103 Coast Observer R.A (Ouistreham, Normandy)

Can anyone tell me more about this unit, although searching for many hours, I am still yet to pin point anything, his citation confirms he was serving in Ouistreham 5 days after the D Day landings.
Was this unit attatchted to any special forces, or just a standard Royal Artillery unit?

Regards
Scott

1542477 SGT T.M.RENWICK RA

MM LG 29/3/45:
During the period 11 June to 18 August 1944 the above mentioned NCO was i/c 103 Coast Observer Detachment, R.A. His Radar was sited at Ouistreham with enemy positions within 1000 yards range on the East bank of the River Orne, the set was constantly shelled by the enemy and on several occasions fragments of HE passed through the set when in operation. Sergeant Renwick was wounded in the leg on the 19 June and admitted to hospital, but refused to be evacuated to the UK. He returned to duty and although having to walk with the aid of a stick insisted in carrying out his duties. He maintained the morale of the detachment, under very trying conditions and heavy shell fire, by his cheerfulness and devotion to duty. .

 

I can only find a diary for May which may explain why you are struggling.

WO 166/14944 103 Detachment 1944 May

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Well, a 'detachment' with an NCO i/c is clearly not a 'unit' in the usual sense. That said there must have been some parent unit organisation. Perhaps part of a Beach Group? It was obviously a coast defence role, probably on the look out for marauding E boats at night. The question is were they the only detachment or were there others with a similar role, possibly not because the concern may have been E boats slipping down the coastline so for UK it was only on the East flank of the invasion beaches. If there were others then there would probably have been a proper unit with at least an OC.

 

I have been looking at this question, thinking about it and scanning through my 10,000 pages of documents relating to Sword beach and Ouistreham. I have not been able to identify this unit.

There were naval radars, RAF radars and army AA radars but no mention of coastal radar.

However many of he coastal radar sections in the UK were withdrawn from coastal duties and retrained, using the same equipment, for counter mortar and counter battery roles. I have not heard of them being deployed on the Continent this early.

Still looking and thinking, partly because I would like to know. Does Mk5 have any more information which might help?

Mike

 

Obviously posting the above jogged my memory and I have found the following.

The counter mortar radars were all redundant AA radars and were not in use this early.

Radar CA (Coast Artillery) No1 Mk4.
This was a 3cm wavelength coastal artillery set used to spot the fall of shell in coastal artillery batteries. Redundant sets were later mounted on trailers and used to observe shell bursts up to 20,000 yards away. This allowed artillery fire to be controlled well beyond the range of forward observers and in all weather.

Naval fire support.
I recall reading about naval gunfire being aided by shore radars but assumed these to be Naval Radars. However RN radars seem to be limited to low level air surveillance. On D Day naval gunfire was spotted by Spitfires and Seafires. Later RA forward observers with vehicles landed. Since there is no point in heavy naval guns firing at targets ten miles away if they cannot see where the shells are landing the use of RA radar would be a logical next step.

Hardly conclusive but -

Still looking and thinking.

Mike

 

I have found the following in the 21 Army Group Order of Battle.

No 3 (Coast) Forward Observation Unit. Could 103 Coast Observer Detachment be a sub unit of this?

Mike

 

Hi Mike - this is beginning to get to me now and I don't even like 1944

Can you discount this unit? WO 171/966 30 Unit (Coast Det.) Forward Observer Units 1944 May- Dec.

Cheers
A

 

Andy,

I know what you mean.

We are dealing with vague one sentence references, sometimes in secondary sources. Anything is possible.

I believe that three Observer Units were formed in mid 1944. 1 and 2 were Airborne and 3 was Coastal. However in Italy there was a 3 (Airborne) Forward Observer Unit. This last may have been formed in the Med from local resources.

It does not help when official documents often give different titles for the same unit.

I certainly cannot discount WO 171/966. If we knew its War Establishment Volume prefix it would help. Maybe.

Mike

 

Hi,
Just a quick line.

Had a look at this file, WO 171/966, in 2004 and the only notes I made was that the unit was “attached to 5th Royal Marine AA in late 1944” and "not connected to FO or COBU type units".

Regards

Danny

 

I hoped Danny would be along.

Negative intelligence is always valuable. Sorry if that sounds somewhat impolite.

Mike

 

Andy, Mike,
Thank you for trying to locate this RA unit, all I have is the information given on the Military Medal document.

It would seam this is certainly a small organisation.

WO 373/53/679 1945 Apr 12
Name: Renwick, Thomas Maxwell
Rank: W/Sgt (OFC)
Number: 1542477
Regiment: 103 Coast Observer Detachment, Royal Artillery
Award: Military Medal
Theatre of War: North West Europe

 

Guys, I have some other information. I will try and include a copy of the doucment, it has many officers names listed, which could be of some use.

75 AA Brigade, 21 Army Group, RA (coast)

 

Obviously posting the above jogged my memory and I have found the following.

The counter mortar radars were all redundant AA radars and were not in use this early.

Radar CA (Coast Artillery) No1 Mk4.
This was a 3cm wavelength coastal artillery set used to spot the fall of shell in coastal artillery batteries. Redundant sets were later mounted on trailers and used to observe shell bursts up to 20,000 yards away. This allowed artillery fire to be controlled well beyond the range of forward observers and in all weather.

Naval fire support.
I recall reading about naval gunfire being aided by shore radars but assumed these to be Naval Radars. However RN radars seem to be limited to low level air surveillance. On D Day naval gunfire was spotted by Spitfires and Seafires. Later RA forward observers with vehicles landed. Since there is no point in heavy naval guns firing at targets ten miles away if they cannot see where the shells are landing the use of RA radar would be a logical next step.

Hardly conclusive but -

Still looking and thinking.

Mike
Mike

Further to your info on the Radar CA No1 Mk 4 (F) , it was, as you quite rightly state used for the control of artillery fire and engagement of moving targets. It was developed in 1944 from a coast artillery 'fall of shot ' radar. It was trailer mounted and weighed 7¾ tons. Power was supplied by a 15 kVA generator mounted in a separate trailer. Using a 3-cm wavelength it could, in good conditions, observe shell bursts at 20,000 yards. It required 3 operators. It was deployed in North West Europe and Italy.

 

An interesting puzzle.

The citation certainly says 103 Coast Observer Unit. The officer who recommended the award signs himself as a major which suggests a fairly large unit. Of course he may not have been a Major in June 1944.

It also seems that this unit was part of 75 Anti Aircraft Brigade (Coast). I have not come across the (Coast) bit before but this is not a Coast Artillery unit. 75 AA Brigade was a unit which went overseas with 21 Army Group. It was not the brigade responsible for the defence of Sword Beach and Ouistreham in June. Presumably it was detached for this duty, whatever that was.

AA units had a considerable number of radars but most would be with individual AA batteries and regiments and be for gun control.

We are probably looking for a Light Warning Detachment trained in detecting low flying aircraft coming in from the sea. A chain of these was established but those I have come across belonged to AA Brigades of the Beach Sub Area. 75 Brigade was not the one for Sword.

Referring back to Mapshooters suggestion, it was certainly true that the Navy were worried about E boats and others approaching down the coast from the east. Seaward surface defence was the responsibility of the navy who deployed large numbers of ships and craft, many radar equipped. On the east flank a Captain (Patrols) organised
1. A defence line of minesweepers 6 miles out.
2. LCGs and LCFs anchored down the eastern boundary.
3. Three divisions of MTB inside the defence line.
4. BYMS and MMS minesweepers watching for mine laying aircraft.
5. Captain (Patrols) in a frigate or destroyer leader underway inside the defence line.
6. Such other destroyers as could be spared were underway inside the defence line as a mobile reserve.
7. Destroyers patrolled further out.

There do not seem to be any shore radars dedicated to spotting surface craft.

Mike

 

It's been several years since I read the WO Monograph 'Army Radar'. IIRC radars for field use didn't reach 21 AG until late 44/early 45.

AA btys had a surveillance radar and a FC radar, the surv may have been regimental.

However, in UK they operated within wider radar coverage as well, and it makes sense that they wanted to extend their horizon and give more warning time in N France.

 

I think mapshooter is on the right track. We are looking at one of the many detachments loaned from units which were due to land later.

There was a sophisticated network of radars in place over the beachhead very early. Various Army, Navy and RAF radar units were ashore in the first 24 hours. I thought I had details of all these units, especially on Sword, but this one has eluded me (I nearly said crept under the radar but I stopped myself).

Mike

 

I am researching the history of the Gunners in Normandy. 103 Coastal Artillery Observation unit is a new unit to me as well. Its not part of the 76 AA Brigade Orbat during the period June -Aug 1944 nor mentioned in the 76 Bde for Op Overlord orders or in the extracts from the Brigade war diaries covering the period Jun-August 1944. In any event 76 AA Brigade were responsible for the 30Corps sector - Gold Beach and Mulberry B. The AA defences of Sword Beach including the Orne Estuary was the responsiblity of 80 AA Brigade.

The unit and formations on the citation are those in Sgt Renwick's chain of command in 1945. They tell us little about which unit he served in in June-August 1944 - except that by March 1945 his unit was 103 Coastal Observation Detachment and part of 76 AA Brigade. At this time 76AA Brigade was deployed on the North Shore of the Scheldt estuary with dual AA and Coastal defence role with the purpose of defeating enemy attempts to block the scheldt with air dropped mines, E boats and midget submarines. In Pemberton's Restricted history'The Development of artillery equipment and Tactics' (1951) mentiones how 76 AA Brigade took over repsonsibility for the defence of Boulogne deploying one HAA and two LAA Troops in a primary coastal defence role , with under its command a fire commander post , a coastal observer detachment , a coastal searchlight troop and half a CA radar mainenance detachment.

Let me postulate a hypothesis.

In Normandy the AA defences were under employed in their prime role. The germans chose to mount their 1944 air offensive against London and not the Normandy Beachead. The Germans also discovered that the concentration of flak over the beachhead it was bombing was less productive than laying mines off the Normandy Coast, out of range of the AA defences.

The AA Brigades found that the gun laying and early warning radars could do a lot to help tackle this. GHQ AA Troops ordered 112th and 146th HAA Regiments to establish observation stations equipped with GLII and No3 Mk II Radars on the cliffs. The former gave warning of the approach of an aircraft on a typical minelaying course and the latter tracked the aircraft. The release of the mine was clearly visible on the display , upon which range and bearign to the point of descent could be plotted and recorded. This data passed to the Port HQ formed the basis of rapid, accurate sweeping patterns.
(Source Routledge AAA 1914-55)


Routledge was writing about the approaches to Mulberry Harbour, and the reference to cliffs positions these at Arromanches. However, it would be an obvious move to have anti minelaying radar network covering as much of shoreline as possible, and a station East of the Orne would cover the Sword beach and Ouestrehem. I think this is what Sgt Renwick is doing between June and August 1944 as the citation fits this role. It may just be a co-incidence but one of the HAA Regiments in 80 AA Brigade and was 103 HAA. I don't know the movements of 103 Coastal Artillery detachment, but it might be logical for this to be formed or reinforced from the HAA units which made up 76 Bde drawing on the expertise developed on the Normandy coastline by gunners such as Sgt Renwick.

 

There's no mention of any Coast units in Normady in theMauris-Jone's coast artillery history.

However, Routledge's AA Artillery 1914-55 does offer possible clues.

Some 12 AA Bdes RA, plus an RM AA Bde were assigned to 21 AG. However, focusing on the summer itself the key ones were:

76 AA Bde - Gold, Arromanches, Mulberry B, Port en Bessin. They manned AA guns on the Mulberrys and the AA ship in the harbour, among other things.

80 AA bde - Juno, Sword, Ouistreham, Orne & Caen Canal Bridges. This bde included 103 HAA Regt.

106 AA Bde - Airfields (RA not RAF Regt) was responsible for AA defence of the up 12 forward airfields just inland.

75 AA Bde didn't arrive until weeks later (not there on 25 Jun).

So a possibility is a detachment of 103 HAA Regt.

The RAF deployed elements such as Sector OPs Centres, Mobile Reporting Units, Group Control Centres and Chain Overseas Low stations, and Ground Observer units.

3.7 btys had No 3 Mk II (centrimetric) radars (tracking) to provide long range information and to direct the troops' FC radars either GLII or No 4 Mk III.

Searlight btys had No 2 Mk IV SLC radars fitted to their 150cm projectors (ie searchlights)

AA Ops Rooms also had radars for local warning, either No 3 Mk III or No 4 Mk V. As I understand it AAORs were operated by each AA Bde with comms directly to gun positions. I'd be a bit surprised if these radars were actually held by the AA Bde HQ, I'd guess they may have been 'owned' by a AA regt in their bde.

I therefore think it possible that we're talking about a radar det of 103 HAA Regt assigned to an AAOR. However, 'Coast' is a definite confuser.

If names help it seems that 76 AA bde was commanded by Brig ER Benson and 80 AA Bde by Brig HW Deacon

 

Mines were certainly THE problem for the navy off the beaches. Every night in June except the night of 26th/27th saw air raids on the shipping areas. The great majority of these were single mine laying aircraft approaching at low level. RAF planes did not have sufficient warning to intercept them and AA fire seems to have achieved little. The Naval Commander Eastern Task Force reported on leaving that 'no effective counter to this form of attack... was in sight'.

The navy did station minesweepers in the swept channels to observe and mark the fall of mines. Perhaps shore radar assisted but I have not seen any mention of it in either naval or Beach Sub Area documents. Using radar to spot the fall of mines was known elsewhere so it is possible that it was used here.

It is possible that 103 detachment was trained in the mine spotting work in the UK but this lies outside my area of study.

Mike

 

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time on this..
His L/G date listed him as coming from Glasgow

No. 1542477 Sergeant Thomas Maxwell Renwick,
Royal Regiment of Artillery (Glasgow, S.2).


The Major recommending the MM, could he be traced from an Army List for the summer of 1944?