The brigade, under Major-General F. G. R. Brittorous, later replaced by Brigadier Robert Tilney, was landed on the island of Leros towards the end of September 1943. The 234th Brigade, together with other British, Italian and Allied forces, attempted to hold the Dodecanese islands against successive German air attacks and the landings of amphibious German forces, but without success. In the Battle of Kos and the Battle of Leros, German air superiority and tactical ability resulted in British defeats, and their garrisons were forced to surrender after a few days' resistance. The few men of the brigade who had escaped returned to the Middle East, where it was disbanded on 16 January 1944.