10th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)

10th Armoured Brigade10th Tank Brigade 1941–1943 25 November 1943 Armoured Warfare in the British Army 1939-1945 Taylor Dick 9781399081030 Pen & Sword Military 2022 282 United Kingdom 23px Territorial Army Armoured (later Tank) Brigade Training 3 Armoured regiments Brigadier Philip Bowden-Smith Minden (1 Augustl) 10th Armoured Brigade December 1941 42nd Armoured Division 108th Regiment, RAC 109th Regiment, RAC 143rd Regiment, RAC 13th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry 10th Tank Brigade 1943 48th (South Midland) Division 108th Regiment, RAC 109th Regiment, RAC 143rd Regiment, RAC The 10th Armoured Brigade was a short-lived armoured brigade of the British Army in the Second World War. It had been converted in November 1941 from 125th Infantry Brigade, but had never seen action and was disbanded in late 1943. Formation The 10th Armoured Brigade came into existence on 1 November 1941 when 125th Infantry Brigade based at Barnard Castle was converted to the armoured role.Joslen, p. 164. The brigade had fought in the Battle of France and were evacuated from Dunkirk with 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division, which was being converted to an armoured division, the 42nd Armoured Division.Joslen, pp. 29, 68. The brigade comprised three battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers, two of them (1/5th and 1/6th) Territorial and one raised for war service, which were all converted to regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC), and a motor battalion was added. The brigade commander, Brigadier Philip Bowden-Smith, was a cavalryman (and former Olympic Equestrian) who had taken command of the 125th Brigade in September 1941, shortly before it was converted. He commanded 10th Armoured for almost its entire service. Order of battle 10th Armoured Brigade was constituted as follows: 1/5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers (TA) became 108th Regiment Royal Armoured CorpsForty, p. 50. 1/6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers (TA), became 109th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps 9th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, became 143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps 13th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (joined from 216th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) 17 November 1941, left for 71st Infantry Brigade 13 June 1942) Joslen, pp 164, 302, 379. Commanders The following officers commanded 10th Armoured/Tank Brigade during the war:Joslen, pp 164, 198. Brigadier P.E. Bowden-Smith (until 6 October 1943) Lieutenant Colonel J.A. Talbot-Ponsonby (Acting, from 6 October 1943) Service Four days after the official conversion, 10th Armoured Brigade received its first equipment. The War Diary records: 'The first two tanks arrived, two Vickers Medium tanks dated 1923 and 1924. These were not in going order, and were practically useless'.10th Armoured Brigade War Diary, November 1941, The National Archives, Kew file WO 166/1097 The brigade got its first cruiser tanks – four Covenanters – on 1 December,10th Armoured Brigade War Diary, December 1941, The National Archives file WO 166/1097 and over the next two years received a trickle of widely varied tanks, including Cruiser Mk I, Cruiser Mk II, Cruiser Mk IIa, Covenanter and Crusader cruiser tanks, Valentine and Churchill infantry tanks, and later some Sherman Vs.10th Armoured Brigade War Diary 1942–43, The National Archives files WO 166/6657 and WO 166/10742. In May 1942, 10th Armoured Brigade left 42nd Armoured Division and the motor battalion was withdrawn. Then, on 25 July, the brigade was redesignated 10th Tank Brigade. The role of a tank brigade was infantry support. On 17 October 1942, the brigade was placed under the command of 48th (South Midland) Division, which was a reserve formation, and was given the role of holding and training reinforcements for other tank units.Joslen, pp. 29, 77, 164, 198. For training, 10th Tank Brigade was based in the 'Dukeries' area of Nottinghamshire, with HQ at Carlton-in-Lindrick and the regiments at Thoresby Hall, Welbeck Abbey and Rufford Abbey.10th Armoured Brigade War Diaries 1943, The National Archives file WO 166/10742. Disbandment The brigade maintained Lancashire Fusilier traditions, initially wearing the regimental badge on the black beret of the RAC, and celebrating Minden Day on 1 August 'in traditional style. Each unit held a ceremonial parade and march past'.10th Armoured Brigade War Diary August 1943, The National Archives file WO 166/10742. When rumours began to circulate that 10th Tank Brigade was scheduled for disbandment, Members of Parliament for the Lancashire towns complained about the loss of their TA battalions. In August 1943, a recruiting team persuaded about 60 other ranks of the brigade to volunteer for the Parachute Regiment if the brigade disbanded. The brigade moved to Wensleydale in September, with Brigade HQ at Bedale,10th Armoured Brigade War Diary September 1943, The National Archives file WO 166/10742. but shortly afterwards the impending disbandment was confirmed, the brigade came under direct War Office control,Joslen, p. 198. and the regiments began to dispose of their equipment to other regiments. Brigade HQ and Signals were disbanded with effect from 25 November and completed by 16 December.10th Armoured Brigade War Diary November 1943, The National Archives file WO 166/10742 Of the three tank regiments, 108 and 109 RAC (formerly 1/5th and 1/6th Lancashire Fusiliers TA) were "dispersed", while 143 RAC (formerly the hostilities-only 9th Lancashire Fusiliers) was disbanded. Of these battalions, only the 5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers was reconstituted in the Territorial Army after the war.http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-england/vinf-no/la-f5.htm 5th Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers [UK] regiments.org 12 January 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20051227043136/http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-england/vinf-no/la-f5.htm 27 December 2005 dead See also United Kingdom British Armoured formations of World War II List of British brigades of the Second World War References 2 Bibliography Forty George 1998 British Army Handbook 1939–1945 Sutton Publishing Limited Stroud, Gloucestershire 0-7509-1403-3 June 2017 Category:Military units and formations established in 1941 Category:Armoured brigades of the British Army in World War II Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1943