British Armoured Divisions

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Gary Kennedy
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#91

Post by Gary Kennedy » 13 Jul 2017, 17:24

I don't know those dates are wrong, I just meant that Joslen only begins his study from Sep39 so couldn't say how long those appointments had been held before then. Thought I'd have a look through something other than Joslen and this is from "Churchill's Desert Rat 2" by Patrick Delaforce. It's in his description of the changes by Hobart to the Mobile Division following his arrival in Egypt in Sep38.

Heavy Brigade (Lt-Col HRB Watkins)
1st and 6th Bns, RTR

Light Armoured Brigade (Brig HE Russell)
7th Hussars
8th Hussars
11th Hussars

Pivot Group (Lt-Col WHB Mirrlees)
3RHA
F Bty, 4RHA
1 Bn KRRC

Gary

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yantaylor
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#92

Post by yantaylor » 13 Jul 2017, 17:43

Bloody hell Gary I'am miles out with my commanders

The Light Armoured Brigade (3rd March 1939)
Commander:
Brigadier H.F. Russell (3rd September 1939)
Units:
7th Hussars
8th Hussars
11th Hussars

The Heavy Armoured Brigade (3rd March 1939)
Commander:
Lieutenant Colonel H.R.B. Watkins (3rd September 1939)
Brigadier J.A.L. Caunter (1st November 1939)
Units:
1st Royal Tank Regiment
6th Royal Tank Regiment

The Pivot Group (3rd March 1939)
Commander:
Lieutenant Colonel E.S.B. Williams (22nd January 1940)
Units:
3rd Royal Horse Artillery
'F' Battery 4th Royal Horse Artillery
1st Kings Royal Rifle Corp


Gary Kennedy
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#93

Post by Gary Kennedy » 13 Jul 2017, 19:00

They look about the same to me!

Gary

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yantaylor
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#94

Post by yantaylor » 13 Jul 2017, 23:09

Sorry I should have said dates.

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yantaylor
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#95

Post by yantaylor » 14 Jul 2017, 15:34

Right then, I had enough time today [working very hard of late] to look though Andy's data a found the dates I needed;

Light Armoured Brigade [Egypt] (3rd September 1939)
Commander:
Brigadier H.F. Russell (3rd September 1939)
Units:
7th Hussars
8th Hussars
11th Hussars

Heavy Armoured Brigade [Egypt] (3rd September 1939)
Commander:
Lieutenant Colonel H.R.B. Watkins (3rd September 1939)
Brigadier J.A.L. Caunter (1st November 1939)
Units:
1st Royal Tank Regiment
6th Royal Tank Regiment

The Pivot Group (3rd September 1939)
Commander:
Lieutenant Colonel E.S.B. Williams (22nd January 1940) apparently this officer was just acting commander, I wonder who he replaced?
Units:
3rd Royal Horse Artillery
'F' Battery 4th Royal Horse Artillery
1st Kings Royal Rifle Corp

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yantaylor
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#96

Post by yantaylor » 21 Jul 2017, 15:34

Hi Andy, do you have any info on the commanders of the Canadian 5th armoured brigade and 11th infantry brigade during the second world war please.

Regards
Yan.

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yantaylor
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#97

Post by yantaylor » 23 Jul 2017, 20:51

Did I ever ask you guys if you knew if the British 1st cavalry division used the same "fox mask" insignia that was used by the 10th armoured division?
I know that the 1st cavalry formed into the 10th AD, so did they also use the same insignia?
I asked the Imperial war museum about this and they never got back in touch.

Regards
Yan.

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Andy H
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#98

Post by Andy H » 29 Sep 2017, 21:01

yantaylor wrote:Hi Andy, do you have any info on the commanders of the Canadian 5th armoured brigade and 11th infantry brigade during the second world war please.

Regards
Yan.
Hi Yan

Commander of 5th Armd Bde was Brig I.H.Cumberland 07/06/44-11/11/45

Commander of 11th Inf Bde was Brig I.S.Johnston 24/06/44-06/06/45

Source: Pg: 667 of Vol III of The Victory Campaign (The Operations in NW Europe 1944-1945) by C.P.Stacey Official Canadian History of the Canadian Army in WW2 Pub 1960

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Andy H

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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#99

Post by yantaylor » 08 Oct 2017, 15:37

Thanks Andy.

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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#100

Post by ClintHardware » 02 Mar 2018, 10:58

yantaylor wrote:Hi everyone.
I was reading a book last week titled "The Polar Bears, from Normandy to the relief of Holland with the 49th division" by Patrick Delaforce.
The divisions nick name [the polar bears] was a new to me because I didn't think the British had nick names for their divisions.

Did they have nick names for their armoured divisions too?

1st Armoured Division.
2nd Armoured Division.
6th Armoured Division.
7th Armoured Division [maybe the desert rats].
8th Armoured Division.
9th Armoured Division.
10th Armoured Division.
42nd Armoured Division.
79th Armoured Division.
Guards Armoured Division.

Thanks for any help.
Yan.
Hi Yan
From memory only: the 49th accidentally killed a number of SS in Normandy that the Germans expected to be taken as POWs and were given the nickname "Butcher Bears". I met a Bren gunner called Christopher Hosegood from the 1st/4th Lincolns in 2002. He was in his mid 80s by then but knew both nicknames even though he had never really thought of the war after being de-mobbed and did not attend reunions. One of his clear memories was the fear his section had of being carried into action on the rear of Polish Shermans because they seemed to show no fear or tactical concerns in trying to get close to the Germans to kill them. He had no idea where he was at any time whilst in the line, it was all hedges and fields and occasionally lanes, destroyed buildings and dead farm animals.
Clint
Imperialism and Re-Armament NOW !

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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#101

Post by Alanmccoubrey » 02 Mar 2018, 11:58

The 3rd Infantry Division were called "The Iron Division" and had been since their formation against Napoleon. The other division often took the name of their badge, Polar Bears of course because they'd garrisoned Iceland, The Wyverns of Wessex, etc.
Alan

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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#102

Post by yantaylor » 02 Mar 2018, 22:42

Hi Clint, I would dearly love to have recorded all the old soldiers who used to frequent my fathers bar in the sixties and seventies, boy they used to tell me all sorts of stories and from every theatre too.

Alan, thank you.

Yan.

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Sheldrake
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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#103

Post by Sheldrake » 02 Mar 2018, 23:50

yantaylor wrote:Did I ever ask you guys if you knew if the British 1st cavalry division used the same "fox mask" insignia that was used by the 10th armoured division?
I know that the 1st cavalry formed into the 10th AD, so did they also use the same insignia?
I asked the Imperial war museum about this and they never got back in touch.

Regards
Yan.
I think they did. You might be better posting this in a forum dedicated to allied forces. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?forums/unit-history.25/

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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#104

Post by yantaylor » 03 Mar 2018, 22:17

I shall enroll and give it ago.

Yan.

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Re: British Armoured Divisions

#105

Post by Michael Dorosh » 10 Dec 2019, 04:46

yantaylor wrote:
04 May 2017, 20:38
6th ARMOURED DIVISION
Nick Name:
The Iron Fist

61st Infantry Brigade (29th May 1944 to 31st August 1945)
Commanders;
Lieutenant Colonel R. Fyffe (11th January to 5th February 1945)
Just going through the 65. Infanterie Division history (in German). There is reference to a delegation of 65th officers surrendering in 1945 to a "Col. Fyfe" of the "britisches Panzer Regiment 6."

I've done some searches thinking this might refer to someone named Fyfe 6 Royal Tank Regiment. But I'm now wondering if perhaps the translation from English to German wasn't poor, and this is actually Richard Fyffe (two f's).

The orbat above has him commanding 61 Bde of 6th Armoured Division (not regiment) to 5 Feb 1945.

Does anyone have any idea what this officer was doing in May 1945? Is it possible the 65th officers were talking to him?

If not, any other leads on who the German historian is referring to by "brit. Pz Rgt 6"?

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