I am trying to piece together the general history of 41st, 45th & 47th R/T/R from their arrival in North africa through to the start of the battle of El alamein (23/10/42). I gather that they arrived with Valentines in Early July 1942, but gave these tanks up almost immediately. They then had to wait until late September for replacements, in the form of Shermans, Grants & crusaders. And were in training until the battle started. If anyone can add to this, especially regarding tank delivery dates & types, I would be very grateful. Thanks, David.
41st Royal Tank Regiment 24th Armoured Brigade – 1 November 1940 to 9 December 1942 The battalion disembarked at Suez on July 9th, 1942 and moved to Quassassin Camp #37 near Ismailia. All of its Valentines, CS Matilidas and B Echelon vehicles were handed over to the 23rd Armoured Brigade by July 17th. The 24th Armoured Brigade was to be re-equipped later with Grants, Shermans, and/or Crusaders. On August 8th, it was announced that the battalion would receive two squadrons of Shermans and one of Crusaders. Three Crusaders and one Grant were received on August 15th and the B Echelon vehicles arrived on the 23rd. ‘A’ Squadron moved to the Crusader range on the 25th while ‘B’ went to the Grant range. The battalion then began to arrive in the fitting area on September 2nd to prepare to receive diesel Shermans and 6-pounder Crusaders. The battalion moved to Fayid from Quassassin on September 5th and 6th. By the 8th, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Squadrons began to equip with Shermans at Fayid and they had 10 Shermans by September 10th. ‘A’ and HQ Squadrons moved to the X Corps area on the Alexandria-Cairo road on the 12th. By the 17th, the battalion was at Gebel Kuzza, Two Crusader IIIs and one Crusader IIs were taken over on the 21st. Two days later ‘B’ Company 11th King’s Royal Rifle Corps came under command. The battalion moved to a new area on September 27th and, on October 1st, a regimental group was formed with the battalion, ‘G’ Battery, RHA, and ‘B’ Company 11th KRRC. New Shermans arrived on October 4th and the brigade did exercises from October 6th to 11th. On October 21st, 1942, the battalion moved to its final assembly area for the upcoming Battle of El Alamein. It was in action in the battle from October 23rd to the 29th. 45th Royal Tank Regiment 24th Armoured Brigade – 1 November 1940 to 28 February 1943 It started to equip with Valentines in November 1940. At the end of winter, in March 1941, the battalion moved to Wiltshire with the brigade. A further move took place at the end of 1941, with the battalion relocated to the southern coast at Hove. The brigade left England on May 8th, 1942 and the battalion arrived by sea in Egypt on July 8th, 1942. On arrival, the battalion moved into Quassassin Camp near Ismailia with the brigade. The tanks were taken away at this point and used as reinforcements for other Valentine units. Early in August, it was announced that the brigade would be re-equipped with Sherman and Crusader tanks. The brigade moved to Fayid in early September 1942 and by the end of the month the battalion was organised for the battle of El Alamein with ‘A’ and ‘C’ Sherman and ‘B’ Crusader Squadrons. From October 1st to 10th, the battalion was in the ‘Black Cone’ area on exercises. It moved to El Alam Maqatla on October 11th and continued training through the 19th. On the 20th, it moved to a staging camp three miles east of Mikheita. It then staged at Gubr Gubella on the 22nd in preparation for the upcoming battle. The battle started on October 23rd, 1942. 47th Royal Tank Regiment 24th Armoured Brigade – 1 November 1940 to 15 January 1943 The battalion disembarked at Suez on July 9th, 1942 and moved to Quassassin Camp #39 near Ismailia. By July 17th, it gave up its tanks to other units. In August it was announced that the battalion was to be equipped with two squadrons of Sherman tanks and one with Crusaders. A few training Grants arrived shortly after. It moved to Fayid in early September 1942 to begin to re-equip so that by the end of September the battalion was complete with ‘A’ and ‘B’ Squadrons in Sherman IIIs and ‘C’ Squadron in Crusader IIIs for the upcoming El Alamein battle. The brigade did exercises in early October and, on October 21st, the battalion moved to its assembly area. On October 23rd, 1942, the 47th RTR moved off from its assembly area and would follow the ‘Boat Track’ through the minefields.
Daid, Maybe you already know it but in tis page you will find most of the info about 41st and 47th at alamein and earlier. I think it's great. Home Page Eduard
