The 33rd Army Tank Brigade (later 33rd Tank Brigade) was an

armoured Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

raised during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Origin

33rd Army Tank Brigade was created on 30 August 1941 under GHQ Home Forces to supervise the training of infantry battalions converted to the armour role. On 15 October, Brigade HQ was completed to full establishment and it became an active brigade in Eastern Command and later I Corps. Its initial composition was one Territorial Army tank battalion and two converted infantry battalions of the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

>It was based in the "

Dukeries The Dukeries is an area of the county of Nottinghamshire so called because it contained four ducal seats. It is south of Worksop, which has been called its "gateway". The area was included within the ancient Sherwood Forest. History In the 17 ...

" area of

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, the 43 RTR at

Welbeck Abbey Welbeck Abbey is an English country house near the village of Welbeck in the Bassetlaw District of Nottinghamshire. It was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order, and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries a residen ...

, 144 RAC at

Rufford Abbey Rufford Abbey is a country estate in Rufford, Nottinghamshire, England, two miles (4 km) south of Ollerton. Originally a Cistercian abbey, it was converted to a country house in the 16th century after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the ...

and 148 RAC at

Thoresby Hall Thoresby Hall is a 19th-century country house and park in Budby, Nottinghamshire, some 2 miles (4 km) north of Ollerton. It is one of four neighbouring country houses and estates in the Dukeries in north Nottinghamshire all occupied by duk ...

Service

On 22 June 1942, the brigade dropped 'Army' from its title and became the tank brigade in 3rd Infantry Division, which had reorganised as a 'mixed' division. However, in April 1943, 3rd Division reverted to being an infantry division and, on 4 May 1943, 33rd Tank Brigade became an independent formation again. The brigade's regiments had trained in the

Infantry Tank The infantry tank was a tank concept developed by the United Kingdom and France in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were designed to support infantrymen in an attack. To achieve this, the vehicles were generally heavily arm ...

role, latterly on

Churchill tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple Bogie#Tracked vehicles, bogies, its ability to ...

s, but in the spring of 1944 converted to

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a World War II American tank S ...

and

Sherman Firefly The Sherman Firefly was a medium tank used by the United Kingdom and some armoured formations of other Allies in World War II, Allies in the Second World War. It was based on the US M4 Sherman but was fitted with the more powerful British cal ...

medium tank A medium tank is a classification of tanks, particularly prevalent during World War II, which represented a compromise between the mobility oriented light tanks and the armour and armament oriented heavy tanks. A medium tank's classification ...

s. Reflecting this changed role, 33rd Tank Brigade was redesignated 33rd Armoured Brigade on 17 March 1944.

Units

''The following units served in 33rd Tank Brigade'': * 43rd Royal Tank Regiment 18 October 1941 – 5 August 1943 * 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps 22 November 1941 – 16 March 1944 *

148th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps The 148th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (148 RAC) was an armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps during World War II. It fought in the invasion of Normandy in 1944. Origin 148th Regiment RAC was formed in November 1941 by the ...

22 November 1941 – 8 October 1943, 17 February – 16 March 1944 *

1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry The Northamptonshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1794 as volunteer cavalry. It served in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War before being reduced to squadron level in 1956. It cease ...

21 September 1943 – 16 March 1944 * 1st East Riding Yeomanry 8 October 1943 – 17 February 1944

Commanders

The following officers commanded 33rd Tank Brigade:Joslen, p. 206. *

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

R.M. Jerram ''from 30 August 1941'' * Brigadier C.H. Montague ''from 22 December 1942'' * Brigadier H.B. Scott ''from 7 March 1944''

References

Bibliography

* A. Jolly, ''The Battle of Noyers 16–18 July 1944'', Appendix to 144 RAC War Diary July 1944

The National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...