7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom) had been planned since that battle. Historian Daniel Taylor is of the opinion that the battle's result provided an excuse and that the sackings took place to "demonstrate that the army command was doing something to counteract the poor public opinion of the conduct of the campaign". Historian and former British Army officer Mungo Melvin has commented approvingly of the 7th Armoured Division's institution of a flexible combined arms structure, which other British armoured divisions did not adopt until after Operation Goodwood. The replacement of the division's GOC, following Normandy, did not change the performance of the division and in
6th Armoured Division (United Kingdom) had taken command of the army group signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of the German armies in Italy on 29 April, formally bringing hostilities in Italy to an end on 2 May 1945. The Division was reformed in May 1951 in the UK and later assigned to the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. It consisted of the 20th Armoured Brigade and 61st Lorried Infantry Brigade. It was disbanded in June 1958. Commanders included: <br> 6th Armoured Division was constituted as follows during the war: 20th Armoured Brigade ("from 16 October 1940, left 23 April 1942") 26th