Organisation of Independent Armd Bde Coys RASC

I will try this again after a 'human interface failure' last weekend...

Regarding changes in RASC unit organisation for formations in 21 Army Group, ahead of Normandy, this is what I've been able to determine with particular reference to the original post (I will hopefully incorporate this in more detail into the next update for my WE project).

The organisation of the various types of RASC Coys serving Armoured formations was given in the WE for the HQ of a Commander, RASC, issued in February 1943. This only recognised the Armd Bde, as part of the Armd Div, and the Tank Bde, as part of the (Mixed) Division. The Armd Bde had an RASC Coy built around four Tpt Pls, each of 30 3-ton task vehicles, while the Tk Bde had an RASC Coy with five Tpt Pls, each again with 30 3-tonners. Both Coy types were filled out by a Composite Pl, Workshop Pl and three Relief Driver Increments (RDIs), all under a Coy HQ.

On 01 Feb 1944, a War Office letter outlined a review of the maintenance organisation in the field, which included appendices on the reorganisation of various types of RASC Coys in the Field Force. The Armd Bde RASC Coy (in a Division) added a fifth Tpt Pl, to be equipped with 30 6-ton task vehicles, while the Tk Bde RASC Coy was reduced to four Tpt Pls, all still 3-tonners. A separate letter showed that the Tk Bde Coy lost its third RDI as well as its fifth Tpt Pl.

Field Force Committee 36 showed the authorised organisation of 21 Army Group (British Troops) in the run up to Overlord, and through a not always clear series of amendments reflected these changes. The FFC does not go into detail on the internal org of RASC Coys, just dealing in gross figures, so it is still necessary to reconstruct these via the WEs.

As of 27 Feb 1944, the gargantuan RASC Transport component included three Divisional Armd Bde Coys, and two non-Div Assault Armd Bde Coys, each with a total strength reflecting five Tpt Pls and three RDIs. There were two Indep Armd Bde Coys of sufficiently lower strength to allow four Tpt Pls and two RDIs in each. There were then five Tk Bde Coys, each again based on four Tpt Pls.

Allotments of Coys to Bdes is not shown in FFC36. It would appear the five RASC Tk Bde Coys at this time served 6, 31 and 34 Tk Bdes, plus 1 Tk Bde and 30 Armd Bde, both in 79 Armd Div.

Amendment No.4 to FFC36 changed this somewhat, to four Divisional Armd Bde Coys, one Assault Armd Bde Coy, six Indep Armd Bde Coys, and a single Tk Bde Coy. The four Div Coys now included that for 30 Armd Bde, as well as those in the three standard Armd Divs, each on a five Tpt Pl basis; the four non-Div Armd Bdes and four Tk Bdes (including 1 Tk Bde with CDLs) were all on a four Tpt Pl basis. There was an overall reduction of one Tpt Pl.

I don't know why the amendment indicated only one Armoured Brigade (Assault) rather than two, these being 8 and 27 Armd Bdes. The placement of Coys serving both Tk Bdes and non-Div Armd Bdes on the same basis might indicate the use of 6-tonners for both formation types. There is a single but very slim, clue to this in the overall unit strength.

Incidentally, has anyone (and I probably here I mean Tom) seen any figures indicating the number of 6-ton and specialised transport for RASC units across the transport org in 21 Army Group at any date? I've had a trawl through the Canadiana Heritage files but not happened across any type of return from British sources.


Gary