Commemoration Piron Brigade

To celebrate the 80^th anniversary of the liberation four vehicles that enabled the Piron Brigade’s incredible adventure are returning to Normandy. They were restored in the Bastogne Barracks (War Heritage Institute) workshops and are also usually safeguarded there. They are now making exceptional stopovers in iconic places that marked the Brigade’s history and are following the scheduled commemorations and parades!

An incredible column will be passing through Normandy at the end of this month: for one of the first times since the landing, our Daimler Armoured Car, Daimler Dingo scout car, Scammell Pioneer and White M3A1 Scout Car will pop up in the west of France! They will follow part of the Piron Brigade’s original route along the Côte Fleurie and stop in various towns and villages to pay tribute to those who gave their lives for the liberation.

Piron Brigade equipment, preserved and restored at Bastogne Barracks.

1. Daimler Armoured Car. | The Daimler Armoured Car is an armoured vehicle of British origin. This vehicle is deployed by the scout groups of the Piron Brigade. Armed with a 40 mm cannon, a Besa machine gun and a Bren light machine gun, the Daimler is an effective scout vehicle and escort car for convoys. Click here to read more

2. Daimler Dingo Scout Car. | The Daimler Scout Car, nicknamed 'Dingo' , is a fast vehicle that can retreat quickly in the event of danger. First used in 1940, the Dingo was frequently used during the Battle of Normandy as a scoutvehicle for the Allies. Click here to read more

3. Scammel Pioneer. | The Scammel Pioneer has impressive pulling power and was originally designed for the oil and forestry industries. During World War II, the vehicle was used as an artillery tractor and heavy tank transporter (Pioneer version), as well as a heavy salvage vehicle (SV Breakdown version). Click here to read more

4. White M3A1 Scout Car. | The M3A1 Scout Car, built by White, is an American armoured scout vehicle. The US Army abandoned the vehicle after the North African campaign because of its limited performance on rough terrain and gave it to the Allied armies, especially the British and Soviets. Thus, the Piron Brigade came into possession of several examples of this vehicle. Click here to read more

A bit of history

On 10 May 1940 Germany invades Belgium. On 16 May an official Belgian military regrouping camp is established in Tenby, on the south coast of Wales: under the command of Lieutenant-General Victor van Strydonck de Burkel, Belgian officers and soldiers want to continue the fight against the invader. While pilots and sailors have already actively engaged, the men in Tenby make arrangements: equipment, logistics, housing, welcoming of newcomers, training of soldiers, etc.

The Belgian combat unit and the Belgian Armed Forces headquarters in Great Britain are officially established on 12 August 1940. In February 1941 the Belgian army is reorganised into a three-company Fusiliers battalion, an artillery battery, a reinforcement and training company, a depot, a sickbay, a war council, and a chaplaincy, all under the authority of a general staff tactically attached to an English brigade. This new Belgian army later becomes the Piron Brigade and distinguishes itself during battles in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Creation of the Piron Brigade

In December 1942 the Belgian army’s chain of command and organisation in Great Britain are changed and everything is placed under the command of Major Jean-Baptiste Piron. In January 1943 Piron founds the First Belgian Independent Group. The 1^st battalion of Fusiliers is disbanded and reorganised; a group consisting of 3 independent motorised units is established. In addition to these three units, the Piron Brigade counts a general staff, an armoured cars squadron, an artillery battery, an engineering company, a medical unit and a train brigade. A second group serves as a training centre. Later, a third group for liaison officers with the allied armies is founded.

The year 1943 and the beginning of 1944 are used to turn the Belgian group into a formidable, cohesive and flexible combat unit, operating independently with its own service, engineering, artillery and reconnaissance units. By the end of July 1944 Piron’s unit, 2,200 strong, reaches an absolute performance level and is ready to take action.

The Piron Brigade in Normandy

The Piron Brigade is mobilised in mid-May 1944, but does not take part in the first phase of the landing. At the beginning of August, 2,200 men and almost 500 vehicles go to shore in the artificial harbour of Arromanches (Mulberry B) and on the beach of Courseulles. The Brigade is placed under the command of the British 6^th Airborne Division.

Operation Paddle begins on 17 August. The objective: the liberation of Normandy. Colonel Piron’s men attack Franceville. Four days later they enter Cabourg. While the engineers repair the bridges, the motorised units rush towards Houlgate and Auberville. On 22 August the Piron Brigade liberates Villers-sur-Mer and Deauville, Le Touquet the next day and then Honfleur on 25 August.

When the 6^th Airborne Division is called back to England, the Brigade is attached to the British 49^th Division and performs sweeps along the Seine. On 1 September the Belgians arrive at Le Havre, where they coupled to the British 2^nd Army to liberate Arras. Two days later the Piron Brigade finally leaves Normandy to accompany the Guards Armoured Division and liberate Brussels.

The Piron Brigade in Belgium

On 3 September 1944 the Piron Brigade accompanies the Guards Armoured Division to liberate Brussels. The division advances slowly, and the objective is in sight in the afternoon.

At 4:36 pm, the Brigade crosses the Belgian border at Rongy. It then heads for Ath and Enghien, where it has to deal with a German rearguard. The Belgians eventually enter Brussels the next day, on 4 September at around 3:00 pm. However, Lt.-Gen. Roger Dewandre, then a lieutenant, states he entered Brussels for the first time on the evening of 3 September, at the head of a small vanguard of the 1^st Belgian Squadron, aboard his Daimler Mk.II armoured car. The Belgians are welcomed by a cheerful city and enjoy a few well-deserved days of rest.

On 11 September the Brigade supports the attack of the 8^th Armoured Brigade on the Albert Canal. The unit distinguishes itself by capturing Leopoldsburg and liberating some hundred political prisoners. Later, while Operation Market Garden (which fails in Arnhem) is being conducted, the Belgians march on Bree. They capture the area between the Meuse-Scheldt Canal and the Meuse and take up positions along the Wessem Canal. For 46 days they hold a 20-kilometre front, constantly threatened by German patrols. On 17 November the unit leaves the front to reorganise and constitute a new full brigade.

At the end of November 1944 the Piron Brigade is reorganised and renamed Liberation Brigade. It participates in the liberation of the Netherlands and the occupation of Germany at the end of the war. On 1 August 1946 the unit’s second battalion, the original battalion, is given the name of Liberation Battalion. This battalion honours both the history and the traditions of the Piron Brigade.