British 128th Infantry Brigade
Encyclopedia
.
during the Second World War.
The brigade was initially part of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
before being transferred to the 46th (West Riding) Infantry Division in 1942. With this division the brigade served in the North African Campaign
and the Italian Campaign
from 1943 to 1945.
The brigade fought in many battles including Salerno
, Naples
and at the Gothic Line
. It ended the war in Austria
.
History
The 128th Infantry Brigade was a 1st Line Territorial Army brigade of the British ArmyBritish 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...
during the Second World War.
The brigade was initially part of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
The 43rd Infantry Division was a British Territorial Army division first formed in 1908. It was reformed in 1920 as part of the rebuilding of the Territorial Army, and raised a second line duplicate, 45th Infantry Division, on the doubling of the Territorial Army in 1939.-History:The Division was...
before being transferred to the 46th (West Riding) Infantry Division in 1942. With this division the brigade served in the North African Campaign
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
and the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
from 1943 to 1945.
The brigade fought in many battles including Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and at the Gothic Line
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
. It ended the war in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Component Units
- 1/4th Bn. The Hampshire Regiment
- 2/4th Bn. The Hampshire Regiment
- 5th Bn. The Hampshire Regiment
- 2nd Bn. The Hampshire Regiment
Commanders
- Brig. E.D.H. Tollemache
- Brig. C.H. Woodhouse
- Brig. R.F.H. Massy-Westrop
- Brig. Sir Frederick Browning
- Brig. M.A. JamesManley Angell JamesBrigadier Manley Angell James VC, DSO, MBE, MC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.As a 21-year-old Temporary Captain in the 8th Bn., The...
VC - Brig. J.L. Spencer
- Brig. T.P.D. Scott
- Brig. D.A. Kendrew