Worthington Force

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Kingfish
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Worthington Force

#1

Post by Kingfish » 07 Jun 2020, 13:13

Can someone explain to me the reason for the annihilation of Worthington force?

I understand the misdirection during the night advance but for the most part the unit did arrive in relatively good shape atop hill 140, so how then did an almost intact armored regiment with infantry support get shot to pieces so quickly?
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Michael Kenny
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Re: Worthington Force

#2

Post by Michael Kenny » 07 Jun 2020, 13:54

I think you should check how long they lasted. One ammunition load does not go far.


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Juha
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Re: Worthington Force

#3

Post by Juha » 22 Jul 2020, 21:11

Stationary Shermans trying to shoot it out with Panthers and Tigers is not a winning option.

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Sheldrake
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Re: Worthington Force

#4

Post by Sheldrake » 23 Jul 2020, 17:23

Kingfish wrote:
07 Jun 2020, 13:13
Can someone explain to me the reason for the annihilation of Worthington force?

I understand the misdirection during the night advance but for the most part the unit did arrive in relatively good shape atop hill 140, so how then did an almost intact armored regiment with infantry support get shot to pieces so quickly?
They were lost and reported that they were somewhere else. As a consequence they were separated from their connection to aircraft and artillery firepower.

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Re: Worthington Force

#5

Post by Juha » 23 Jul 2020, 21:10

In fact they got air support most of the day, Typhoon formations appeared at regular half-hour intervals attacking German positions. The mystery is why the RAF did not ask Army what was the unexpected Allied tank formation surrounded by Germans clearly beyond bombline. Or if they asked what happened the report.
Even artillery seems to have info later on the day where the Force was, from Lost in Normandy The Odyssey of Worthington Force, 9 August 1944 by Mike Bechthold in Canadian Military History, Volume 19, Number 2, Spring 2010, pp.5-24.
...Captain M.A. Baker of the 19th Field Regiment was one of the forward observation officers (FOOs) assigned to the battlegroup. He was in radio contact with his regiment throughout the day, and as late as 1830 hours he reported, “enemy attacking with heavy mortaring.”53
Lieutenant Ken Gartley recalls that about noon one of the forward observation officers, possibly Baker, contacted an artillery command post in the rear. The battery fired three rounds of smoke, but it fell some 1800 metres short.54 This intriguing information indicates that someone in the Canadian lines was aware of the location of Worthington Force, but the information was not shared with anyone who could intervene.
In spite of all these outside contacts, the battlegroup was unable to relay their location to anyone with the ability to intervene in their situation
.

IMHO if Gartley's recollection is correct, it is odd that the 19th FR did not contact a higher HQ for arranging medium arty support.

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Sheldrake
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Re: Worthington Force

#6

Post by Sheldrake » 23 Jul 2020, 22:57

Juha wrote:
23 Jul 2020, 21:10
In fact they got air support most of the day, Typhoon formations appeared at regular half-hour intervals attacking German positions. The mystery is why the RAF did not ask Army what was the unexpected Allied tank formation surrounded by Germans clearly beyond bombline. Or if they asked what happened the report.
Even artillery seems to have info later on the day where the Force was, from Lost in Normandy The Odyssey of Worthington Force, 9 August 1944 by Mike Bechthold in Canadian Military History, Volume 19, Number 2, Spring 2010, pp.5-24.
...Captain M.A. Baker of the 19th Field Regiment was one of the forward observation officers (FOOs) assigned to the battlegroup. He was in radio contact with his regiment throughout the day, and as late as 1830 hours he reported, “enemy attacking with heavy mortaring.”53
Lieutenant Ken Gartley recalls that about noon one of the forward observation officers, possibly Baker, contacted an artillery command post in the rear. The battery fired three rounds of smoke, but it fell some 1800 metres short.54 This intriguing information indicates that someone in the Canadian lines was aware of the location of Worthington Force, but the information was not shared with anyone who could intervene.
In spite of all these outside contacts, the battlegroup was unable to relay their location to anyone with the ability to intervene in their situation
.

IMHO if Gartley's recollection is correct, it is odd that the 19th FR did not contact a higher HQ for arranging medium arty support.
Captain Searle was the FOO from 11 Medium Regiment, the only regiment in range. His tank broke down outside Rocquancourt and jumped into a B squadron tank. None of the Canadian tanks could communicate with their higher formation or 11 Medium. Later in the morning RAF typhoons attracted by tanks engaged Worthington Force first, and were directed to attack the Germans by liberal use of yellow smoke. By the RAF did not communicate with the ground forces. According to Searle only five tanks were left by midday. The mystery of Worthington Force's location was solved when Brigadier Lane CRA 4 Cdn Armd Div over flew hill 195 in an Auster, and confirmed it was empty. It was the sounds of battle to the SE that allowed the penny to drop - ands a message from the Poles who had been in contact with the 2IC of the BCRs. Despite directing artillery and air support to the right place, it was too late.

The Direct support battery was other FOO with the battlegroup was Captain Donohue from 23 Canadian Field Regiment, which should have provided a BC and second FOO as well. That wasn't in range either. Searle doesn't mention them. The 23 Field Regiment WD entry on 9th August says that Major C.R, Ostrarider and Capt. J.M. Donohue with the 28 Cdn Armd. Regt with Capt. T.K. Mcllroy as vanguard F00 with the Algonquins. Only Donahue was missing PW but some of his crew got back. Osterider and McIllroy were listed as present in the officer returns fore 12th August, so maybe they weren't there on Pt140.

19 Canadian Field were an army unit temporarily under command 4 Canadian Armoured Division. Mike Bechtold's article raises a question about the passage of information within the artillery of 4th Armoured Division. The CO of 19 or his LO ought to be following the battle and keeping HQRA informed. 4th Canadian Armoured Division had an unfortunate baptism of fire. Baker does not seem to have made the BCRs aware that he was their only connection to the outside world. But this might not have been immediately obvious under the circumstances and with the distractions.
Last edited by Sheldrake on 24 Jul 2020, 00:14, edited 2 times in total.

Juha
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Re: Worthington Force

#7

Post by Juha » 23 Jul 2020, 23:14

Yes Worthington Force was clearly out of 19's reach but I was wondering why 19 did not try to arrange medium support in that situation.
The Force was not at point 140, it was on a field between Points 132 and 111, nearer the latter.
The infantry seems to hold on up to dusk, maybe because of Typhoon support, then part of the survivors broke out to Polish positions others were taken prisoners.

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Re: Worthington Force

#8

Post by Gooner1 » 24 Jul 2020, 12:37

Kingfish wrote:
07 Jun 2020, 13:13
Can someone explain to me the reason for the annihilation of Worthington force?

I understand the misdirection during the night advance but for the most part the unit did arrive in relatively good shape atop hill 140, so how then did an almost intact armored regiment with infantry support get shot to pieces so quickly?
Shermans against Tigers and Panthers probably had something to do with it.

The rear squadron (A sqn) of the British Columbia Regiment never made it to Worthington 'Hill' losing all but 2 Shermans as dawn broke to a mix of tanks anti-tank guns firing at close range.

By late morning after several German attacks an estimated half of the tanks remaining with Worthington Force had been knocked out - so maybe 20 left? Then later between an estimated 1500 and 1530 hours Worthington ordered his 8 remaining mobile tanks to break-out to the Polish forces to their north. Of these 7 tanks made it. So, it still took the best part of the day to destroy 30-odd tanks and the remaining two companies of the Algonquin Regiment were only overrun at last light.

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Re: Worthington Force

#9

Post by Gooner1 » 24 Jul 2020, 13:05

I understand their was some intermittent radio contact throughout the day with Worthington Force but that would have been insufficient to bring down accurate artillery fire surely.
Later on elements of the Polish Armoured Division got within a few hundred yards of the survivors position but their doesn't seem an urgency to bring a lot of fire to their aid even though there would be a degree of direct observation?

Juha
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Re: Worthington Force

#10

Post by Juha » 24 Jul 2020, 16:49

Poles got very close, within 300m, but were shortly afterwards forced to retreat significantly by heavy German fire and heavy losses.

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