55 (Suffolk & Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment RA (TA) - The Royal Artillery 1939-45 Depending on the date would have had different markings. When they were with 49 Div, they would have had the polar bear divisional insignia & white 46 on a red over blue square to denote divisional anti-tank regiment.
Thank you kindly for the link and help. I see that there were two troops of 6pdr and one troop of self propelled guns. Are there any photographs anywhere? Circa 1944. Bill
One here from '45. https://mobile.twitter.com/mark_forsdike/status/1360962832376987649 There might be more in Patrick Delaforce's book on 49th Div. I'll look later.
Interesting - I looked at that photo previously and couldn't identify it based on markings. I don't see any photos of the regiment in Delaforce's book. In 1944 they did not have Archers before November. (October is not actually correct.) If you're looking for photos from before that, I don't have anything. I've got a PDF of the regimental booklet but it only has sketches. The RA also had special marking for indicating which battery a vehicle was in: A red square with a blue square covering one quarter of the red square, if that makes sense. Bala are you looking at this from a scale modeling point of view...?
Thank you Chris for your help. No not scale modelling, my interest is 55 Anti-Tank with 49 Division in Normandy
Owen Many thanks that's a nice picture - I am learning about about 55 Anti-tank and didn't realise that there was one troop of SP and two troops of 6 pounders - what pulled them (Any photos?) Thanks for helping
They didn't have SP guns until late into 1944, as Chris notes above. They were on the standard Atk Bty WE for use in an Inf Div in 21AG, which at the start of the campaign in NWE was one Troop of towed 6-pdr guns and two Troops of towed 17-pdr guns, four guns in each Troop, with four Batteries in the Regiment. In the closing months of 1944 21AG introduced a revised Atk Bty in its Inf Divs, with one of the 17-pdr Tps converting from towed to SP; at the same time both the 17-pdr Tps dropped from four guns to three, while the 6-pdr Tp stayed at four guns. Gary
Gentlemen - thank you for your feedback. I am interested in 55 Suffolk yeomanry with 49 Div during Operation Martlet in June/July 1944 but you tell me NO SP. instead One troop of 6pdr, Two troops of 17pdrs all towed. (by what?) I have the War Diary for June & July. I can see that RHQ & 219 Bty landed on June 12th. 217 & 220 Btys landed next day. But when did 218 Bty land? Gun tractors - are the pics correct?
No, they were using FATs, I assume for the 6-pounders as well as the 17-pounders. Do you have the commander's letter about the two trial 17-pounder SPs the regiment received in July? He is not reticent about how much he disliked the FATs. (That's Field Artillery Tractors) (The pictures you show are of a half track and a universal carrier. I believe the infantry used carriers to pull their own 6-pounders but I'm not sure about the anti tank regiments. I could be wrong on this point.)
Candidates for towing vehicles NW Europe are: 17 pdr - FAT's, Half Tracks, Converted Portees & Crusader Gun Tractors. 6 pdr - Loyd Carriers Other vehicles could be used and often were.
Hi All What vehicles were in these groups in 55 Anti Tank Regiment? COMMANDING OFFICERS RECCE GROUP O GROUP F GROUP TRANSPORT GROUP LIGHT AID DETACHMENT
Those Groupings were tactical rather than organisational, so it was dependent upon the circumstances, and there were different considerations for the relevant Groups at RHQ, Battery HQs and Troops. The August 1944 pamphlet on the Anti-tank Regiment suggested for example - RHQ Recce - Car, CO's carrier, Jeep, motorcycle (MC) Fighting - majority of the 15-cwt trucks at RHQ, including one wireless truck, the office and the MO's truck Transport - balance of trucks, including second wireless truck, and all 3-ton lorries Bty HQ (towed, two 17-pdr and one 6-pdr Tps) R - Bty cmdr's carrier, two Jeeps and three MCs F - one Jeep, one truck and one MC T - remaining 15-cwt trucks, 3-ton lorries, plus spare tractor Troop (17-pdr, towed) R - Tp cmdr's carrier and one Jeep F - Four tractors and four 17-pdr guns, plus two trucks (amn) T - Two 3-ton lorries (amn) Troop (6-pdr, towed) R - Tp cmdr's carrier and one Jeep F - Four carriers (Loyd) and four 6-pdr guns, plus two carriers (Loyd) (amn) T - 3-ton lorry (amn) LAD - MC, car, two 3-ton lorries and one 3-ton lorry (breakdown, 6x4) Gary
Thanks for that - the 6 x 4 Breakdown Recovery vehicle weighed about 8.5 tons unladen. The attachment shows my 6x4 during the Malayan Emergency 1959 - lovely vehicles Bill
They probably didn't have anything as powerful as yours, Bala. I believe that a 3 ton 6x4 breakdown vehicle could have existed - I have looked at a book of Canadian vehicles and they had a light breakdown "tractor", 3 ton, 4x4. And If Gary was looking at the LAD War Establishment document, I doubt it was wrong.
Well I'll never be a vehicle aficionado, so I got the reprint of the "Data book of wheeled vehicles" a long time ago, to at least give me a fighting chance. It lists 3-ton six-wheeled types, with specialised bodies. The 3-ton Leyland retriever was 6x4, and had a breakdown version, at 5-tons 14-cwt unladen. There was also a Scammell six-wheeled (6x4) heavy breakdown tractor, 9-tons 13-cwt unladen. The LAD Type "A" and "B" is shown with the lorry, 3-ton, 6x4, breakdown, REME, while the Types "C" and "D" have tractor, 6x4, breakdown, with heavy appended to the Type "D" reprint. Looks as though the Canadian LADs had a different interpretation; the book Chris mentions shows tractor, breakdown, light, medium and heavy, which are 3-ton, 4-ton and 5-ton respectively. The RCEME LAD "A" and "B" has a note, that when serving units with no vehicles larger than 3-tonners, the light tractor was to be issued, while those serving Medium Regts, RCA and Armd Car Regts got the heavy tractor (and later HQ Armd Divs and Corps Sigs), while the balance of Type "A" and "B" LADs got the medium tractor. Complicated 'innit? Gary
For my part, I hadn't clued in to the fact the LAD types "C" and "D" had a heavier recovery vehicle, but of course they needed to, to recovery larger and heavier vehicles.
There was another lighter recovery an Austin K6 Gantry which was a useful vehicle and could pull a 7.5 ton trailer as per attached photo. We also had them in Malaya. See photo of me in Malaya "winning hearts and minds".
