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5th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

October 18, 2023

The 5th Infantry Brigade was a regular infantry brigade of the British Army that was in existence since before the First World War, except for a short break in the late 1970s. It was an Airborne Brigade from the early 1980s until amalgamating with 24th Airmobile Brigade, in 1999, to form 16 Air Assault Brigade.

5th Brigade
5th Infantry Brigade
5th Airborne Brigade
Badge of 5th Infantry Brigade
Active1908-1918
1935-1976
1982-1999
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
RoleAirborne Infantry brigade
SizeBrigade
Part of3rd (UK) Division
Garrison/HQAldershot Garrison
EngagementsFirst World War
Second World War
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
The Troubles
Falklands War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Michael West

History Edit

During the Boer War, the 5th Infantry Brigade, known as the Irish Brigade, fought in the Battle of Colenso under Major General Arthur Fitzroy Hart. It consisted of the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 1st Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1st Connaught Rangers, and the 1st Border Regiment.[1]

Following the end of the Boer war in 1902 the army was restructured, and a 3rd Infantry division was established permanently at Bordon as part of the 1st Army Corps, comprising the 5th and 6th Infantry Brigades.[2][3]

World Wars Edit

The brigade was part of the 2nd Division during the First World War and was one of the first British units to be sent overseas on the outbreak of war. The brigade became part of the British Expeditionary Force and saw action on the Western Front in the Battle of Mons and the subsequent Great Retreat and at the First Battle of Ypres, which saw the old Regular Army virtually destroyed.[4]

 
Rifle inspection for men of the 2nd Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment at Rumegies, 14 February 1940.

During the Second World War, the 5th Brigade was again part of the 2nd Infantry Division and was sent to France in 1939 shortly after the outbreak of war, where it joined the British Expeditionary Force. It served on the Franco-Belgian border until May 1940, when it was evacuated at Dunkirk after fighting in the short but fierce battles of France and Belgium in which the German Army nearly cut off the entire BEF from the French Army.[5] With the division, the brigade remained in Britain on home defence until 10 April 1942, when it was shipped out to India to fight the Imperial Japanese Army after a series of disasters suffered by the British and Indian troops stationed there. The 5th Brigade served with the 2nd Infantry Division in the Burma Campaign under General Slim's British Fourteenth Army and fought in the Battle of Kohima, which managed to help turn the tide of the campaign in the Far East.[6]

Post 1945 Edit

Following the war, it was part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, and then the British Army of the Rhine until 1964, when the Brigade Group was released to bolster the strategic reserve.[7] It arrived in Borneo in October 1965 to take control of the Mid West Sector during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, but by 1968 it was back in the United Kingdom as part of the 3rd Infantry Division.[8] It did a tour in Northern Ireland during the early part of the Troubles.[9]

In 1979-80 Headquarters 8 Field Force was heavily involved in directing the Commonwealth Monitoring Force during the transition to the newly independent state of Zimbabwe.[10]

In the early 1980s, the Field Force concept was dropped in favour of traditional Brigades; 5th Infantry Brigade was reformed at Aldershot in January 1982 by the redesignation of 8th Field Force. The Brigade consisted of the former elements of the Parachute Contingency Force (PCF) from 6 Field Force (which became the 1st Infantry Brigade), at the time 2 PARA, together with a second Parachute Battalion from 8 Field Force (3 PARA).[11]

Falklands War Edit

The Brigade was sent to the Falklands in 1982 as the follow-on force to 3rd Commando Brigade. Having had its two Parachute Regiment battalions withdrawn to reinforce 3 Commando Brigade, it was hurriedly reconstituted with two Guards battalions pulled from Public duties in London and No. 63 Squadron RAF Regiment, (based at RAF Gütersloh, Germany) initially to provide additional Short Range Air Defence (SHORAD) of land forces landing at San Carlos Water.[12]

5th Airborne Brigade Edit

Following the Falklands War, it was converted into 5th Airborne Brigade by it Commander, Brigadier Tony Jeapes. The brigade consisted of two battalions of the Parachute Regiment, a Gurkha battalion, and a Territorial Army infantry battalion, together with additional parachute support elements and a small parachute deployable Brigade HQ. The 7th Parachute Regiment RHA returned from Germany and was converted to an airborne unit and attached to the brigade. A Brigade Logistic Battalion was formed. On 1 September 1999, the brigade merged with 24 Airmobile Brigade to produce 16 Air Assault Brigade.[13]

Structure Edit

First World War Order of Battle Edit

The brigade was part of 2nd Division. The brigade commanded the following units in the First World War:[14]

Second World War Order of Battle Edit

The brigade commanded the following units in the Second World War:[15]

Falklands War Order of Battle Edit

The final order of battle included:[12]

5th Airborne Brigade Edit

The 5th Airborne Brigade Order of Battle was as follows:[13]

Commanders Edit

Commanders included:[17]

  • September 1911 – 16 September 1914 Brigadier-General Richard Haking
  • 16 September – 20 November 1914 Colonel Claude Berners Westmacott (acting)
  • 20 November – 20 December 1914 Brigadier-General Richard Haking
  • 20 December – 31 December 1914 Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Davies (acting)
  • 31 December 1914 – 13 July 1915 Brigadier-General Augustus Chichester
  • 13 July 1915 – 15 May 1916 Brigadier-General Charles Corkran
  • 15 May 1916 – 25 March 1918 Brigadier-General George Bullen-Smith
  • 25 March – 5 April 1918 Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Pipon (acting)
  • 5 April – 5 October 1918 Brigadier-General William Osborn
  • 5 October – 12 November 1918 Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Pipon (acting)
  • 12 November 1918 – Brigadier-General William Osborn

Notes Edit

  1. ^ Consisting of 8 Rapier fire units deployed as 2 flights (A & B flights) A1 – A4; B1 – B4. Each fire unit was equipped with Rapier Field Standard A and DN181 'Blindfire' radar. There was also an HQ Flight and an Engineering Flight.[16]

References Edit

  1. ^ "Battle of Colenso". British Battles.
  2. ^ Rinaldi, p. 31
  3. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence - The 1st Army Corps". The Times. No. 36892. London. 7 October 1902. p. 8.
  4. ^ . British Battles. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  5. ^ Delaforce, p. 127
  6. ^ . Burma Star Association. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  7. ^ Watson, p. 123
  8. ^ Van der Bijl, p. 84
  9. ^ Gregory Blaxland, The Regiments Depart, 1971.
  10. ^ Learmount, 'Reflections from Rhodesia,' RUSI Journal, Vol. 125, No. 4, 1980.
  11. ^ Norton, G.G. (1984). The Red Devils: From Bruneval to the Falklands. Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-0870522970.
  12. ^ a b "Battle Atlas of the Falklands War 1982". Naval History. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  13. ^ a b . Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  14. ^ Baker, Chris. . The Long, Long Trail. Archived from the original on 8 July 2001. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  15. ^ . Orders of Battle. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  16. ^ . RAF. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  17. ^ . Orders of Battle. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.

Sources Edit

  • Delaforce, Patrick (2006). Smashing the Atlantic Wall: The Destruction of Hitler's Coastal Fortresses. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1844153718.
  • Van der Bijl, Nick (2014). British Military Operations in Aden and Radfan: 100 Years of British Colonial Rule. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 9781783032914.
  • Watson, Graham (2005). Germany: An Organizational History 1947-2004. General Data. ISBN 978-0972029698.

External links Edit

  • "5 Infantry Brigade". Orders of Battle.com.

October 18, 2023
infantry, brigade, united, kingdom, infantry, brigade, regular, infantry, brigade, british, army, that, existence, since, before, first, world, except, short, break, late, 1970s, airborne, brigade, from, early, 1980s, until, amalgamating, with, 24th, airmobile. The 5th Infantry Brigade was a regular infantry brigade of the British Army that was in existence since before the First World War except for a short break in the late 1970s It was an Airborne Brigade from the early 1980s until amalgamating with 24th Airmobile Brigade in 1999 to form 16 Air Assault Brigade 5th Brigade5th Infantry Brigade5th Airborne BrigadeBadge of 5th Infantry BrigadeActive1908 19181935 19761982 1999Country United KingdomBranch British ArmyTypeInfantryRoleAirborne Infantry brigadeSizeBrigadePart of3rd UK DivisionGarrison HQAldershot GarrisonEngagementsFirst World WarSecond World WarIndonesia Malaysia confrontationThe TroublesFalklands WarCommandersNotablecommandersMichael West Contents 1 History 1 1 World Wars 1 2 Post 1945 1 2 1 Falklands War 1 2 2 5th Airborne Brigade 2 Structure 2 1 First World War Order of Battle 2 2 Second World War Order of Battle 2 3 Falklands War Order of Battle 2 4 5th Airborne Brigade 3 Commanders 4 Notes 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksHistory EditDuring the Boer War the 5th Infantry Brigade known as the Irish Brigade fought in the Battle of Colenso under Major General Arthur Fitzroy Hart It consisted of the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers 1st Inniskilling Fusiliers 1st Connaught Rangers and the 1st Border Regiment 1 Following the end of the Boer war in 1902 the army was restructured and a 3rd Infantry division was established permanently at Bordon as part of the 1st Army Corps comprising the 5th and 6th Infantry Brigades 2 3 World Wars Edit The brigade was part of the 2nd Division during the First World War and was one of the first British units to be sent overseas on the outbreak of war The brigade became part of the British Expeditionary Force and saw action on the Western Front in the Battle of Mons and the subsequent Great Retreat and at the First Battle of Ypres which saw the old Regular Army virtually destroyed 4 nbsp Rifle inspection for men of the 2nd Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment at Rumegies 14 February 1940 During the Second World War the 5th Brigade was again part of the 2nd Infantry Division and was sent to France in 1939 shortly after the outbreak of war where it joined the British Expeditionary Force It served on the Franco Belgian border until May 1940 when it was evacuated at Dunkirk after fighting in the short but fierce battles of France and Belgium in which the German Army nearly cut off the entire BEF from the French Army 5 With the division the brigade remained in Britain on home defence until 10 April 1942 when it was shipped out to India to fight the Imperial Japanese Army after a series of disasters suffered by the British and Indian troops stationed there The 5th Brigade served with the 2nd Infantry Division in the Burma Campaign under General Slim s British Fourteenth Army and fought in the Battle of Kohima which managed to help turn the tide of the campaign in the Far East 6 Post 1945 Edit Following the war it was part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan and then the British Army of the Rhine until 1964 when the Brigade Group was released to bolster the strategic reserve 7 It arrived in Borneo in October 1965 to take control of the Mid West Sector during the Indonesia Malaysia confrontation but by 1968 it was back in the United Kingdom as part of the 3rd Infantry Division 8 It did a tour in Northern Ireland during the early part of the Troubles 9 In 1979 80 Headquarters 8 Field Force was heavily involved in directing the Commonwealth Monitoring Force during the transition to the newly independent state of Zimbabwe 10 In the early 1980s the Field Force concept was dropped in favour of traditional Brigades 5th Infantry Brigade was reformed at Aldershot in January 1982 by the redesignation of 8th Field Force The Brigade consisted of the former elements of the Parachute Contingency Force PCF from 6 Field Force which became the 1st Infantry Brigade at the time 2 PARA together with a second Parachute Battalion from 8 Field Force 3 PARA 11 Falklands War Edit The Brigade was sent to the Falklands in 1982 as the follow on force to 3rd Commando Brigade Having had its two Parachute Regiment battalions withdrawn to reinforce 3 Commando Brigade it was hurriedly reconstituted with two Guards battalions pulled from Public duties in London and No 63 Squadron RAF Regiment based at RAF Gutersloh Germany initially to provide additional Short Range Air Defence SHORAD of land forces landing at San Carlos Water 12 5th Airborne Brigade Edit Following the Falklands War it was converted into 5th Airborne Brigade by it Commander Brigadier Tony Jeapes The brigade consisted of two battalions of the Parachute Regiment a Gurkha battalion and a Territorial Army infantry battalion together with additional parachute support elements and a small parachute deployable Brigade HQ The 7th Parachute Regiment RHA returned from Germany and was converted to an airborne unit and attached to the brigade A Brigade Logistic Battalion was formed On 1 September 1999 the brigade merged with 24 Airmobile Brigade to produce 16 Air Assault Brigade 13 Structure EditFirst World War Order of Battle Edit The brigade was part of 2nd Division The brigade commanded the following units in the First World War 14 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment transferred to 33rd Division on 15 December 1915 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry 2nd Battalion Connaught Rangers transferred to 3rd Lahore Division on 26 November 1914 1 9th Battalion Glasgow Highlanders Highland Light Infantry November 1914 to January 1916 2nd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers January to July 1915 1st Battalion Queen s Royal West Surrey Regiment July to December 1915 1 7th Battalion King s Liverpool Regiment September to November 1915 17th Service Battalion Empire Royal Fusiliers City of London Regiment December 1915 to February 1918 24th Service Battalion 2nd Sportsman s Royal Fusiliers City of London Regiment from December 1915 5th Machine Gun Company from 1 January 1916 to 4 March 1918 5th Trench Mortar Battery from March 1916 Second World War Order of Battle Edit The brigade commanded the following units in the Second World War 15 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment until 5 February 1940 2nd Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment 1st Battalion Queen s Own Cameron Highlanders 7th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment from 5 February 1940 Falklands War Order of Battle Edit The final order of battle included 12 205 signal squadron HQ Royal Signals 1st Battalion Welsh Guards 2nd Battalion Scots Guards 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh s Own Gurkha Rifles 4th Regiment Royal Artillery 1 troop of the Blues and Royals 63 Squadron RAF Regiment SHORAD a 5th Airborne Brigade Edit The 5th Airborne Brigade Order of Battle was as follows 13 HQ 5 Airborne Brigade 89 Abn Intelligence Section Intelligence Corps No 1 Air Force Liaison Section 2 x Parachute Battalions 1 x Infantry Battalion 2nd Battalion The Wessex Regiment Volunteers Note that while this was a Territorial Army battalion it was a resident unit of the brigade not part of the Territorial Army enhancement described below 1 x Gurkha Battalion 1 x Armoured Recce Regiment Life Guards The Blues amp Royals 4th Field Regiment Royal Artillery 1977 1983 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery 1984 TBA Royal Pioneer Corps 36 Engineer Regiment Royal Engineers 9 Para Squadron RE 20 Sqn RE 50 Field Construction Sqn RE 61 Field Support Sqn RE 216 Parachute Signal Sqn Royal Signals Det 224 Signal Sqn Royal Signals 658 Aviation Sqn Army Air Corps 23 Parachute Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps 160 Provost Company Royal Military Police 613 Tactical Air Control Party Parachute RAF Regt 614 Tactical Air Control Party Parachute RAF Regt Logistic Battalion 63 Abn Squadron Royal Corps of Transport Royal Logistic Corps 82 Abn Ordnance Company Royal Army Ordnance Corps Royal Logistic Corps 10 Abn Workshop Royal Electrical amp Mechanical EngineersCommanders EditCommanders included 17 September 1911 16 September 1914 Brigadier General Richard Haking 16 September 20 November 1914 Colonel Claude Berners Westmacott acting 20 November 20 December 1914 Brigadier General Richard Haking 20 December 31 December 1914 Lieutenant Colonel Henry Davies acting 31 December 1914 13 July 1915 Brigadier General Augustus Chichester 13 July 1915 15 May 1916 Brigadier General Charles Corkran 15 May 1916 25 March 1918 Brigadier General George Bullen Smith 25 March 5 April 1918 Lieutenant Colonel Robert Pipon acting 5 April 5 October 1918 Brigadier General William Osborn 5 October 12 November 1918 Lieutenant Colonel Robert Pipon acting 12 November 1918 Brigadier General William Osborn1938 1941 Brigadier Gerald Gartlan 1941 1942 Brigadier J R T Aldous 1942 1944 Brigadier V F S Hawkins 1944 1945 Brigadier M M Alston Roberts West 1982 1983 Brigadier Tony Wilson 1983 1985 Brigadier Tony JeapesNotes Edit Consisting of 8 Rapier fire units deployed as 2 flights A amp B flights A1 A4 B1 B4 Each fire unit was equipped with Rapier Field Standard A and DN181 Blindfire radar There was also an HQ Flight and an Engineering Flight 16 References Edit Battle of Colenso British Battles Rinaldi p 31 Naval amp Military intelligence The 1st Army Corps The Times No 36892 London 7 October 1902 p 8 British Expeditionary Force BEF British Battles Archived from the original on 28 July 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Delaforce p 127 Kohima and Imphal Burma Star Association Archived from the original on 4 September 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Watson p 123 Van der Bijl p 84 Gregory Blaxland The Regiments Depart 1971 Learmount Reflections from Rhodesia RUSI Journal Vol 125 No 4 1980 Norton G G 1984 The Red Devils From Bruneval to the Falklands Leo Cooper ISBN 978 0870522970 a b Battle Atlas of the Falklands War 1982 Naval History Retrieved 16 August 2015 a b 5th Airborne Brigade Archived from the original on 20 July 2011 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Baker Chris The 2nd Division in 1914 1918 The Long Long Trail Archived from the original on 8 July 2001 Retrieved 16 July 2015 Subordinates Orders of Battle Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 63 Sqn RAF Regt History RAF Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Unit appointmemts Orders of Battle Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Sources EditDelaforce Patrick 2006 Smashing the Atlantic Wall The Destruction of Hitler s Coastal Fortresses Pen amp Sword Military ISBN 978 1844153718 Van der Bijl Nick 2014 British Military Operations in Aden and Radfan 100 Years of British Colonial Rule Pen amp Sword Military ISBN 9781783032914 Watson Graham 2005 Germany An Organizational History 1947 2004 General Data ISBN 978 0972029698 External links Edit 5 Infantry Brigade Orders of Battle com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 5th Infantry Brigade United Kingdom amp oldid 1160601490, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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