M Battery Royal Horse Artillery: Difference between revisions
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===World War One=== |
===World War One=== |
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===World War Two=== |
===World War Two=== |
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Breach of Copyright - Please remove |
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The time the Regiment spent in England prior to D-Day was spent on rigorous training with individual and troop training followed by Battery and Regimental training and the practice of various new ideas and procedures. One or two Brigade and Divisional exercises took place preparing for the forthcoming operations in Europe. The lessons of the Italian campaign were studied and several ideas that had been new in Italy were now taken up and developed. Among these was the formation of a forward Tac HQ for the Battery Commander sited close to the Infantry Battalions or Tank Regiments HQ and also moving as part of them. |
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On 17th Feb the Divisional Artillery was inspected by General Montgomery near Brandon, followed a week later by His Majesty the King. Through February and March training continued steadily but the introduction of privilege leave made the organisation of training difficult at times, but much equipment, guns and vehicles were drawn up in the last week of February and positive training then began. Each Battery had its own firing days on Thornham and Sanctuary Ranges while Regimental days were held on Burnham Ranges. Each Battery in the last week of March practised with its Infantry Battalion the move through the bridgehead this included coming into action and the use of live ammunition by OP’s working with their Infantry Companies and tanks on Stamford Battle Ranges. |
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The Colonel Commandant RHA Major-General AA Goschen CB DSO visited the Regiment on 4th April. He was pleased with what he saw taking a special interest in M Battery in which he served from 1901-1908 as a subaltern. By the end of April most of the equipment and reinforcements had been received, and the main attention in the early part of May was turned to packing and waterproofing vehicles and equipment. On the evening of the 8th all vehicles were lined up packed and ready. Everyone retired to the local for a last evening’s riotous assembly and the following morning the 9th May the Regiment left Fakenham for its concentration area at Brentwood in Essex. The female statue on the fountain in the centre of Fakenham, known as the Fakenham Virgin was left suitably decorated with more intimate articles than are normally displayed on public monuments. |
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| ⚫ | camp 1 sub area S5 all were very concentrated and under canvas in a section of wooded heathland. On the 19th May an Advance party from each Battery consisting of the CPO and 1 GPO proceeded with the Survey Officer Lt D Tribe from RHQ to West Ham Stadium, as they were in different ships. Each vehicle had its Allied Armies star, weight, dimensions and bridge signs and was generally ready so on the 24th pre-marshalling of the Regiment took place. D Battery were on the ship MT 30 M Battery on MT 26, and J Battery was split between the two C Troop with M Battery and D Troop with D Battery. The REME spent the next few days testing and inspecting the vehicles waterproofing and by the 27th May all vehicles were passed as satisfactorily proofed. On the 28th Lt Col Norman briefed the whole Regiment on the forthcoming operations.On the 29th the Regiments vehicles moved to the forming up area on the Southend Arterial including the last 4 OP vehicles the Regiment needed. The last 2 days of the month saw the loading of vehicles at Tilbury completed. There was little now possible to do the camps were sealed and all were left alone to their own devices and thoughts. |
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At long last on the 4th June 1944 the Regiment moved to Tilbury in TCV’s to embark at midday on the 5th. The ships formed up in columns along the river sum included huge concrete objects unbeknown to them they were later to become the Mulberry Harbour. The convoy sailed down the river and anchored off southend joining the largest collection of shipping any of them had ever seen. The next day was D-Day bringing with it the news that the invasion of Western Europe had begun. The convoy with the main party of the Regiment set off at 0620hrs on the 7th the enemy made no attempt to interrupt the passage of the convoy. By nightfall Portsmouth was reached and the Normandy coast by dawn the next morning, and The Regiments ships were anchored 3 miles offshore. Tac HQ of the Regiment had gone ahead in an earlier schedule and though Lt Col Norman and his staff were supposed to land at first light on D+1 but Rhino landing craft were not to plentiful, finally they made a dry landing at 1600hrs the same day. They then proceeded to Ryes near 7th Armoured Division Tac HQ, they were the first of the Regiment to land in France. The Survey Officer and all the Battery CPOs and GPOs then arrived and were immediately shown their Battery areas at Magny. Meanwhile the Batteries who expected to start unloading on D+2 lay offshore all that day and started the following day. The various bottlenecks produced an odd order of disembarkation that had not been expected, at breakfast time on the 9th before a single gun had left its hold the EME and one of his store lorries had arrived at Tac HQ. The Regiment was complete at nightfall on D+4 except for D Troops guns which were boxed up in a de-waterproofing area. |
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At long last on the 4th June 1944 the Regiment moved to Tilbury in TCV’s to embark at midday on the 5th. The ships formed up in columns along the river sum included huge concrete objects unbeknown to them they were later to become the Mulberry Harbour. The convoy sailed down the river and anchored off southend joining the largest collection of shipping any of them had ever seen. The next day was D-Day bringing with it the news that the invasion of Western Europe had begun. The convoy with the main party of the Regiment set off at 0620hrs on the 7th the enemy made no attempt to interrupt the passage of the convoy. By nightfall Portsmouth was reached and the Normandy coast by dawn the next morning, and The Regiments ships were anchored 3 miles offshore. Tac HQ of the Regiment had gone ahead in an earlier schedule and though Lt Col Norman and his staff were supposed to land at first light on D+1 but Rhino landing craft were not to plentiful, finally they made a dry landing at 1600hrs the same day. They then proceeded to Ryes near 7th Armoured Division Tac HQ, they were the first of the Regiment to land in France. The Survey Officer and all the Battery CPOs and GPOs then arrived and were 0800hrs. A changed of plan developed and at 1600hrs the gun positions were taken over by 86 Field Regiment RA. In its first day of action in Normandy the Regiment did not fire very heavily approximately 600 rounds in all. |
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A gap had been found in the enemy’s front by the 11 Hussars West of the river Aurette and the new Divisional plan was to exploit this with 22nd Armoured Brigade, to effect a turning movement of the enemy around Tilly, La Livry, Briquessard and Amaye-Sur-Seulles to seize Villers Bocage and the high ground to its north east. 131 Brigade was to step up behind. The Regiment moved off with 131 Brigade in the small hours of the 13th, coming in to action at Le Mensil by 0930hrs just south of Honorine de Ducy in a position to cover the firm base of 131 Brigade and the advance of 22 Armoured Brigade to Villers Bocage. The advance proceeded well and by 1100hrs the tanks and 1/7 Queens occupied Villers Bocage. All the Ops were out with 1 RTR and 1/6 Queens and did much firing on enemy tanks and infantry on either side of the Axis to Villers Bocage. |
A gap had been found in the enemy’s front by the 11 Hussars West of the river Aurette and the new Divisional plan was to exploit this with 22nd Armoured Brigade, to effect a turning movement of the enemy around Tilly, La Livry, Briquessard and Amaye-Sur-Seulles to seize Villers Bocage and the high ground to its north east. 131 Brigade was to step up behind. The Regiment moved off with 131 Brigade in the small hours of the 13th, coming in to action at Le Mensil by 0930hrs just south of Honorine de Ducy in a position to cover the firm base of 131 Brigade and the advance of 22 Armoured Brigade to Villers Bocage. The advance proceeded well and by 1100hrs the tanks and 1/7 Queens occupied Villers Bocage. All the Ops were out with 1 RTR and 1/6 Queens and did much firing on enemy tanks and infantry on either side of the Axis to Villers Bocage. |
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The greatest quantity of fire was used in direct support of 22 Armoured Brigade who were being heavily counter attacked with tanks throughout the afternoon and evening. They formed a box in the area Tracy Bocage for the night and covering fire was given to them by the Regiment and Division. A plan was formed to advance the next morning with 1/6 Queens and 1 RTR to open the road through Amaye-Sur-Seulles and make contact with 22 Armoured Brigade in the island. The Regiments Ops |
The greatest quantity of fire was used in direct support of 22 Armoured Brigade who were being heavily counter attacked with tanks throughout the afternoon and evening. They formed a box in the area Tracy Bocage for the night and covering fire was given to them by the Regiment and Division. A plan was formed to advance the next morning with 1/6 Queens and 1 RTR to open the road through Amaye-Sur-Seulles and make contact with 22 Armoured Brigade in the island. The Regiments Ops A withdrawal by 22 Armoured Brigade through 131 Brigade was planned and ordered to the area of Briquessard, which was to be held by 131 Brigade. The withdrawal was to start at 2330hrs and throughout an evening of continuous calls for fire from the Ops and a number of Uncle and Victor targets, preparations were made for DF tasks to cover the whole of the withdrawing force. In the middle of the evening the enemy made one final effort to eliminate the island completely. Over the radio came fresh reports of movement by the enemy and tanks were seen to be forming up for an attack. Two Battalions of Panzer Grenadiers with heavy tank support advanced at around 2000hrs and at once came the call from Col Carver to the Ops for all possible fire immediately on the centre of the main enemy forces. It was quickly provided and the weight of fire from 3 RHA, 5 RHA 5 AGRA and 186 US Field Artillery Battalion smothered the enemy in a blanket of HE. This was the last enemy effort and although the fire continued for most of the night on hostile Batteries and known enemy areas. The enemy made no attempt to interfere with the withdrawal of 22 Armoured Brigade and the two Queens Battalions apart from continued shelling that had become an accepted feature of the whole battle. |
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Ammunition expenditure for the day was well . Enemy movement tended to increase according to the Ops reports. At 1000hrs the next day an attack came with brought a no movement seen report from all Ops but as the day progressed reports of further enemy movement became more persistent until it finally took the form of an infantry attack from Le Quesney at 0800hrs. M Battery’s Ops brought heavy fire down despite the extremely harassing time they had frequently finding themselves cut off by parties of the enemy who shot at them from all convenient angles. By 1000hrs the firmness of the 1/6 Queens ejected the enemy and the Ops were once more able to reoccupy their evacuated posts |
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A withdrawal by 22 Armoured Brigade through 131 Brigade was planned and ordered to the area of Briquessard, which was to be held by 131 Brigade. The withdrawal was to start at 2330hrs and throughout an evening of continuous calls for fire from the Ops and a number of Uncle and Victor targets, preparations were made for DF tasks to cover the whole of the withdrawing force. In the middle of the evening the enemy made one final effort to eliminate the island completely. Over the radio came fresh reports of movement by the enemy and tanks were seen to be forming up for an attack. Two Battalions of Panzer Grenadiers with heavy tank support advanced at around 2000hrs and at once came the call from Col Carver to the Ops for all possible fire immediately on the centre of the main enemy forces. It was quickly provided and the weight of fire from 3 RHA, 5 RHA 5 AGRA and 186 US Field Artillery Battalion smothered the enemy in a blanket of HE. This was the last enemy effort and although the fire continued for most of the night on hostile Batteries and known enemy areas. The enemy made no attempt to interfere with the withdrawal of 22 Armoured Brigade and the two Queens Battalions apart from continued shelling that had become an accepted feature of the whole battle. |
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Ammunition expenditure for the day was well over 4,000 and though the casualties of the Division at this point were high, those of the enemy were far heavier for which the Regiment can claim a good share. In the evening attack 700-800 casualties were inflicted largely by Artillery fire, although the withdrawal to Briquessard became necessary the whole battle was in fact a defensive victory of great importance as the 2nd Panzer Division had been left crippled as a defensive force at a crucial time in the development of the Allied Bridgehead. |
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It was a necessity during the whole of the Normandy campaign for the officers of the Regiment to rotate through the roles of CPO, GPO and OP and often they were lent out to different Batteries. In M Battery from the landings onwards the CP was formed just behind the Ops that enabled the quick selection on gun positions in anticipation of rapid forward leapfrogging. Even in these conditions members of the Regiment still found the time to maintain accurate and almost daily personal accounts of the war. On the 15th of June the Regiment were issued with Benzidrine tablets to keep them awake. Sometimes these diaries were the total sum of their authors very being that survived the war. |
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131 Brigade now formed a firm base from Briquessard to Le Pont with 1/6 Queens right 1/5 Queens centre and 1/7 Queens holding the left flank. Each Battery had Ops with their affiliated Battalions. J Battery’s Ops fired on some tanks and a road block in Granville with unseen results but the guns were generally quiet until late in the evening when enemy started probing the 1/6 Queens lines with a strong fighting patrol. Several strong DF’s were called for by M Battery’s Ops and the attacks were repulsed without difficulty. Enemy movement tended to increase according to the Ops reports. At 1000hrs the next day an attack came with tanks and infantry with the help of plenty of DF fire from the Regiment it was beaten off with losses to the enemy. The same day M Battery were accidentally bombed with rockets from Allied Typhoon aircraft. This was the first the regiment had been engaged by aircraft using weapons other than machine guns and cannons. As the evening drew on the situation in Briquessard quietened down though shelling of the village itself was maintained, Orders were received to withdraw the next day at 2300hrs. At 0200hrs another attack developed and was again blanketed by defensive fire and forced back. Dawn brought a no movement seen report from all Ops but as the day progressed reports of further enemy movement became more persistent until it finally took the form of an infantry attack from Le Quesney at 0800hrs. M Battery’s Ops brought heavy fire down despite the extremely harassing time they had frequently finding themselves cut off by parties of the enemy who shot at them from all convenient angles. By 1000hrs the firmness of the 1/6 Queens ejected the enemy and the Ops were once more able to reoccupy their evacuated posts |
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===Cold War=== |
===Cold War=== |
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