R Force Europe 1944 and 1945

Discussion in 'General' started by mc5479, Jul 22, 2016.

  1. mc5479

    mc5479 New Member

    My father was a flight sergeant in the RAF. He was in 2757 Squadron that arrived in Normandy on 21 August 1944. In his diary entry for 26 August he writes that he's been told he's joining R Force. Colonel Kay is in charge of his detachment, which includes one flight from 2717 Squadron.
    Question: How many people in a RAF flight?
    My father went into Rouen with R Force. On 31 August 1944 he record in his diary that he goes out with A.T.1 investigating flying bomb sites. When investigating another bomb site on 2 September 1944, he writes, "useful gen being picked up by A.T.1 people".
    Question: Who were A.T.1 people?
    He moves on to Brussels with R Force. He mentioned 8th Div Tanks being ahead of them.
    Question: 8th Div Tanks fits in where? I think my father was part of the 21st Army Group. Was 8th Div Tanks part of the 21st Army Group also?
    In his diary my father mentions working with 1315 M.W.H.Q.
    ​Question: Who/what were 1315 M.W.H.Q?

    Hope someone out there can answer my questions. My father Leonard was a lovely man, a very special father and grandfather. I found his war diary only very recently, among my mother's things after she died.
     
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Someone asked me about this unit several years ago IIRC. I'm currently at work until 6am so I can't check but I may have a R Force unit war diary on my hard drive. If I don't post back on here in a day or so drop me a message to remind me and I'll check for you.
     
  3. mc5479

    mc5479 New Member

    Thank you Drew5233. I look forward to hearing from you.
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I don't appear to have anything. The chap researching them is on this forum but I can't remember their name to contact them for you. I think he's either Dutch or Belgian and here's the three diaries I found for him that the National Archives have.

    WO 171/3832 H.Q. 'R' Force 1944 May-Dec
    WO 171/3868 H.Q. 'R' Force 1945 Jan-Mar
    WO 171/3869 H.Q. 'R' Force 1945 Jan-Apr

    Hopefully he'll see this thread and chip in...
     
  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    I am presently reading a book entitled ' Trojan Horses - Deception Operations in the Second World War' by Martin Young and Robbie Stamp. Part of the book covers the life & times of Colonel Strangeways, who after his time in Africa, returned to the UK to start sorting out Fortitude, and also to organise R Force prior to and following D Day.

    I mention this so that if you wish to search further then this mans name could be a useful connection to start with, and there is some basic coverage within the book as well.

    TD
     
    Frog Prince likes this.
  7. Frog Prince

    Frog Prince Member

    IWM Collections has a very interesting set of recordings of David Strangeways describing his wartime service, including his time in 'A' Force and 'R' Force.

    Strangeways, David Inderwick (Oral History)
    Strangeways, David Inderwick (Oral history)
     

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