The 9th Infantry Brigade together with 7th Infantry Brigade and 8th Infantry Brigade formed the 3rd Infantry Division, which, at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, was commanded by Major-General Bernard Montgomery. With the division the brigade was sent to France in October 1939, shortly after the outbreak of war, as part of the British Expeditionary Force, which evacuated from Dunkirk. After the evacuation, the Brigade spent four years training in the UK, in preparation for an eventual assault landing in Europe. The 3rd Infantry Division was the first British division to land at Sword on D-Day and fought through the Battle of Normandy, the Netherlands and later the invasion of Germany. During the often intense fighting from Sword to Bremen, the Division suffered 2,586 killed.