34th Armoured Brigade ( United Kingdom ) The 34th Armoured Brigade was an armoured formation of the British Army . It was formed in 1941 as the 34th Army Tank Brigade and subsequently redesignated as the 34th Tank Brigade in February 1945 and became part of the 79th Armoured Division . It was equipped with Churchill tank s and provided close support for infantry assaults . The Brigade served in both the First Canadian Army and the British Second Army . It was disbanded in early 1946 . History . The brigade was formed on 1 December 1941 as one of ten independent Army Tank Brigades to be equipped with Churchill tank s . In June 1942 , the word " Army " was dropped from the Brigade ' s title and it became part of the 1st Mixed Infantry Division . The 34th Tank Brigade was transferred to the 43rd Mixed Infantry Division in September 1942 and in September 1943 it returned to independent status ( attached to XII Corps ) , when the concept of mixed divisions was abandoned . The first two and half years of the Brigade ' s existence were spent in training in the south of England and it saw its first active service in the Normandy bridgehead . Advance parties departed to Normandy on D + 10 ( 16 June ) but the entire Brigade was not gathered together in France until early July . Its first combat was in support of the 15th ( Scottish ) Infantry Division in Operation Greenline from 15 to 18 July , to enlarge the Odon bridgehead and advance beyond Hill112 ; the German opposition held a strong position and 153 Armoured Regiment suffered particularly severe casualties , including its commanding officer . Overall , the Brigade lost 30 Officers and 156 Other Ranks in this action . The Brigade continued in active service in Normandy until late August . After a 14 - day rest and reorganisation and now under the First Canadian Army , the Brigade crossed the River Seine on 4 September to prepare to assault Le Havre . On arrival outside Le Havre on 6 September , the Brigade came under command of 49th ( West Riding ) Infantry Division , who were to assault Le Havre from the north east and east . The defenders ' morale was low despite impressive defence works and victory was completed on 12 September with minimal casualties . A troop of 7 Royal Tank Regiment , without infantry , had entered the fort at 11 : 30am and had captured Oberst Hermann - Eberhard Wildermuth , the Garrison Commander , his whole staff and 400 prisoners . Around this time , the Allied armies ' supply lines were under great stress due to the lack of usable ports and the Brigade ' s transport was added to the supply chain for the front line in Belgium . This effectively grounded the Brigade as such was grounded and out of action . By 18 September , the Brigade was concentrated about midway between Dieppe and Rouen . On 29 September . still lacking its transport , the Brigade ' s 300 Churchills ( including a delivery squadron ) , heavily loaded with munitions , moved on tracks northwards for three days to Desvres , near Boulogne . On 2 October , one regiment , 7th Royal Tank Regiment , was detached to assist the containment of Dunkirk by 51 ( Highland ) Division , where it took an active and successful part in the siege . By 6 October , the Brigade had reached the Eindhoven area and all regiments were immediately deployed into the front line . In February , 1945 , 34th Armoured Brigade provided armoured support to infantry units during the Battle of the Reichswald , in ground conditions that caused more damage to its tanks than the enemy . After the Rhine crossings , the Brigade saw no further active service in Europe and was in preparation for transfer to South East Asia when the war ended . Commanders . The Brigade had just two commanding officers : Brigadier J . N . Tetley until June 1943 ( left to command 25th Tank Brigade ) and then Brigadier W . S . Clarke , who commanded the Brigade until it was disbanded in 1946 . Shortly after 15 August , 153 Regt . R . A . C . were disbanded and their men and materièl were used to make up losses in the remaining regiments in the Brigade .