Hi, Could anyone help me with the movements of 2nd Royal Horse Artillery Regiment during 1941/2 please.
2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery Station: Bulford Batteries: ‘H (Ramsay’s)/I (Bull’s Troop)’, ‘L (Néry)/N (The Eagle Troop)’ The regiment served under 1st Support Group in the United Kingdom from 3 September 1939 until 20 October 1939. It mobilized at Bulford and then moved to Wimbourne, Dorsetshire to train later in September 1939. It moved to France on 21 October 1939 and was in position at La Basée as GHQ troops by the end of the month. On 9 December 1939, it relieved 91st Field Regiment at Allennes and came under command of 3rd Infantry Division. It went into action on 10 May at Louvain to cover the cavalry screen. It moved to the Dendue at Nossecten on 16 May under the 15th/19th Hussars and then marched to Eekent. On 20 May, it covered the withdrawal of 3rd Division to Duttignies and then went into action on the Escaut. It withdrew from Dunkirk on 31 May 1940 for England. The regiment assembled at Downton near Salisbury and received new 25-lbers at the end of the month. It moved to Rushton, Northamptonshire on 11 July 1940 and came under comand of 2nd Support Group of 2nd Armoured Division. It was inspected at Wledon near Corby on 27 July. The division was ordered overseas in October 1940 and the regiment embarked under the support group at Liverpool. It reached Capetown on 29 November 1940 and Suez on 29 December with ‘H/I’ and ‘L/N’ Batteries. On arrival it moved to Quassassin to train. The regiment left 2nd Support Group, when it moved to the desert on 25 February 1941. It was reorganized on 24 December 1940 with ‘H/I’ and ‘L’ Batteries, but this did not take effect until later. The regiment then became part of 1st Armoured Brigade on 26 February and left Egypt with the brigade for Greece on 5 March. It arrived in Greece on 7 March and fought there at Ptolemis and Molos until 26 April 1941. On return to Alexandria, Egypt on 1 May it left the brigade and remained as GHQ Troops in in the Canal Zone, Egypt refitting. By 31 July 1941, it was ready for operations. It served in the Crusader battles beginning on 18 November 1941 with 16 guns and under 4th Armoured Brigade. When 4th Armoured Brigade was relieved on 24 December, it transferred to 22nd Armoured Brigade of 1st Armoured Division and remained with it until the end of Crusader. The regiment then served under 1st Support Group in Libya from 11 February until 21 April, when it became part of 200th Guards Brigade Group in Libya. It added 288th Anti-Tank Battery from 23 April to 24 August 1942. The brigade was renumberd 201st on 25 May and the regiment left it on 16 June to return to Egypt. It then joined 22nd Armoured Brigade in Egypt from 25 June to 2 August 1942. On 24 August 1942 it was reorganized with ‘H’, ‘I’ and ‘L’ Batteries and joined 1st Armoured Division on the same day. It remained with the division until 26 September 1944. It was located in Egypt until 14 November 1942, in Libya until 13 March 1943, in North Africa until 24 May 1943, in Libya until 1 August 1943, in North Africa until 27 May 1944, and then in Italy. The regiment then served under 8th Army as army troops in Italy for the rest of the war.
Jan 42 under 1 Support Group, 1 Armoured Division, Cyrenaica, participated in the defense of the counter-offensive. All the best Andreas
