Guys; I am trying to start a new impression and am having trouble finding good info. I have been putting together a 5th Guards Armoured Brigade, 1st (Motor) Battalion, Grenadier Guards. I have been doing all the research I can, but have run into some things that I just can't figure out. In some photos you see the flash, a V, then the Division patch. What does the V stand for? I also picked up a Guards division patch that has a roman number 1 under the eye. I was told that this was the 1st guards independent Infantry, but can find nothing about them, any help would be great. Thanks; Christian
Christian Off the top of my head, without checking any books. The "V" is probably the latin numeral for 5 "Guards Armoured" sign with the addition of an arabic numeral was probably worn by a post-war formation sharing some lineage with "the" Guards Armoured Division.
The only independent Guards units I can track down in WWII are S and X companies Scots Guards, which as you can see still carried the name of their parent regiment. They were both attached to other battalions in Guards Armoured though, so did not operate independently. I can find no reference to the sort of composite unit which would carry the title "Guards Independent Infantry".
What about the 24th Guards Brigade, which served outside of the main Guards Armoured Div, in Italy? see: http://homepages.force9.net/rothwell/24guard.htm There was also a 201st Guards Motor Brigade, which fought in Italy.
The point is that although there were Guards units outside the Guards Armoured Div, even in 2nd Army, at battalion level and below they were all identifiable units of their parent regiment, at least by 1944. Certainly some units of other regiments had a heavy Guards representation in terms of original unit membership, such as T Company, 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment and the SAS's G Squadron, but I don't know of a case of a composite independent Guards unit which did not carry a Guards regimental name at battalion level and below.
Christian, Below I have given details of a book that has an enormous amount of info on the Italian campaign and the reference index and appendicies list in minute detail the forces involved including The Guards. It has 921 pages which gives an indication of how comprehensive it is. History of the Second World War - The Mediterranean and Middle East. Volume V. By Brigadier C.J.C. Molony. HMSO London 1973. It should be available through libraries - the copy I have at the moment is from Wiltshires reserve stock. Colin.
This volume of the WW2 Official History, along with all of the others, have just been reprinted by Naval & Military Press in the UK. I believe they retail at £22.
Originally posted by Paul Reed@Sep 25 2004, 11:47 AM This volume of the WW2 Official History, along with all of the others, have just been reprinted by Naval & Military Press in the UK. I believe they retail at £22. [post=28369]Quoted post[/post] Got a web address for those folks?
Originally posted by Kiwiwriter+Sep 27 2004, 11:06 PM-->(Kiwiwriter @ Sep 27 2004, 11:06 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Paul Reed@Sep 25 2004, 11:47 AM This volume of the WW2 Official History, along with all of the others, have just been reprinted by Naval & Military Press in the UK. I believe they retail at £22. [post=28369]Quoted post[/post] Got a web address for those folks? [post=28422]Quoted post[/post] [/b] Try here: Naval and Military Press I get their catalogues by email and by "snail mail"..... Cheers Edward
