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306th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

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306th Infantry Brigade
ActiveFormed 22 January 1945
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry Brigade
RoleLines of Communication
Part of21st Army Group

306th Infantry Brigade (306 Bde) was a British Army formation organised towards the end of the Second World War from surplus Royal Artillery (RA) personnel who had been retrained as infantry.

Origin

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By the end of 1944, 21st Army Group was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry.[1] In January 1945, the War Office began to reorganise surplus anti-aircraft and coastal artillery regiments in the UK into infantry battalions, primarily for lines of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service.[2][3] 306th was one of seven brigades formed from these new units.[4][5]

Composition

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306th Infantry Brigade was formed on 22 January 1945 by the conversion of Headquarters 55th Light AA Bde, which was part of 2 Anti-Aircraft Group. It was commanded by Brigadier W.R. Harvey and comprised the following Territorial Army RA units:[4][5][6]

Service

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After infantry training, including a short period attached to Southern Command, 306 Bde came under the orders of 21st Army Group on 4 May 1945, and landed on the Continent three days later.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ Ellis, pp. 141–2.
  2. ^ Ellis, pp. 369, 380.
  3. ^ "RA 1939–45 Infantry Regts Index".
  4. ^ a b c d e Joslen, pp. 402–3.
  5. ^ a b "RA 1939-45 45 306 Infantry Brigade".
  6. ^ Ellis, Appendix IV, p. 369.
  7. ^ "RA 1939-1945 623 Infantry Regt".
  8. ^ "RA 1939-45 128 LAA".
  9. ^ "RA 1939-45 628 Infantry Rgt".
  10. ^ "RA 1939-45 82 LAA".
  11. ^ "RA 1939-45 87 SL Rgt".
  12. ^ a b c d e Joslen, p. 463.
  13. ^ a b c d e Ellis, Appendix IV, p. 380.
  14. ^ "RA 1939-45 636 Infantry Rgt".
  15. ^ "RA 1939-45 48 SL Rgt".
  16. ^ "5 Anti-Aircraft Division" (PDF). britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  17. ^ Litchfield, p. 97.
  18. ^ "RA 1939-1945 626 Infantry Regt".
  19. ^ "97 Light AA Regiment RA(TA)".
  20. ^ "601 Infantry Regiment RA(TA)". The Royal Artillery: 1939-1945.
  21. ^ "RA 1939-45 49 Garrison Rgt".
  22. ^ "RA 1939-45 49 SL Rgt".
  23. ^ "6th Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment". 2006-01-05. Archived from the original on 2006-01-05. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  24. ^ "RA 1939-45 608 Infantry Rgt".
  25. ^ "RA 1939-45 67 Garrison Rgt".
  26. ^ "RA 1939-45 67 SL Rgt".
  27. ^ "6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, The Welch Regiment". 2006-01-17. Archived from the original on 2006-01-17. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  28. ^ "RA 1939-45 612 Infantry Rgt".
  29. ^ "RA 1939-45 61 Garrison Rgt".
  30. ^ "RA 1939-45 61 SL Rgt".
  31. ^ Mullaly, p. 376.

References

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  • Lionel Ellis, "History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West", Volume II: "The Defeat of Germany", London: HMSO, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, ISBN 1-84574-059-9.
  • Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
  • Norman E. H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0.
  • B.R. Mullaly, The South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers), Bristol: White Swan Press, 1955.
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