Hi I am looking for info on my father who was gunner mechanic in 4th Battalion Coldstream Guards. It is info on the Battalion that i am looking for, any info would be great interest. I have since learned that my uncle was also in 4th Battalion Coldstream Guards, but not in the tanks. He supplied the tanks with petrol ????????????. my interest now is.............. what did the 4th Battalion actually consist of. what other equipment did the battalion have. The Story i heard today was of my father being on/on the way to coldstream hill, and fuel becoming low, and my uncle driving lorry with fuel to them. So was 4th just tanks, my uncle was supply driver, but still in 4th, ???? what did the 4th consist of. another story was, my father moving along with his tank with the scots guards as infantry. the 3rd Scots Guards were part of same Brigade, 6th Guards Tank, was infantry part of the 3rd ??????. Did all the tank Battalions within 6th Brigade have their own infantry support ????????? what made up the 4th Tank Battalion Coldstream Guards. Does anyone have info on 4th Battalion before 20th July (Training) Can anyone help with this info Thanks Mike
Mike ALL battalions of Tanks had three or four troops of Tanks and an HQ of four Tanks - PLUS tow Echelon - "A" & "B" - A to bring supplies forward from Brigade / Division and B to bring those supplies forward to each Tank usually at night or when fuel was low in individual Tanks....... See my article on this at the BBC Series below " Green envelopes at Tank bde at Rimini" Cheers
Thanks Tom. that does explain part of my inquiry, not being military minded and of a later generation i find it difficult to put in place all this information, The more i find out the more unbelievable it all seems. I am trying to piece together how the battalion worked, thanks for your help, Mike
Mike - More then welcome - always keep in mind that the Army always thought in threes - three battalions = one bde - three bdes = one division - three divisions = one Corps - three corps = one army unbelievable when you think they had access to ten fingers and ten toes with NO computers in those days Cheers
As i say i am trying to piece together my late fathers war, from france through to germany, all the info IS here on net, but my unmilitary and non threatened mind finds it difficult to comprehend all that what those guys went through, i see pictures of the devestation of caan and villers bocade and it is unbeliviable anyone can recover from that. Mike
Mike - have a look at Cassino- took six months to get past that - now that was devastation..... Cheers
this helped me a lot....... World War II Armed Forces — Orders of Battle I shall Tom. But i am still in caan at the moment, plotting movement on maps all that debris Tom surely it gave hiding places for infantry, ????????????????// Tanks......... Yes 4th Battalion with Churchills (15mph) was Infantry Supporded Battalion, i grasp that. Thanks
Mike No No - Churchill Tanks supporting Infantry - at walking pace - as our Brigadier was always insistent that the only reason that we existed was to support the Infantry - and never leave them... debris was not always a hiding place as they were invariably full of mines and other nasties... Good article - outlines the difference of Assault and Pursuit Tanks Cheers
Yessssssssssssssssssssssss. Now i understand better Tom. Thanks Hope i get no nasties in the night, lol its 3am in uk here, puttin my tanks to bed lololol Thanks again Tom, Been Really interesting Thanks Mike
