Beach Group Equipment. What are they?

Mike

It is exactly how you said: I like your posts, no matter when you publish them. And sometimes I just can't wait.

Of course I knew already some items and their pics, but it is your way to show all the items in a comprehensive context. And in series.

And I hope you have still many ideas up your sleeve.

Aixman

 

For 2" Mortars, a green body with a red filling ring usually denotes a smoke round.
And i think practise rounds had black painted bodies

 

Thank you Clanky,

All contributions are more than welcome. Of course when I say 'I think' it translates as 'I don't really have any idea'

Mike

 

Mike

My grandad was in a RAOC beach detachment and made a load of hand written notes & diagrams of various ordnance like above.
At some time way back i added a few of my own notes which included
2" Mortars: H.E. - Brown Body, Smoke - Green Body, Practice - Black Body......
I can't remember when or why i added the notes, or where i got the info from (although i suspect it came from ww2 ordnance booklet that was originally on scribd, thats no longer there).
Hence the reason i put 'i think', as i haven't got anything to corroborate it.

 

Thanks again CrankyPencil. I love the minute detail.

Hogg's reference book on British and US Artillery has a list of colours for British ammunition.
Buff. High Explosive.
Green. Smoke
White. Flare
Red Incendiary
Black Others

So picture of 2" rounds is probably
Upper - practice round.
Middle - Smoke round
Lower - HE round.

Mike

 

Complicated or what?

A 2" mortar round showing the protective cap on the nose and the propellant chamber at the tail.

Stencils are difficult to read but the colours should indicate:
Red band near nose - filled with explosive substance. High Explosive.
Green band - filled with TNT or Amatol

The body seems to be brown but aging makes it difficult to tell.

A new system of markings came into use (briefly) in 1944. Perhaps this changed High Explosive rounds from Buff to Brown.

Mike

 

.303" ammunition.

Wooden ammunition box for 1,248 rounds .303 ammunition in 32 round cartons.


Standard cardboard carton holding 32 rounds .303 ammunition.

Pre decimal when we still used the more convenient dozen and gross.

Mike

 

Bangalore Torpedo.



Carrying case for Bangalore Torpedoes. The compartment along the front holds nose attachments, connectors etc. This photo shows US Bangalores.



The fuse well for the rear section of a length of torpedo. A fuse or detonator is screwed into this.


Diagram showing the components. The basic unit is a six foot tubular section packed with explosive. Any number of tubes can be fastened together using the connecting sleeve. A nose sleeve is fitted to the front end of the torpedo to make it easier to slide it forward. The rear of the section has a threaded section into which a detonator can be fitted. Any of the standard time fuses or fuse cords and detonator can be used to fire the torpedo.

The most common use was, and still is, clearing wire. They were also effective in gapping sand dunes.

The Bangalore Torpedo was originally developed in Victorian times at Bangalore in India. The basic design varied little and was used in WW1, WW2 and is still in service.

Mike

 

Loudhailer.



Not D Day and not army but since we are interested in the equipment perhaps this can be excused. The photo shows Royal Navy beach personnel training in Egypt.

The loudhailer is mounted on a pole and can be rotated and elevated for maximum effectiveness. Power is provided by wet cell batteries (car type batteries), and the whole is carried on a simple wooden frame. The microphone has a long lead so that the loudhailer can be operated remotely

Mike

 

I'm adding the D Day and Beach Group part, but unfortunately only the outside of the box is visible on this amphibious Jeep from 'A' Coy, 5 KINGS (5 Beach Group) on its way to SWORD. I first thought the marking on the box said "Loudspeaker", but it must be:

APPARATUS
LOUDHAILING
No.3


Source: IWM B 5110
Note: to get the larger versions see here: File:D-day - British Forces during the Invasion of Normandy 6 June 1944 B5110.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Michel

 

In action at the eastern limit of MIKE GREEN:

Source: IWM A 24092
Big image here: File:The Royal Navy Beachmaster's HQ on the beach near Courseulles, Normandy, 13 June 1944. A24092.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Michel

 

Megaphone.
Simple, cheap and no batteries to run down.



Mike

 

I can recall making up some improvised Bangalore Torpedoes for use on the Demolitions range on Salisbury plain back in the early 80's
2 Six ft pickets with the angled side filled with PE4 and then wired together, place under a barbed wire entanglement and make it go bang.
Does not do a car much good either.

 

Bicycle.



The humble WD bike was used in considerable numbers. Each infantry battalion had 33 on strength. These were used mainly for orderlies at battalion, company and platoon level, and by the intelligence section. A fairly basic machine with no gears.

An aside.
I have somewhere photos of a Belgian bicycle battalion including a breakdown bicycle fully equipped with spares and with tools for the repair and maintenance of the machines.

Mike

 

Lamps.



Hurricane Lamp. For general lighting use, particularly in tents, dugouts, buildings without power etc. A simple paraffin lamp. Paraffin is poured into the base, the wick is lit and you have light (and some heat). It can be placed on a surface or suspended.


Basically a railway paraffin lamp. Used for traffic control. The light can be white, green or red and these can be changed by rotating the central portion of the lamp. White can be used for illuminating road signs, red and green for stop/go or marking routes. A mask with an arrow can be placed over the glass and this can be rotated to indicate directions for traffic.


Lamp, electric, No 2.
An electric version of the railway type lamp. This is powered by a cycle lamp and has red and green filters. The front of the lamp has a black out shield which allows the light to be seen from ahead but not from the sides or above. Used for traffic control and route marking.


Lamp, electric, No 4.
A hand held lamp which has a tab to allow it to be attached to a uniform button. For traffic control red or green colour can be selected by the slides, red on the left and green on the right. The right hand button on the top of the lamp can be used to flash the light for signalling.

Mike

 

9mm Parabellum ammunition.


9mm cartridges in 48 round boxes.


9mm cartridges.

The design of the 9mm Parabellum round is almost 120 years old and it still in service around the world. It is a low power, short range, man stopping round. This makes it a defensive weapon such as an automatic pistol or a sub machine gun. In this case it would be for the Sten gun.

Not much attention is generally paid by historians and enthusiasts to the design of ammunition but it is the actual round which is the effective part of the system, whether heavy artillery or handgun. The design of a weapon begins with the ammunition to be used rather than the other way round.

Mike

 

Stencil Set.

For provosts and unit police to make signs.
2 X Paint brush.
1 X Cloth.
12 X Metal sheets, 30 inch by 17 inch. Painted white.
1 X stencil with arrows.
1 X set of stencils with 4 inch letters.
6 X tripods for signs.

Pre painted signs were also carried.

No pictures for this.

Mike

 

Picket post.
These were six foot angle iron posts, pointed at one end for ease of hammering into the ground. Although difficult to see the example here has notches along one edge to support wire. There was another type which had slots cut into one side of the angle to enable wire to be tied to it. The first type was most useful for fencing to mark the limits of designated areas etc. while the second was suitable for defensive barbed wire.


Sledgehammer for hammering in fence posts.


Wire cutters and canvas carrying pouch. These are small cutters used for erecting wire. Assault cutters were much bigger, and more powerful.

Mike

 

Brilliant stuff. A quick question if I may. As Beach Units and Beach Bricks were similar would it be reasonable to assume the Beach Bricks landing on Sicily in 1943 had similar equipment?

Cheers Brian

 

Brian,

Difficult to be certain how similar the equipment scales would be but they would certainly be close. Much of the equipment is that which the infantry battalion would have as standard. The Beach Group scales were written in late 1943 and were based on experience in the Mediterranean.

Mike.