INDEPENDENT FORWARD FIGHTING UNITS ASSOCIATED WITH SOE?

Discussion in 'SOE & OSS' started by Danny Mustacchi, Feb 9, 2022.

  1. Hi,
    I’ve uploaded my grandfather’s complete service record, as received from the MOD. Please preserve the personal nature of these files and pictures. Thanks.

    The only sequence of events that tallies with my grandfather’s own account is the beginning in the Pioneer Corps (May 1940), and the hospital in Palestine (summer 1944) and subsequent attachment and combat in the 52nd Anti-Tank Regiment (1945). I call it the bookends theory of service, because if the beginning and end correspond to his personal narrative, then why would the middle be different? In any case, I have elsewhere mapped my grandfather’s personal account of the 52nd AT Regt to the Regimental War Diary, and they fundamentally match.

    Clearly, I don’t have answers to all the puzzles and anomalies, otherwise I wouldn’t be asking for help. What do other ‘enemy alien’ service records look like? Especially those where service began in 1940 and stretched until 1945-6, mostly in combat, and/or those who were obliged to change their names?

    I fully agree that oral histories are problematic, but I do think that taken as a whole, the bird’s eye view is going to be accurate; that is, N. Africa in 1942, Sicily and Salerno 1943, Anzio and Rome 1944, Palestine 1944, and France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, 1945.

    The basic sequence of his service, as my grandfather told it, was as follows:

    • May 1940, volunteered for Pioneer Corps;
    • May 1941: “When the army discovered that I was a mechanic by trade, I was sent to the North of England to a base where they checked out, tested and did trials on tanks.”
    • Early 1942 “From that base they recruited me to special services”.
    • From early 1942 until the summer of 1942, he said that he “trained with special service” and carried out a number of cross-channel raids. He never said he “was” a commando, but that he did “commando training”. He said that he had been asked by SOE if he were willing to parachute into Germany, and he answered that it would be contingent to SOE getting his wife out of Berlin. They didn’t give an immediate answer, and they mutually agreed that he would undertake special services training until such an answer. When, after a few weeks, the answer was negative, he said that he preferred to fight in uniform, rather than take the risk of being caught as a spy. He said that in the summer of 1942 he was attached to a Tank Assault Regiment or an Independent Tank Assault Regiment. In any event, he joined “a large American and Canadian force” and landed in North Africa. I obviously don’t know if he landed on the 8-9th of November 1942, or later in a subsequent wave, or if his ship had trouble and was forced to land in Morocco. For some reason, after a failure in the Atlas Mountains region, his unit was attached to Patton’s command. After North Africa, then Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Rome, then he collapsed and was evacuated to Palestine. In Palestine, he says his unit was divided, with half being sent to Austria and his part joining the 52nd AT Regt.

    There’s a whole page (seems a lot?) of activity for the 8-9th November 1942 [my SR8].

    On my SR9, there might be a slight slip of the pen on 12/11/42 or is it 12/11/43? In any event, it goes from UK, BNAF to leaving Italy 3/7/44 [AA1 abbreviation for Allied Army Italy]. In other words, arrives North Africa and leaves Italy, without a reference to getting there.

    I was asked about war medals, and the only reference is in my SR3 for “War Medal 1939/45”. Since the record documents 1945 combat with the 52nd AT Regt. He should also have been awarded the France and Germany Star. The family always maintained that he wasn’t interested in medals and in any case, I never saw or found any medals of any kind.

    Pictures:
    • Pics 1, 2, 4 date unknown. Pic 4, my grandfather is bottom center.
    • Pic 3, probably June 1944, Rome. My grandfather is bottom left.
    • Pics 5, 6 Braunlage, Germany July-November 1945. Pic 6, group in Braunlage, my grandfather is probably far right. (Small original and difficult to say for sure.)
    I look forward to any insights you might have.
    Danny
    SR1.jpg SR2.jpg SR2B.jpg SR3.jpg SR4.jpg SR5.jpg SR6.jpg SR7.jpg SR8.jpg SR9.jpg SR10.jpg SR11.jpg SR12.jpg Pic1 George date unknown.jpg Pic2 George Date Unknown.jpg Pic3 George bottom left.jpg Pic4 George Bottom Centre.jpg Pic5 George 1945 Braunlage.jpg Pic6 Braunlage group picture 1945 probably far right.jpg Pic7 George c. 1945 London.jpg
     
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  2. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    Thanks very much for sharing the documents and associated photographs.

    Forum member Ron Goldstein would’ve likely been able to have given you the benefit of his family experience but he sadly passed away last year.

    He was active in AJEX and if you haven’t previously contacted that organisation I would encourage you to do so as they may be able to put you in touch with other descendants of Jewish servicemen who are on the same journey of discovery.

    AJEX

    I have had a close read of the posted documents but I can’t see anything in the papers regarding his clandestine activities in 1942 or anything to support his arrival in North Africa before November 1943.

    I will continue to review the papers and may post more later - edit to add PM sent.

    Steve
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2022
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  3. Thank you Steve,
    Yes, I contacted AJEX right in the beginning of my quest. I remember going to the AJEX Remembrance march, a week after the national Remembrance Day. I would stand in the crowd and my grandfather would march a bit. Funnily enough, they said that he wasn't even a member of AJEX. I imagine that it was another way for my grandfather to put the War behind him, although the battles and traumas were with him every day.
    Danny
     
  4. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi Danny

    This should get you started

    Units

    Home 01/05/40-11/11/43

    219 Company AMPC 10/10/40 to 12/08/42 Ilfracombe, Chathill, Long Eaton, Northampton, Wansford

    War Diaries - WO 166/5703 – Oct 40 to Dec 41

    9 Battalion RAOC/REME 12/08/42- 24/10/43 Donnington

    War Diary - Not found

    4 Central Workshops REME 24/10/43 - 06/11/43

    War Diary - Not found

    Mobile Holding Center REME 06/11/43 – 11/11/43 Arnold

    War Diary - Not found

    North Africa (BNAF) 11/11/43-02/07/44

    24 Field Regt, RA , Light Aid Detachment (LAD) 12/1/43 – 24/06/44

    War Diaries - WO 169/9478 Jan 43 to Dec 43

    17 Infantry Brigade Workshops 24/06/44 – 03/08/44

    War Diaries - WO 169/15812 (Aug 44 to Dec 44 only)

    Middle East (Palestine)

    7th Cheshire Regiment 03/08/44 – 20/11/44 – Palestine

    War Diaries - WO 169/16278 (Aug 44 to Dec 44)

    18 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Workshops 20/11/44 – 23/03/45

    War Diaries - WO 169/17204 (Aug 44 to Dec44)

    Northwest Europe (21st Army Group) 25/02/45-03/11/45

    52 Anti-Tank Regiment RA, Light Aid Detachment (LAD)

    War Diares - WO 171/4767 (Feb 45 to Dec 45)

    Sick

    Admitted 141 Light Field Ambulance -19/07/44

    Admitted 91 British General Hospital xx/07/44 - 28/07/44 - Gaza 7/43 to 5/45

    Admitted 164 Light Field Ambulance 01/09/44 – 01/09/44

    Hope this helps

    Gus
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2022
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  5. Thank you very much, Gus.
    Danny
     
  6. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    In Post 24 Danny added:
    I was unaware that Canadians participated in Operation Torch, certainly not in my reading in the landings. I did quickly find individuals were attached to British units for combat experience and fought in Tunisia. Details here (I have not looked further): http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/Vol17/no1/PDF/CMJ171Ep47.pdf

    A small number of Americans had joined the Canadian Army when it appeared the USA would "sit out" the war, after Pearl Harbour they transferred back in the main.

    Yes, there were a few joint Canadian-American units, notably a Special Service unit (subject of The Devils Brigade film) and Wiki shows:
    From: First Special Service Force - Wikipedia

    Gus's list should provide enough to read for sometime, whether the easy to find Wiki entries or elsewhere. I am sure a Light Aid Detachment (LAD) has been explained here recently. Not all the named units will have a Wiki, such as the 24th Field Regiment and may not even appear online. See: LIGHT AID DETACHMENTS PLUS RECOVERY VEHICLES and METHODS

    This helps to explain a Field Regiment: Field Regiment Royal Artillery - Researching WW2 Soldiers

    The 7th Battalion Cheshire Regiment were at Anzio, Italy in May 1944; they were a machine battalion in the 5th Infantry Division. From: THE BRITISH ARMY IN ITALY 1944

    Wiki for the 5th Division states:
    From: 5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

    Looking at the 5th Order of Battle both 18 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Workshops and 52 Anti-Tank Regiment RA, were part of the division and yes, they returned to Italy briefly and then moved onto NW Europe in March 1945.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2022
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  7. David, thank you very much. I shall dig into your references.
    Danny
     
  8. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    The armoured vehicle in two photos were "Valentine SPs" also known as "Archers". 52nd Anti-Tank Regiment RA only received them when they arrived in Northwest Europe. (From that point half their guns were towed and half were Archers.) He would probably have received a bit of extra training to be able to maintain these. These had an American-made diesel engine.

    So that dates picture 4 to March 1945 at the very earliest.
     
  9. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Hi Gus,

    I think you dropped a digit - I think this is WO 171/4767.
     
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