Normandy on 26 June 1944. Most of the 11th Armoured Division landed on
Juno Beach on 13 June 1944 (D+7), seven days after the
3rd Canadian Division had
landed on D-Day. It was deployed in all major operations of the
British Second Army, including Operations
Epsom,
Goodwood, and
Bluecoat, and the battles around the
Falaise Gap. The 11th Armoured Division, as part of the
VIII Corps, was committed to action on 26 June 1944 as part of Operation Epsom. It entered the Scottish 'corridor', opened beforehand by the
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division. Despite mistakes in navigation, which slowed down the
159th Infantry Brigade in
Mouen, the 11th managed to seize the bridges at
Grainville and
Colleville. It then progressed southward to
Hill 112 (a dominant feature in the Normandy landscape near the village of Baron) and succeeded in capturing and holding this high ground against increasingly intense German counter-attacks. However, a renewed attack by fresh SS-Panzerdivisions transformed what was intended as a breakthrough into a battle for position. Before the German reinforcements could attack, General
Bernard Montgomery ordered a withdrawal from the hilltop. of
2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, passing through Flers on 17 August 1944 The 11th Armoured was then moved to the east of
Caen to spearhead
Operation Goodwood. Planning and execution errors, coupled with strong German defences, led to a tactical British defeat.
Goodwood was cancelled on 20 July, with the 11th Armoured being withdrawn from the front line to rest and refit. In only two days of fighting, it had lost 126 tanks. The subsequent reorganization saw the
23rd Hussars absorb the remainder of the
24th Lancers. The 11th Armoured was directed again to the west, to take part in
Operation Bluecoat. Beginning on 30 July 1944 it seized
Saint-Martin-des-Besaces. The division spotted an intact bridge on the
Souleuvre river, which enabled it to drive the Germans back. In what became the famous "Charge of the Bull", the division liberated
Le Bény-Bocage on 1 August and quickly progressed southward. Although severely weakened at that time, the German army remained ever-present and dangerous. From 5 August, The 11th Armoured worked with the
Guards Armoured Division and
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division to push back a counter-attack of the
9th SS Panzer Division. After being replaced by the
3rd Infantry Division, the 11th Armoured was attached to
XXX Corps. It progressed eastward hard on the heels of the Germans, who were retreating after the failure of the
Mortain counteroffensive. The sole memorial to the fallen of the division is at Pont de Vère, the location of a battle on 16 August against a German rearguard. The 11th Armoured seized
Flers on 17 August. Once the battle for the Falaise gap was over, the 11th Armoured liberated
L'Aigle on 23 August and crossed the
Seine on 30 August.
Belgium and the Netherlands s of the
23rd Hussars advance through
Deurne, 26 September 1944 After a night move, and an unprecedented advance of 60 miles in one day, the division liberated Amiens on 1 September. The same day, it captured General
Heinrich Eberbach, commander of the
Wehrmachts
German 7th Army. Advancing to
Lens, then
Tournai, the division was then committed to the fight for Antwerp, which it liberated on 4 September. Two days later, it tried to establish a bridgehead over the
Albert Canal, but the attempt, due to intense enemy fire, was not successful. After this failure, 11th Armoured had to cross much further to the east, at
Beringen. The division was not directly committed to
Operation Market Garden. Instead, it was tasked with securing the right flank of the operation. Attached to
VIII Corps, it began moving on 18 September. Advancing in two columns, it managed to reach the
US 101st Airborne Division at
Nuenen, while on the 22nd, its engineers established a bridge over the
Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. The division could then make an encircling move around
Helmond, forcing the Germans to withdraw on 25 September. At the beginning of October, the division was employed in clearing pockets of German resistance remaining west of the Maas. The operation developed promisingly with
159th Infantry Brigade, battling its way across the
Deurne canal. Unfortunately, the attack was quickly stopped by obstinate German resistance. Further delay was imposed by the growing supply shortage and the launching of an enemy counter-attack in the south. There was also a skillful German defence which postponed clearing of the Maas for several weeks. During this period the division came into contact with troops from the United States and the divisional sign was referred to as "the Swell Bison". On 16 October Sergeant
George Harold Eardley of the 4th Battalion,
King's Shropshire Light Infantry (from 159th Brigade) was awarded the
Victoria Cross for bravery. Preparations for a new crossing attempt were delayed until the second half of November. On the 22nd, 159th Brigade managed to cross and to seize the village of America. It progressed to
Horst, before being relieved by units of the
15th (Scottish) Division. On 30 November, it attacked a fortress defended by German parachutists at the
Battle of Broekhuizen. The enemy inflicted heavy losses, before capitulating on 5 December.
Ardennes to the Rhine At the beginning of December 1944 units of the 11th Armoured Division were placed in reserve around
Ypres. The start of the
Battle of the Bulge modified British ambitions. Being one of few formations in reserve, the 11th Armoured was urgently recalled to active service with its old tanks and directed to hold a defensive line along the
Meuse, between
Namur and
Givet.
29th Armoured Brigade played a significant role stopping the progress of German Battlegroup Böhm on 25 and 26 December 1944. Battlegroup Böhm had penetrated the furthest during the last German offensive in the West.
Lower Rhine On 17 February 1945 the 159th Brigade was recalled to the front, to add its weight to the reinforce
XXX Corps fighting in
Operation Veritable (
Lower Rhine region). The fights lasted longer and were more difficult than expected and, despite fairly limited involvement, suffered the highest exhaustion rates of any British or Canadian units involved. At the same time the
4th Armoured Brigade, under Brigadier
Michael Carver, came under command of the division and left 8 March. The infantry of the 11th Armoured later received orders to seize
Gochfortzberg, south of
Üdem, then to break the
Schlieffen line and capture
Sonsbeck, in order to support the
II Canadian Corps which progressed towards
Hochwald from the north (→
Operation Blockbuster). The brigade attack started on 26 February. Under challenging conditions, Gochfortzberg was seized on 28 February, Sonsbeck on 3 March.
Germany s of the 2nd
Fife and Forfar Yeomanry crossing the
Weser at
Petershagen, 7 April 1945 The 11th Armoured Division was held in reserve until 28 March 1945 when it crossed the
Rhine at Wesel, heading for the river
Weser. Despite sporadic pockets of resistance, it reached
Gescher on the evening of 30 March. During the next few weeks the division worked closely with the
British 6th Airborne Division, both of which were under command of Lieutenant-General
Evelyn Barker's
VIII Corps. 3 RTR arrived at the river
Ems in
Emsdetten; they then reached the
Dortmund-Ems canal the following day. After crossing the canal on 1 April, the 11th Armoured approached
Ibbenbüren and was heavily engaged on the heights of the
Teutoburger Wald. The villages of
Brochterbeck and
Tecklenburg were captured, albeit at a high price. Further east, the wooded hills were defended by companies of
NCOs, who savagely counter-attacked the 3rd Battalion,
Monmouthshire Regiment. The intervention of the 2nd Battalion,
Devonshire Regiment of the
131st Infantry Brigade, of the
7th Armoured Division, later on, made it possible to overcome their opposition, but the battalion, already weakened during previous campaigns, had to be replaced by the 1st Battalion,
Cheshire Regiment and was transferred to the
115th Independent Infantry Brigade. The battalion had suffered over 1,100 casualties throughout the campaign, including 267 killed. It was during the same action the division was also awarded its second
Victoria Cross of the war, belonging to Corporal
Edward Thomas Chapman of the 2nd Monmouths. s of the 4th Battalion,
King's Shropshire Light Infantry pass through the burning village of Levern, 4 April 1945 Divisional units continued toward the
Osnabrück canal. After crossing via a captured bridge, it moved towards the Weser, reached by leading elements near
Stolzenau on 5 April. A week later, the 11th Armoured liberated the
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. A local agreement with German commanders designed to prevent the spread of typhus made it possible to declare the neighbourhood of the camp a neutral area, and the fighting moved northeast. The division reached the river
Elbe near
Lüneburg on 18 April. On 30 April 1945 the 11th Armoured Division launched their last attack. It crossed the Elbe at
Artlenburg, then against little opposition, occupied
Lübeck on 2 May and
Neustadt on 3 May (
Cap Arcona). It finished the war by patrolling the surrounding countryside, collecting 80,000 prisoners which included 27 Generals. After the German surrender, the 11th Armoured Division was used as an occupation force in the
Schleswig-Holstein area. On 23 May, units of the division were employed in the capture of members of the
Dönitz Government in
Flensburg. The 11th Armoured Division was disbanded shortly after the end of the war at the end of January 1946. During the campaign in northwestern Europe, from June 1944 until May 1945, the division had lost almost 2,000 officers and men killed in action and more than 8,000 wounded or missing in action.
Post war The 11th Armoured Division was reformed in the autumn of 1950, but was then converted into the
4th Infantry Division in April 1956. == Order of battle ==