Hi people I have recently secured over 400 original photos for my website, this covers North Africa 41-46 with the RAOC and a small collection from 43 that covers Sicily/Italy, they should arrive sometime next week and will share them on here before I upload them onto my site, so keep an eye out...back to my post. Does anyone on here have data on Royal Artillery units that were envolved in the landings of Sicily and Italy. A little of the information I have (written on the reverse of the photos) Panchino, Citadel at Portapalo, Avola breakout, Salerno, Leece airdrome and Brindisi. Correct me if I am wrong in my way of thinkings. My thoughts are that this would have been a Field Regiment unit due to the varried places that they were in and being so mobile, pictures of the gun being used are a bofors, could I be right? I know its a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack but I was hoping to narrow it down a bit. Any Ideas? I do not know if this bit of info will help but pictures taken cover No1 & No4 battery and also No3 loaders in action Regards Kieron
If they Bofors gun then not a Field Regt, they had 25 Pdrs. Bofors were used by LAA Regts. Are there any unit insignias of any description?
I saw that album on eBay, Kieron. It looked good and thought of you. Glad it has gone to a good home.
Thats the one Paul always looking for albums to enhance my site and I cant stand to see these albums split up never to be seen again. The artillery ones were going to be split until I spoke to the seller and we came to a agreement. I consider myself as a keeper
Excellent news on the purchase Kieron. I look forward to seeing the photos. I would agree with Owen that LAA regiments would have been equipped with the Bofors 40mm Gun. I looked in the index of Brig. Routledge's history. 'Anti-Aircraft Artillery, 1914-55' for the places you mentioned. Operation Husky was very heavily protected by Anti-Aircraft forces. Since the landings would take place almost under the noses of Axis aircraft, of which about 1,000 were available in front-line state, beach defence was the first call, followed by the captured airfields and then by the ports as far up the east coast as Catania. Available were three AA Brigade HQs, 11 HAA and 15 LAA regiments, including divisional units, and one Canadian regiment. A grand total of some 750 LAA guns. The LAA units that took part in the landings on 10th/11h July 1943 were; Divisional LAA 18, 25, 40 and 2 RCA Regts Beach Groups 34/12, 35/12, 36/12, 224/31, 85/47, 131/47, 327/99 and 329/99 Btys. written as Bty/Regt. In an 8th Army AA Order of Battle for 7th August, D+28 the state of play for the LAA Regts on Sicily was as follows; In Relief: 40, 74 Regts Syracuse: 66 Regt. 131/47, 327/99 Btys Cassible: 85/47, 303/75 Btys Pachino and beach: 233/75, 234/75 Btys Comiso: 34/12 Bty Airfields: Lentini, Gerbini, Agone, Scordia etc.: 31, 53 Regts., 225/74 Bty Catania: 12 Regt (less bty) Augusta: 131/47, 329/99 Btys. Plus a Royal Marines Bty
Bodston Would you recommend the the book by Brigadier Routledge on Anti-Aircraft Artillery. I acquired the Royal Artillery Commemoration Book 1939-45 and was slighty disappointed as I was told it was more detailed. Robert
Moving on to Italy. Operation Avalanche, the landings at Salerno was a joint US/British affair, commanded by Lt.Gen. Mark Clark of the US Fifth Army. The British element was 10th Corps. To this corps was assigned 12th AA Brigade commanded by Brig. Mortimer Wheeler, later to become the famed TV archaeologist. From Brig. Routledge 'Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914-55' The complete AA order of battle for 'Avalanche' consisted of 10th Corps: 56th LAA Regiment Divisions: 100th LAA Regt (56th Div), 115th LAA Regt (46th Div), and 15th LAA Regt (7th Armd Div). 12th AA Brigade: 9th, 57th, 87th and 100th HAA Regiments, (less two batteries) and 252nd/80th HAA Battery, 13th, 14th, 52nd and 99th LAA Regiments, 258th/47th LAA Battery, one balloon squadron and two smoke companies. 8th AA Brigade, commanded by Brig J.A.S. Crum, arrived at Taranto by sea in October 1943 as part of the plan for the support of Eighth Army. Its initial tasks were defence of the disembarkation and supply centres at Taranto and Brindisi, together with airfields close by at Lecce and Grottaglio. Brigade strength was built up by stages to three HAA regiments, 69th, 78th and 89th, three LAA regiments, 22nd, 31st and 75th, two SL batteries 323rd and 568th and 48th AAOR.
Bodston Would you recommend the the book by Brigadier Routledge on Anti-Aircraft Artillery. I acquired the Royal Artillery Commemoration Book 1939-45 and was slighty disappointed as I was told it was more detailed. Robert Heartily.. it is a dry read and at 474 pages quite daunting. However, if you need to know who was where and with what. Essential. Bod
When I get photos for my site I always obtain permission to put them on my site if possible and in this case I got permission from his son who very kindly gave me his service record, which I think you'll agree is a very colourful one. I did ask if he knew what battalion he was in but unfortunately he cant seem to find the information, so from the record below would anyone like to have a guess? thanks again Bodston for the information I think it narrows it down Lt H.C. Watts 229028 Enlisted 7.9.39 as a driver RASC.Commissioned 1941 No.9 C Battery OCTU R.A (a.a) Served..SPAIN..Morocco; ALGERIA..Algiers and Philipville SICILY Catania,Syracuse,Augusta and Mt Etna ITALY; Reggio.Brindisi;Taranto;Naples,Anzio.Rome;Capri.Mt Vesuvius and Stromboli MALTA PALESTINE; jerusalem;Tel Aviv;Haifa;Deead Sea and Lake Tiberius SYRIA Damascus LEBANON Damascus SARDINIA & CORSICA FRANCE.Marseilles,Lyons and Dijon BELGIUM Brussels,Ostend,Ghent and Bruges HOLLAND..Venlo GERMANY..The Rhine.Weser & Elbe. Osnabruck,Celle,Hamburg,Autobahn Road, Subsequent was a guard commander at Nurembourg He took part in Dunkirk and Anzio. He was discharged in 1946 and took up School teaching especially in the sporting field.He died tragically in April,1948.
Just as a quick excercise and looking at his service record I decided to look at a map of the area and do a rough estimate of the miles that this journey would have taken. Morocco, Algiers, Philipville, Catania, Syracuse, Augusta, Mt Etna, Reggio, Brindisi, Taranto, Naples, Anzio, Rome, Capri, Mt Vesuvius, Stromboli, Malta, jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Dead Sea, Lake Tiberius, Damascus, Sardinia, Corsica, Marseilles, Lyons, Dijon, Brussels, Ostend, Ghent, Bruges, Venlo, The Rhine.Weser & Elbe. Osnabruck,Celle,Hamburg,Autobahn Road and Nurembourg. More of a under estimate if anything as working in straight lines, working on a map of the scale of 1000 kilometers = 621.371192 miles a total of 9500 miles nearly half way round the world and this journey would have been taken via roads and convoy ships...your views?
My Grandad landed in the port of Augusta on the 19th of July 1943. He was part of the 203 Fixed Defences (Coastal Artillery RA). He sailed from Liverpool on the SS Franconia II (part of a larger convoy including the SS Letitia) which was as far as I know equipped with 12 pounders and Orelikon anti aircraft guns. The Coastal Defence units manned the anti aircraft guns on the decks of the Franconia during the voyage from Liverpool. My Grandad was credited with shooting down one Luftwaffe bomber which attacked their convoy as they entered the harbour. After landing at Augusta the Royal Marines that were occupying Syracuse were relieved by the 297 and 101 Coast Batteries & No 11 Fixed Fire Command Post (203 Fixed Defences). After a short time 297 Battery (my Grandad's Battery) went on to the port of Catania where it took up duties defending the harbour whilst further equipment, stores and troops were landed, prior to moving on to the main land of Italy. Most of this information has come from a book that was written by my Grandad's commanding officer Colonel S C Tomlin OBE MC titled Coastal Artillery in Sicily and Italy 1943 -45. It was given to all those who served under him after the war. I know its not exactly what you are looking for but I found it vey useful. I have seen a copy of it on ebay and abe books in the past for ranging from £15 - £20. If there is anything else I can help you with around Coastal Artillery in Italy and Sicily let me know. Cheers PDC
Moving on to Italy. Operation Avalanche, the landings at Salerno was a joint US/British affair, commanded by Lt.Gen. Mark Clark of the US Fifth Army. The British element was 10th Corps. To this corps was assigned 12th AA Brigade commanded by Brig. Mortimer Wheeler, later to become the famed TV archaeologist. From Brig. Routledge 'Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914-55' I don't know whether you are all way past discussing this thread, but Brig. John Alexander Stewart Crum was my maternal grandfather. I still have his medals, plus his service records and many photos of him- and I remember him very well as I was 21 when he died and I was lucky enough to spend alot of my youth with him. If anybody would be interested in seeing any of that, I'm sure I could figure out how to upload it (well, maybe not his medals!).
Keiron Your comment on airmiles is not too far from the truth as there is NO way any unit - or person could have done all that - my initial thought was the 5th Division as they were known as the globe trotters as they did jump from one side of Italy to the other and take part at Anzio - back to the middle east BUT they were never in Morocco etc - so I gave it up as perhaps a bit fictional - so the service records should be illuminating... Cheers
PDC You might find this extract from the Regimental Diaries of the 49th LAA Rgt.RA of interest to compare dates: On 6 Jul the btys began to move with their bde gps to Sousse and RHQ moved there on 9 Jul. On 21 Jul a warning order was received for the regt to embark for Sicily. 84 Bty, with 11 Bde Gp, moved first and embarked in LSTs at Sousse on 23 Jul. On the 24th RHQ and 90 Bty moved to the transit area. 84 Bty disembarked north of Avola, Sicily and moved to the div cone area. That evening the guns were in action covering the Bde Gp. On the 26th RHQ embarked and 280 Bty moved to the transit area. On the 27th 280 Bty embarked at Sousse. On the 28th RHQ disembarked north of Avola and moved to the assembly area. Vehicles were de-waterproofed and then RHQ moved to 78 Div cone area north of Mineo. 280 Bty disembarked north of Avola on the 29th and moved to the cone area on the 30th. On 30/31st Me 109s were active and RHQ was machine-gunned 90 Bty arrived on l Aug. AUG 1943 On 3 Aug RHQ moved to 4 miles west of Centuripe. The gun tps were in their usual role of protecting gun areas On 8 Aug RHQ moved to west of Ademo. <3h ! 8 Aug the regt came under command 2 AA Bde and concentrated at Bronte. On 27 Aug the regt moved to the north coastal area and deployed as follows: 84 Bty to the gun area of 74 and 124 Fd Regts of 50 Div, A and B Tps 90 Bty to Milazzo port and C Tp to the airfield, A/280 Tp 132 and 138 Fd Regts, B.280 Tp 57 Fd regt and C/280 Tp 17 Fd regt of 78 Div. Road space necessitated the deployment of the regt over 4 nights and the last tp was not in action until 1 Sep. The strength was 41 officers and 807 ORs. The 21C was Ma N McCallum, the Adjt Capt RE Weeks the QM Lt AT Cudmore and the BCs - 84 Bty Maj AR Mouland (20 Sep 42), 90 Bty Maj ER Bent (6 Sep 42) and 280 Bty Maj WH Bell (24 May 43). The regt was generally north and east of Messina and SEP 1943 On 3 Sep supported the movement over the Straits of the Op BAYTOWN units, the invasion of Italy. On 6 Sep the regt reverted to under command 78 Div.
