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
6th Armoured Division (United Kingdom) Armoured Brigade ("from 9 November 1940") 6th Support Group ("from 1 November 1940, disbanded 1 June 1942") 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade ("from 9 June 1942, left 16 February 1943") 1st Guards Brigade ("from 24 March 1943, left 29 May 1944") 61st Infantry Brigade ("from 29 May 1944") Divisional Troops The following brigades were, at various points in time, attached to the 6th Armoured Division. 6th Armoured Division (United Kingdom) The 6th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, created in September 1940 during the Second World War. The unit was initially supplied with Matilda and Valentine tanks,