Airlanding Light Regts - RA

All

Am interested in getting in touch with any ex-gunners who served with either 1st Airlanding Light Regt RA or 53rd Worcestershire Yeomanry and used the American 75mm Pack Howitzer M1A1 on Carriage M8.

My user name here is PackHow75 reflecting a key interest of mine in this piece of Artillery. For anyone here who's been to Beltring over the last few years, one of the 75mm Pack Hows displayed has been mine.

I've had some contact with veterans of the above units and families of veterans from some of the US PFAB units as well... but the more the merrier.

Am also interested in the service of this equipment post ww2 and would be keen to find out if anyone knows if the tube (barrel) numbers are recorded anywhere in the PRO... long shot I know. Alas I dont have the time to get to go there myself at the moment.

Copies of War Diaries for either unit would also be great (I have 53rd for Normandy and Gunners at Arnhem and a wedge of other data, but havent been able to track down diaries for other action).

Many thanks

Tim

 

Are you interested in the 53rd before they became Airborne? I have some stuff on them at Wormhout if you interested.

Regards
Andy

 

There's also a book out there called Farewell Screw Gun - a personal memoir of a regiment who were also armed with the 75mm Pack How in Italy IIRC.

 

I have 53rd for Normandy and Gunners at Arnhem and a wedge of other data, but havent been able to track down diaries for other action.Tim

53rd WD covering Op Varsity is in Kew at WO 171/4762. Also try getting hold of The Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars 1922-1956 by D R Guttery.

Steve W.

 

Are you interested in the 53rd before they became Airborne? I have some stuff on them at Wormhout if you interested.

Regards
Andy

Andy

Am more interested in the 53rd once issued with the 75mm Pack Howitzer, so will pass up on the kind offer for the time being thanks.

Cheers

Tim

 

There's also a book out there called Farewell Screw Gun - a personal memoir of a regiment who were also armed with the 75mm Pack How in Italy IIRC.


Not heard of this one - will have a look for it.

Cheers

Tim

 

53rd WD covering Op Varsity is in Kew at WO 171/4762. Also try getting hold of The Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars 1922-1956 by D R Guttery.

Steve W.

Steve

Thanks for the references.

Tim

 

HI Packhow,

I know a Veteran that was at Arnhem, But I will say now he was not with the 75mm he was on the 17 pound he's a good friend of mine so I'm sure he would be ok about meeting up... And a 75 for you...

Cheers
Tom

 

Tom

Would be great to meet your friend for a chat - where in the UK is he?

Thanks for the photos... the two 75s in the photo belong to two of the other guys in the Summer of 44 Living History Group... on most other years you would have been able to see 3 guns... but the year you took the photo, I was elsewhere... and so, therefore was my gun.

I have posted a photo of all 3... the closest is mine...

Cheers

Tim

Ps - one gun is in bits on the ground and this is why not much of it is visible.

 

Did some digging a couple of years ago on the 75 positions near the church







But this find was the best one:

 

Did some digging a couple of years ago on the 75 positions near the church
But this find was the best one:



Philip

Some nice finds... especially the Breech Lever... where is that now ?


Tim

 

At my place

 

At my place

Swap you for a nice new shiny one... you know you dont really need that lump of rusted metal !

 

I collected scrap metal, so no need to worry if it is old and rusty

a unique piece of course as only 22/23 came over to Arnhem, and not much left of them all

 

I've heard it suggested that post war the Royal Artillery carried out a salvage operation in Arnhem and recovered all serviceable parts they could find. This led to at least one former Arnhem gun being retained (or parts from many being assembled to form one gun) as a memorial - now on display at the Firepower musuem in Woolwich. Anyone know if this is correct... or were all guns, along with all the other debris, taken away by the scrap-man ?

It would be interesting to find out what the tube, recoil and carriage numbers were for all 75mm Pack Hows used during the war with British Artillery units... I'd love to find out which unit had mine... given that it has all the original British Airborne modifications, the recoil mechanism isnt the upgraded version, and the front trail doesnt have the post-war clamps, it is definitely war-time issue. My guess is that it probably saw service with 53rd Worcestershire Yeomanry... but without tracking down the serial numbers, we will never know. I guess this sort of data might be available somewhere in the depths of the PRO at Kew?

Tim

 

I doubt if they have that a Kew, best bet would be Artillery Museum I think, it was also interested that I found in the trench the night fire equipment, as it was not know that this was used at Arnhem

 

I doubt if they have that a Kew, best bet would be Artillery Museum I think, it was also interested that I found in the trench the night fire equipment, as it was not know that this was used at Arnhem

It does make perfect sense that the Sight illumination equipment would have been carried with the sight, most likely with the cleaning brush etc in the sight box, mounted on the rear trail. I have all this gear (somewhere), though unfortunately nothing with the history you have with your finds other than about 20 of 75mm Pack shell cases which came from 460th US PFAB positions near Piera Cava in the South of France last year dug up by some friends (from this location - http://www.517prct.org/photos/john_harte/France/Near%20Piera%20Cava%20Robert%20Wilson,%20%20Ben%20Gomez,%20Bob%20Armstrong%20-%20field.jpg )... not entirely sure what I'm going to do with all the shell cases yet as there are far more than I really need.

I am yet to get hold of a set of the aiming post marker lamps which would also have been used for night firing. Have you found any of those ?

Something else you may have come across are live 75mm shell cases... if so, do you know anyone who might have cut open a charge bag, emptied it, and then kept the bag... or perhaps just photographed the charge bag and left it alone. I ideally want to get hold of a complete(empty) charge bag for the shell case so that I can get some repros made to be able to properly demonstrate how the concept of semi-fixed ammunition allowed the range to be determined by removing a particular charge bag... failing access to a real bag, good photos of one would be better than nothing.

Tim

 

Hello Tim

Do you have a photo of the aiming post marker lamps, then I can check, I will ask around for the charge bags, I haven't found them ,but maybe know someone who did.

 

PackHow75

You may find this site of interest:

53rd (Worcestershire Yeomanry) Airlanding Light Regiment, RA

Phil

 

Some 75mm Pack Howitzer charge bag photos from another forum...

Still looking for the bags.

Tim