Guards Support Group (United Kingdom)

Guards Support Group
Guards Armoured Division's formation sign
Active	15 September 1941–1 June 1942
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Armoured Support
Size	Brigade
Part of	Guards Armoured Division

The Guards Support Group was a brigade size formation within the British Guards Armoured Division. The Support Group (or "pivot group") provided whatever support the division's armoured brigades needed for the operation in hand. It was able to provide motorised infantry, field artillery, anti-tank artillery or light anti-aircraft artillery as needed. It was formed in 1941 by the conversion of the 7th Infantry Brigade (Guards) which had served in the Battle of France, and disbanded in 1942 (prior to seeing any active service) when it was converted into Headquarters, Royal Artillery, for Guards Armoured Division.^[1]

The following officers commanded the support group during its existence:^[1]

• 15 September 1941 – 10 October 1941 Brigadier A. de L. Cazenove
• 10 October 1941 – 31 May 1942 Brigadier L. C. Manners-Smith

• 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards
• 153rd (Leicestershire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – from 10 October 1941
• 21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery – from 10 October 1941
• 94th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery – from 27 January 1942

• List of British brigades of the Second World War

• Boscawen, Robert. Armoured Guardsmen: A War Diary, June 1944 – April 1945. Barnsley, England: Pen & Sword, 2001.
• Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
• Sanders, J, British Guards Armoured Division 1941-1945, Osprey Vanguard, 1979