Royal Hampshire Regiment - History - World War II - The 128th Infantry Brigade

The 128th Infantry Brigade

The 128th Infantry Brigade – The Hampshire Brigade.

• The Hampshire Regiment had a number of Territorial Army battalions, whose ranks were swelled throughout 1939. During 1939 the 5/7th Battalion was split into the 5th Battalion and the 7th Battalion, and the 4th Battalion was split into the 1/4th Battalion and the 2/4th Battalion.

• The 1/4th, 2/4th and 5th Battalions were formed into the 128th Infantry Brigade (the “Hampshire Brigade”), part of 43rd (“Wessex” Division).

• 6 January 1943 the 128th Infantry Brigade left Britain as part of 46th Infantry Division, for North Africa, as part of “Operation Torch”. The Brigade disembarked at Algiers on 17 January, moving to Bone where it remained until the end of January, when the Brigade moved to Hunts Gap. The 5th Battalion was sent 12 miles further ahead to Sidi Nsir.

• 26 February, the 5th Battalion at Sidi Nsir was attacked in overwhelming strength as the Germans began Operation “Ox Head”, a Corps level assault by German Paratroopers, elements of 10th Panzer Division and 501st Heavy Tank brigade. The 5th Battalion was supported by 155th Battery Royal Artillery, and during the day the unrelenting German assault knocked out all the guns, whose crew had stood and died serving their guns, firing over open sights at the German tanks. Only 9 gunners survived. At 5pm ‘B’ Company of the 5th Battalion, reduced to 30 men, was overrun. At dusk the Battalion considered its position untenable, and it withdrew to a feature known as “Hampshire Farm”. Of the 4 Rifle Companies, only ‘C’ Company less 1 platoon, and 30 men of ‘D’ company, remained.

• 27 February the Hampshire Brigade was attacked at Hunts Gap. 2/4th was the main Battalion engaged, with 1/4th Battalion in support. The 2/5th Leicester Battalion was attached to the Brigade as well. The situation was so precarious that the Hampshire 2nd Battalion, still training its new recruits, was put into the line alongside 1/4th Battalion. The Brigade was supported by plenty of artillery and the Churchill tanks of the North Irish Horse. Extensive minefields and heavy dive bombing kept the German tanks at bay. On 28 February a pre-dawn attack penetrated the 2/4th Battalion’s ‘B’ company positions, but heroic resistance and the tanks of the North Irish Horse kept the Germans at bay until dusk, when ‘B’ company was overrun. ‘C’ company was overrun by German infantry. On 1 March the German attacked again, and ‘D’ company was overrun, but 2/4th Battalion hung on to their remaining positions. On 2 March the Germans withdrew, and on 5 March the 2/4th Battalion was relieved by the Argylls. The 2/4th Battalion had suffered 243 men killed or missing.

• During March the Brigade was engaged on defensive patrolling, under heavy shelling. 1/4th Battalion lost 100 casualties during March, but 5th Battalion received 5 Officers and 150 men as replacements. On 5 April the Brigade handed over their positions and moved 100 miles south to El Ala. The Brigade subsequently captured the Fondouk Gap, allowing the British 6th Armoured Division to pass through and debouche onto the Kairouan Plain.

• 22 April 1943 the 128th Infantry Brigade attacked Bou Arada. The 16th Durham Light Infantry Battalion was added to the Brigade for the attack. Five Field Regiments and two Medium Regiments of the Royal Artillery supported the Brigade. Early progress was good, but when the mist cleared all four battalions were caught in the open under heavy fire, and losses mounted. The rifle companies of 1/4th Battalion only had 3 Officers and 80 men left between them. The 2/4th Battalion had to reorganise onto a three-company basis.

• 13 May 1943 Tunis fell and the North African campaign was over. 128th Infantry Brigade was reconstituted to consist of 2nd Battalion, 1/4th Battalion and 5th Battalion. The 2/4th Battalion was split into two to form two Defence Units of two Beach Groups. Their role was to protect the maintenance area of a Beach Group when it made a landing where no port was available.

• 9 September 1943 the 128th Infantry Brigade was one of three British brigades that made an assault landing at Salerno in Italy as part of X Corps. The landing was opposed by shore batteries firing shrapnel, and the beaches were raked by machine gun fire. 2nd Battalion and 1/4th Battalion made steady progress, but 5th Battalion had been landed in the wrong place and suffered heavily. A German counter-attack overran ‘B’ company and the Battalion HQ of 5th Battalion. The 5th Battalion lost 40 men killed, but over 300 were wounded or taken prisoner. On 12 September the Germans started a general assault against the Salerno bridgehead, which made good progress, the US VI Corps were almost driven into the sea. However, the arrival of US paratroops and the British 7th Armoured Division turned the tide. 128th Brigade was in the hills above Salerno, and the fighting was hard, but on 20 September the Germans began to withdraw northwards, and the pressure eased. All three Battalion had suffered – 2nd Battalion suffered 304 casualties, 1/4th Battalion suffered 159 casualties and the 5th Battalion suffered 29 Officer and over 400 Other Rank casualties.

• 8 October 1943 the 128th Brigade, part of the X Corps, moved up to the River Volturno, behind which the Germans had withdrawn. On 10 October the 1/4th Battalion captured the town of Castel Volturno, alongside the river, and on 12 October the 1/4th made a night assault across the river, establishing a small bridgehead. The 2nd and 5th Battalions moved across the river in support, but the entire Brigade was soon engaged in a stiff fire-fight. The Brigade advanced some 2,500 yards, and then dug in behind a canal as the Germans bought up tanks. The Brigade remained in the low-lying, swampy, mosquito-ridden land between the river and the canal until the Germans withdrew due to a breakthrough elsewhere. The Brigade then advanced along Route 7, meeting little resistance. The Hampshire Brigade was then taken out of the line for R&R.

• 27 November 1943 the Hampshire Brigade moved up to the River Garigliano. It was relieved on 11 January, and moved back to the River Volturno. They were selected as the Assault Brigade of 46th Division, and trained in river crossings.

• 19 January 1944 the Hampshire Brigade made a night assault across the swift flowing River Garigliano. The brigade had severe problems getting the boats through the minefields down to the river, and in the darkness confusion reigned. Only a few men managed to get across, and these were withdrawn at daylight.

• 23 January 1944 the Hampshire Brigade assaulted Monte Damiano, a bare, razor-backed feature, already strewn with British dead from 56th Division. The assault was made by the 1/4th and 2nd Battalions in daylight, and immediately came under heavy mortar and machine-gun fire. The attack was made with great dash, but it failed, with heavy casualties.

• 1 February 1944 5th Battalion was put under the command of 138 Brigade to assault Mounts Ornito and Cerasola. The assault met little opposition, although the Germans put in spirited counter-attacks on Mount Ornito, which were all driven off. However, as the days passed the casualties mounted from heavy shelling; the bare rock made cover difficult. In eight days the 5th Battalion suffered 200 casualties. Supply was particularly difficult, as supplies had to be carried up by mules and porters for 3 to 4 hours from the nearest road. On 7 February, the 5th Battalion attacked Mount Cerasola, a successful assault. On 10 February, the 5th Battalion was relieved.

• 28 February the Hampshire Brigade was relieved. It moved south to Naples and on 16 March they sailed for Egypt, and subsequently moved to Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and back to Egypt. All battalions were brought up to strength, largely from gunners from disbanded Middle-East AA units. On 27 June the Brigade sailed from Alexandria, and subsequently landed in Taranto. The move north through Italy was at an easy pace.

• 25 August 1944 the Hampshire Brigade started its assault on the “Gothic Line”, a line of German defences across the Etruscan Apennines. The Hampshire brigade, with the North Irish Horse under command, led the 46th Division’s assault (along with the Divisional Reconnaissance Regiment). The brigade’s first target was to cross the River Metauro and take Monte Bartolo. The assault went to plan against little opposition, and Mount Bartolo was captured by the morning of 29 August. The Brigade had marched 25 miles to cover 12 miles as the crow flies, and climbed 1,500 feet. Only the 1/4th Battalion had come across serious opposition, engaging in heavy fighting around Montegaudio.

• 30 August 1944 the Hampshire Brigade assaulted the Gothic Line proper, crossing the River Foglia and assaulting Monte Gridolfo. This was heavily defended, with all cover cleared from its bare slopes. Nevertheless the 2nd Battalion assaulted them with great vigour, and by dawn on 31 August they had captured the first crest. The 1/4th Battalion passed through, driving deeper into Gothic Line. During this assault, Lt Norton won the Victoria Cross. On 1 September, the 5th Battalion took the lead, and by 2 September had captured Meleto. The Gothic Line had been breached. A fighting advance continued northwards. On 5 September the Brigade was relieved, and sent to the rear for rest, but they were back in the line by 11 September.

• 14 September 1944 the Hampshire Brigade began an assault on Montescudo. Montescudo was defended by the German 100th Mountain Regiment, and they put up a desperate resistance. Other elements of the Brigade assaulted Trarivi, which was captured by 16 September. On 18 September, the Brigade was relieved. All three battalions were short of men, even after reinforcements were received from 1st Bn The Buffs.

• 28 September 1944 the Brigade crossed the River Fiumicino, and then the Rubicon. The weather was atrocious, and movement was slowed by deep mud, and supply was difficult. Fighting continued until 9 October. A steady advance was made, and by 12 November the River Montone was crossed; on 26 November the River Lamone was reached. This was crossed on 3 December in the face of stiff opposition, and by 6 December the Brigade had captured Casa Nova. The Brigade was relieved the following day, and moved well to the rear. From 24 August (when the Brigade moved up to the Gothic Line) to 7 December when they were relieved, the Hampshire Brigade had suffered 1,276 casualties.

• 13 January 1945 the 2nd Battalion and the 5th Battalion embarked from Taranto and disembarked in Piraeus, Greece, two days later. 1/4th Battalion arrived on 22 January. The Brigade (now known as “Tigerforce”) split its battalions, and set about disarming the E.L.A.S army. The troops were welcomed everywhere, and there was no fighting.

• 5 April 1945 the Brigade began to return to Italy. By 1 May the Brigade was back in the line around Forlimpopoli; but the war ended before the Brigade was in action again.