7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom) and the 131st Brigade. The fighting in North Africa came to an end just days later, with almost 250,000 Axis soldiers surrendering to the Allies and becoming POWs. The division was not an assault force in the invasion of Sicily, instead remaining in Homs, Syria for training in amphibious warfare, but did participate in the early stages of the Italian Campaign. The 7th Armoured Division came ashore at Salerno, on 15 September 1943, to help repel heavy German counterattacks during the Battle for the Salerno beachhead (Operation Avalanche). Shortly after landing on the 18th the 131st (Queen's) Infantry Brigade (which
4th Armoured Division (France, 1964) 4th Armoured Division (France, 1964) The 4th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the French Army formed between 1964 and 1970. It should not be confused with the 4e Division cuirassée, a French armored division that saw service in the 1940 campaign. Initially the 4th Armoured Division had its headquarters at Verdun, and on 1 June 1968, the 3rd Engineer Regiment (3e régiment du genie) at Mézières came under the division's command. After the small-divisions reorganisation of 1977, in which three-brigade divisions were reduced to about five manoeuvre battalions each, its headquarters moved to Nancy (4 RCS). Also on