6th Airlanding Brigade ( United Kingdom ) The 6th Airlanding Brigade was a glider infantry brigade forming part of the British airborne forces during the Second World War . Composed of three infantry battalion s and supporting units , it was assigned to the 6th Airborne Division . During the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 , the brigade took part in Operation Mallard , holding the southern flank of the bridgehead over the Orne River . In August 1944 , along with the rest of the 6th Airborne Division , it took part in the advance to the River Seine . Withdrawn to England in September , the brigade returned to mainland Europe to counter the surprise German offensive in the Ardennes , better known as the Battle of the Bulge . Their final airborne mission of the war was Operation Varsity in March 1945 , an assault crossing of the Rhine , after which they advanced through Germany , reaching the Baltic Sea at Wismar by the end of the war . The brigade was withdrawn from Germany at the end of May 1945 and was sent , together with the rest of 6th Airborne Division , to British Palestine to provide internal security . Following the arrival of the 1st Parachute Brigade , however , the 6th Airlanding Brigade was no longer needed there and was returned to normal infantry duties , renamed the 31st Independent Infantry Brigade . Background . Impressed by the success of German airborne operations during the Battle of France , the British Prime Minister , Winston Churchill , directed the War Office to investigate the possibility of creating a force of 5 , 000 parachute troops . As a result , on 22 June 1940 , No . 2 Commando assumed parachute duties , and on 21 November was re - designated the 11th Special Air Service Battalion , with a parachute and glider wing . On 21 June 1940 the Central Landing Establishment was formed at Ringway airfield near Manchester . Although tasked primarily with training parachute troops , it was also directed to investigate the use of gliders to transport troops into battle . At the same time , the Ministry of Aircraft Production contracted General Aircraft Ltd to design and produce a glider for this purpose . The result was the General Aircraft Hotspur , an aircraft capable of transporting eight soldiers , that was used for both assault and training purposes . The success of the first British airborne raid , Operation Colossus , prompted the War Office to expand the airborne force through the creation of the Parachute Regiment , and to develop plans to convert several infantry battalions into parachute and glider battalions . On 31 May 1941 , a joint army and air force memorandum was approved by the Chiefs - of - Staff and Winston Churchill ; it recommended that the British airborne forces should consist of two parachute brigades , one based in England and the other in the Middle East , and that a glider force of 10 , 000 men should be created . Formation . On 23 April 1943 , the British War Office gave permission to raise a second airborne division , the 6th Airborne . The division comprised the 3rd and 5th Parachute Brigades and the 6th Airlanding Brigade , giving it two parachute and one airlanding brigades , which became the standard British complement for an airborne division . In May Brigadier Hugh Kindersley was appointed as the airlanding brigade ' s first commanding officer . Under his command he had two experienced battalion s transferred from the 1st Airlanding Brigade : the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry ( 2nd OBLI ) and the 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles ( 1st RUR ) . They were joined by a unit newly transferred to airborne force s , the 12th Battalion Devonshire Regiment ( 12th Devons ) , as the brigade ' s third infantry battalion . Other units assigned around the same time were the 53rd ( Worcestershire Yeomanry ) Airlanding Light Regiment Royal Artillery , the 249th ( Airborne ) Field Company Royal Engineers and the 195th ( Airlanding ) Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps . The airlanding brigade was an important part of the airborne division , its strength being almost equal to that of the two parachute brigades combined . In particular , its infantry battalions were the " most heavily armed in the British Army . " Each airlanding battalion had an establishment of 1034 men , serving in four rifle companies , a support and a headquarters company . A rifle company was sub - divided into four platoon s , the support company into six : two anti - tank platoons with four 6 pounder guns in each , two mortar platoons with twelve 3 inch mortars between them , and two Vickers machine gun platoons with four guns in each platoon . The headquarters company had signals , assault pioneer , transport and administration platoons . Air transport for the brigade was normally the Airspeed Horsa glider , piloted by two soldiers from the Glider Pilot Regiment . With a wingspan of and a length of , the Horsa had a maximum load capacity of — space for two pilots , and a maximum of either 28 troops or two jeeps , one jeep and a 6 pounder gun , or one jeep with a trailer . It required 62 Horsas and one General Aircraft Hamilcar glider to transport an airlanding battalion into action . The Hamilcar carried the battalion ' s two Universal Carrier s , which were used to support the mortar and machine - gun platoons . At the end of the war in 1945 , the Devonshire battalion , formed during the war , was disbanded , and replaced by the regular army 1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders . Brigadier Roger Bower was also appointed to command the brigade for service in Palestine . The 6th Airlanding Brigade had always been an integral part of the 6th Airborne Division , but when the 1st Airborne Division was disbanded , and its 1st Parachute Brigade was assigned to the 6th Airborne Division , the 6th Airlanding Brigade became surplus to the division ' s requirements . On 15 April 1946 , the brigade ceased being part of the British airborne forces , and was renumbered the 31st Independent Infantry Brigade . Operational history . From June to December 1943 , the brigade as part of the 6th Airborne Division prepared for operations , and trained at every level from section up to division by day and night . Airborne soldiers were expected to fight against superior numbers of the enemy equipped with artillery and tanks . So training was designed to encourage a spirit of self - discipline , self - reliance and aggressiveness . Emphasis was given to physical fitness , marksman ship and fieldcraft . A large part of the training consisted of assault course s and route marching . Military exercise s included capturing and holding airborne bridgeheads , road or rail bridges and coastal fortifications . At the end of most exercises , the troops would march back to their barracks , usually a distance of around . An ability to cover long distances at speed was expected : airborne platoons were required to cover a distance of in 24 hours , and battalions . In April 1944 , under the command of 1st Airborne Corps , the brigade took part in Exercise Mush . This was a three day exercise in the counties of Gloucestershire , Oxfordshire and Wiltshire , during which the entire 6th Airborne Division was landed by air . Unknown to the troops involved , the exercise was a full scale rehearsal for the division ' s involvement in the imminent Normandy invasion . In the invasion , the division ' s two parachute brigades would land in the early hours of 6 June in Operation Tonga ; the airlanding brigade would not arrive until almost dusk on the same day . Their objective was to secure the left flank of the invasion area , between the rivers Orne and Dives . Normandy . One of the first Allied units to land in Normandy was ' D ' Company 2nd OBLI , commanded by Major John Howard . The company , attached to the 5th Parachute Brigade , carried out Operation Deadstick , a coup de main assault on two bridges crossing the Caen Canal and the River Orne . Almost 21 hours later the 6th Airlanding Brigade ' s main air assault on Normandy , Operation Mallard , began . Included in the operation was the brigade , the 6th Airborne Division ' s reconnaissance regiment , and one of its howitzer batteries . The combined force crossed the English Channel in 250 gliders , arriving at their landing zones at 21 : 00 6 June 1944 . The gliders carrying the brigade headed for two separated landing areas , Landing Zone ' W ' ( LZ - W ) to the east of Saint - Aubin - d ' Arquenay and Landing Zone ' N ' ( LZ - N ) to the north of Ranville . The gliders landing on LZ - W contained the remaining men of the 2nd OBLI , and ' A ' Company , 12th Devons landed at LZ - W . Given the limited availability of aircraft , the remainder of the Devons battalion and the divisional troops were transported by sea , arriving at Sword beach on 7 June . The brigade headquarters and 1st RUR landed at LZ - N . LZ - N was still within range of the German defenders , and the disembarking troops were subjected to light machine gun and mortar fire , however they only lost one man , who was killed by a sniper . At 22 : 30 Brigadier Kindersley briefed the two battalion commanding officers , ordering the 2nd OBLI to capture the village of Escoville to the south of Ranville , and the 1st RUR to capture Longueval , south - west of the Le Bas de Ranville , and Sainte - Honorine . By 04 : 30 7 June the 2nd OBLI had reached Herourvillette . Finding the village unoccupied they left a company behind to defend it , and at 08 : 30 the rest of the battalion headed for Escoville . They arrived at the village at 11 : 00 having only been confronted by sniper fire . The Germans assembling on the heights overlooking the village attacked at 15 : 00 . Fighting at close quarters and house to house , by 16 : 00 the battalion was forced to withdraw back to Herourvillette . The battle cost them 87 casualties , including the commanding officer . It was not until 09 : 00 that the 1st RUR were in position to carry out a left flanking attack on Longuerval . The village was clear of Germans so they pressed on towards Sainte - Honorine . When between the two villages , the battalion was engaged by German mortar , artillery and assault gun fire , and suffered several casualties . Two companies managed to reach Sainte - Honorine , but with no artillery fire support of their own , and out of radio contact with their battalion headquarters , they were forced to withdraw back to Longueval . Around the same time , the 12th Devons had arrived in the divisional area from the landing beaches and were ordered to take over the defence of the Bas de Ranville from the 12th ( Yorkshire ) Parachute Battalion . Because they were positioned behind the brigade front line , they were not directly attacked , but from 11 : 00 to 18 : 30 on 8 June they were subjected to a constant artillery bombardment . On 9 June the 2nd OBLI sent a company back to Escoville to confirm if it was still held by the Germans . Finding it occupied by infantry with armour support , they withdrew back to Herourvillette . At 18 : 30 the battalion was attacked by Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft and at 19 : 00 the whole brigade ' s position was bombarded by German artillery and mortar fire . This was followed by an infantry and tank assault . Supported by their own and the division ' s anti - tank guns and artillery , the battalion stopped the attack around from their lines . By 21 : 30 the attack was over , and the Germans withdrew having lost eight tanks , two armoured cars and two self - propelled gun s . At the same time , German tanks and infantry attacked the 12th Devons . By 20 : 30 they had advanced to within of the battalion ' s positions . With the airborne artillery regiment busy assisting the 2nd OBLI , the Devons had to call on the artillery from the 3rd Infantry Division to break up the attack . Activity over the next few days was limited to skirmishes and patrol activity , until the night of the 13 June when the brigade was relieved by units of the 51st ( Highland ) Infantry Division . The brigade was repositioned in the area of Breville between the 5th Parachute Brigade and the commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade . Here they remained in a defensive position until mid August , conducting patrols to hold the Germans ' attention . Advance to the Seine . On 7 August the 6th Airborne division was ordered to prepare to move over to the offensive , with its objective being the mouth of the River Seine . The division began to advance as the Germans retreated from France following their defeat in the Battle of Falaise . The 6th Airlanding Brigade , now commanded by Brigadier Edward Flavell , had the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade and the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade under its command . Together they would form the left flank of the division ' s advance , moving along the French coast , while the remainder of the division advanced further inland . The 6th Airlanding Brigade advance started on 17 August along two axes , with the 12th Devons on the left , the 2nd OBLI on the right , and the 1st RUR in reserve . At Longuemare the 12th Devons had to fight through the German rearguard , and the 1st RUR took over the advance on the left and reached Cabourg without meeting any further resistance . The brigade group was moved to an area east of Troarn on 21 August . With the 12th Devons leading they advanced again , occupying Branville , Vauville and Deauville on 22 August . Attempts to cross the River Touques were repulsed by a force estimated to be around 1 , 200 men . Outflanking the German position , the 2nd OBLI crossed the river at Touques on 24 August . Keeping the pressure on the retreating Germans on 25 August , Le Correspondence , Petreville and Malhortie were captured . However , the Germans had retained control of the bridge outside Malhortie and the high ground at Manneville - la - Raoult . The 2nd OBLI attacked and captured the bridge intact , but Mannerville - la - Raoult was only taken at dusk , at the cost of several casualties . The next day , 26 August , the battalion captured Foulbec on the River Seine at 19 : 00 , although not before the Germans had destroyed the bridge , and earlier that day the 1st RUR had captured Berville - sur - Mer . On 27 August the division was ordered to concentrate in the area between Honfleur and Pont Audemer . In nine days of fighting the 6th Airborne Division had advanced , despite , as the divisional commander Major - General Richard Gale put it , his infantry units being " quite inadequately equipped for a rapid pursuit " . The division had captured of territory and taken over 1 , 000 German soldiers prisoner . Since landing on 6 June the division ' s casualties were 4 , 457 , of which 821 were killed , 2 , 709 wounded and 927 missing . The 6th Airlanding Brigade suffered 115 men killed during the campaign . The division was withdrawn from France , and embarked for England at the beginning of September . Ardennes . In England the brigade went into a period of recruitment and training , concentrating on house to house street fighting in the bombed areas of Southampton and Birmingham . The training programme culminated in Exercise Eve , an assault on the River Thames , which was intended to simulate the River Rhine in Germany . By December the brigade was preparing for Christmas leave , when news of the German offensive in the Ardennes broke . As part of the First Allied Airborne Army , 6th Airborne Division was available as a component of the strategic reserve for the Allied forces in northwest Europe . The other two divisions available in reserve , the American 82nd and 101st Airborne , were already at Rheims in northern France , and the 6th Airborne was sent by sea to Belgium to assist the defence . With 29 German and 33 Allied divisions involved , the Battle of the Bulge was the largest single battle on the Western Front during the war . On Christmas Day the division moved up to take position in front of the spearhead of the German advance ; by Boxing Day they had reached their allocated places in the defensive line between Dinant and Namur . The 3rd Parachute Brigade were on the left , 5th Parachute Brigade on the right , and the airlanding brigade in reserve . Over the next days the German advance was halted and forced back , until at the end of January 1945 , the brigade crossed into Holland . Here the division was made responsible for the area along the River Maas , between Venlo and Roermond . The brigade carried out patrols , on both sides of the river , against their opponents from the German 7th Parachute Division . Near the end of February the division returned to England to prepare for another airborne mission , to cross the River Rhine into Germany . Rhine . Whereas all other Allied airborne landings had been a surprise for the Germans , the Rhine crossing was expected , and their defences were reinforced in anticipation . The airborne operation was preceded by a two day round - the - clock bombing mission by the Allied air forces . Then on 23 March 3 , 500 artillery guns targeted the German positions . At dusk Operation Plunder , an assault river crossing of the Rhine by the 21st Army Group , began . For their part in Operation Varsity , the 6th Airborne Division was assigned to the American XVIII Airborne Corps alongside the United States 17th Airborne Division . The 6th Airlanding Brigade , now commanded by Brigadier Hugh Bellamy , was given several objectives in the operation . The 2nd OBLI , landing in the north , had to secure the bridges over the River Issel . The 1st RUR had the main road bridge over the river from Hamminkeln to Brunen as their objective , and the 12th Devons were to capture the town of Hamminkeln . As in Normandy , the division ' s two parachute brigades were already on the ground before the 6th Airlanding Brigade started landing at 10 : 30 24 March 1945 . The German defenders had been alerted , and the gliders were met by a concentrated anti - aircraft barrage . This caused the brigade around 40 per cent casualties in men and 50 per cent in equipment . Nevertheless , by 11 : 00 the 2nd OBLI and 1st RUR had captured their objectives . The 12th Devons landed amongst a German armoured formation , but managed to gather enough men together to begin their attack on Hamminkeln at 11 : 35 , and had secured the town by 12 : 00 . At midnight the 2nd OBLI were attacked by a force of tanks and infantry . One of the battalion positions at the eastern side of the road bridge was overrun , and had to be recaptured with a counter - attack . Another attack two hours later was in danger of capturing the bridge , so Brigadier Bellamy ordered it blown up . German infantry attempted to infiltrate the brigade ' s positions throughout the night . At 05 : 30 German armour was detected approaching and the brigade called in close air support from Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter bombers , which destroyed several tanks . The main road bridge , held by 1st RUR , was attacked at 07 : 00 by infantry and two tanks . The attack failed when the tanks were destroyed by the division ' s anti - tank guns . Later that day infantry from the 15th Scottish Infantry Division , supported by tanks , had advanced to the divisional area and took over the brigade ' s position . At the same time the division was ordered to prepare to advance eastwards from dawn on 26 March . Germany . On 26 March the brigade advanced further into Germany , with the 1st RUR and the 12th Devons leading . The only opposition was German rearguard actions , and they reached Rhade by that evening and Limbeck the following day . They crossed the Dortmund – Ems Canal at dawn on 2 April , unopposed except for artillery fire . Later that day there was more resistance when they reached Lengerich . By 4 April the brigade was moving forward as fast as possible , supported by the 4th Armoured Battalion Grenadier Guards , part of the 6th Guards Tank Brigade . Steinhuder Meer was reached on 10 April , then in the following days Ulzen and Lüneburg were captured . By 2 May they had reached the River Elbe . Expecting it to be defended in force , the division attacked at once , trying to catch the defenders unaware . The attack was successful and the river was crossed over a pontoon bridge left intact by the retreating Germans . That afternoon the leading troops of the 3rd Parachute Brigade reached Mecklenburg and made contact with the leading men from the Soviet Red Army advancing from the east . Later that day the brigade reached Wismar on the Baltic Sea , and remained there until 7 May when news was received of the German surrender . Post war . At the end of May 1945 , the division was pulled out of Germany and returned to England . It was initially intended to send them to India to form an airborne corps with the 44th Indian Airborne Division . The division ’ s advance party , formed around the 5th Parachute Brigade , had already arrived in India . Following the Japanese surrender , all these plans changed . The post - war British Army only needed one airborne division , and the 6th Airborne was chosen to remain on strength . Reinforced by the 2nd Parachute Brigade , the division was sent to the Middle East as the Imperial Strategic Reserve . On 10 October 1945 , the brigade arrived at the port of Haifa , and after disembarking moved to Gaza . After a short period of acclimatisation , the 6th Airlanding Brigade was deployed in the Samaria region , with the brigade headquarters at Lydda airfield . At the same time , the 6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders , based at Tulkarm , came under the brigade ' s command . The first incident in the brigade area was on 31 October , when parties of armed Jews planted explosives on rail lines , which killed four and wounded eight when they exploded . Following attacks on coastguard stations , believed to be by members of the Palmach , over the night of 24 / 25 November , the brigade carried out two operations to search settlements for those responsible . On 29 March 1946 the brigade was relocated to Jerusalem in preparation for leaving the division . On 3 April the 1st Parachute Brigade , which had been assigned to the division , arrived in Palestine . Their arrival made the glider formation surplus to requirements , so on 15 April the brigade was renumbered 31st Independent Infantry Brigade , and was no longer part of the British airborne forces .