1st Tower Hamlets Battalion

[David W]

I am not familiar with any U.K unit in North Africa called "Rangers" that's all. I was just trying to find out about them.
Perhaps Robindad's source will come up with something.

[Urmel]

David, 1st Battalion 'The Rangers' = 9th KRRC.

Click on the link I put in the previous post.

[David W]

OK.

Got it now.

Thanks. Never heard of that name/title before now.

[MarkN]

Bringing an old thread back to life....

The following exchange occured in another thread concerning Mechili ( See here: https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic ... 6#p2118226 ) but my response seems better suited to be placed here.

Hi, I see sources that British 2nd Armoured division surrendered at Mechili on April 8 1941, but only 2-3000 men caputred, exactly which units of British 2nd armoured division were captured ? 5th or 6th RTR ? 1st Tower Hamlets Rifles ? 3rd Indian motor brigade, anyone can help on that ?

In Greece was 9th Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps (9KRRC) (The Rangers)
In Cyrenaica was 9th Battalion the Rifle Brigade (9RB) (The Tower Hamlet Rifles)

The 1st Tower Hamlets Rifles (9th Rifle Brigade) luckily avoided Mechili during the 6th and 7th April and instead the two groups of them got out via Derna during the 7th. Some 90 of them fought alongside the 1st KRRC at Derna and were notable in using their Boys Anti-Tank Rifles to snipe out MG groups. The other group remained truck mounted and kept going.

The 1st Rangers (9th KRRC) got out of Greece with some losses. They were part of the other half of the 2nd Support Group that had been sent to Greece from 2nd Armoured Division (referred to only as a Support Group, or elements of, in Greece).

The Rangers and the 1st THR were amalgamated into the other KRRC and RB battalions as reinforcements just before Alam el Halfa in 1942. They were not happy about it.

There were few combat unit losses at Mechili except that most of the 2nd Lancers were forced to surrender. The majority of the prisoners were from Forward and Rear Div HQ and became prisoners because they followed orders to turn back during the breakout instead of continuing to smash out through the Italians. Some of the Australian anti-tank gunners failed to get out but others did, as did 'M' Battery 3rd RHA.

About 20 (IIRC) officers (Lieutenants, Captains Majors and higher) from 2nd Armd Div HQs got out and began reforming the Div HQ in Tobruk and then were evacuated by sea expecting to continue reforming in Egypt as units arrived back from Greece and Cyrenaica to refit. The division was not reformed due to a lack of tanks immediately available to do so for both the 7th and the 2nd and the needs of the fighting half of 3rd Armoured Bde in Tobruk. The officers of the Div HQ were used within 30 Corps or went to other units. Major Cracroft led 8th Armoured Brigade in 1944 in Normandy and onto Germany.

Many will tell you the 2nd Armoured Division was destroyed at Mersa Brega and at Mechili and yet the division's combat units kept fighting in 42 and beyond.

To qualify and quantify the following:

The 1st Tower Hamlets Rifles (9th Rifle Brigade) luckily avoided Mechili during the 6th and 7th April and instead the two groups of them got out via Derna during the 7th. Some 90 of them fought alongside the 1st KRRC at Derna and were notable in using their Boys Anti-Tank Rifles to snipe out MG groups. The other group remained truck mounted and kept going.

1TH didn't "luckily avoid Mechili". They were supposed to be there, but they didn't get there in time due to the incompetence of formation-level commanders: Latham, Gambier-Parry and Neame.

It is recorded that when the 1TH reached Tobruk late on in the evening of the 7th (remember, they were supposed to be going to Mechili, not Tobruk) they had,

...lost 16 officers, some 350 men, 42 carriers out of 44 and nearly 150 other vehicles out of some 200.

Due to this they were only able to contribute to the mobile support group under Gott a very reduced scale RHQ and a single company. So whilst some "remained truck mounted and kept going", they didn't go where they were supposed to!

And, moreover, the Australian 9th Division noted in summary:

TOWER HAMLETS A territorial inf bn with no apparent fighting qualities

Also,

The 1st Rangers (9th KRRC) got out of Greece with some losses.

1 Rangers lost the equivalent of a company on the Greek mainland personnel-wise and all the equipment. Most were evacuated to Crete, others managed to find their way back to Egypt. They lost all their heavy equipment and vehicles.