6th Guards Tank Brigade | |
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Active | 1941–1945 |
Allegiance | British Crown |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Armoured |
Size | Brigade |
Part of | Guards Armoured Division 1941–1942 Independent 1942–1945 |
The 6th Guards Tank Brigade was formed in 1941 as the 6th Guards Armoured Brigade when Great Britain was under the threat of invasion and more armoured formations were required, 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 so the Guards Armoured Division was formed which contained the 5th Guards Armoured Brigade and the 6th Guards Armoured Brigade.[1]
In 1942 all British armoured divisions were reorganised to have one armoured brigade and one motor brigade. The 6th Guards Armoured became an independent tank brigade being renamed as the 6th Guards Tank Brigade.[2] The brigade now equipped with the Churchill tank,[3] served in the North West Europe Campaign landing in Normandy on 20 July 1944.[4] They went onto take part in Operation Bluecoat,[5] Operation Veritable finally ending the war at Lübeck on the Baltic Sea where they captured a U-boat.[6]
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