Can anyone confirm which of the following Squadron tank distributions is correct for 1 R/T/R at 23/10/42 please? October 1942 either A Honey, B Grant, C Grant. Or A Cru II, B Grant, C Sherman
A Honey, B Grant, C Grant This tallies with the few references in Delaforce's Battles With Panzers to 'the two Grant squadrons' and A Sqn losing Stuarts. The Sherman/Grant/Crusader mix dates from early 1943.
David while the 300 Shermans were promised by FDR to Churchill on the surrender of Tobruk - not all of them made it to El Alamein on time as many were still in the shops awaiting better filters - engines et al - and so most Tank battalions were a mix of all of the above - with six Churchills being in action - the first since Dieppe - then later in the March '43 two brigades of Churchills landed in North Africa but by that time many more Shermans had been delivered. Cheers
At El Alamein the 1st Royal Tank Regiment had 24 Grants in ‘A’ and ‘B’ Squadrons and 19 Stuarts in ‘C’ Squadron.
