British 5th Infantry Brigade

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The 5th Infantry Brigade was a regular British Army formation from the First World War to disbandment in 1999.

1 History
2 Post 1945
- 2.1 Falklands War
- 2.2 5th Airborne Brigade
3 5th Airborne Brigade Orbat (Order of battle)
4 Logistic Battalion
5 Territorial Army Enhancement
6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] World War I

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

[edit] World War II

During the Second World War the 5th Brigade was part of the 2nd Infantry Division . It served in France in 1940, was evacuated to Britain from Dunkirk and remained in Britain until 10th April 1942 when it was shipped out to India. The 5th Brigade served with the 2nd Infantry Division in the Burma Campaign under General Sim's Fourteenth Army.

[edit] Component Units

- World War I
- World War II
1st Bn. Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
2nd Bn. The Dorsetshire Regiment
2nd Bn. The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Until 5th Feb.1940)
7th Bn. The Worcestershire Regiment

[edit] Commanders

Brig.G.L.Gartlan
Brig.C.G.Phillips
Brig.J.R.T.Aldous
Brig.R.V.C.Cavendish
Brig.V.F.S.Hawkins
Brig. M.M.Alston-Roberts-West

[edit] Post 1945

Following the war it was part of the British Army of the Rhine until 1964, when the Brigade Group was released to bolster the strategic reserve. It arrived in Borneo in October 1965 to take control of Mid West Sector, but by 1968 it was back in the United Kingdom as part of the 3rd Infantry Division. It did a tour in Northern Ireland during the early part of the Troubles, but by the early 1980s had become a infantry brigade in Britain.

[edit] Falklands War

The Brigade was sent to the Falklands in 1982 as the follow-on force to 3rd Commando Brigade. Having had Parachute Regiment battalions withdrawn to reinforce 3 Commando Brigade it was hurridly topped up with Guards battalions pulled from Public duties in London. The final order of battle included:

1st Battalion, the Welsh Guards
2nd Battalion, Scots Guards
1st Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
1 troop of the Blues and Royals

[edit] 5th Airborne Brigade

Following the Falklands War it was converted into 5th Airborne Brigade, including battalions of the Parachute Regiment, and in that form was merged with 24 Airmobile Brigade to produce 16 Air Assault Brigade from 1 September 1999.

[edit] 5th Airborne Brigade Orbat (Order of battle)

HQ 5 ABN Bde

89 Intelliegence Section, Intelligence Corps
Air Force Liaison Section
2x Parachute Battalions
1x Infantry Battalion
1x Gurkha Battalion
1x Armoured Recce Regiment Life Guards/ The Blues & Royals
7 (Para) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
36 Engineer Regiment Royal Engineers
- 9 (Para) Squadron RE
- 20 Sqn RE
- 50 Field Construction Sqn RE
- 61 Field Support Sqn RE
HQ & Signal Sgn Royal Signals
- Det 224 Signal Sqn Royal Signals
658 Aviation Sqn Army Air Corps
613 Tactical Air Control Party RAF
614 Tactical Air Control Party RAF