British 30th Infantry Brigade
Encyclopedia
The British 30th Infantry Brigade is a brigade of the British Army
in the First and Second World Wars.
and served with that formation throughout the First World War.
The Brigade was reformed on April 24, 1940 in the United Kingdom
, as 30th Motor Brigade. It contained two regular motor infantry battalions and a Territorial motorcycle reconnaissance battalion. It was intended to be part of the British 1st Armoured Division
, then forming in Normandy
, but on May 22 it was hastily sent to Calais
in France
to defend the port against a German
panzer division. After a siege
lasting three days, the brigade was overrun late on May 26.
The brigade was reformed on October 17, 1940, as the British 30th Independent Brigade Group (Guards), and later converted to the British 6th Guards Armoured Brigade
.
(As The 6th Guards Armoured Brigade)
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in the First and Second World Wars.
History
The Brigade was originally raised as part of the 10th (Irish) DivisionBritish 10th (Irish) Division
The 10th Division, was one of the first of Kitchener's New Army K1 Army Group divisions , authorized on 21 August 1914, after the outbreak of the Great War. It included battalions from the various provinces of Ireland...
and served with that formation throughout the First World War.
The Brigade was reformed on April 24, 1940 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, as 30th Motor Brigade. It contained two regular motor infantry battalions and a Territorial motorcycle reconnaissance battalion. It was intended to be part of the British 1st Armoured Division
British 1st Armoured Division
The 1st Armoured Division is an armoured division of the British Army. Originally formed in November 1937 as the Mobile Division, it saw extensive service during the Second World War, was disbanded afterward, was reconstituted in 1976, and remains in service today...
, then forming in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, but on May 22 it was hastily sent to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to defend the port against a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
panzer division. After a siege
Siege of Calais (1940)
The Siege of Calais was a battle for the port and town of Calais during the German blitzkrieg which overran northern France in 1940. It immediately preceded Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force through Dunkirk....
lasting three days, the brigade was overrun late on May 26.
The brigade was reformed on October 17, 1940, as the British 30th Independent Brigade Group (Guards), and later converted to the British 6th Guards Armoured Brigade
British 6th Guards Armoured Brigade
The 6th Guards Brigade was a First and Second World War British Army Brigade.- World War II :Formation during World War II*2nd Bn, Welsh Guards*3rd Bn, Scots Guards*4th Bn, Coldstream Guards*4th Bn, Grenadier Guards...
.
Structure
(At Calais)- 1st Bn, The Rifle Brigade
- 2nd Bn, King's Royal Rifle CorpsKing's Royal Rifle CorpsThe King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
- The Queen Victoria's Rifles
- 3rd Royal Tank Regiment3rd Royal Tank RegimentThe 3rd Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1992. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as C Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917....
(under command) - 229th Anti-Tank Battery, Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
(under command)
(As The 6th Guards Armoured Brigade)
- 4th Bn, Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
- 3rd Bn, Scots GuardsScots GuardsThe Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
- 4th Bn, Grenadier GuardsGrenadier GuardsThe Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...