During the latter battle its single infantry brigade was augmented by a second, which was raised using reinforcements and units serving in other roles. Among them was the 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards–1st Canadian Division's armoured reconnaissance regiment. As with other Allied armoured divisions in the Mediterranean, local resources were used to establish an additional infantry brigade, the 12th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Based on the colour of its shoulder patch, the division became known as the "Mighty Maroon Machine". In January 1945, the division, together with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, as part of Operation Goldflake, moved by truck, train, and naval transport to Belgium via Livorno and Marseille. After arriving on the Western Front, it disbanded the 12th Brigade, and re-equipped to join the First Canadian Army in time to participate in the final advance into Germany. In April 1945, the Irish Regiment of Canada was assigned to Operation Cleanser in the Netherlands. They had to liberate the route from Arnhem to Harderwijk. This unexpectedly resulted in a fierce fight at the Battle of Otterlo. Commanding officers Jun 1941 to Jan 1943 Major-General Ernest William Sansom Jan 1943 to Oct 1943 Major-General Charles Ramsay Stirling Stein Oct 1943 to Jan 1944 Major-General Guy Simonds Jan 1944 to Mar 1944 Major-General E. L. M. Burns Mar 1944 to Jun 1945 Major-General Bert Hoffmeister Organization until July 1944 and after March 1945 5th Armoured Brigade 2nd Armoured Regiment (Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)) 5th Armoured Regiment (8th Princess Louise's (New Brunswick) Hussars) 9th Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Dragoons) 1st Battalion, The Westminster Regiment (Motor) 11th Infantry Brigade 11th Independent Machine Gun Company (The Princess Louise Fusiliers) 1st Battalion, The Perth Regiment 1st Battalion, The Cape Breton Highlanders 1st Battalion, The Irish Regiment of Canada 3rd Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The Governor General's Horse Guards) 11th Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots) Other units 17th Field Regiment, RCA 8th Field Regiment (Self-Propelled), RCA 4th Anti-tank Regiment, RCA 5th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA "G" Squadron, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment) 5th Canadian Armoured Division Engineers 1st Field Squadron, RCE 10th Field Squadron, RCE 4th Field Park Squadron, RCE 5th Canadian Armoured Division Bridge Troop, RCE 5th Canadian Armoured Divisional Signals, RCSigs No. 5 Provost Company, Canadian Provost Corps Organization July 1944 until March 1945 5th Canadian Armoured Brigade 2nd Armoured Regiment (Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)) 5th Armoured Regiment (8th