Berlin Infantry Brigade

History of the British Forces in Berlin

The 7^th Armor Division (Desert Rats) and 1^st Grenadier Guards entered Berlin on the 4th of July, 1945.
From 1945 until 1954 the British HQ was located in the Lancaster House in the district of Wilmersdorf. It was then moved to the compound at the olympic stadium in Charlottenburg.
The core of the British Brigade was made up by three infantry battalions and one armored squadron. The infantry battalions rotated every two years the armored squadron XXX years.

The first british plane landed on Gatow Airfield on July 2nd, 1945. On August 1st it officially became Royal Air Force Gatow. During the Potsdam conference the Gatow area was traded with the soviets which in turn received the airport Staaken-Dallgow.
In 1947 a concrete landing strip was built.

Here you can find a detailed listing of the units stationed in Berlin.

Or see an overview of this website.