Help!!! Needed Searching The Archives

gaztwrO · 27-08-2008, 11:43 AM

HELP!!

I'M TRYING TO FIND INFO ON THE 20th ANTI TANK REG RA DURING SEPTEMBER 1944 (HOLLAND/BELGIUM) I'VE HAD A FEW LEADS SO FAR WHICH HAVE BEEN VERY USEFUL. I HAVE NOW TURNED TO SEARCHING THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES WEBSITE....?? OH MY GOD WERE DO YOU START.

WHEN I SEARCHED ON ROYAL ARTILLERY IT BROUGHT UP NUMEROUS FILES RELATING TO THEIR VARIOUS UNITS ACTIONS DURING THE 44-45' NW EUROPE, BUT I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING ON THE 20th ANTI TANK REG. I KNOW THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING THERE BECAUSE ONE OF OUR MEMBERS VERY KINDLY GAVE ME A QUICK REPLY STATING THAT AROUND THE 20th OF SEPT THE 20th AT WAS AT A PLACE CALLED KLEINE BROGEL, AND THAT HE HAD RECOVERED THIS INFO FROM THE UNIT'S WAR DIARY SO IT MUST EXIST...???

HOW COME I CAN'T FIND IT IN THE ARCHIVES?

ANYONE ASSIST?

Auditman · 27-08-2008, 01:09 PM

The following site gives a great deal of information about the RA and how individual regiments were allocated. Extract below re 20ATR

British Artillery in World War 2

20 ATk Regt

Reg

Fm 20 Fd Bde 1938
France 1939-40 - 3 Inf Div
UK 1940-4 - 3 Inf Div
DDay 1944 - 3 Inf Div
NW Europe 1944-5 - 3 Inf Div

The Regiment's War Diary will be in the National Archive at Kew. Knowing the Division will help to scale down the search. Good Luck

Jim

sapper · 27-08-2008, 02:47 PM

I was at petite Brogel (Same place) Kliene over the border!.......(Little!) Prior to the night time assault crossing of the Escaut canal. Near the village of Peer. The night of September 18th/19th 1944. We crossed in two places with 8th brgade, and with 9th brigade. Shocker!
A dreadful night assault.
Sapper

sapper · 27-08-2008, 02:50 PM

I will try and look up the Third Div at petite Brogel in a book the C in C gave me. If I find anything of interest to you I will post it.
Sapper

ramacal · 27-08-2008, 05:34 PM

I had the same problem getting details about my Father's LAA Regiment war diaries. If you telephone the National Archives as I ended up doing, they gave me the details of the relevant diaries reference numbers without any problem.

There is also some basic info on a site I found and if you click on RA 1939-45 20 A/Tk Rgt it will take you directly to the section about 20th Anti Tank Regiment R.A.

Good luck.

PsyWar.Org · 27-08-2008, 05:43 PM

Is this the correct war diary for them while part of BEF?

WO 167/576 -
Detecting your browser settings

(Click the link above erroneously labelled "Detecting your browser settings" to take you to the National Archives War Diary catalogue entry)

PsyWar.Org · 27-08-2008, 05:47 PM

After D-day here:
WO 171/913
Detecting your browser settings

PsyWar.Org · 27-08-2008, 05:49 PM

In the UK here:
WO 166/1622 -
Detecting your browser settings

ADM199 · 27-08-2008, 06:47 PM

WO171/913 Jan 1944 to December 1944
WO171/4764 Jan 1945 to September 1945

Paul Reed · 27-08-2008, 07:59 PM

Remember these are only details from the catalogue. The diaries themselves are not online.

27-08-2008, 11:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
gaztwrO Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 36	Help!!! Needed Searching The Archives HELP!! I'M TRYING TO FIND INFO ON THE 20th ANTI TANK REG RA DURING SEPTEMBER 1944 (HOLLAND/BELGIUM) I'VE HAD A FEW LEADS SO FAR WHICH HAVE BEEN VERY USEFUL. I HAVE NOW TURNED TO SEARCHING THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES WEBSITE....?? OH MY GOD WERE DO YOU START. WHEN I SEARCHED ON ROYAL ARTILLERY IT BROUGHT UP NUMEROUS FILES RELATING TO THEIR VARIOUS UNITS ACTIONS DURING THE 44-45' NW EUROPE, BUT I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING ON THE 20th ANTI TANK REG. I KNOW THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING THERE BECAUSE ONE OF OUR MEMBERS VERY KINDLY GAVE ME A QUICK REPLY STATING THAT AROUND THE 20th OF SEPT THE 20th AT WAS AT A PLACE CALLED KLEINE BROGEL, AND THAT HE HAD RECOVERED THIS INFO FROM THE UNIT'S WAR DIARY SO IT MUST EXIST...??? HOW COME I CAN'T FIND IT IN THE ARCHIVES? ANYONE ASSIST?

27-08-2008, 05:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
PsyWar.Org Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Back in the homeland Posts: 386	Is this the correct war diary for them while part of BEF? WO 167/576 - Detecting your browser settings (Click the link above erroneously labelled "Detecting your browser settings" to take you to the National Archives War Diary catalogue entry) __________________ Last edited by PsyWar.Org; 27-08-2008 at 05:54 PM.

27-08-2008, 05:47 PM	#7 (permalink)
PsyWar.Org Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Back in the homeland Posts: 386	After D-day here: WO 171/913 Detecting your browser settings __________________

27-08-2008, 05:49 PM	#8 (permalink)
PsyWar.Org Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Back in the homeland Posts: 386	In the UK here: WO 166/1622 - Detecting your browser settings __________________

27-08-2008, 06:47 PM	#9 (permalink)
ADM199 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: ENGLAND Posts: 821	20th A/T Rgt. WO171/913 Jan 1944 to December 1944 WO171/4764 Jan 1945 to September 1945

27-08-2008, 01:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
Auditman Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Essex Posts: 193	The following site gives a great deal of information about the RA and how individual regiments were allocated. Extract below re 20ATR British Artillery in World War 2 20 ATk Regt Reg Fm 20 Fd Bde 1938 France 1939-40 - 3 Inf Div UK 1940-4 - 3 Inf Div DDay 1944 - 3 Inf Div NW Europe 1944-5 - 3 Inf Div The Regiment's War Diary will be in the National Archive at Kew. Knowing the Division will help to scale down the search. Good Luck Jim

27-08-2008, 02:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
sapper WW2 Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,148	I was at petite Brogel (Same place) Kliene over the border!.......(Little!) Prior to the night time assault crossing of the Escaut canal. Near the village of Peer. The night of September 18th/19th 1944. We crossed in two places with 8th brgade, and with 9th brigade. Shocker! A dreadful night assault. Sapper

27-08-2008, 02:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
sapper WW2 Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,148	I will try and look up the Third Div at petite Brogel in a book the C in C gave me. If I find anything of interest to you I will post it. Sapper

27-08-2008, 05:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
ramacal 336/102 LAA Regiment, RA Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Eynsford, Kent Posts: 3,429	I had the same problem getting details about my Father's LAA Regiment war diaries. If you telephone the National Archives as I ended up doing, they gave me the details of the relevant diaries reference numbers without any problem. There is also some basic info on a site I found and if you click on RA 1939-45 20 A/Tk Rgt it will take you directly to the section about 20th Anti Tank Regiment R.A. Good luck.

27-08-2008, 07:59 PM	#10 (permalink)
Paul Reed Ubique Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Sussex in exile.. Posts: 5,503	Remember these are only details from the catalogue. The diaries themselves are not online. __________________ "The only way you get out of infantry is on a stretcher or six feet under..." Battlefields of WW2: The Guide to visiting WW2 Battlefields. www.ww2battlefields.com

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