88th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery

Hello and thanks for all your help, you have all been brilliant.
I have now got a lot further with his story. When we cleared his house I found a plastic bag full of photos from the war which , being the good man he was, he had written dates and places on the reverse. After I had sorted them into order I have been able to plot his journey through The Desert/Sicily/Italy. However they stop on 3rd June 1945 in Rome and I have been stuck after that. Would it be worthwhile getting the War Diaries?
Thanks all again , much appreciated.
bman

 

It sounds like you have a gold mine of information and it would be great if you posted the photos but I would certainly reccomend getting the diaries not only for the regiment but any battery he may have served in as well. As I said, if you want the diary I have, drop me a line otherwise Drew's your man. Getting the actual diaries will give you the precise location for him and would be fascinating to see if the pics and diary tally. Long shot but you might find his name or perhaps an entry recording men posted in or out that ties with his service record.

 

Drop me a line if you'd like copies of the diaries. You can find out more by clicking the red link below.

It would be nice to see all those photo's you have on this thread.

Cheers
Andy

 

Thanks Andy, I think I would like copies of the War Diaries. Would I need all his regiments even the holding ones?
Regarding the photos, there are rather a lot. Most of the Italian and Sicilian one are postcards, which I presume he bought whilst there e.g. Florence, Rome, Venice.
There are also some which are stamped on the back "Official Photograph passed by Publicity censor".The personal ones are mostly in the Desert but starting in Freetown, Sierra Leone where they docked en-route. I am not sure who took them, but I know it was not my Dad. Which ones would be of most interest?
Barbara

 

Barbara.

Just to be really accurate, your father was in 88 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment RA. They supported Eighth Army in Italy until disbandment in Sep 44.

Not to be confused with 88 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment RA who never left the UK.

If you are wanting WDs from Andy, ask for 88 HAA Regt RA.

Regards

Frank

 

Hi Frank, Thanks for that, it was my fault for missing the "H" out in my title. I think Andy has already picked my mistake up.
Thanks for pointing it out.
Barbara

 

I wonder if my own notes on 88th in NA and Italy would be of any assistance, these being by no means comprehensive or thoroughly researched, as they are an adjunct to the main theme of my own research on 76th HAA, but the two Regts seem to run along side each other, with some members of 88th transferring to 76th at an early stage of the war in GB. Anyway, for what it's worth, here are my notes:

The 88 HAA are listed as being based in Suez and Shallufa as part of 2AA Brigade in October 1941.

June 1942 saw 88HAA deployed in the El Adem ‘box’ as part of the Gazala Line in North Africa, engaging tanks, vehicles and guns at close range with armour piercing, HE and shrapnel ammunition. Rommel forced a retreat from here to El Alamein, where 88th provided 16 guns as part of 12AA Brigade.

After El Alamein, part of 88th was placed to defend airfields in the Tripoli and Bengahazi areas before moving forward to the Mareth Line where they defended advanced airfields. 88th was one of the first batteries into Gabes as it fell as the Germans retreated.

In May 1943 88th were at Sousse and Sfax before moving on through Sicily as part of 73rd AA Brigade, and into Italy, moving up to Bari and Foggia, here as part of 62nd AA Brigade, to defend the port and airfields. (Bari was subject to a devastating attack by the Luftwaffe in December, one US ship containing mustard gas and HE bombs being hit, many sailors and shore personnel being killed or seriously affected by the gas.)

88th took part in 'Operation Kishan', carried out in May 1944 as part of 10th Infantry Brigade in a ground support role, rather than AA. Together with 84th HAA they deployed 44 guns and firing some 9,881 rounds in bombardment and harassing fire in one week. From here they moved to defend airfields at Civita Vecchia, and Ancona.

Would it be possible for you to post some of your photos on this forum?

 

The notes above tie in with some of the photos I have and some of the stories Dad has told me including being injured on the Mareth Line. So thank you for that.
I am not very good with technology and don't know how to upload photos. I will need to enlist the aid of my daughter to help me, but I will do so eventually when I can pin her down!
As mentioned in my other post I have postcards, official photos and Dad's personal photos. Which ones would be of most interest?

 

HAARA.

I am interested in 88 HAA Regt RA supporting 10 Inf Bde in the ground support role. That would place them around the Amazon crossing point on 11 May 44.

Am I right in assuming that 'ground support role' is as direct fire or were they used as conventional field artillery in the indirect role and their guns set further back behind Monte Trocchio with the others.

Regards

Frank

 

Hi Frank,

My knowledge of 88th is a bit sketchy, it being mostly concentrated in 1939/40, before the person I’m researching moved on to 76th HAA, although the two Regts do seem to follow a not dissimilar route through Italy, and share some similar tasks, hence my interest. Regrettably I do not have information specific to Monte Trocchia so am not able to be definitive. However, I guess that as the terms ‘harassment’ and ‘bombardment’ are used it could either or both. Certainly a little later in the war in Italy 76th was used solely in a ground role in a ground support role, both in direct and indirect fire positions, and located such that they regularly received return fire. One problem in this role that they had was being supplied with the appropriate fuzes, this sometimes limiting how they could target the enemy. One letter I have from October 1944 from a 76th HAA member expresses frustration at being delivered 199 fuzes rather than the required 208. Fuze 199, a powder burning fuze, was limited to 9,200 yards but the mechanical 208 to 16,200 yards. In this instance the 199 had insufficient range to reach enemy positions. Fuze No.199 was, however, in greater supply than No.208, daily allotment of these at this time being on average 240 rounds of the former, and 120 of the latter. As the Germans retreated from the Gothic line, the 3.7” gun was the only gun available with the range to reach German positions.

The use of the gun in ground shooting required some adaptations of how the gun was set up, frequently being moved and readied at night under cover of darkness. Whilst usually dug into temporary pits, wooden pickets up to 4 feet in length were required to be driven into the ground around the mounting to prevent the gun from slewing or shifting, this being a frequent problem due to the recoil when using a gun at low elevation. This did not, however, prevent the gun ‘jumping’ when fired and the resultant potential for the gun to move out of position (not so good when the gun was mounted on a hillside), the gun requiring regular re-levelling and calibration. It was also found when using the gun at low elevation in a ground shooting role, as opposed to the high angles required in typical anti aircraft usage, that more air would be drawn into the recoil buffer resulting in a shorter and more violent recoil. This was overcome by slackening off the air release plugs. It was also recommended that gun mountings be regularly rotated to minimise wear due to the gun recoil.

 

Official and 'dad's' photos would be of interest to many, I think. To post these you would need to scan them first, to a smallish jpg size (900px longest dimension is commonly used), and then when replying on here click the 'More reply options' at the foot of the reply box, and you will find the paper clip symbol at bottom left which will allow you to attach images from your files. Hope this helps!

If you are interested in the Mareth Line, there is neat little book published by Osprey, entitled 'The Mareth Line 1943' by Ken Ford, at £14.99. Very little specific detail on Regts, but gives good account of the actions.

 

Hi, Thanks for the instructions about attaching the photos, although I need to learn how to scan them first!! Please bear with me but I will post them eventually
I will also take a look at the book you mention , thanks.
Barbara

 

Hi Everyone,
I have now uploaded all the official photographs in my Dad's collection. At least I hope it works!

They all have "Official Photograph passed by Publicity Censor" stamped on the back together with a reference number,eg 18470.
The only one that has anything written on the back is the one with Winston Churchill addressing the troops which has "Tripoli" on the reverse. As to what the rest are your guess is probably better then mine.
The rest will follow if this works.
Barbara

 

Great pics Barbara! Look forward to seeing his more personal ones, in particular if they have any AA included.

 

Hello,
I just want to say a big thank you to Andy for obtaining the War Diaries and for posting them so quickly. Also thanks to Graham who has forwarded, via the drop box, diaries of the regiments movements prior to mobilization. They are certainly keeping me occupied.
I will get around to posting more pictures soon.
Barbara

 

View attachment 146183

 

Hi Everyone,
I think I made a bit of a mess yesterday trying to upload the photos. I have sorted this out now and here is the next batch for 1942.
Reading from left to right are: 1) March 1942, The football team of Baheira ( my dad is on the back row)
2) members of the regiment demonstrating warm clothing for the desert. 3) No 2 Gun Team, Alexandria
4) The members of no. 2 Gun team 5) members of the team on a job in the desert 6) One of their tanks.

My dad mentioned a story of when they were in the desert they came across a large box which when opened contained Italian Lire, which must have been pay for the Italian troops , possibly "fallen of the back of a lorry!" As it was of no use to them in the desert they used it to light fires and as toilet paper (softer then army issue) not realising that several years later they would be in Italy and could have spent it.

I will upload some more photos tomorrow. Hope that these are of interest.

Barbara.

By the way, does anyone know what WPP granted ....at sea means. I am still trying to decipher this

 

Great pics!

 

Hi Everyone,
Here is the next batch of photos, again reading from left to right:

1) Bombers crash in mid-air Baheira May 1942
2)One of the desert trucks 1942
3)Sollum 1942
4)A few of the boys underneath Marble Arch December 1942
5)Sidi Bishir (Alexandria) 1942
6)Marble Arch December 1942.

Hope that they are of interest

Barbara View attachment 146288

 

Hi,
Here are the last of the desert photos. The rest of them are just views or sights such as catherdrals.
Reading downwards the first batch are:

1) Tripoli February 1943 2) The boys in Gabes 1943 (my dad at the back)
3) One of the sergeants being presented with a M.M. Spax May 1943


Second batch reading downwards again:

1) One of the camel trains Gabes April 1943 2) "On the way up" 1943
3) "Cleaning the gun at Spax" May 1943


If these are on interest I will continue with the Italian photos.

Barbara