Royal Artillery Unit Information

[Kieron Hill]

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

[Gerry Chester]

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?

[Kieron Hill]

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

[Gerry Chester]

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