154th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
154th Infantry Brigade was part of The 51st (Highland) Division and was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through.
154th Brigade was luckier than its sister brigades of the 51st Division (152nd
& 153rd
). It was detached in June 1940 to form the mobile battlegroup "Arkforce
" and was able to escape from Northern France while the rest of the division was forced to surrender at St Valery-en-Caux. However, the brigade was severely understrength by the time it returned to Britain, and in August 1940 it was reorganised and merged with the 28th Infantry Brigade of 9th (Highland) Infantry Division to form part of the new 51st Division. In this capacity it went on to serve in North Africa, Sicily and North-West Europe.
154th Brigade was luckier than its sister brigades of the 51st Division (152nd
152nd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 152nd Infantry Brigade was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War...
& 153rd
153rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
153rd Infantry Brigade, part of The 51st Division, was a British Territorial Army brigade that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had...
). It was detached in June 1940 to form the mobile battlegroup "Arkforce
Arkforce
Arkforce was an improvised formation of the British Expeditionary Force formed on 9th June 1940, commanded by Brigadier A C L Stanley-Clarke DSO of 154 Brigade and charged with the aiding the defence of Le Havre during the Battle of France. The force's formation was centred on Arques-la-Bataille...
" and was able to escape from Northern France while the rest of the division was forced to surrender at St Valery-en-Caux. However, the brigade was severely understrength by the time it returned to Britain, and in August 1940 it was reorganised and merged with the 28th Infantry Brigade of 9th (Highland) Infantry Division to form part of the new 51st Division. In this capacity it went on to serve in North Africa, Sicily and North-West Europe.
Campaign Honours
- Battle of FranceBattle of FranceIn the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
- 1939-1940 (destroyed) - Battle of El AlameinSecond Battle of El AlameinThe Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
- 1942 - Operation SuperchargeOperation SuperchargeOperation Supercharge may refer to:* Operation Supercharge , the second of three operations to relieve the Australian 9th Division during the siege of Tobruk...
- 1942 - Operation PugilistOperation PugilistOperation Pugilist was an Allied operation in Tunisia during the Second World War. In his General Plan, General Bernard Montgomery stated "...the object of operation Pugilist is to destroy the enemy now opposing Eighth Army in the Mareth position, and to advance and capture Sfax." Pugilist itself...
- 1943 - Operation Husky - 1943
- Operation OverlordOperation OverlordOperation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
- 1944 - Operation AstoniaOperation AstoniaOperation Astonia was a World War II battle fought from 10 September 1944 to 12 September 1944.The Allied objective of the operation was the capture of the German-held Channel port of Le Havre,France,coveted by the Allies to improve their supply system.The Allies hoped to find the port intact and...
- 1944 - Battle of the ScheldtBattle of the ScheldtThe Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations of the Canadian 1st Army, led by Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds. The battle took place in northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands during World War II from 2 October-8 November 1944...
- 1944 - Battle of the BulgeBattle of the BulgeThe Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
- 1944/45 - Operation PlunderOperation PlunderCommencing on the night of 23 March 1945 during World War II, Operation Plunder was the crossing of the River Rhine at Rees, Wesel, and south of the Lippe River by the British 2nd Army, under Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey , and the U.S. Ninth Army , under Lieutenant General William Simpson...
- 1945
1939-1940
- 6th Battalion, The Black WatchBlack WatchThe Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
- 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland HighlandersArgyll and Sutherland HighlandersThe Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
- 8th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1940-1945
- 1st Battalion, The Black Watch
- 7th Battalion, The Black Watch
- 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders