27th Armoured Brigade The 27th Armoured Brigade was a Second World War British Army formation that played a crucial role in the Normandy Landings in 1944 . Origin . This armoured brigade was formed in the United Kingdom on 26 November 1940 by the conversion of the 1st Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade as a constituent of the 9th Armoured Division . The brigade was used to experiment with specialised armoured vehicles and on 8 September 1942 it was transferred to the 79th Armoured Division , which concentrated the various specialised armour units . In 20 October 1943 27th Armoured Bde became an independent GHQ formation , and was attached to the 3rd Infantry Division to spearhead I Corps ' landing at Sword Beach on D - Day . Order of Battle . In 9th Armoured Division : In Normandy : Operational history . The brigade was assigned a crucial role in the Normandy Landings . 13 / 18th Hussars , equipped with M4 Sherman DD amphibious tanks , would accompany the initial assault on Sword Beach by 3rd Division ' s 8 Bde Group , while the rest of 27th Armoured Bde would support the division ' s follow - up attacks towards Caen . D - Day . On the morning of D - Day the sea was rough and 27th Armoured Bde ' s commander , Brigadier G . E . Prior - Palmer , in conjunction with Captain Bush , RN , decided to launch his DD tanks closer inshore than had been planned . Thirty - four out of 40 DD tanks of ' A ' and ' B ' Squadrons of 13 / 18th Hussars were launched from their LCTs ( Landing Craft Tank ) 5000 yards from Sword Beach . One sank immediately and the remainder made slow progress in the heavy seas and were overtaken by the leading landing craft carrying infantry and ' flail ' tanks . Two DD tanks were rammed by landing craft and lost on the run in . The remaining six tanks of 13 / 18th Hussars were taken in to the beach aboard their LCT . The regiment lost six tanks knocked out in the surf and four shortly after , leaving 27 to support the infantry in their advance off the beach . One squadron supported 1st Bn Suffolk Regiment in their attack on the ' Hillman ' strongpoint . Another squadron assisted No 4 Commando to capture Ouistreham on the left flank of the beachhead . ' C ' Squadron landed last , towing waterproofed sledges containing the ammunition reserve , but took a long time to get clear of the beach . The Battle for Caen . During the follow - up operations after D - Day the 27th Armoured Bde continued to support I Corps ' attacks along the River Orne towards Caen . On 11 June a squadron of 13 / 18th Hussars supported 6th Airborne Division ' s attacks along the river , and later in the month the regiment supported 51st ( Highland ) Division in further attacks along the river . On 8 & 9 July , 27th Armoured Bde supported I Corps ' final successful attack on Caen . Operation Goodwood . On 18 July 2nd British Army began a major offensive south from Caen ( Operation Goodwood ) . I Corps ' task was to attack along the left flank of the main armoured thrust . 3rd Division plus one brigade from 51st Division moved forward at 0745 hours , supported by 27th Armoured Bde . The German reception by troops of the 346th Infantry Division and 16th Luftwaffe Field Division was varied : the villages of Sannerville and Banneville la Campagne had been well hit by the preliminary attack by RAF Bomber Command and both were in British hands by midday . Touffreville , on the other hand , was on the edge of Bomber Command ' s target area , and it held out until evening . There was heavy fighting in the mined and broken country through which the road ran to Troarn . Attacking by that route and from Sannerville , 3rd Division found Troarn strongly defended and at nightfall was still about a mile short of the town . Between Manneville and Guillerville , south of the Troarn – Caen road , there was stiff fighting against the German infantry of 711th Infantry Division , rushed up by bicycle from the coast , supported by some Tiger tanks . It was midnight when both villages were cleared . The day ' s fighting had cost the British 500 casualties and 18 tanks . Disbandment . After ' Goodwood ' 2nd Army ' s emphasis switched away from the Caen sector , and on 27 July 1944 27th Armoured Bde was broken up , its three regiments being distributed to other formations .