11th Armoured Division ( United Kingdom ) The 11th Armoured Division , known as The Black Bull , was a British Army division formed in 1941 during the Second World War . The Division was formed in response to the unanticipated success of German panzer division s . It was responsible for several major victories in Normandy after D - Day , and it participated in the rapid advance across France , Belgium , and the Netherlands and the Rhine crossing . The Division was disbanded in January 1946 and reformed towards the end of 1950 . In 1956 , it was converted into the 4th Infantry Division . History . In Poland and western Europe in 1939 and 1940 , the German armoured formations demonstrated what some observers felt were dramatically improved new tactics , leaving the Allied forces with a perceived need to address these developments . The continued evolution of the Royal Armoured Corps was the British answer . The Division was organized in March 1941 , in Yorkshire under Major General Percy Hobart . A veteran of the Royal Tank Corps , he had already strongly influenced the shape of the 7th Armoured Division , but his original and innovative ideas had led to his retirement from the army . Reinstated after the disasters of 1940 , he further realised his vision with the 11th Armoured . Under his leadership the Division adopted the “ Charging Bull ” as its emblem . From 1942 to 1944 it conducted intensive training while gradually receiving new , more modern equipment . In July 1944 , after the Allied invasion of Normandy , the British 11th Armoured Division participated in Operations Epsom and Goodwood . It also participated in the drive to Amiens , the fastest and deepest penetration into enemy territory ever made at that time . On 4 September , the Division captured the city of Antwerp . Soon thereafter , the Division pushed forward into the German - occupied Netherlands . In March 1945 , it crossed the river Rhine and captured the German city of Lübeck on 2 May 1945 . It occupied the Bergen - Belsen concentration camp on 15 April 1945 . When the Division entered the camp , more than 60 , 000 emaciated prisoners were found in desperate need of medical attention . More than 13 , 000 corpses in various stages of decomposition lay scattered around the area . Units of the Division and its higher formations were detached to oversee the cleanup of the camp . From the end of the war in Europe ( 8 May 1945 ) , the Division controlled the province of Schleswig Holstein until it was disbanded in January 1946 . The 11th Armoured Division was reformed in the autumn of 1950 , but was converted into the 4th Infantry Division in 1956 . Normandy . The Division landed on Juno Beach on 13 June 1944 ( D + 7 ) . It was deployed in all major operations of the British Second Army , including Operations Epsom , Goodwood , and Bluecoat , and the battles around the Falaise Gap . Operation Epsom . The 11th Armoured Division , as part of the British VIII Corps , was committed to action on 26 June as part of Operation Epsom . It entered the Scottish ' corridor ' , opened beforehand by the 15th ( Scottish ) Division . Despite mistakes in navigation , which slowed down the 159th Infantry Brigade in Mouen , the 11th managed to seize the bridges at Grainville and Colleville . It then progressed southward to Hill 112 ( a dominant feature in the Normandy battlefield near the village of Baron ) and succeeded in capturing and holding this high ground against increasingly intense German counter - attacks . However , a renewed attack by fresh SS - Panzerdivisions transformed what was intended as a breakthrough into a battle for position . On 30 June , General Miles Dempsey , commanding the Second Army , fearing a general counter - offensive , ordered the 11th Armoured to withdraw from Hill 112 . Operation Epsom was considered a failure , but it did force the German army to abandon its offensive plans . Operation Goodwood . The 11th Armoured was then moved to the east of Caen to spearhead Operation Goodwood . Planning and execution errors , coupled with strong German defences , led to a tactical British defeat . Operation Goodwood was cancelled on 20 July , with the 11th Armoured being withdrawn from the front line to rest and refit . In only two days of fighting , it had lost 200 tanks , representing more than half of its complement . The subsequent reorganization saw the 23rd Hussars absorb the remainder of the 24th Lancers ( the 8th Armoured Brigade ) . Operation Bluecoat . The 11th Armoured was directed again to the west , to take part in Operation Bluecoat . Beginning on 30 July , it seized Martin - Saint - des - Besaces . The Division spotted an intact bridge on the Souleuvre river , which enabled it to drive the Germans back . In what became the famous “ Charge of the Bull , ” the division liberated Le Bény - Bocage on 1 August and quickly progressed southward . Although severely weakened at that time , the German army remained ever - present and dangerous . From 5 August , The 11th Armoured worked with the Guards Armoured Division and 15th ( Scottish ) Division to push back a counter - attack of the 9th SS Panzer Division . After being replaced by the 3rd Infantry Division , the 11th Armoured was attached to XXX Corps . It progressed eastward hard on the heels of the Germans , who were retreating after the failure of the Mortain counteroffensive . The sole memorial to the fallen of the division is at Pont de Vère , the location of a battle on 16 August against a German rearguard . The 11th Armoured seized Flers on 17 August , then moved toward Putanges . From 19 August , it pushed the Germans back north of Argentan and captured the commander of the German 276th Infantry Division and more than 900 other prisoners . Once the fight for the Falaise gap was over , the 11th Armoured liberated L ' Aigle on 23 August and crossed the Seine on 28 August . Belgium and The Netherlands . After a night move , and an unprecedented advance of 60 miles in one day , the Division liberated Amiens on 1 September . The same day , it captured General Eberbach , commander of the 7th Army ( Wehrmacht ) . Advancing to Lens , then Tournai , the Division was then committed to the fight for Antwerp , which it liberated on 4 September . Two days later , it tried to establish a bridgehead over the Albert Canal , but the attempt failed due to intense enemy fire . After this failure , 11th Armoured had to cross much further to the east , at Beringen . It advanced then to Helchteren , Peer , Bree , and cleared the area between the Albert Canal and the Maas up to 12 September . The Division was then rested for a week . Market Garden . 11th Armoured was not directly committed to Operation Market Garden . Instead , it was tasked with securing the right flank of the operation . Attached to XII Corps , it began moving on 18 September . Advancing in two columns , it managed to reach the US 101st Airborne Division at Nuenen , while on the 22nd its engineers established a bridge over the Willemsvaart canal . The Division could then make an encircling move around Helmond , forcing the Germans to withdraw on 25 September . At the beginning of October , the Division was employed in clearing pockets of German resistance remaining west of the Maas . The operation developed promisingly with 159th Brigade , battling its way across the Deurne canal . Unfortunately , the attack was quickly stopped by obstinate German resistance . Further delay was imposed by the growing supply shortage and the launching of an enemy counter - attack in the south . There was also a skillful German defence which postponed clearing of the Maas for several weeks . During this period the Division came into contact with troops from the United States and the divisional sign was referred to as " the Swell Bison " ! Preparations for a new crossing attempt were delayed until the second half of November . On the 22nd , 159th Brigade managed to cross and to seize the village of America . It progressed to Horst , before being relieved by units of the 15th ( Scottish ) Division . On 30 November , it attacked the fortress of Broekhuizen , which was defended by German parachutists . The enemy inflicted heavy losses , before capitulating on 5 December . The western bank of the Maas was also cleared . From The Ardennes to the Rhine . At the beginning of December , units of the 11th Armoured Division were placed in reserve around Ypres . The infantry was to benefit from a longer rest , while tank crews would receive new Comet tank s , a vehicle armed with a powerful 77 mm gun which was capable of engaging German panzers at longer range . The start of the Ardennes offensive , ( the Battle of the Bulge ) modified British ambitions . Being one of few formations in reserve , the 11th Armoured was urgently recalled to active service with its old tanks and directed to hold a defensive line along the Meuse , between Namur and Givet . On 24 December , its advanced positions spotted and destroyed several tanks of the 2nd Panzer Division , east of Dinant . From 26 December onwards , the Germans started to withdraw and 11th Armoured was replaced by the 6th Airborne Division , after having pushed the enemy back beyond Celles . Only 29th Brigade was retained in support of the Airborne units . It forced the Germans back to La Bure and Wavreille between 3 January and 7 January . From the 9th on , it reached Grupont , before being finally directed the following day to Ypres for rest , refit and training activities . The Rhineland . On 17 February 1945 the 159th brigade was recalled to the front , to add its weight to the Allied forces committed in the Rhineland . The infantry of the 11th Armoured received orders to seize Gochfortzberg , south of Üdem , then to break the Schlieffen line and capture Sonsbeck , in order to support the II Canadian Corps which progressed towards Hochwald from the north . The brigade attack started on 26 February . Under challenging conditions , Gochfortzberg was seized on 28 February , Sonsbeck on 3 March . Germany . The 11th Armoured was held in reserve until 28 March , when it crossed the Rhine at Wesel , heading for the river Weser . Despite sporadic pockets of resistance , it reached Gescher on the evening of 30 March . 3rd RTR arrived at the river Ems in Emsdetten ; they then reached the Dortmund - Ems canal the following day . After crossing the canal on 1 April , the 11th Armoured approached Ibbenburen and was heavily engaged on the Teutoburger Wald heights . The villages of Brochterbeck & Tecklenberg were captured , albeit at a high price . Further east , the wooded hills were defended by companies of NCOs , who savagely counter - attacked the 3rd Monmouthshires . Later , the intervention of the 131st Infantry Brigade ( 7th Armoured Division ) made it possible to overcome their opposition , but 3rd Monmouthshire , already weakened during previous campaigns , had to be replaced by 1st Cheshires . Divisional units continued toward the Osnabrück canal . After crossing via a captured bridge , it moved towards the Weser , reached by leading elements near Stolzenau on 5 April . A week later , the 11th Armoured liberated the concentration camp at Bergen - Belsen . A local agreement with German commanders made it possible to declare the neighbourhood of the camp an open area , and the fighting moved northeast . The Division reached the river Elbe near Lüneburg on 18 April . Last Attack . On 30 April , the 11th Armoured Division launched their last attack . It crossed the Elbe at Artlenburg , then against little opposition , occupied Lübeck on 2 May and Neustadt on 3 May ( Cap Arcona ) . It finished the war by patrolling the surrounding countryside , collecting 80 , 000 prisoners which included 27 Generals . After the German surrender , the Division was used as an occupation force in the Schleswig - Holstein area . On 23 May , units of the division were employed in the capture of members of the Dönitz government in Flensburg . The 11th Armoured Division was disbanded at the end of January 1946 . During the campaign in northwestern Europe , it lost 1 , 820 killed and more than 8 , 000 wounded . Its rotation in tanks was 300 % . General Officer Commanding . Commanders included :