Hi all...me again This is another collection of photos that come in today. They relate to a Royal Artillery Light Anti Aircraft Battery...I think. The pictures cover North Africa and Italy. What I would like to know is the following: 1/ With light anti aircraft batteries could these units be mobile? 2/Could a unit like this be attached to an Armoured Div, say 6th? 3/Would they use their own drivers or would a unit from the RASC be attached to them? In picture 1 you have what looks like to me to be a LAA battery. Sandbags piled high with camo netting and you can just make out the gun peering over the top. What do you think? In picture 2 you have the unit itself. In picture 3 you have the soldier that the collection relates to in his jeep. This picture can probably tell a story if you knew all the divisional signs etc... On the jeeps bulkhead you have the sign of the 8th Army and a few others. Also on his shoulder you have a formation badge of the 6th Armoured Division, the white fist/gauntlet on black background. (taken in Salerno) If you've got any views on the above I would like to hear them. Cheers foir looking Regards Kieron
Hi Keiron, During the early days in Italy divisions, both Infantry and Armoured, had an Anti Aircraft Regiment attached, deploying fifty four 40 mm guns in three Batteries, each of three Troops of six guns. The regiments had their own transport. The gun in the photo appears to be a Bofors. As the Allies gradually achieved air supremacy, many regiments were detached to serve under Army command defending towns and cities such as Naples. Later still, many were converted to serve as infantry and/or infantry replacement units. Cheers, Gerry PS You seem to have a wonderful source for photographs. Whence come they?
Cheers Gerry, So my man could have been attached to the 6th Armoured Division. the reason I asked about the transport side of things is that on the reverse of one of the photos it say MT (Motor transport) section. I get a lot of my photos by searching various local auction houses, house clearence shops, ebay and people contacting me through my site and donating the photos. Cheers again for your help Regards Kieron
Kieron, Additional to the driver wearing an RA cap badge, two clues confirm the jeep being an RA vehicle. In the centre is the Battery sign, the position of the smaller square denoting its number, in this case Battery No.1. To its left, the typical four-digit Regiment tactical sign. The MT reference probably indicates that the jeep is from the B Echelon. Gerry