A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment . Two or more brigades may constitute a division .
115-523: The Experimental Mechanized Force (EMF) was a brigade -sized formation of the British Army . It was officially formed on 1 May 1927 to investigate and develop the techniques and equipment required for armoured warfare and was the first armoured formation of its kind in the world. It was renamed the Armoured Force the following year. The Royal Air Force (RAF) took part in the exercises and demonstrated
230-485: A division and roughly equal to or a little larger than a regiment . During the American Civil War infantry brigades contained two to five regiments with the idea being to maintain a unit with a strength of 2,000 soldiers and were usually commanded by a brigadier general or a senior colonel. During World War I the division consisted of two brigades of two regiments each. More recently, the U.S. Army has moved to
345-517: A scab ” but thought it "his duty as a soldier to do as he was ordered & not to meddle in politics". In the event Gough kept his command and Chetwode remained with the London Mounted Brigade, but his willingness to replace Gough caused some ill feeling. Promoted to temporary brigadier-general on 15 May 1914, he was given command of the 5th Cavalry Brigade in August 1914, the same month of
460-413: A "battle group", viz., brigada or "brigade" commanded by a senior colonel, or lieutenant colonel, appointed as a brigadier-general . In France, Marshal Turenne (1611–1675) copied the brigade organization; he made it a permanent standing unit, requiring the creation in 1667 of a permanent rank of brigadier des armées du roi (literally translating to "brigadier of the armies of the king"). Unlike
575-440: A British counter-offensive was about to begin. The brigade would make a 100 mi (160 km) flank move, to attack the enemy's rear organisations 40 mi (64 km) behind the front line. The result was a decision to move dispersed on a wide front, to deceive the enemy as to the objective and to evade air attack. The RAF was to co-operate for reconnaissance, air defence, supply and as a substitute for artillery support, which
690-543: A MEB, available for deployment on expeditionary duty . The MEB is the intermediate MAGTF between the MEF and the marine expeditionary unit (MEU). Along with the marine infantry regiments, the MEU, (while smaller than an army brigade), are the USMC organizational equivalents of army brigades. The MEU consists of three battalion-equivalent-sized units and a command element (a battalion landing team,
805-910: A Tactical Operation Command of either a Light Infantry Division or a Military Operation Command should have 97 Officers (4+31+31+31) and 2478 (4+826+826+826) Other Ranks but this as of recent events, is far from reality Tactical Operation Command Headquarters (နည်းဗျူဟာကွပ်ကဲမှူအဖွဲ့): 4 Officers, 4 Other Ranks Tactical Operation Commander (ဗျူဟာမှူး): Colonel Chief of Staff (rough equivalent of Brigade Major ) (ညှိနှိုင်းကွပ်ကဲရေးမှူး): Major (GSO II) GS (စစ်ဦးစီးအရာရှိ): Captain (GSO III) AQ (စစ်ရေး/စစ်ထောက်အရာရှိ): Captain (GSO III) Sergeant (Clerk) (တပ်ကြပ်ကြီး (စာရေး) (4x) GSO II and GSO III are called G2 and G3 in daily usages. Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode Field Marshal Philip Walhouse Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode , GCB , OM , GCSI , KCMG , DSO , GCStJ (21 September 1869 – 6 July 1950),
920-574: A battalion of Carden Loyd machine-gun carriers for reconnaissance. In the aftermath of the First World War , several theorists sought ways to avoid a repetition of trench warfare , despite the war of movement from August to December 1914 costing the French c. 850,000 casualties and the Germans c. 670,000. The trench warfare that followed had been less costly in men but attrition warfare
1035-508: A brigade is not part of any division and is under direct command of a corps. There are 7 independent armoured brigades, seven engineering brigades and eight air defense brigades. Independent armoured and infantry brigades are capable of extended operations without necessarily being reliant on a higher HQ for short-term logistic or intimate support. They can be used in counter-attack, exploitation of an advance, or rapid movement to reinforce formations under pressure. Prior to major restructures of
1150-601: A brigade may comprise both organic elements and attached elements, including some temporarily attached for a specific task. Brigades may also be specialized and comprise battalions of a single branch, for example cavalry, mechanized, armored, artillery, air defence, aviation, engineers, signals or logistic. Some brigades are classified as independent or separate and operate independently from the traditional division structure. The typical NATO standard brigade consists of approximately 5,000 troops. However, in Switzerland and Austria,
1265-413: A brigadier general. The MEB is a mid-level marine air-ground task force (MAGTF) essentially forming a "demi-division". The MEB organizational structure consists of a minimum of three regimental-equivalent-sized units and a command element (a regimental combat team, a composite marine aircraft group, a marine logistics regiment, and a MEB headquarters group). Each marine expeditionary force (MEF) contains
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#17328480460931380-525: A brigadier. In the Second World War, a tank brigade comprised three tank regiments and was equipped with infantry tanks for supporting the infantry divisions. Armoured brigades were equipped with cruiser tanks or (US Lend-Lease ) medium tanks and a motorised infantry battalion. The armoured divisions included one or more armored brigades. In the United States Army , a brigade is smaller than
1495-434: A captain) reporting directly to the field force or "army" commander. As such a "field army" became larger, the number of subordinate commanders became unmanageable for the officer in general command of said army, usually a major general, to effectively command. In order to streamline command relationships, as well as effect some modicum of tactical control, especially in regard to combined arms operations (i.e., those involving
1610-450: A cavalry division, with mechanised transport and light vehicles for reconnaissance, in a Field Force for continental operations. In October Massingberd decided that the cavalry division should be replaced by a mechanised Mobile Division. In the exercises, bombers and fighters simulated low-altitude ground attacks again and the RAF participation was judged "invaluable". The exercises concentrated on
1725-838: A coordination of infantry with cavalry and/or artillery forces), an intermediate level of command came into existence. The Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus improved the brigade as a tactical unit, introducing it in 1631 during a reorganization of the Swedish Army in the course of the Thirty Years' War . The invention of the brigade overcame the lack of coordination inherent in the traditional army structure consisting of independent regiments of infantry and units of supporting arms (viz., cavalry and artillery) acting separately under their individual commanding officers. Gustavus Adolphus accomplished this battlefield coordination by combining battalions of infantry with cavalry troops and artillery batteries into
1840-476: A defeated enemy force. The EMF was renamed Armoured Force (AF) and in early 1928 its 280 vehicles, of fifteen designs, conducted exercises to test the limits of the force. At the end of the year, the AF was suspended because the army took the view that little more could be learnt from it as presently constituted. It had been too soon to remedy the deficiencies that had emerged and as the exercises became more ambitious, it
1955-502: A defensive position, tanks would be part of the attack, protected by machine-gun fire, smoke screens, air and infantry support. The tanks would exploit success by causing a collapse of the opponent's defences and cut supply lines, creating chaos in which mobile warfare leading to decisive results could occur. The chapter on administration dealt with organisation, supply, recovery and repair of vehicles, traffic control and medical services. Armoured units had considerable support needs which were
2070-471: A directive to determine the training of the Tank Brigade which, rather than frontal attacks, emphasised independent operations such as raids and flank attacks. The brigade was to prepare for strategic or quasi-independent attacks on an enemy's organisation behind the front line, by exploiting weakness rather than confronting strengths. The brigade was to examine its ability to manoeuvre en masse, co-operate with
2185-470: A logistics battalion. Mountain brigades have also a special forces (called "Mountain rangers") company. The brigade is usually commanded by a brigadier general or a senior colonel, who may be promoted to general during his tenure as brigade commander. In the Australian Army , the brigade has always been the smallest tactical formation , since regiments are either administrative groupings of battalions (in
2300-458: A manoeuvre in formation, which was maintained through a bank of fog, a persuasive example of massed armoured manoeuvre. In March 1929, Broad wrote the first War Office manual about armoured warfare, Mechanized and Armoured Formations: (Instructions for Guidance when considering their Action), 1929 (provisional) , known as the Purple Primer because of its cover. The manual was intended to provide
2415-468: A marine medium tilt-rotor squadron (reinforced), a combat logistics battalion, and a MEU headquarters group). The marine infantry regiments, combined with the marine artillery regiments, comprise the bulk of the marine divisions. An example of a MEB is Task Force Tarawa ( 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade ) during the Operation Iraqi Freedom campaign. In Myanmar, a rough equivalent of a Brigade
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#17328480460932530-666: A mobile form of military operation superseding trench warfare. At the Air Ministry, Wing Commander Richard Peck , the Deputy Director of the Directorate of Plans (1927 to 1930) pondered the use of aircraft to support mechanised army units making big outflanking manoeuvres, deep into the rear areas of the enemy army, "We cannot throw away this means to victory....". Bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and troop transports would participate; single-seat fighters would be of great value in pursuing
2645-566: A motorised infantry brigade and artillery to attack part of the Chetwode force. The infantry disembarked from their lorries 7–10 mi (11–16 km) from their jumping-off points and took too long to arrive. The cavalry horses, also carried on lorries, got mixed up with the infantry transport. On day 3, Chetwode sent his tank battalion on a 30 mi (48 km) outflanking manoeuvre but his infantry divisions failed to pin down Godley's units which were easily able to retreat. The exercises showed that
2760-489: A new generic brigade combat team (BCT) in which each brigade contains combat elements and their support units. After the 2013 reform , BCT personnel strength typically ranges from 4,400 personnel for infantry BCTs, to 4,500 personnel for Stryker BCTs, to 4,700 personnel for armoured BCTs. This formation is standard across the active U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve , and the Army National Guard . The brigade commander
2875-447: A particular brigade (as a "brigade group"). Historically, infantry or cavalry/armoured brigades have usually comprised three or four combat-arm battalions, but currently larger brigades are normal, made larger still when their affiliated artillery and engineer regiments are added. Until 1918, the chief of staff of a brigade was known as a brigade major . Before 1922, British Army brigades were normally commanded by general officers holding
2990-748: A regular commission with the 19th Hussars on 20 November 1889. Promoted to lieutenant on 6 August 1890, Chetwode first saw active service in the Chin Hills expedition in Burma from 1892 to 1893 and was promoted to captain on 7 February 1897. He served in the Second Boer War where he took part in the actions at Reitfontein in October 1899, Ladysmith in December 1899, Laing's Nek in June 1900 and Belfast in August 1900: he
3105-519: A retired officer, journalist and writer on military theory , advocated mechanised forces of all arms, able to carry out operations of war other than the all-out offensive. Major Giffard LeQuesne Martel , at the Experimental Bridging Establishment , a former staff officer to Fuller, designed armoured vehicles as a sideline and proposed that tanks should be subordinated to infantry formations, while many cavalry officers maintained that
3220-476: A self-contained headquarters and staff. The principal staff officer, usually a lieutenant colonel or colonel, may be designated chief of staff. Until the late 20th century British and similar armies called the position 'brigade-major' and most British brigades have a major as the chief of staff. Some brigades may also have a deputy commander. The headquarters has a nucleus of staff officers and support (clerks, assistants and drivers) that can vary in size depending on
3335-460: A severe constraint; gleaning food from the countryside was difficult for such fast-moving formations and their needs for fuel, ammunition and spare parts required a separate supply organisation. The British were the world leaders in tank design and the organisation and use of armoured forces. The Reichswehr in Germany had only a few covert prototype vehicles and had created little in writing about
3450-498: A single brigade-level command. The PLAGF distinguishes three distinct types of combined arms brigades: light (motorized), medium (mechanized), and heavy (armoured). These distinctive types are more indicative of the role of the organization within its parent unit than the composition and equipment which vary and overlap between types. A light combined arms brigade may be designed as an airborne , mountain , or amphibious combined arms brigade. A combined arms brigade typically comprises
3565-429: Is called a Tactical Operation Command. It's just a rough equivalent as a Tactical Operation Command has 3 Infantry Battalions under its command, there're no such Brigade troops or anything, instead those units such as Military Engineer, Signal, Medical and etc are supposed to be organic to the battalions (sometimes called Regiments). A Tactical Operation Command HQ only consist of 4 Officers and 4 Other Ranks. Theoritically,
Experimental Mechanized Force - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-474: Is first attested in England in the 17th century as a term for a larger military unit than the squadron or regiment. It was first adopted when armies began to consist of formations larger than a single regiment. Previously each regiment, battalion, cavalry squadron, or artillery battery operated somewhat independently, with its own field officer (i.e., colonel, lieutenant colonel, or major) or battery commander (usually
3795-567: Is known as the "Chetwode Motto" and is the motto of the officers passing out from the academy. Chetwode returned from India in May 1934. He was Constable of the Tower from 1943 to 1948 and also President of the Royal Geographical Society as well as the recipient of an Honorary DCL from Oxford University . He had been appointed a deputy lieutenant of Buckinghamshire on 6 March 1919. He
3910-464: Is usually a colonel, although a lieutenant colonel can be selected for brigade command in lieu of an available colonel. A typical tour of duty for this assignment is 24 to 36 months. Separate brigades, viz., brigades not permanently assigned to a division , were commanded by brigadier generals. A brigade commander has a headquarters and staff to assist them in commanding the brigade and its subordinate units. The typical staff includes: In addition,
4025-578: The introduction of a self-contained armoured formation of our field army... was one of the most important changes in the Army since 1918. Tanks and armoured vehicles were, capable of operations widely differing from the close support of infantry for which tanks were originally produced. The General Staff also wrote a "Forecast of the Opening Stages of a War with Germany" (1935) in which the First World War
4140-549: The 7th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Robert Collins ) and the administrative responsibilities connected with the garrison of Tidworth . In what became known as the Tidworth Affair, Fuller turned down the appointment and resigned from the Army, because the War Office refused to allot extra staff to assist him. Fuller believed he would be unable to devote himself to the force, its methods and tactics. Liddell Hart wrote an article in
4255-812: The Battle of Jerusalem in November 1917. After the War he held a series of senior military appointments including Adjutant-General to the Forces and then Commander in Chief Aldershot Command . He went on to be Chief of the General Staff in India in 1928 and Commander in Chief in India in 1930 and was much concerned with the modernisation and "Indianisation" of the army in India. Born
4370-670: The British entry into World War I . During the war, Chetwode served on the Western Front : his 5th Cavalry Brigade helped cover the retreat from the frontier, and checked the pursuing Germans at Cerizy on 29 August 1914. After taking part in the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914, he was appointed general officer commanding (GOC) 2nd Cavalry Division , and along with it came a temporary promotion to major-general on 15 July 1915 and to substantive major-general on 1 January 1916. With
4485-689: The Canadian Army has three Regular Force brigade groups, designated as Canadian mechanized brigade groups (CMBG): 1 CMBG , 2 CMBG , which contain the regular army's Anglophone units, and 5 CMBG , the regular Francophone formation. These CMBGs each comprise Co-located with each CMBG is a field ambulance , a tactical helicopter squadron, and a military police platoon. Regular Force CMBG's strengths are 5,000 personnel. Canada also has ten Primary Reserve brigades (Canadian brigade group, CBG), 31 CBG through 39 CBG, and 41 CBG. The CBG formations are for administrative purposes. On 1 January 1791, France replaced
4600-490: The Franco-German Brigade . There is also an airmobile brigade subordinated to the army aviation command. In peacetime, brigades serve primarily as force providers. The units deployed (battlegroups and task-forces) are battalion-size units provided by the regiments composing the brigades. In Indian army, a brigade consists of a HQ, three battalions along with supporting troops. It is commanded by an army officer of
4715-514: The Indian Military Academy is named after him. The credo of the academy, engraved on the entrance to the central hall, is a passage from his address delivered at the formal inauguration of the academy in 1932: The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time. This
Experimental Mechanized Force - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-627: The Maginot Line , bypass the line via Switzerland or the Low Countries . The General Staff concluded that the only real prospect for a quick German success was by invading through the Netherlands and Belgium . The General Staff wanted to dispatch the first echelon of the Field Force, comprising four infantry divisions and a mechanised mobile division. The troops were to arrive swiftly enough to prevent
4945-641: The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF), forces were designed around the division as the basic operational unit in a similar fashion to Soviet divisions, from which much of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is designed. In 2003, the United States Army pivoted from division-centric warfare to combined-arms-centric warfare in response to the U.S. War in Iraq creating the brigade combat team (BCT). The Russian Federation followed suit reorganizing their forces and doctrine to switch from division-centric warfare to
5060-493: The Western Front had been caused by the firepower of modern weapons and the superiority of defensive methods. At the start of the war, the Army had a machine-gun for every three hundred soldiers and by the end, one for every twenty men. The General Staff described the part played by tanks and aircraft in breaking the stalemate in late 1918 and called them the weapons of the future. Tanks could overcome barbed wire covered by small-arms fire; aircraft enabled an attacker to advance into
5175-556: The hinterland , beyond the zone covered by artillery. In Part II, the peacetime responsibilities of the Army and its extra-continental commitments were laid down, along with the organisation of the Territorial Army. Part III contained general conclusions. The General Staff had decided by the mid-30s that a horsed cavalry division would be useless in a continental war and that the importance of tank and other armoured formations could not be overestimated. Montgomery-Massingberd wrote that
5290-403: The infantry ) or battalion-sized units (in the cavalry ). A typical brigade may consist of approximately 5,500 personnel between two mechanised infantry battalions, an armoured regiment, an armoured artillery regiment, and other logistic and engineering units. The brigade is usually commanded by an officer holding the rank of brigadier, who is referred to as the "Brigade Commander". As of 2024 ,
5405-540: The 22 April edition of The Daily Telegraph alleging that the Army was reneging on its commitment to assemble an experimental force. The article galvanised the Army into action and a public commitment to the force. Collins, a light infantry man, was appointed to command the Experimental Force in April 1927. The Experimental Force was established on 1 May 1927 at Tidworth Camp on Salisbury Plain ; after unit training with
5520-445: The 7th Armoured Division. In 2014, John Plant wrote that the exercises in England had been unrealistic operations on Salisbury Plain or road-bound, with no obstructions from demolitions or anti-tank obstacles like minefields, broken bridges, rivers, defiles and ridges. With no need for engineers to overcome obstacles, there had been no need to gain control of an area with infantry. On 9 September 1935, Montgomery-Massingberd promulgated
5635-487: The ADGB squadrons were mobile and could move with an expeditionary force at once. It would only take two to three weeks to prepare the others, despite the mobile squadrons not being mobile and would not adequately be equipped for years. In spite of the claims by Trenchard to Milne, only the army co-operation squadrons took much notice of air support for ground forces. At the 1926 Imperial Conference , aircraft dived over moving tanks;
5750-576: The Allied forces in Palestine in June 1917, Chetwode was promoted to command of XX Corps . He led his corps to military success at the Battle of Beersheba in October 1917 and at the Battle of Jerusalem in November 1917. During the Sinai and Palestine campaign he was mentioned in despatches eight times. After the war, and following promotion to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 1 January 1919, Chetwode
5865-531: The Argentinian Army, the typical brigade comprises an HQ company, two or three battalions (called "regiments" for historical reasons) of the brigade's main branch (infantry or armoured cavalry), which give the brigade its denomination (mechanized, armoured, airborne, mountain or jungle), plus one battalion of the other branch, plus one or two artillery groups, an engineers battalion or company, a signals company, and intelligence company, an army aviation section and
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#17328480460935980-718: The British had much of the equipment necessary for mechanised and armoured warfare but not the theoretical framework to make them effective. The Secretary of State for War, Sir Laming Worthington-Evans announced in March 1926 the formation of an experimental all-arms force. In February 1926, General George Milne , the General Officer Commanding (GOC) Eastern Command became the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS). Milne
6095-758: The Germans from occupying all of the Low Countries. Depth would be provided for the air defence of Britain and British bombers would be able to fly from Continental bases. The British Army would "provide sufficient moral and material support to our Allies" to keep the Germans out of the western Netherlands and western Belgium. Attachments (occasional) Brigade Brigades formed into divisions are usually infantry or armored (sometimes referred to as combined arms brigades). In addition to combat units, they may include combat support units or sub-units, such as artillery and engineers, and logistic units. Historically, such brigades have been called brigade-groups. On operations,
6210-591: The Inspector of the Royal Tank Corps , Milne arranged for the formation of the Experimental Mechanized Force in May 1927. Milne was already inclined against the pure tank theorists and organised the force as a balanced, all-arms command, which amounted to a prototype armoured division, as far as resources allowed. Fuller was considered for appointment as commander of the force, combined with command of
6325-491: The JGSDF, with some of them formed from former divisions. A brigade in the JGSDF consists of 3,000–4,000 soldiers and is led by a major general . A brigade is under the command of a brigadier and comprises three or more battalions of different units depending on its functionality. An independent brigade would be one that primarily consists of an artillery unit, an infantry unit, an armour unit and logistics to support its actions. Such
6440-548: The RAF and experiment with the means to supply and maintain the force while moving 70 mi (110 km) a day or 150 mi (240 km) over three days and then conducting an attack. The Tank Brigade was composed of the 2nd , 3rd and 5th battalions of the Royal Tank Corps, each with Vickers medium tanks and tankettes. In May, a staff exercise was conducted to devise methods for deep operations behind an enemy's front line. The opponent had invaded friendly territory and
6555-737: The RAF army-support contribution. Trenchard insisted that it would not be wise to make promises that might not be called upon for twenty years; the Air Ministry did not possess the resources for a fifty-squadron Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB, created in 1925) and another fifty squadrons each for the army and the Royal Navy . RAF squadrons would have to be multi-purpose to be used as needs dictated. Milne could not base his plans on assumptions about RAF support that might not be forthcoming but Trenchard told Milne that RAF squadrons were trained for tactical and strategic operations. Trenchard said that ten of
6670-489: The Swedish brigades, French brigades at that time comprised two to five regiments of the same branch ( brigade de cavalerie, brigade d'infanterie etc.). The rank, intermediate between colonel and maréchal de camp , disappeared in 1788 and should not be confused with that of général de brigade , which is equivalent to a brigadier general. (A modern général de brigade is referred to occasionally as brigadier .) In
6785-491: The Tank Brigade was joined by the 7th Infantry Brigade , a brigade of motorised field artillery and supporting units, to make up the Mobile Force, opposed by a non-mechanised infantry division, a brigade of horsed cavalry and two armoured car units. In the autumn of 1934, Burnett-Stuart, now general officer commanding (GOC) Aldershot Command, judged the Mobile Force to have neglected supply and devised an exercise to challenge
6900-536: The advance. Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Hobart transferred to the Tank Corps in 1923 and became something of an armoured warfare theorist, anticipating that faster tanks, self-propelled guns and much more support from RAF bombers, would allow an advance to move beyond the range of artillery. Major-General George Lindsay had been in command of armoured cars in Iraq and seen the effect of air support, which left him with an interest in armoured operations. Lindsay thought that
7015-409: The army held its biggest exercise since 1914, part of which was to test new thinking on mechanised warfare. Three infantry divisions, one cavalry brigade and a tank battalion under the command of General Philip Chetwode exercised against an infantry division, two cavalry brigades and a tank brigade commanded by General Alexander Godley . On day 1, Godley formed a mobile force with the cavalry brigades,
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#17328480460937130-462: The canal crossings on day one, the Tank Brigade to cross that night and the plans for the raids to be decided later. The Mobile Force began its advance from Gloucester, west of the River Severn, to break through the defenders' positions at Hungerford . The infantry brigade made a 50 mi (80 km) night move across the front of the defenders and captured easily the crossings. The infantry brigade
7245-471: The capacity of an opposing air force to obstruct the advance of British tanks, an important feature of defensive battle. This put the emphasis on finding problems when the exercise could have concentrated on how friendly air support might speed a British advance. The army had control over the air co-operation squadrons and considered them to be a part of the armoured unit, adding to the work of the armoured car reconnaissance vehicles. Collins became apprehensive of
7360-534: The combat ready support contingent is also intended to complement the Heimevernet (translates as "Home Defense") which is a large reserve infantry force, as well as act in a support capacity for an international cooperation force (e.g. NATO) in case of an invasion. Brigades in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) are combined arms and are similar to divisions. There are eight brigades in
7475-453: The exercise 35 mi (56 km) apart, Westland Force having an objective to capture high ground near Andover against Eastland Force based at Micheldever . The Fast Group dodged Westland Force cavalry patrols, covered 40 mi (64 km) and captured bridges, which enabled the rest of Eastland Force to advance. Despite a few losses from air attack, the Fast Group armoured cars attacked
7590-508: The exercise, while the Hawker Woodcock fighters of 3 Squadron simulated strafing attacks. The RAF contingent proved to be of great value to motorised units blocked on roads and infantry pinned down by enemy fire; Collins was convinced of the value of low-level ground attack. Sceptics at the War Office doubted the realism of the exercise but other soldiers were enthused by the prospect of
7705-463: The exercise. Hobart had played down the rigging of the exercise to restore the morale of the un-mechanised troops because it was necessary and supported the umpires because, ...the Powers [sic] were confident that the morale of the Tank Brigade would be unbroken whatever they did. And [sic] I think they were justified in their confidence. Lindsay lost influence in mechanisation policy after the exercise; he
7820-483: The following organic units wherein the maneuver battalions vary between motorized , mechanized , or armoured depending on the type of CA-BDE. An NRA Brigade, 旅 ( lǚ ), was a military formation of the Chinese Republic 's National Revolutionary Army . Infantry and cavalry brigades comprised two infantry regiments. After the 1938 reforms, the brigade was dispensed with within the infantry division in favour of
7935-422: The force was tracked and there were no infantry or artillery. Hobart manoeuvred the brigade in a 10 by 10 mi (16 by 16 km) box formation which could make 8 mph (13 km/h) covering about 60 mi (97 km) a day and move somewhat more slowly at night. The brigade was so successful that the non-mechanised troops of Aldershot Command complained that they were being set up to fail . In September
8050-520: The force. Several objectives behind enemy lines near Amesbury were to be raided and the Mobile Force was to be ready to fight a battle after the raids. The exercise required a long approach march from an assembly area and the crossing of a defended obstacle, the Kennet and Avon Canal . The exercise was to begin at 2:00 a.m. on 19 September against the 1st Infantry Division (Major-General John Kennedy ), which left only four hours of darkness, insufficient for
8165-669: The framework for staff exercises and was a concise yet wide-ranging document which foreshadowed many of the features of armoured operations in the Second World War . Because equipment and tactics were in flux, officers were told to keep an open mind. The primer contained predictions on the composition, organisation and use of armoured forces. The manual comprised four short chapters on vehicles, organisation, operations and administration. Broad divided vehicles into armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), armoured troop carriers and soft-skinned carriers, supply vehicles and tractors. AFVs gave an attacker
8280-564: The guarantors to enforce the treaties and their language was deliberately vague. The size of the British Empire made it difficult for the Army to plan equipment and training, since it might have to fight in diverse terrains and climates needing different types of equipment and organisation. The Cardwell Reforms of 1868–1874 had linked the metropolitan army battalions with those on overseas service but this tended to reduce British-based units to training and reinforcement cadres. In September 1925
8395-568: The headquarters includes additional junior staff officers, non-commissioned officers , and enlisted support personnel in the occupational specialities of the staff sections; these personnel are ordinarily assigned to the brigade's headquarters and headquarters company . Functional brigades are those from the combat support or combat service support arms. In the United States Marine Corps , brigades are designated as marine expeditionary brigades (MEB) and are usually commanded by
8510-503: The horse still had a part to play on a modern battlefield, despite the evidence of Western Front in the First World War. During the early 1920s, Japan had been considered the most likely military threat to the British empire. Britain signed the Locarno Treaties in 1925 in accepting a responsibility with France, Germany and Belgium, militarily to intervene if one power attacked any of the others but no military forces were committed by
8625-610: The main arm on the battlefield. The General Staff produced a training memorandum in early 1928 which criticised poor co-ordination in the EMF and its failure to organise sufficient fire support before attacks. During the exercise, 7 Squadron flying Vickers Virginia and Vimy bombers and 11 Squadron with its single-engined Hawker Horsley bombers, participated briefly; the Horsleys were somewhat large aircraft for low-altitude bombing. The Bristol Fighters of 16 Squadron participated throughout
8740-436: The means to combine fire, manoeuvre and protection, were less vulnerable than conventional units to air attack and gas warfare; AFVs had a great "moral and material effect" on other arms. Broad cautioned that tanks and other armoured vehicles were dependent on supply from a base and limited in cross-country mobility. Static anti-tank guns would always be more powerful than tank-mounted guns and were more accurate than guns fired on
8855-548: The most clear-sighted member of the tank lobby, believing that the Tank Brigade should become part of an "all-arms mechanised division" and had devised the best scheme for its organisation. Harris wrote that the views of Lindsay were the reason for Montgomery-Massingberd deciding in October 1934 to form a mobile division. By late 1937 enough equipment had been produced to establish the Mobile Division , Based in Egypt, which evolved into
8970-418: The most powerful units in the army, conducting the most important attacks and providing infantry and cavalry support at times, provided that the commander engaged the armoured brigades under the "most favourable conditions". Five pages of the operations chapter described armoured brigades attacking independently; only half a page was devoted to attacks with the cooperation of infantry and cavalry. For an attack on
9085-516: The move to be completed before daybreak. Lindsay had no command staff and several members of the Tank Brigade and the 7th Infantry Brigade staffs were at odds. The first plan was for an advance on a wide front with mixed units of armoured cars, light tanks, motorised infantry and the Vickers Medium Tanks. The faster vehicles would arrive at the canal and seize crossings for the medium tanks to cross as they arrived. The raids would begin at dawn on
9200-462: The move, a frontal attack on prepared defences would court severe losses unless supported by covering fire. Medium tanks were the most powerful and best used to "destroy the enemy by fire or shock action". The chapter on the organisation of the army of the future described cavalry brigades or divisions, light armoured brigades or divisions, medium armoured brigades and infantry divisions which incorporated armoured units. Medium armoured brigades would be
9315-537: The new equipment that summer, training of the force as a unit began on 19 August. Milne needed to obtain a measure of co-operation from the RAF; Hugh Trenchard , Marshal of the Royal Air Force and professional head of the RAF, agreed that an expeditionary army of four to five divisions would need 25 to 30 RAF squadrons, far more than the eight squadrons promised in Air Staff Memorandum 25, which determined
9430-416: The next day; Hobart rejected plan because it required the division of the Tank Brigade into mixed columns. The Mobile Force planned a wide flank move at night, around rather than through the enemy, then a daytime lay-up for maintenance, followed by the raids on day three. Burnett-Stuart had doubts about the plan because of its supply implications and the plan was revised for the 7th Infantry Brigade to capture
9545-400: The numbers could start as high as 10,000 troops. The Soviet Union, its forerunners and successors, mostly uses "regiment" instead of brigade, and this was common in much of Europe until after World War II. A brigade's commander is commonly a major general , brigadier general , brigadier or colonel . In some armies, the commander is rated as a general officer . The brigade commander has
9660-572: The plan "The Future Reorganisation of the British Army" for the creation of armoured forces. Part I contained an analysis of the First World War, predicted the form of another war with Germany and specified how a Field Force should be organised, equipped and trained for continental warfare. The section drew on the Kirke Report (1932) into the lessons of the Great War, which found that the static warfare of
9775-423: The possibility that an opposing air force might prevent RAF air support or that the support was not forthcoming. Fighters could obtain air superiority to protect the ground force but the RAF could be elsewhere when it was needed, because of the independent status of the RAF. Air support that might or might not materialise could not form the basis of army planning and operations. On 25 January 1934, Massingberd issued
9890-585: The rank of Brigadier (Single star commander). The main core of the Norwegian Army is the Brigade Nord , consisting of eight battalions of which four are combat battalions (one infantry, one mechanized infantry, one artillery and one armored) and the rest are various types of support battalions. The brigade is intended to be combat ready at all times. The combat battalions have a significant portion of professional soldiers (specialists). The fairly large size of
10005-531: The rank of brigadier-general (equivalent to a "one-star" rank in the US Army); after that date, the brigade commander was an appointment for officers with the rank of brigadier, which were then classified as field officers not general officers. This is universally the case today. From 1859 to 1938, "brigade" ("brigade-division" 1885–1903) was also the term used for a battalion-sized unit of the Royal Artillery . This
10120-492: The regiment to simplify the command structure. Brigades, with a field not a regional administrative role, have usually been of a named type and numbered since the 19th century (e.g. cavalry brigade or infantry brigade). Since the end of World War II, brigade numbers have been unique and not by type. Brigades in divisions do not usually command their combat support and combat service support units. These remain under divisional command, although they may be permanently affiliated with
10235-495: The retreat of the Mobile Force most difficult. Despite the partiality of the umpires, the Mobile Force split up and managed to retreat, bypassing many of the obstacles. The Battle of Beresford Bridge was condemned by Liddell Hart in his 1959 publication The Tanks: The History of the Royal Tank Regiment and its Predecessors Heavy Branch Machine-Gun Corps Tank Corps & Royal Tank Corps 1914–1945 . Liddell Hart purported that
10350-399: The rules had been biased against the Mobile Force and claimed that its defeat had an unfortunate effect on the development of armoured forces and on Lindsay's career, who before this exercise had "trapped a larger force...by the boldness and skill by which he had manoeuvred his mobile elements". In 1995, J. P. Harris wrote that the favourable attitude of the General Staff had not been changed by
10465-551: The son of Sir George Chetwode, 6th Baronet , and Alice Jane Bass (daughter of Michael Thomas Bass the brewer), Chetwode was educated at Eton , where he was an athlete of some distinction, and entered the army through the militia with his first commission being in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry (later the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry ) on 11 April 1888. He then received
10580-529: The spectacular event was not a realistic exercise but recalled the co-operation during the First World War between the Army, its semi-independent Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) which had merged to form the RAF on 1 April 1918. In 1927, the EMF (Eastland Force) fought the 3rd Infantry Division (Major-General John Burnett-Stuart ) and a cavalry brigade (Westland Force), both sides having air support. The opponents began
10695-468: The type of brigade. On operations, additional specialist elements may be attached. The headquarters will usually have its own communications unit. In some gendarmerie forces, brigades are the basic-level organizational unit. Borrowed from the French cognate word brigade , the term originates from the Italian noun brigata , itself derived from the Italian verb brigare , to contend or fight. The word
10810-516: The use of battalion tactical groups (BTGs). Finally, the PLAGF, as part of a larger restructuring, underwent the so-called "brigade-ization" making PLAGF divisions a largely administrative echelon and moving forces into combined arms brigades (CA-BDE). Structured very similarly to U.S. Army BCTs, the PLAGF combined arms brigade places maneuver , artillery , air defense , reconnaissance , engineer and protection , and logistics and sustainment under
10925-558: The use of tanks. In the US, tank experiments had only begun and in the USSR, the Red Army had started to develop theories of deep operations but the best Soviet tanks were Vickers derivatives. In late 1933, the new CIGS, Field Marshal Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd , established permanently a Tank Brigade under the command of Percy Hobart. In February 1934 Massingberd desired to include a tank brigade and
11040-477: The value of ground–air co-operation. For two years the EMF participated in exercises which demonstrated the capabilities of mechanised forces against traditionally organised and trained infantry and cavalry . The force was controversial in the army and was disbanded in February 1929. The EMF and AF were followed by experiments with a Tank Brigade in 1931, which had three mixed battalions of medium and light tanks and
11155-467: The vanguard of the Westland Force column and pinned it down for attacks by aircraft at low altitude and a flank attack by the tanks. Eastland Force then camped overnight but Westland Force kept moving. Eastland Force armoured car and tankette reconnaissance parties spotted the move but lacking wireless communication, sent a despatch rider whose motorcycle broke down. Half of the Westland Force column
11270-683: The war of the future would be "the Mechanised force on the ground working with the Mechanised force in the air". Trafford Leigh-Mallory , commander of the School of Army Co-operation from 1927 to 1930, promoted the new thinking. Colonel J. F. C. Fuller , Chief of Staff of the Tank Corps during the First World War and Chief instructor at the Staff College, Camberley in the 1920s, proposed an all-tank force, which would operate independently against enemy headquarters and lines of communication. Basil Liddell Hart ,
11385-570: The war on the Western Front bogged down in trench warfare , Chetwode was lucky to be transferred to Palestine where he was given command of the Desert Column and promoted to temporary lieutenant general with effect from 22 November 1916. He led the corps at Rafa in January 1917 and at the First Battle of Gaza in March 1917. When General Sir Edmund Allenby , a fellow cavalryman, took command of
11500-448: The word "Regiment" that had been associated with the former Royal regime with the term "demi-brigade". France replaced its divisions with brigades in 1999 (so for example the 2nd Armored Division became the 2nd Armored Brigade). It was decided in 2016 to again form two divisions ( 1st and 3rd ) made up of four and three brigades for a total of seven brigades: two armored, two "intermediate", two light brigades (alpine and parachute) and
11615-483: Was a senior British Army officer . He saw action during the Second Boer War , during which he was present at the Siege of Ladysmith in December 1899. He saw action again during World War I on the Western Front , taking part in the First Battle of Ypres , and then in the Sinai and Palestine campaign during which he led his corps at the First Battle of Gaza in March 1917, at the Battle of Beersheba in October 1917 and
11730-449: Was appointed to a number of senior military appointments serving as Military Secretary from 1919, Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff from October 1920, Adjutant-General to the Forces from September 1922 and Commander in Chief Aldershot Command from early 1923. He was promoted to full general on 1 June 1926. Chetwode became Chief of the General Staff in India in 1928 and Commander-in-Chief, India , in November 1930. He
11845-504: Was because, unlike infantry battalions and cavalry regiments, which were organic, artillery units consisted of individually numbered batteries that were "brigaded" together. The commanding officer of such a brigade was a lieutenant colonel . In 1938, the Royal Artillery adopted the term "regiment" for this size of unit, and "brigade" became used in its normal sense, particularly for groups of anti-aircraft artillery regiments commanded by
11960-407: Was bombed while waiting for the Tank Brigade to move during the night. When the tanks arrived, the element of surprise was gone and the Mobile Force faced powerful opposition. During the afternoon of 20 September, umpires judged that the Mobile Force was compelled to retire by air attack; Kennedy sent out armoured cars and his cavalry sortied to the north, planting mines and blocking roads, which made
12075-402: Was considered to have left European states certain that a long war would be calamitous, even for the winning side. Germany was thought to be making "strenuous endeavours" to fight quick wars by mobile operations. The French were thought to have planned a defensive strategy for the beginning of a war and that the Germans could attack with a small, élite mobile force against a small portion of
12190-454: Was established, with three battalions of mixed medium and light tanks and a battalion of Carden-Loyd machine-gun carriers, operating as light tanks for reconnaissance but with no supporting arms. Colonel Charles Broad commanded the brigade and concentrated on improving command by using flag signals and radio sets fitted to company and command vehicles. After two weeks the Army Council witnessed
12305-456: Was found that the tanks were still very vulnerable to bogging down ("sensitive to ground"); the force was split up for smaller exercises. Milne wanted a year's interval, due to the lack of light tanks and tankettes, necessary for an experimental brigade comprising a battalion of light tanks and tankettes with three battalions of infantry. In the period 1930 to 1931, Milne intended to establish a permanent Armoured Brigade. An experimental Tank Brigade
12420-476: Was indecisive; limited objective attacks, under an umbrella of massed artillery-fire, could succeed but only at the cost of unlimited duration. In 1918, fighter-bombers had been attached to the Tank Corps and bombed and machine-gunned positions blocking the advance. The weight of air attack had not been sufficient to overcome German resistance and the Tank Corps had still needed to pause until artillery caught up with
12535-432: Was judged to have failed and was humiliated by Burnett-Stuart at the debriefing after the exercise. Despite retaining the confidence of Montgomery-Massingberd, Lindsay's reputation was irreparably damaged. Lindsay had not been helped by Hobart being awkward at times, at one point almost refusing to continue because the exercise had become so farcical, yet Burnett-Stuart praised him. Harris wrote that by 1933, Lindsay had become
12650-492: Was over the River Avon before Collins received the information. Part of Westland Force reached the objective on the next day, winning the contest, albeit surrounded and under counter-attack by Eastland Force. After the exercise, Collins discussed the difficulties encountered by the EMF and its vulnerability to anti-tank guns and artillery. Burnett-Stuart said that the tank should no longer be considered an infantry-support weapon but
12765-458: Was promoted to field marshal on 13 February 1933. In his tenure as Commander-in-Chief, India, Chetwode was an opponent of replacing horses with tanks; he "made the surprising pronouncement that the Army in India would be unlikely to adopt tanks for a very long time, and then only to keep up the momentum of horsed cavalry." He was much concerned with the modernisation and "Indianisation" of the army in India. The main building and its central hall at
12880-605: Was promoted to lieutenant colonel on appointment as commanding officer of the 19th Hussars. Having been placed on half-pay list from 3 January 1912, he was promoted to colonel on 1 April 1912 and appointed Commander of the London Mounted Brigade . During the Curragh incident in March 1914 Chetwode was offered command of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade when Brigadier General Hubert Gough threatened to resign. He knew that he would be "looked upon by all his brother officers as
12995-476: Was suspicious of German intentions, circulated reports on German military potential and began to plan an army capable of resisting German aggression, despite post-war cuts in the Army Estimates. Continental warfare would need expensive equipment of little use in other parts of the world, where British commitments had increased since 1914. Following vacillation by the War Office and pressure from Fuller and Lindsay,
13110-472: Was thought incapable of keeping up. When the brigade began to train as a unit, each medium company had an HQ section of four medium tanks and three mixed companies with a command tank, a section of seven tankettes or light tanks, one section of five medium tanks and a section of two tanks for close support, theoretically carrying guns capable of firing high explosive shells; no tanks were armed like this and Vickers medium tanks were substituted instead. Nearly all
13225-760: Was twice mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order . Promoted to major on 21 December 1901, he stayed in South Africa until the end of hostilities. The war ended with the Peace of Vereeniging in late May 1902, and the following month Chetwode returned home in the SS Tagus , arriving at Southampton in July. He succeeded as 7th Baronet in 1905. In 1906, Chetwode became assistant military secretary to Sir John French and on 3 January 1908 he
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