Trumpess; Charles Richard A History of the Guards Armoured Formations 1941-1945

Although the Guards Armoured Division and its sister formation, the 6th Guards (Tank) Brigade, have a common origin, they have quite different operational records. One of the two units was discredited for its failures, while the other was praised for its successes. A month after VE Day, the two Guards armoured units were brought together for the last time before being officially disbanded. In the years that followed, the Guards units faced criticism, public ridicule, the threat of disbandment and many other challenges. Nevertheless, the armoured guardsmen prevailed on the battlefield. In response to the threat of a German invasion of the British Isles, the Guards Armoured Division was formed in the spring of 1941. But why would battalions of Foot Guards, considered by many to be first-class infantry, be converted into an armoured formation? Certainly many were sceptical that the 'stuffy' Guardsmen could ever adapt to a new armoured role. As the threat of invasion receded, the Guards Armoured Division and 6th Guards (Tank) Brigade began years of training while the war raged elsewhere. This book examines the decision to raise the Guards Armoured Division and then leave it at home for an extended period. After its deployment to Normandy, the fighting quickly revealed shortcomings in the division's training, equipment and operational procedures. However, when the Churchill tanks of the 6th Guards (Tank) Brigade were deployed south of Caumont, everything they had learnt in training proved to be correct. Over the next ten months, the Guards armoured units were to celebrate victories and mourn failures in their battles in north-west Europe. This book examines how the decision to create a Guards armoured division came about and why the idea met with such strong resistance. It also looks in detail at the training, equipment and culture of the Guards Brigade and how this affected the two formations' preparation for war. Following their deployment overseas, the book examines how the Guards adapted to changing battlefield conditions and adopted new operational and tactical procedures. Finally, the book shows why the Guards armoured units were hastily disbanded in June 1945. In addition, new archive material is used to show why it took over a decade for the "official" history of the Guards armoured division to be published.