Mechili surrender 08th April 1941 ?

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Kelvin
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Joined: 06 Apr 2007, 15:49

Mechili surrender 08th April 1941 ?

#1

Post by Kelvin » 11 Jan 2018, 11:07

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 ? Thank

Kelvin

nmao
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Location: Portugal

Re: Mechili surrender 08th April 1941 ?

#2

Post by nmao » 11 Jan 2018, 14:18

Hello.

The garrison consisted of:
HQ 2nd Arm Div
HQ 3rd Indian Mot Bri
--2nd Royal Lancers (Gardner 's Horse)
--11th (Prince Albert Victor's Own) Cavalry
--35th Field Squadron Bengal Sappers & Miners
--3rd Light Field Ambulance
--3rd Motor Brigade MT Company, RIASC
--3rd Motor Brigade signals troop
HQ 2/3rd Anti-Tank Regiment
--10th Bty
--11th Bty
"M" Battery of the 3rd R .H.A (A/T)

Some 3,000 prisoners were captured, including 102 Australians.
General Gambier-Parry, Brigadier Vaughan, and most of the Indian Motor Brigade and Divisional Headquarters were taken prisoner.
The PAVO lost over half its strength during the breakout and the 2nd Royal Lancers was reduced to one squadron and amalgamated with the PAVO.
I believe most of the A/T units escaped also.

Some references:
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/U ... d-2-2.html
https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com ... 519953.PDF
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Indian_Motor_Brigade
http://www.testofbattle.com/files/Romme ... ensive.pdf

regards,

-Nuno


Kelvin
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Posts: 3117
Joined: 06 Apr 2007, 15:49

Re: Mechili surrender 08th April 1941 ?

#3

Post by Kelvin » 13 Jan 2018, 22:43

Hi, Nuno, thank for your information. That mean the main bigger units captured in Mechili were PAVO and 2nd Royal Lancer ? 1st Tower Hamlets Rifles was in Greece ? Thank

nmao
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Joined: 24 Mar 2005, 17:42
Location: Portugal

Re: Mechili surrender 08th April 1941 ?

#4

Post by nmao » 15 Jan 2018, 19:04

Hi.

I guess the main units captured were those two, but have no detailed numbers.

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)

Regards,

-Nuno

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ClintHardware
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Re: Mechili surrender 08th April 1941 ?

#5

Post by ClintHardware » 17 Jan 2018, 14:18

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.
Imperialism and Re-Armament NOW !

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