Establishment and purpose of FMC's (Forwar maintenace Centers) during operation Crusader

[valentine III]

Reading about Operation Crusader one comes to hear that the British (CW and allies) set various Forward Maintenace Centers and that they had some effect in the overall result of the campaign.

It seems that some were established even before the start of the offensive (?) on Axis territory. Where they used to supply fuel, ammo, etc... to the different units around them and also it seems they had a considerable effect in maintaining British tank numbers, specially during Rommel's race to the wire, when it is said that about 70 tanks were recovered and some put again in service...
I would like to know if there was an established ORBAT for the FMC's with units assigned to protect them and if they included supply echelons and recovery and repair units... It would be interesting to know how were they created and if there exists any report of their activities.

Many thanks

[Urmel]

Protection was provided by the Guards Brigade, in particular 3 Coldstreams. I am not aware that they had tank maintenance facilities, e.g. 1 Army Tank Brigade had its own LRS which was not co-located with an FMC. https://rommelsriposte.com/2011/09/19/t ... pair-shop/

FMC had only a very small administrative staff.

[valentine III]

so, if there were no tank maintenance facilities, how were supossed to be recovered-repaired-maintained the tanks of the 7th armoured division: 4th, 7th and 22nd Brigades?? and how did they actually recover the 70 tanks they say they did?

[Urmel]

The units had their own LRS at Division or Brigade level. Tanks brought forward from the rear area came through the TDS, but not sure which level that was controlled by, I suspect at least Corps.

It would be helpful if you could provide your sources. "when it is said" isn't helpful. By whom? In what context? What's the underlying documentation?

[Tom from Cornwall]

so, if there were no tank maintenance facilities, how were supossed to be recovered-repaired-maintained the tanks of the 7th armoured division: 4th, 7th and 22nd Brigades?? and how did they actually recover the 70 tanks they say they did?

Hi,

As Urmel has said, each British Brigade had a Light Repair Section (LRS) and a Recovery Section. Here is an extract from the war diary of 22 Armd Bde LRS (WO169/1298) for example:

11 – 15 November 1941
Under Brigade arrangements Unit moved to the location QUARET AZZA.

16 – 17 November 1941
Preparing Brigade Tanks.

18 November 1941
D.1. Under command of Commander “B” Echelon, 22nd. Armd. Bde.

19 – 20 November 1941
[no entries]

21 November 1941
Having remained behind to repair Tanks whilst Echelon moved forward, Unit received Air attack from Stuka dive bombers –
Casualties - 1 Attached Other Rank (Fatal).
2 O.Rs wounded.
1 O.R. suffering from shock.

22 November 1941
Rejoined “B” Echelon.
Injured personnel evacuated to R.A.P. 2nd. Batt. Scots Guards. Att. 4th Armd Bde.

23 November 1941
Unit in the process of retiring under command of “B” Echelon, when enemy formation broke through line of “B” Echelon. Unit retreated with “B” Echelon.

24 November 1941
[no entry]

25 November 1941
Unit re-organised at Railhead, less 2/Lieut. Lees and 10 O.Rs.
Vehicle losses – 1 3-ton Store Lorry, disabled by mine.
1 Dodge 8-cwt. Abandoned when cooling system failed.

26 – 27 November 1941
[no entries]

28 November 1941
Unit proceeded to Rear 8th Army, and were ordered to join 7th Armd. Bde. L.R.S., R.A.O.C.
O.C. of Unit remained at Railhead having reported sick, keeping with him 1 O.R.
1 O.R. reported from No. 3 General Hospital, and taken on strength of Unit accordingly.

29 – 30 November 1941
[no entries]

And a few days from the war diary of 22 Armd Bde Recovery Section (WO169/1299):

16 November 1941
Main party of unit under command of Capt. R.H. ARBUCKLE arrived in concentration area KULET EL GHAZAL – 5429.
2/LIEUT HEWITT and Transporter reached QARET ‘AZZA – 5000 at nightfall and halted for the night.

17 November 1941 KULET EL GHAZAL 5429
Work at maintenance to unit vehicles continued.
2/LIEUT HEWITT with Transporter rejoined unit, the tank carried on the transporter being left at L.R.S.
The two remaining transporters with crews rejoined unit from ‘C’ Tank Transporter Coy RASC.
One cruiser tank was conveyed by transporter from 4th County of London Yeomanry lines, and one towed from 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars lines to 7th Armd Division Axis for collection by an L of C Recovery Unit.

18 November 1941
0630 D.1.
Capt Arbuckle proceeded with recovery vehicles through the Wire at Maddalena. The remaining administrative vehicles (Office, Cooks, Rations & Petrol) joined L.R.S. and proceeded with them.
2/Lieut Hewitt remained at location until the return of one Recovery Tractor from 7th Armd
1000 Div Axis, and then proceeded along the Brigade Axis, through the Wire. Tractor was forced
1600 to halt about 30 miles beyond the Wire through lack of fuel oil.

19 November 1941
Unit continued advance along Brigade Axis to area BU SCIHAN 4334
1600 Fuel oil eventually obtained from an F.S.D. and conveyed to Scammell which then continued a further 10 miles along axis until nightfall.
No fuel oil was obtainable for Scammells of main unit convoy.

20 November 1941
Section commenced recovery, and brought five (5) tanks into L.R.S. Two remained on the transporters for evacuation to Divisional Recovery Pool.
1215 2/Lieut Hewitt and Scammell rejoined unit.
3 ORs ceased to be attached to this unit and returned to L.R.S. 2 ORs attached to this unit from L.R.S.
Capt Arbuckle and 2/Lieut Hewitt with the Scammell tractors and 1 transporter remained in area GUERET EN NADURA 4237 for night, with the Administrative section of unit under A.S.M., under orders from L.R.S. in the event of a general change of location, at BU SCIHAN.


21 November 1941
0900 2/Lieut Hewitt moved to L.R.S. to bring up the two 30-ton transporters, due back from Recovery Pool at TAIEL EL ESEM (436368).
Capt. Arbuckle and recovery vehicles collected damaged and broken down tanks from area to North East of GURET EN NADURA (4237) for recovery to BIR BERRANEB (443374).
1500 Transporters had not returned from TAIEL EL ASEM, so 2/Lieut Hewitt departed for previous night’s location GUERET EN NADURA, was unable to locate Capt Arbuckle, and reached area of Recovery Pool at TAIEL EL ASEM for nightfall.
1515 L.R.S. area subjugated to dive-bombing + M/G attack. One O.R. suffered from Shell Shock and admitted to C.C.S. One vehicle slightly damaged by shrapnel and M/G bullets, and made temporarily a non-runner.

22 November 1941
Capt. Arbuckle left recovery vehicles at BIR BERRANEB with instructions for them to move forward with the Brigade Echelon, when it moved, and proceeded to TAIEL EL ESEM (436368).
0900 2/Lieut Hewitt reached BIR BERRANEB, and moved forward with recovery vehicles and Rear
1000 Brigade to area 427396.
Captain Arbuckle with one 18-ton transporter set out to rejoin Rear Brigade, but was unable to located them.
1800 Rear Brigade moved back approx 2 miles, and leaguered with Adv Brigade. 2/Lieut Hewitt and Recovery vehicles ordered to leaguer near A.C.V. for orders at first light next day.

23 November 1941
0630 Orders as to tanks and vehicles to be recovered received from Bde Staff Captain.
One Scammell + crew ordered to affect recovery from Pt 433398. Two other Scammells detailed to recover specific tanks and a gun tower from the Brigade leaguer, to BIR BERRANEB (443374).
The 18-ton transporter was found to have reached the leaguer, and was detailed to load a tank for recovery to BIR BERRANEB.
0815 Enemy shelling in leaguer caused hasty conclusion of recovery. Two tanks taken on tow, one by transporter and one by Scammell.
Tanks had to be abandoned on boggy ground because of proximity of shell bursts, and slow speed of towing vehicles, and recovery vehicles moved in direction taken by Bde HQ.
2/Lieut Hewitt and 15-cwt located one Scammell towing a 3-ton lorry, and proceeded to what was believed to be Brigade HQ, but was found to be otherwise, so continued to TAIEB EL ESEM (436368), and under orders of Officer Commanding 7th Armoured Division Div Rec Sec evacuated a tank from the recovery pool to a point 10 miles down the divisional axis, and was then ordered to take it back to TAIEB EL ELSEM, where the night halt was made.
Capt. Arbuckle returned from forward area and rejoined administrative section of unit at BIR BERRANEB (443374).

That should give you a good idea of what was going on at the Brigade level and shows how lengthier repair jobs were "back-loaded" to similar units at the Divisional level.

Regards

Tom

[Urmel]

Thanks Tom.

Backloaded to division, or indeed the Delta.

[valentine III]

Many Thanks Tom and Urmel. Very interesting documents and info.

"The FCM consisted, in addition to a field Supply Depot, of a Field Ammunition Depot, a Water Issue Section, and dumps of engineer, medical, and ordnance stores, Prisoners´ cages, field post offices, salvage dumps, and units to deal with stragglers and men in transit as required. For the whole FMC there was a commander and a small staff to supervise the lay-out, dispersion, and camouflage, and control the movements of convoys and the labour and transport. Four FCM's were provided for 30th Corps and Two for 13th Corps. They were a great success and became a permanent feature of 8th Army's administrative system" (The mediterranean and middle east. vol III, page 10).

[valentine III]

Tom,

Does the document say what happened on the 24-25-26 of november when, as far as I have read in different texts, the British were able to recover and repair-recrew as much as 70 tanks

"More disquieting was that the British supply services were recovering “knocked-out” tanks, repairing them and returning them to the battle. By the end of the day, 70 such vehicles had been re-crewed and were ready for action. The impact of leaving the field of battle to the British was beginning to come home." From an article by retired U.S. Marine Corps LTC Robert W. Lamont; and the 70 tanks is a note from "LTG Sir Geoffrey Evans, History of the Second World War (Part 24), BPC Publishing Ltd., Marshall Cavendish, USA, 1973"

Thanks Eduard

[Urmel]

These tanks were picked up on various battle sites, e.g. around Gasr el Arid, where 8 Hussars fought with KG Stephan, and Bir el Gobi, where 22 Armd Bde tussled with Ariete. They would also have been broken down tanks that were collected from the approach march. Recovery/repair would have been undertaken by organic units, not the FMC.

[Tom from Cornwall]

Does the document say what happened on the 24-25-26 of november

Hi, much as Urmel states:

These tanks were picked up on various battle sites, e.g. around Gasr el Arid, where 8 Hussars fought with KG Stephan, and Bir el Gobi, where 22 Armd Bde tussled with Ariete. They would also have been broken down tanks that were collected from the approach march. Recovery/repair would have been undertaken by organic units, not the FMC.

You'd need to work through all the unit war diaries to get a feel for total numbers and they are relatively sporadic for that period. One good example, though is in the war diary of 2 RTR from 7th Armoured Brigade (WO169/1410) which states that:

26 November 1941
Moved 3 miles NW and remained static all day except for patrols which shot up some enemy MET. One patrol found 5 M3 tanks which had been abandoned and the fitters drove one of these in. 2 of these tanks had been abandoned through lack of petrol and were filled up with ordinary petrol by us. 2 started up and moved on pressing button ‘A’. We had not crews to man these but they were handed over first to 22 Armd Bde and later to Major WILSON 3 R. Tanks who had joined us with 4 tanks on night 25th. We destroyed 2 German derelict Mk IVs in area and close leaguered with NZ echelon as their protection.

The 22 Armd Bde Recovery Section seems to have spent most of the period 24-26 Nov evading the Germans!

Regards

Tom