Who was aboard LST 365 when it landed on the 6th June 1944

Hi ,in response to your request re photos . Yes I would be proud for you to include any pics you may choose

 

Hi Keith yes I would be proud for you to use any pics you would choose. Good luck and thanks

 

Hi All,
I've posted a photo from the book I have compiled over the years on my grandfather's A/Tank battery.
41 Batt 20th Anti-Tank Regt. R.A
The photo shows he was onboard LST 365 and due to land D-Day+12hrs but according to the entry did not arrive until +36hrs? My grandfather was BQMS F. Sanger (first entry on the loading list).

The list was compiled by the battery following the landings.

Hope this throws a little more light on the actions of 365 on D-Day.
Regards
Ray

 

Hello Raymond,

Welcome to the forum and thank you for posting this extremely interesting photo! Do you by any chance have the complete document from which this photo is extracted? I believe the headers, in the complete document, will tell us what the two times H+12hrs and H+36hrs mean.

This photo tells us for certain that LST 365 was LTIN 626. The other two LSsT in Convoy S15 were LTIN 625 (most probably LST 364, who had the Convoy Senior Officer on board) and LTIN 627 (LST 412?).

Below is the part of the 3 Br Inf Div Gp Landing Table Second Tide relative to LST 365 (LTIN 626):


Source: The D-Day Story, Portsmouth

You will note that 20 A Tk Regt is not listed, and that the planned "Ready to beach" time is H+16½ hrs. The only 20 A Tk elements listed in LTINs 625-627 are one Carrier Loyd with from HQ 20 A Tk Regt each in LTIN 625 (with 3 vehicle parties and 5 marching parties) and 627 (with 4 vehicle parties and 2 marching parties).

This is probably because this is an early version (30 Mar 44) of the Landing Table, which must have undergone several amendments before D Day. Your document with the nominal roll is probably more recent (and thus more accurate), which makes it all the more interesting!

Michel

 

Hi Michel,

Yes I have the 3 page list for 41 Battery and will certainly post it here, just need to image it as it's protected due to it's importance to my family.

You will see from the lists that the bulk of the battery landed with the assault wave to provide A/T protection. The backup supplies and quartermasters section are timed to land in the evening on LST 365. Due to beach congestion this didn't happen!

I have been researching the events of 41 Batt 20th A/Tank Regt. since 1979 following a visit to my grandfather's grave in Hermanville, he was killed in action some 12 hours after landing, the battery HQ being mortared at Beuville.

Other LST's bringing in sections of 20th A/T Regt are as follows:
LTIN 3206 - NO LST NUMBER
LTIN 3207 - NO LST NUMBER

Ray

 

Raymond,

I am looking forward to seeing the 3 page list!

LTIN 3206 & 3207 were LST(1) Tasajera & Misoa respectively. See Naval Force 'L'

Michel

 

Bachaquero, Tasajera & Misoa were the 'three musketeers' that did the first landings of US 1st Armored in Algeria in Operation Torch, 8 December 1942. These were the only vessels capable at that time of landing tanks on a beach, rather than by crane on to a dockside. The LST's were the end result of these early British experimental vessels. HMS MISOA - LANDING SHIP TANK (LST) - NORTH AFRICA, SICILY, ITALY AND NORMANDY.. They were not capable of disembarking Shermans and Lee's due I think to their size, so carried the smaller M3 Stuart. Once the ports of Oran and Algiers were captured, the heavier tanks were brought in to the ports for conventional unloading. These were unsung vessels of WW2.

 

The attached loading lists as promised. As far as I know this was produced by 41 Battery, Major Henderson, the battery C.O, was a meticulous record keeper who also kept a daily diary of events over D-Day in a small school text book (highly against the rules I believe but bless him for doing it).

Thanks for the link by the way, I always thought that the stores elements left from Tilbury which is now confirmed.

Regards
Ray

 

Ray,

Any clues as to what type of 3-ton lorry that was? Photo of your gf stood next to one would be the holy grail.

regards

Tom

 

Oh Tom do don't know much a photo like that would mean to me. I don't have a photo of my grandfather but as a child was shown one, he was sitting in the front row of a battery photo, which battery I not sure as he started in 76th Heavy Regt in the BEF and on return from Dunkirk was transferred to 20th A/T, 101 Batt. He volunteered to go to 41 Batt in May 1944 due to an urgent replacement needed. I do know that as a professional soldier he was a bit miffed at being in the backup battery for D- Day, when the chance arose to move to the assault battery at 41 years old he jumped at it.
So if any one out there has a battery photo of any battery in the 76th or 20th let me know!

Ray
p.s believe it was Austin 3 tonners that they used.

 

Ray,

Many thanks for posting the complete loading list. It adds two hull number/LTIN matches: LTIN 343 was LCT 1066 and LTIN 345 was LCT 1071. As for LTIN 338 howewer, it cannot be LCT 827 which belonged to a different flotilla, but more significantly, is definitely identified as LTIN 276 carrying 76 Fd Regt RA.

LTIN 337-342 were carried by craft from 42 LCT Flotilla (as well as LTIN 351-353), which included LCT 821 and LCT 829. I suspect the 827 in the list comes from copying a poorly written hull number, either 821 or 829, from previous notes or documents.

For a nice account of LCT 821 see:
Landing Craft Tank (Mark 4) 821 - LCT (4) 821 on D Day

This account says "Our passengers were a mixture of Royal Marines, Infantrymen and members of an RAF Signal Corps", which more or less corresponds to LTIN 337 only, with 3 & 4 Commando being the "Royal Marines" and two Tentacles Air Support Signals Unit the "members of an RAF Signal Corps". Also, there is nothing about M10 SP guns, which would probably have deserved a mention if on board.

This leads me to believe LTIN 338 was actually LCT 829.

Michel

 

Thanks for the info Michel, now need to get the research books out again and do some updates on information held. Interesting that LTIN 276 should carry 76 Field Regt. into Normandy, my grandfather was in that regiment in the BEF, transferring to 20th A/T Regt in 1941.

Ray

 

Ray,

I was editing my previous post when you posted. See my updated views on LTIN 338's identity.

I also have LTIN 313 as LCI(L) 164 and LTIN 317 as LCI(L) 300, both from 263 LCI(L) Flotilla.

Michel

 

I hoped you might say that. Now how do we prove it? I have a small (well rather large to be honest!) obsession with identifying units that used 3-ton Austin K5 4 x 4 lorries.

Regards

Tom

 

Tom,
I'll go back through Major Henderson's war dairy for the invasion, I'm sure I've seen it written. Also have a stack of 41 Battery info so will review that as well for you.
Ray

 

Thank you, that would be great. As context, I'm trying to identify how much of an issue the reported problems with the Austin K5 actually proved to be for those units equipped with them. So far, the answer mostly appears not too much but I am keeping an open mind.

Regards

Tom

 

Thankyou
Keith