Can anyone help with following Italy 1945 Royal artillery POL WL AREA RIMINI CALIBRATION RANGE 54 REST CAMP FLORENCE ROUTE 9 STAR TO ROUTE 16 SUN SP TO RIMINI THANK YOU
POL - petrol oil lubricants ? Location Location ? SP - Could be Italian 'Strada Provinciale' - provincial/secondary road All the best Andreas
Thank you. They were given POL for 180 miles and travelled from near Rimini to Macerata via Fano -overnight stop. Think they must have been north of Rimini and travelled south. Seems strange to go backwards.
Do you have a more precise date and details of the unit / regiment. My father made a very similar 'backwards' move in 1945 as well.
Hi it was 73rd medium regiment ra and date of movement was 19/20 April 1945. What was your father's regiment?
And Route 16 is effectively the coast road south from Rimini although you go inland for Macerata. My fathers unit passed through Macerata on 13 01 45 on route from Forli to Porta Civitanova with an overnight stop at Fano on 12 01 45 and to be honest, after this point in the war, the unit didn't seem to be doing a great deal, certainly in comparison with 1943 - 1944. Fano sounds like it may have been some sort of official stop over location. Not sure what was at Macerata tho, seems to be the middle of nowhere but again, only there for one night.
My father was 1503 coy RASC which for most of 43/44 had been supporting 70th Medium Regiment. On the 26th March he left the unit and went south to Naples for a course and then on to Taranto till November. I'm really please you have identified the Rest Camp number in Florence. My father was probably there for a short period of leave and I've just looked on Discovery and there are 3 potential diaries at Kew. Fantastic breakthrough!
So sorry dates were 19/20 February 1945. They also had an overnight stay in Fano on way to Macerata via Loreto. Know they went forward again as deaths from the 73rd medium regimentat Ancona on 17 March Forli 7 April Ravenna 13 14 and 17 April Argenta Gap 17 and 23 April. My father was wounded on 22 April and that was the end of his war. They were under 2 Agra who also had a rest camp in the area and probably attached to V Corps.
If you get the War Diaries for 2 AGRA, I strongly suspect they will include the Mov O and with it a trace. That trace will show you the exact route to be followed by 73 Med Regt RA. Regards Frank
Thank you. I am in process of obtaining war diaries for 73rd medium regiment. Puzzled as to why they would go backwards before going forward again unless regrouping for the Spring Offensive
WL Area would be the Wagon Line area, where the battery vehicles withdrew to whilst the guns were in action. The term was a throwback to the horse drawn era.
