter (from 25 February 1941)
- Brigadier H. Essame (from 15 September 1942)
- Lieutenant-Colonel G. Taylor (acting) (from 16 June 1945)
- Brigadier R.E. Goodwin (from 22 June 1945)
Notes
References
- Maj-Gen H. Essame, The 43rd Wessex Division at War 1944–45, London: William Clowes, 1952.
- Ken Ford, Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944, 2nd Edn, Bradford: Pen & Sword, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84884-576-3.
- Lt-Gen Sir Brian Horrocks, A Full Life, London: Collins, 1960.
- Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6.
- Cornelius Ryan, A Bridge Too Far, London: Hamish Hamilton, 1974/Coronet 1975, ISBN
- Tim Saunders, Battleground Europe: Hill 112 - Battles of the Odon 1944, Barnsley: Pen & Sword/Leo Cooper, ISBN 0-85052-737-6.
- Tim Saunders, Battleground Europe: Operation Plunder –The British and Canadian Rhine Crossing, Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2006, ISBN 1-84415-221-9.