33rd AB Help OP Totalise

Discussion in 'RAC & RTR' started by Thundergrunt, Dec 2, 2015.

  1. klambie

    klambie Senior Member

    'Battery Flashes' by DW Falconer is the best reference. Capsule histories of all RCA Batteries and Regiments in WW II.
     
  2. Brilliant!

    Many thanks Kevin, located a copy with Abe Books.

    Stefan
     
  3. JamesM

    JamesM Junior Member

    Hi Guys,

    I just wanted to say thanks for the information provided here. I'm modelling 144RAC and 7th Batt. Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders during Totalize in 15mm, and much of what you guys have posted about 6 RCA A/T regiment is information I have been trying to firm up for ages.

    My grandfather was a Sherman driver with 144RAC and I wish I had access to the sort of info for his regiment that seems to be out there for 1NY. So far I've been unable to find out what Squadron he was in - I only know he was in the regiment and was a driver of a Sherman.

    Anyway, thanks very much for all the various inputs. It's much appreciated!
     
  4. Hi JamesM,

    Like you I only joined this forum recently, but have lurked here on and off because of the fascinating threads. I've certainly learned more from this current thread and given me leads on to other areas of research.

    I'm also interested in 144RAC and 148RAC because of the link with 33AB and my father-in-law. I have to admit that there is quite a bit of information on 1NY out there, but I'm still trying to find out more which is frustratingly elusive.
    I imagine you already know that 144RAC was originally 8th Bn East Lancashire Regiment. The CO was Lieutenant-Colonel Alan Jolly DSO and is the author of the regimental history called "Blue Flash" (rare as hens teeth now, reflected by the asking price of the available copies). As a modeller you will know that the turret numbers were in yellow with white outline? There are some pictures of 144RAC Shermans on the IWM site.

    Stefan
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  6. I know, I know, checked a couple of days ago! It's been the same price for the last 6 months!
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Have you considered giving him an offer? I have a fair few quids worth of Regimental Histories (All the BEF Armour and Infantry) and it doesn't hurt to make a sensible offer. Most say no but some buckle ;)
     
  8. Must admit I hadn't thought of that :banghead:
    Thanks Andy!
     
  9. JamesM

    JamesM Junior Member

    Thanks Stefan,

    I've got the unit diary and a manuscript copy of the 'blue flash' book - both from the Tank Museum at Bovington. I think at the time I paid less than £40 for both. I also used a cross library loan to get a copy of the actual blue flash book for a few days. And incidentally modern phone cameras are wonderful things ;)

    I've gone for yellow turret numbers, although at my scale the white outline isn't very visible so I decided to leave it off. I did make a mistake of putting squadron symbols on the hull side, but there is no evidence that 144RAC did that. They will come off next time I'm working on them.

    Thanks for the words of welcome!
     
  10. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Bovington doesn't have any of the appendices though with their diaries. I believe they only ever copied the diary pages and typed them up and never bothered with any appendices.
     
  11. Thundergrunt

    Thundergrunt Active Member

    Hey Guys sorry no messages for a bit had to finish some models for a compettion. I built a Sherman II of 3 Troop CLY. And made a Dio of a Sherman I of 148 RAC. In Normandy Bocage.

    But I did some more digging and talked to a friend in the British Army and he sent me this Photo. Hope you like it. He said it is the Black Watch passing the start line with the 33rd ATK Battery.
     

    Attached Files:

  12. Thundergrunt

    Thundergrunt Active Member

    Pic added. It didn't attach before sorry
     
  13. Hi Eugene,

    Thanks for the pic. I have a few of these, taken from about the same spot which I think are stills from cine film. All mine and those I've seen in books are cropped just left (as you look at it) of the first Priest Kangaroo. You can see fairly clearly an M10 in the outer column. Brilliant!
    Could you ask your British Army friend where he got it from please and does he have a larger image?

    Cheers
    Stefan
     
  14. Thundergrunt

    Thundergrunt Active Member

    Stefan,


    He was an infantryman with the 1st Scots, we did a pretty big OP with Brits in Afg in 12'. Met him there he was a model builder too. He said he got it from a place called duxford?? Duxferd?? Hard to tell with his accent.

    I have the same article somewhere as I was wanting to know who the Canadian Grenadier Guards Canadian 4th Armoured Div, supported in Totalize.
     
  15. Eugene,

    Duxford Aerodrome (pronounced Duxferd in Scots :)) is the home of the IWM reserve collection in Cambridgeshire. It hosts aircraft collections, the American Air Museum and also the Land Warfare Hall. Well worth a visit before PC management goes barmy!

    Here's a link to the Duxford site : http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford

    Stefan
     
  16. Aeronut

    Aeronut Junior Member

    I've just acquired a copy of a newsreel film from the IWM (Cat A70 116-1) which covers Op Totalise. I got it because the museum's description of the action shown fitted in with a description my father wrote in one of his letters. I'm more than chuffed to find that he does indeed feature in the film. What the film also shows is the 1st Black Watch in the defrocked Priests and the tanks of the 1st Northants before moving on to the Polish Armoured Division. To see the line of tanks stretching into the distance is impressive yet sobering when you realise what happened to the Poles that day.
     
  17. Hi Aeronut,

    Thanks for the heads-up, I shall definitely look into this. Does it come as a DVD or download please?

    Cheers
    Stefan
     
  18. Aeronut

    Aeronut Junior Member

    Stefan,
    It came as a DVD (£25 + VAT)
     
  19. Aeronut,
    Thanks for this, much appreciated! Sorry for the late reply :blush:
    On my wishlist...I'll be getting this sooner than later I think!

    Cheers
    Stefan
     

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