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
23rd Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) Brigadier W. F. Murrogh. The brigade had only a few light armoured vehicles during its existence as an Army Tank Brigade. It was reorganised and renamed the 23rd Armoured Brigade on 1 November 1940, when it was assigned to the new 8th Armoured Division (Major General Richard McCreery). As part of the reorganisation it was reinforced with the 1st Battalion, London Rifle Brigade, this motorised infantry battalion was renamed the 7th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) on 19 January 1941. It began to receive significant numbers of tanks as a consequence of its assignment to the 8th Armoured