25th Tank Brigade Narrative of Operations, August-December 1944

Having just transcribed this fascinating document I am posting the result for those who are interested in learning how Churchills performed in Italy. As my regiment, the North Irish Horse fought mainly in the hills the document is particularly useful illustrating how well the "Mountain Goat" performed in terrain where no other AFV was able so to do.
See: 25th Tank Brigade
25th Tank Brigade

Cheers, Gerry

 

Excellent stuff, Gerry - and thanks for making it available. I have an unpublished Mss of an Armoured Brigade in Italy which I really must do something with.

 

Thanks Gerry, great stuff.

Bod

 

Gerry

To echo others, well done indeed in making this fascinating document easily available to all those interested in the use of tanks in Italy.

Best regards

Ron

 

Are you planning to add the maps to the text?
Just one slight typo I found.
25th Tank Brigade chapter 2 page 7.
should be 138th Infantry Brigade.


Thanks Owen, correction made.

As the maps are in the NIH archives I am hoping, during my upcoming visit to Northern Ireland, to find them suitable for reproducing.

Cheers, Gerry

 

Are you planning to add the maps to the text?
Hi Owen,

Took some searching but, assisted by a helpful SSM at Dunmore Park, we found nearly all of those quoted in the 25th TB Narrative. On my return to America I will link them as approrpriate.

Have lots of stuff relative to Churchill units to keep me busy for quite a while. One fascinating item is a Bletchly Park 'Ultra' intercept of a German report on three of our Churrchills briefly in their hands near Sedjenane, Tunisia.

Cheers, Gerry

 

Hi everyone,

During my recent visit to London I did a side trip to Belfast to join in the 23 May 1994 Remembrance Parade. at Dunmore Park Barracks. Splendid turn-out (as was the previous week's turnout for the UK Branch's dinner and Cavalry Parade in Hyde Park) sadly myself and one other were the only two veterans present. Anyway, while there I was able to access NIH records and found nearly all the maps relating to the Narrative.
See foot of:
http://northirishhorse.net/documents/25thTB/Index.html

Cheers, Gerry

 

Gerry -
I was all set to join you at the dinner and parade when the quacks kyboshed the idea - maybe next year !

 

Gerry -
Great report on the 25th actions at the Gothic - unfortunately I don't have any records of our - 21st Tank Bde -actions in that area while we were supporting the Canadians although the Official Hostory was very kind to us.
WE also took part in the "scam" towards Florence and had to keep asking the civilians if this was the right way to Florence - like idiots just to make sure that Kesselring got the message that we were all coming through at Florence.
We then doubled back at Siena - over to Fabriano - onto the newly made tank road to Jesi and over the Metauro on 25th August, we "busted" the line on the Fogli and my troop led the way from Pieve to Cattolica - where we spent two glorious days of rest on the Cattolica beaches 13th - 15th September when we tackled the Coriano Ridge once more at San Martino and San Fortunato where we took a bad beating with too many of the lads still lying at Coriano Ridge Cemetery where I took the pictures of your C.O. the Lord McNeil and your boss Maj Mckean's headstones - it's a beautiful place nowadays !
as Ron would say -" keep well" - cheers Tom

 

Tom,

Thanks for the good wishes - you too "keep well" for next year!

in the pipeline, among 21st TB records, is the period May -September 1944.

I also have material on the New Zealander's push towards Florence - while we were on our way north between the mountain ridge and the river Arno.

As ever,

Gerry