6th Guards Tank Brigade (United Kingdom)


The 6th Guards Tank Brigade was an armoured brigade of the British Army during the Second World War formed from the Foot Guards in 1941 as the 6th Guards Armoured Brigade when the United Kingdom was under the threat of invasion and more armoured formations were required.

History

Permission was granted from King George VI and the Colonels of the Regiments involved and, over the summer of 1941, the Infantry of the Guards converted into an armoured formation and the Guards Armoured Division was formed, containing the 5th and 6th Guards Armoured Brigades, together with supporting units. The 6th Brigade, was converted from the 30th Independent Infantry Brigade
In 1942, all British armoured divisions were reorganised to have one armoured brigade and one motorised infantry brigade. The 6th Guards Armoured Brigade thus became an independent tank brigade, being renamed as the 6th Guards Tank Brigade.
The brigade, now equipped with the Churchill tank, served in the North West Europe Campaign landing in Normandy on 20 July 1944.
s of the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Guards, moving up towards Escoville during Operation 'Goodwood', 18 July 1944.
Correspondence in Winston Churchill's The Second World War in April 1944 appears to indicate there was consideration of breaking the brigade up and making its personnel available as replacements for other army formations. Churchill was opposed to this, and nothing appears to have been done.
The brigade went on to take part in the Battle of Normandy in Operation Bluecoat, Operation Veritable finally ending the war at Lübeck on the Baltic Sea where they captured a U-boat.
s of 6th Guards Tank Brigade laying a smokescreen during the advance on Venray, Netherlands, 17 October 1944

Order of battle

The 6th Guards Tank Brigade was constituted as follows during the war:
The following officers commanded 6th Guards Tank Brigade during the war: