The 11th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army which was created in March 1941 during the Second World War. The division was formed in response to the unanticipated success of the German panzer divisions. The 11th Armoured was responsible for several major victories in the Battle of Normandy from in the summer of 1944, shortly after the Normandy landings, and it participated in the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine, the Rhine crossing in March 1945. It was disbanded in January 1946 and reformed towards the end of 1950. In 1956, it was converted into the 4th Infantry Division.
Valentine tanks of the 11th Armoured Division gather near a church during an exercise in Northern Command, 16 October 1941.
King George VI inspects Crusader tanks of the 11th Armoured Division in January 1943.
An ammunition carrier of the 11th Armoured Division explodes after being hit by a mortar round during Operation Epsom on 26 June 1944.
Challenger tanks of 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, passing through Flers on 17 August 1944
Major-General George Philip Bradley Roberts,, better known as "Pip", was a senior officer of the British Army who served with distinction during the Second World War, most notably as General Officer Commanding of the 11th Armoured Division throughout the campaign in Northwestern Europe from June 1944 until Victory in Europe Day (VE-Day) in May 1945. Roberts, in the words of Richard Mead, "possessed strong leadership, an instinctive tactical flair and the intellectual appreciation of what was needed to succeed, becoming as a result the outstanding British armoured commander of the War."
Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery, the new commander of the British Eighth Army, and Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks, the new GOC XIII Corps, discussing troop dispositions at 22nd Armoured Brigade HQ, 20 August 1942. The brigade commander, Brigadier "Pip" Roberts is on the right (in beret).
Major-General "Pip" Roberts (right) with Brigadier C. B. C. "Roscoe" Harvey, commanding the 29th Armoured Brigade, Normandy, 15 August 1944.
Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery poses for a group photograph with members of his staff, along with his corps and division commanders, at Walbeck, Germany, 22 March 1945. Pictured sitting on the floor, second from the left, is Major-General "Pip" Roberts.