Artillery Personnel Converted to Infantry

In 1942 about 20 infantry battalions were converted to become LAA Regiments. E.g. 92 (6 Loyals) LAA who defend Pegasus bridge. When these units were reduced in strength many of the men reassigned to the infantry this was a return to their original trade.

In July 21 AG made the following changes. Remove one troop per 40 mm battery in Div & Corps, removal 20mm and reduce one person per detachment - freeing up 6900 soldiers.

However: 500 went to supply deficiencies for RA tradesmen and 600 additional specialists, 400 were WOs and Sgts "not available" for retraining. This left 3400 for retraining as infantry and a balance of 2000.

The Gunners I think applied some rules to ensure that soldiers who had been decorated remained in artillery units and did not require WOs and SNCOs to be transferred.

At the end of August the 59th Divisional artillery group was retained as 59 AGRA but the divisional AA and Atk Regiments were re-rolled as infantry - but I suspect trademen specialists and WO/SNCOs were exempt. But the Autumn 1944 the Gunners had a lot of surplus WOs and SCNOs.

Quite a few LAA Gunners volunteered for service in a range of infantry, commando and special forces roles. Durnford Slater - Pat Porteous and Violet Szabo, who was possibly the most highly decorated gunner to serve in NW Europe in 1944-5

There were some limits over which gunner units could be disbanded. For example, the RA had no authority to disband Yeomanry or some TA. e.g. 15th (Manx) LAA Regt were probably untouchable and since they were THE TA unit based in the Island of Man.

 

Thanks for all your replies and the interesting debate it generated.
With regard to my original questions, i'm going to assume the men on the lists would more likely come from various units then, unless something turns up to disprove it.

Cheers

Scott

 

Hi,

Many thanks for the contrbutions in this thread I have found it facinating stuff.


Regards, Mick D.

 

I don't think there was much disbandment of field and anti-tanks regts, even when divisions in NWE disbanded because of lack of manpower, the field branch regts often joined AGRAs.

191st (Herts & Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment was disbanded at the end of 1944. My father was posted to another field regiment because he had a trade, but many of his fellow gunners were indeed sent to infantry regiments. I have attached here the official letter (from Monty no less) notifying the CO of the 191st of this order.

 

Oates
This was not the first letter composed by staff and using the heavy hand of the Army Group Commander to ensure that an order was carried out - the date suggests that they were at their wits end to fill the gaps in the Infantry ranks owing to the fact that too many other arms were reluctant to send their men to fill the ranks where they were needed - as we have seen in this thread.....

There were TOO many in specialist areas - and too many gaps where they were all needed
Cheers

 

As a matter of interest, when my mob was broken up for spare parts late in 1944 I couldn't wait to see to which unit I was being transferred.

At the time I had already served two years, 18 months of which had been abroad, and if I had found myself placed in a "cushy" job I would have considered it just reward for previous service

Instead I found myself posted to the RAC and eventually saw action with the 4th QOH.

The joke was, that when I was first called up I was pretty gung-ho and stated a preference for a tank unit. They turned me down at the time stating that at 5ft5 inches I was too small to operate the tank pedals !

In December '44 this minimum height stipulation had strangely disappeared and at the RAC depot at Rieti I also found it no problem

Ron

 

'Operation Thursday', codename for the 1944 Chindit expedition had two sets of Artillery fighting as Infantry.

51st and 69th Field Regiments RA became Columns 51 and 69 in Bernard Fergusson's 16th British Infantry Brigade, while

60th Field Regiment RA, made up Columns 60 and 68 in 23rd British Infantry Brigade.

 

I've just received a draft of a personal diary written by a member of my Dad's Regiment. Apparently the choice of which troop from 336/102 LAA Regt, became infantry was decided on the toss of a coin. They later saw one of the two Officers and some of the men in November 1944 in Breda. They had been posted as replacements to the 4th Lincolns. Rather appropriate, as they were from the former 7th Lincolns (converted to LAA).