11th RTR around Germany

Hi Adam,
Have you any idea what the 11 Royal Tank Regiment was doing in Germany doing WW2 especially A Sqn, as I don't seem to be able to find much info, as you are the "TANK MAN" as my father was with them.
Ken.

 

Hi guys,
Many thanks for that info, I can see I'll have to go to Kew.

As a matter of interest, what is the title of the book where the scans are taken from.

Ken.

 

Many thanks for the info Adam

Ken

 

Anyone want information re personnel of L.A.D.attd to 11 Bn RTR.in Egypt and Europe. denis.bell@lineone.net

 

Here is more on the 11th RTR operations in Germany:


33rd Armoured Brigade – 27 January 1945 to 30 March 1945
The battalion left the 30th Armoured Brigade on January 27th and the same day it was decided not to use the battalion in Operation Veritable. It joined the 33rd Armoured Brigade the same day. A thaw on February 3rd changed its employment and No. 5 Troop of ‘A’ Squadron and No 3 Troop of ‘B’ Squadron left Meers on February 5th to join the 5th Assault Regiment RE. The next day the rest of ‘A’ and ‘B’ Squadrons joined. ‘C’ Squadron remained at Meers to continue to train the 33rd Armoured Brigade. By February 9th 1945, 51 Buffaloes (26 in ‘A’ and 25 in ‘B’ Squadrons) were ready to support the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade at Nijmegen. The squadrons were in action through March 7th and then returned with the 33rd Armoured Brigade to prepare for the Rhine Crossing. The battalion moved to Weeze to prepare for the assault on March 20th. All vehicles were loaded with troops of the 44th Infantry Brigade on March 23rd and the battalion began operations on the Rhine the next day. It completed operations on March 25th and was released the next day.

30th Armoured Brigade –30 March 1945 to 25 April 1945
The battalion left the brigade on March 30th 1945 and came back under command of the 30th Armoured Brigade the same day. It moved to the woods near Wijehen southwest of Nijmegen the next day and then to Loo on April 10th to begin practice with the 56th Infantry Brigade the next day. It crossed with Yjessel River with the brigade from April 12th to 13th then returned to Loo to rest. The 11th Royal Tanks left Loo on April 22nd and moved to Lunenberg with the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division to prepare for operations crossing the Elbe.

33rd Armoured Brigade – 26 April 1945 to 26 June 1945
The battalion came under the command of the 33rd Armoured Brigade on April 26th and prepared in the Scharnebeck Forest. It was ready by April 27th. It then left for the marshalling area and arrived the next day. ‘B’ Squadron with the 77th Assault Squadron RE took over the 1st Commando Brigade at Hohnstorf while ‘A’ and ‘C’ Squadrons took over the 44th Infantry Brigade at Artlenburg. The crossing took place from April 29th to 30th after which the battalion was installed in housing south of the Elbe.

 

Hi Dryan67, I was just reading the post you made about the whereabouts of the 11th Rtr in 1944/45? My father joined the 41st/47th Oldham territorial RTR in 1939. He was sent to North Africa in 1942 for the second battle of El Alamein, my grandson, who is 13years old, is extremely interested in WW1 and WW2 and is always asking me questions. He has chosen these subjects as his Options in his exams, we have already been to Normandy, but as my fathers regiment did not land in Normandy until August, Caen would have already been taken, it was still a wonderful trip, we went to the British Cemetery and the American Cemetery, it was extremely moving. I am posting today as I cannot find out where he went next, I know he crossed the Rhine, and I know he ended up in Lubeck. Other than these facts, I know very little. I was told he would not have been a tank driver, as he was in North Africa, but I thought that the 11th RTR were joined with the 78th division, under Percy Hobart,I remember him talking about flail tanks and bailey bridges etc, but I have been told he would probably driven a DD that ferried troops across the Rhine, at weasel? I would like to find out where and what he did, I have his regiments history of 1944, but I can’t find his name anywhere, he was called Joseph McEntee and his service number was 7896748 is there anyway I can find out what unit he was with, A B C or what happened to them before they finished up in Lubeck? Many thanks.

 

Hidip. I have a copy of the 11th Royal Tank Regiment War Diary. I have found a reference to your father in 1943 in Rafah (he his down as Trooper McEstes, probably an error when the document was transcribed). It shows that your father was part of HQ Squadron. You may also get your fathers war diary
11th RTR ferried troops across the Rhine using LVT4 Buffalo amphibious vehicles (like in my profile picture). Later they did similar across the river Elbe.
You can get the war diary for 11th RTR from the Tank Museums Archive department, they may also get your fathers record card.

 

Here is some further details on the 11th Royal Tank Regiment:

11th Royal Tank Regiment
Raised
1 January 1941 at Welbeck

25th Army Tank Brigade – 1 January 1941 to 26 April 1941
The battalion was raised at Welbeck from a nucleus of the 1st Army Tank Brigade on January 1st 1941. It was posted to the nearby 25th Army Tank Brigade on that date and received its first intake of 282 recruits on the 15th of that month. It was to begin to train on Matilda tanks.

War Office Control – 26 April 1941 to 29 February 1942
The battalion left the brigade on April 26th 1941 and received orders to proceed to Lowther Castle, Penrith, Cumberland under War Office control. It left Welbeck in early June and trained there through the end of February 1942. The battalion began to equip with Matilda CDL tanks in June 1941.

25th Army Tank Brigade – 29 February 1942 to 5 August 1942
The battalion rejoined the 25th Army Tank Brigade on February 29th 1942 and left Penrith for Ross Barracks, Shorncliffe, Kent on March 6th. It had 58 Matilda CDLs on March 31st 1942.

War Office Control –At sea - 5 August 1942 to September 1942
It left the brigade on August 5th 1942 and embarked for the Middle East. It arrived in Egypt in September 1942.

British Troops in Egypt –September 1942 to 18 October 1942
It was located on the east bank of the Suez Canal on 22 September, when it received orders to proceed to Rafah, Palestine.

1st Army Tank Brigade – 18 October 1942 to 2 October 1944
The battalion joined the 1st Tank Brigade in Palestine and remained in Rafah through January 31st 1944, when it moved to Mena, Egypt with the brigade. While under the 1st Army Tank Brigade, the battalion was reequipped with CDL Tanks, first Matilda CDLs in October 1942 and later Grant CDLs. The battalion and brigade left Egypt on April 6th 1944 at Port Said for the United Kingdom. It arrived at Glasgow on April 23rd 1944 and proceeded back to Lowther Camp, Cumberland on arrival under the 1st Tank Brigade. The battalion moved to Rosebush Camp, Linney Head, Pembroke in May 1944 and shortly after to Trenorgan, Pembroke. The battalion concentrated at Gosport on July 5th 1944 and embarked for France on August 9th. It concentrated at Meuvaines, Normandy by August 12th but moved shortly to Montilly.

79th Armoured Division – 2 October 1944 to 1 November 1944
The battalion was ordered to the 1st Assault Brigade RE on October 29th 1944. It left the 1st Tank Brigade on October 2nd 1944 and turned in all of its CDL tanks and carriers to the 42nd Royal Tank Regiment. The battalion came directly under command of the 79th Armoured Division for conversion to LVT IV Buffaloes with the help of the 5th Assault Regiment RE. It left for Belgium on October 1st 1944 and arrived at Rupelmunde two days later. It trained at Rupelmunde, Steendorp, and Tumise through October 17th. It left the banks of the Scheldt on that date and over the next two days moved to Holland at Sluiskil ready for action. The battalion had 96 LVT IV Buffaloes by October 23rd. The first troops of the 52nd (Lowland) Division arrived on October 23rd for transport across the Scheldt and the regiment concentrated at Terneuzen the next day to prepare to load. ‘B’ and ‘C’ Squadron were in the first wave and ‘A’ Squadron in the second wave in the assault on South Beveland that began on October 25th and continued through the 29th. It then returned to Sluiskill on October 30th. A composite squadron made up of the 1st, 2nd and 5th Troops of ‘A’ Squadron and two troops of ‘B’ Squadron with 20 craft also served in the landing at Westkapelle and operations at Middleburg during this time.

31st Tank Brigade – 1 November 1944 to 22 December 1944
The battalion came under command of the 31st Tank Brigade on November 1st. The battalion (less the composite squadron) arrived at Waalre south of Eindhoven, on November 2nd and moved into billets. The next day Nos. 2 and 3 Troops of ‘B’ Squadron were sent to help the 51st (Highland) Division cross the Afterwaterings Canal. They returned back to Waalre on 5 November. Meanwhile, the composite squadron’s Buffaloes arrived back in Flushing on November 7th and left their vehicles with the 1st Assault Brigade. ‘A’ Squadron crews moved to Wetteren near Ghent and ‘B’ Squadron crews joined the battalion in Holland to rest and reequip. From November 13th to 15th, ‘C’ Squadron supported the 160th Infantry Brigade in crossing the Wessen Canal. From that date until February 1945 only one troop of ‘A’ Squadron was employed. This troop was sent to the 33rd Armoured Brigade in the Ardennes. On November 20th the squadrons were scattered with ‘C’ Squadron and elements of ‘B’ at Staniproij, HQ Squadron and the rest of ‘B’ at Waalre, and ‘A’ Squadron at Wetteren reequipping with Buffaloes from 264th Special Delivery Squadron. The battalion concentrated near Mol to train with HQ Squadron at Milleghem, ‘B’ Squadron at Sluis, ‘C’ Squadron at Achterbosch. ‘A’ Squadron was to concentrate at an area near the Meuse-Escaut Canal on December 2nd and then just past Christmas it moved to Desschel. ‘B’ Squadron was sent to the Geleen area for one week for possible operations but returned on December 18th due to the German Ardennes Offensive.

30th Armoured Brigade – 22 December 1944 to 27 January 1945
The battalion left 31st Tank Brigade on December 22nd and came under command of 30th Armoured Brigade. It moved to Meers on the Meuse with the Staffordshire Yeomanry in early January to train for the Rhine crossing. HQ Squadron was located at Maasband. It assisted the three regiments of the 33rd Armoured Brigade (1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry, and 144th RAC) to train in Buffaloes after they turned in their tanks following the Ardennes offensive.

 

Since your father went to North Africa with the 41st or 47th Royal Tank Regiment, here is their brief war diary:

 

As can be seen, the 47th RTR was broken up on January 15, 1943. Your father was probably sent to the 11th RTR in Rafah at that point. If he was with the 41st Royal Tank Regiment, part of the 24th Armoured Brigade along with the 47th RTR, he would have most likely remained with them since the 41st RTR was converted to 'T' Scorpion Regiment (later 1st) and continued to serve in North Africa and Italy.

 

My Dad was in 11 RTR (79th Arm Div) and he talked about his role in the Battle of the Bulge - he was taken off tanks and was driving supplies to the American Units in the frontline. He also said that when he was in the battle of the Scheldt and later in the crossing of the Rhine - his Buffaloes had the names of Durham Pit Villages written on them. He remembered Churchill's visit across the Rhine too.