| 6th Airlanding Brigade | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:2nd_Ox_and_Bucks.jpg) Men of the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, part of the 6th Airlanding Brigade, in Normandy, June 1944. | |
| Active | 1943–1946 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Glider infantry |
| Role | Airborne forces[nb 1] |
| Size | Brigade, 3,500 men |
| Part of | 6th Airborne Division |
| Nickname(s) | Red Devils [nb 2] |
| Engagements | Invasion of Normandy Operation Mallard Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity Palestine |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Hugh Kindersley |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem of the British airborne forces | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:British_Airborne_Units.png) |
The 6th Airlanding Brigade was an airborne infantry brigade of the British Army during the Second World War. Created during May 1943, the brigade was composed of three glider infantry battalions and supporting units, and was assigned to the 6th Airborne Division, alongside the 3rd and 5th Parachute Brigades.
During the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944, the brigade took part in Operation Mallard, holding the southern flank of the Normandy bridgehead over the River Orne. In August 1944, during the final stages of the Battle of Normandy, along with the rest of the 6th Airborne Division, the brigade took part in the advance to the River Seine. Withdrawn to England in September, the brigade, with the rest of the division, returned to mainland Europe in December to counter the German Army's surprise offensive in the Ardennes, better known as the Battle of the Bulge. Their final airborne mission of the war was Operation Varsity in March 1945, an airborne assault crossing of the Rhine, after which they advanced through Germany, reaching the Baltic Sea at Wismar by the end of the war.
The brigade was withdrawn from Germany at the end of May 1945 and was sent to Palestine with the rest of the division to provide internal security. Following the arrival of the 1st Parachute Brigade, however, the 6th Airlanding Brigade was no longer needed there and was returned to normal infantry duties, and renamed the 31st Independent Infantry Brigade.
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