Osprey, Men-at-Arms #368 The British Army 1939-45 (2) Middle East & Mediterranean (2002) O

The British Army 1939-45 (2) Middle East & Mediterranean

OSPREY

Men-at-Arms· 368

PUBLISHING

The British Army 1939-45 (2) Middle East & Mediterranean

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Martin J Brayley . Illustrated by Mike Chappell ,

~

Senes editor Martin Windrow

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Fnt publillhed'" G,""lllnla>n", 2002 by ~ Put>IlIIq Elms CoI.o1, Ch8IPeI Way. BoIIey. 0 . _ 0X2 lILP, ~ I(iolgdorn.

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Author's Note for brevity and 10 avoid repetition. where formations were COITlpOSo8(I of British, Commonwealth and Allied ~ the lerm ·Bntrsh' has been usad. 'Nhere Commonwealth units operatad illdependel ,tty or n!lqUl«l spedlic mentJOn the oatlOl"'lal identity is used. 'Bntrsh' C3I'l thereforfl be understood ~ CQI1tex1 &$ ncluding Canadian, Australian, India'l. New Zealand, South African, Greek. flllnCh, Polish and attached tnts under Bntrsh conwnard, but IS in no way ~ l to del:ract from \tie indMduIll contnbubons made by

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~ thos voIu'na grves much space 10 a ~ of the operations lKll:leftaken in the theatre, it IS pan of a ttne-YOIume set. the whole being designed as a COIlCISe rel~ to the Bnt-lSh Army 01 wond W;y II. Readers should refer 10 the firsl volume, MAA 354 71le Btiflsh Army 1939-45 (I): North-west Europe for material on basic formatlOO and Unit otganisabon; arms and services; Service Dress, Banlec:lress and Denm uniform: personal equIpment; and a range 01 weapons. More detail on insigrna will be found in MAA 181, Bri/ish Bsltle InSJgllia (2): 1939-45, and on person&I equipment in MAlI tOO (Revised), British Infantry EquipmenfS (2J: 1908-2000.

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Acknowledgements

QSPAEY MILITARY

The ........etlng Manager, Ospo-ey DirKI UK, PO 80. 140 Wellingborou(lll, Nor1hanIs, NN8 2F.... Uniled Kingdom, In,......... eydirecl.co...k

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The

_mv _ _, Osprwy Dnc:1 USA

cJo Mill PublishIng, PO B
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Captain Marco Belogi, Italian Geographical Military Institute; Toby Brayley: Mike Chappell: Robert F.Stedman: WO Storey. Royal Canadian Engineers: Brian Schultz & estate 01 TSgt V.P.Shultz; Martin Windrow.

THE BRITISH ARMY 1939-45 (2) MIDDLE EAST AND MEDITERRANEAN 9

"".

INTRODUCTION

,""

RO\1 JL:f\E 1940 Tl) j I.. 1\ •• 19·J.I the Middle East and :'I1cdilcrrancan

F

, ".

'GiMoOrl Force' was re5f)Of'IsibH!

..... daring guerrilla campaign _tatlllllhecl Emperor Sel.assJ.e as NIef" of .. i. In 1 t40. It was made 01800 Ioo;al tToops ;olong wfttl from tn. Sudan Frontier and 70 British officers and Here Lt.Col.Orde Wingate t& • 'patriot' of the 2nd

n Bn armed with a PH ,I'le. Of note is the Ight pullover with suede -.iIIl'ton::ement on the shoulder-

.......ot normally associated the Royal West African , Force, but seen In use many African regiments Mdl British and native

e'. Wingate wears

;II

.......,.un helmet .domed . . RA rec:I-and-blue

theatres were the only arena in which British armies could take the ground war to the German Wchrmacht. Despiw lhe relatively modest sil.c of the forces iniriall), cOTl1miued, the strategic importance of the CL The command was to become lIIi1ssi\'e. sprawling across the I\lediten, and later Abyssinia. Uritish Somaliland. Libya (C}'rt:'naiCt and Tripolilania). the Dodecanese. KC1l\~I. Tang-an}ik.a. ;'\')7I.So,land, and Nonhern Rhodesia. The command "'~d.~ also responsible for forces operating in Greece. Syria. Persia and IraCJ: and dtlling spring 19...2 ~Ialta also c.une under tcmpor.II)· command. These \';:lSt rC"pol1sibililies were undertaken \\ith onl) limited resources. \\'~wcll received liltle material ~lIppon for his operations. which in spring 1911 cOlered three simuh'IIlt'OIl'\ campaigns ill the We"tern De~erl. Greece and E.,st/\frica. Early victorie'i were later l!lancd by defeat'i due to the sllonagc of troops. who had been r1i~pcl"sed to mOunt operations in Grec(:e amI Creu· and later Iraq and Syria. Following lhe rcp!act'nwlLt ofWal'ell by Gen.Auchinkck inJul), 1941 the tmllcrbl ;md rnal1pO\\'(~r .~illLalion was partially ["I'soked. and the responsibilily lightened by restructuring: of the corntmnrd: pulitical suppOrt was also more fortltcotuing: th,m il had been llmlt-r \Vavd!. since on a personal le\'d he and Prime Minister WinSl011 ChLlrchili had failed t() achic\'e milch more than mulual detestation. Auchin1eck's period of command was markcd by lhe mixture of achievcment and di~appoinunent which was 10 bc cxpcC((."'(1 in an)' theatre of war. His planning and execution of Opermion 'Crusader' in NO\'clllber 19... 1 rclie\"(.:d lohruk: hut this \I"S soon followed h)' defeal al Gaz"lla in Januar,.-FehruaJ)' 19"'2. He rcpulsed ROlllmel. blll did 1101 drive him !xtd.. on lhe EI AJamein line in Jul), and August. Churchill rq.·..retfullr ,·cplaced 'the Auk' \\ith CcnJ\lcxander ill August 19·12. Alex.mder "'IW the GlIl1paif.,'11 through to its victorious conclusion: he received the admimtiol1 and respect of Churchill. who failed to ad..nO\\·It."<.lge filII)' the import
3

PERSIA

C)~

UBYA EGYPT

SAUDI ARABIA

FRENCH WEST AfRICA ANGLO EGYPTIAN SUDAN BRITISH WEST AfRIC

FRENCH EQUATORIAL

ABYSSINIA

AFRI;C;.;A~/"~___ BELGIAN COSGO"-~L_ _-'-

MIIP of Mi6d1e

~st

Comm;ond

and He.,oqusr1e.s AlJiecl land

Fore........ AI "arlous times during ;u campaigns MEC had re~.. ibllity

for operations in

much of the MediterTanean, North AfriCII and Middle East from Libya in the west to

Somam.nd in the east and Persia In the north. The Invasion of North Africa In November 1942 saw HQ Allied Land Forces suume responsibility for the newly liberated Vichy territories of Morocco, Allleria and TuniSia and late' 51dly and Italy.

4

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Wilson replaced Alexander ill Fcbru
1st Ann] fanned in Brilain for me invasion of French Nonh Africa in 1942: composed of V and IX Corps; fought in AJgcria, J\lomcco. and Tunisia. under command ofCenAnderson. 8th AMn) Fonned in 1941 from me Anny of r.he Nile; cOIllI~ of Xlii and x.xx Corps plus COmmon....-ealm fonnations; fought in t.ht· West.ern Desell. Tunisia, Sicily and llah. p~-elyaugmenlt..·dI))' X 8: V Blil,ish. I Canadian. U New Zealand and II Polish Corps: oribrinall). commanded by Cell.Cunningham, from. 'O\ember 1941 by Cen.Ritchie, from June

19-12 by GeTl.Auchinlcck in person, li'om Aug-ust 1942 b... GCll.fo,'loTllg-omel)', frOIll JanU;ll)· 194.11 b}' CeI1.Leese, and fmlll Octolx:r 1944 by Gen.~kCrecl)l.

9tJl Anti)' FUIlllcd ill IY41 ill the r..liddle East ill anticipation of German attacks; RJppli("d replaccmcnts to l.\nny. 10th An/I)' FOllllt..'ti in 19-11

the Middle East: COIIIposed of Bl;lish and Indian IroOps:
• • •

e

,

y j

, ,.'

,

:r

clIllpaigns covered by this book were fought in di\'cl'Sc terr.lin and tes. li·om arid desert to snow..c lad mountains, from scaring hOi to cold aud wet.. The Western Descrt gener.tlly lacked major features. \\;th c\'cn slllall in ground le\c1 being named 'hills' and used for na\'ig;u.ion: "here hills and cven moulllain ranges were dassifierl as descrt due their poor water retel1lion. The ground itself could \-'
A classic vlew of the terrain of Egypt" Western 0eHrt, 1940, wttn • tf'OOll of British light tanks keeping. rende;r;vous with a Cru;~. pmperial War Museum E438)

tf'OOll of..,9

5

particularly char-..cteristic of thc Tunisian winte C:llllpaih'll of 19-12/43. fought in;:1 ~lediterr.lIlea[l r.nher than a desen gL'OgT'
could nawe been taken during the European winter of 1t44145 - but these tanned Tommles, _II wrapped again.t the cold, are in the Western Desert, c.1IM2. Wool SD is worn with a mil. of le.ther jer1l.ins and g....tco.t•• c.p comforlel"$ and FS caps. The blown snow against the building suggests that a decent wind accompanied this f.ll. (R.F.Sledman Collection) italian Somaliland, 11M •• In the village of KismiI)'U • British officer examines part of a huge haul of arms and ammunition left

List of campaigns & key battles Ah)'ssi'"11 19-10-41: Kercn, Amba Ala).,';, The Juba, Gondar Brllull SlIPnllliltllld 19-10

Iraq /WI

S)lill 194/: Dam;lscus, Damour NOl"11I Afnm 19-!{}-43: Sidi !lammi, Bardia 19-1', C.'1ptllI'C ul"Tohl"llk, !leda FOllllll, Dcfcllcc of Tobl'uk 1941. Ga/.ala, :\'!ersah f\.bll'llh. Defence 01 Alarncin Linc, Alam EI Halfil, EI Alalllcin, Medcninc. ~ttrelh, Tebaga C:tp, \Vadi Abril, Enfidaville, Tcbourba Cap, Bou Aradi. Kassel'ine, Fondouk. Oucd Z;lrga. EI Kuurzia, Mc{Uc;: Plain, Tunis Sidl)' 19-1): Llllding in Sicil}, Adrallo IUdy /9·13--45: The $;U1h'TO, Salerno. c.'ptUJ'e of Naples, VOltlinlO Cros)inl{, f\.lonte Camino, Gar.lg-li;:lIlo Crossing, Atuio. C..assino I & 2, Liri Valle), Rome, Tr.lsimCIlC Linc, Areuo. Advance 10 Florence, Colllie Line, Coliano, Lamonc Crossing, Rimini Line, The Scnio. Argenta Gap.

behind by the retreat1"ll ltali:olns.

1~log:na

Such losses were .... rd to make

Grmr 1941: ~IOlllll Ol}lnpus

up; wherever possible we.pons and munitions _ _ destroyed

GJl!I!!r /9-14-45 i\liMlrEa.{t /9.JI--44:Crelc 1941,

rather than being allowed to fall

~'Ialla

19'10-42

Into enemy hands. This haul would have helped to arm Somali Irregulars.

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY Thb summary provides a brief account of tilt' areas of conllict ill alphabetical ol'del~ including th(~ Icssel~known regions which came within the :ophere 01" control of Middle Easl Command or wen' olheno,'ise itl\"oh'cd in operalions. Aden ;\ British prowClornle and coaling P0I'I cO\'ering the Gulf of Aden linking lite Red Sea and Indian Ocean, il figured in opcmlions ollly as a Maging area from which troops werc dcspalched to Somaliland in 1941. Abyssinia, Eritrea & Somaliland Operations in this region, coJleClivcly termed the East African campaign, were a direct result of Italy's entry into

,-

, .I

, , j

>

f

the Mlr on 10 June 1940. Italian temLOrics in E..'lst Africa COllsisted of Ab\'ssillia (Ethiopia), which had . , been invaded and annext.:d in 1936, Erill·ca. and 11..'llian Somaliland . Enclosed by these A.xis COllntries on the Gulf of Aden hi)' Blitish Somaliland and French Somaliland, the latter undefended. To thc somh and wesl of the iI'llian territories lay Blilish-gaJTisoned KenY'l and udan. On 4 August 19"0, 26 batmliOIlS of II.."llian troops. from ;.111 a.\'ail:thlc force totalling o\'er 200,000 mell, illvaded British and French Somalilalld, Heavily Olltllumbererl Blitisll unil.S (including Afliean and lndi;m troops all{1 the Sornaliland CUlld Corps) fought a five-day delaying action, during which the Black Watch pUiUp a spirited defence al U:lI'kasan; musl of the 1.500 defenders wen: then evacuated by st~a. nlis gave the Italians :t dominant position OIl the Red Sea coasl and. despite a strong Rapll Navy presence. funhcr endangered shipping utes from the ~Ieditcrranean 10 the ~Iiddlc East and Indian Ocean. This Sllccess seemed to fullil Mussolini's need forconqucsl in Ihe region. Regaining lost grollnd and strenglhcning the British presence on the Sea hec.'lme a prime objective for Ihe British G·in.{; Middle E..'lSt, n.\\'a\'e11. Due to lhe limitc..'<.i rcsourC(.'S available the millor offensi\'c r;Hions undenakcn dming the laner part of 19-10 did not produce '" :.ignificant reslllt...; it \'~dS nOl until carly 1941 that suRidellt troops mainly of 4th & Sih Indian, 11th & l~th African and 1st South African '"5) had been mustered for a significant thrust inlO Italian territory. In mary Eritrea was invaded. followed by Italian Somaliland in February. ian troops in Eritrea pill up a good defence under Ct'n.F'rllsci. but pitc holding out al Kt:ren for l1lost of Febru
LookIng """",r1
~

troop. I

up ready for .mu tion during the dellk.. of .pring 1941 which saw Allied .oIdl.1'lI evacuated lil'llt from the Greek malntand, only to be evacuated one. again from Cr.t. followIng the overwh.lmlng G.rman airborne Inva,lon, G.n.ral Wavell wa, forced to tran.f.r these troop. from th. W••tem Deset1 .t • time when h. c:ould ill spare them; ~t highet- avttIorities _re quick to lay billme when his openttjon. again.t the Afriltil Korps consequently f",ttered due to a.ek of manpower and a""CMlr.

--

MAA 309, The n8J/an Itwas/otI Of 1935-36, and MM349. 11>0 Italia-l Itof()..4S (2): AIriU 19<1()-43. _

7

0'

Men 2nd Independent Pal1l Bele man a Ykkers MMG during Operation 'Manl\8', Athens, January 1945; to judge by the amount of 7.i2mm ammunition and the MG34 saddle ~"'" lying about In thi's position, it had previously been used by ELAS guerrilla$. The trooper at left wears the l.sue khaki pullover, 'Trousers, Pllfilchutlst', Identified by their distinctive expanding loeft thigh pocket, and worn ov... 'ammo boob' without w" anklets or puttees; and a searl made from camounaged parachute fabric. Undef' magniflc:atKm a diamond-shaped tartan patch can be seen behind the .ilver Parachuta Regt badge on hfs ma,,-, berat. identlfyini 5th (ScottIsh) BattaHon.

8

in the easlern Mediterrancan, but geography limited their em'ctive area of cO\er'lge. Limited operations against the Aegean ,,'erc mounted from CypOis. Gibraltar A mst outcrop of rock situated all thc southern tip of Spaill. Gibraltar had becn a Ilriti...h fortress guarding the narrow gatc",:,)' to lhe Mediterranean since 17().1. From the ombreak of w,lr AxiHylllpathising Spain \.... L~ a cOllStalllthrcat to its SCCUI;t)'. less a.s a military power than;\s it IXL"C for Genm:1Il agellL" who could monitor all shipping movementS. Had Spr large CO
,

,,

,

r

solidarity. to detach an armoured brigade (from 2nd Armel Div) and two infantry divisiolls (6th Auslralian and Ihe New Zealand Div) as :m cxpcditional"}' force from I he Anny

ofLhe Nile. scndillg thCIIIlO Creece during March and ApI;1 (Oper-Ilion 'Lustre'). On 6 April 19·11 German 1I1OIOrised forces ill\~ldcd both Greece and Yugoslavia. -here an anti-Axis go\'~ment had recelHlv taken -er. The token Cornrnonallh expeditionary force 57,000 men \\'as doomed faillll"c, and a few weeks ter their arrival o\cr ,000 men were e\'acuatcd (Oper.n.ion 'Oemon') undcr skies largely 'Iwed b) the LuliwaHe, As their CoulH'1' fell to the Axis the Greek gO\'ernmelll and 11I;\11>' of u"Oops withdl'ew to the Greek island of Crete, which had been Ipied by the Btitish in October 1940 as a possible ba.'>(~ for oper.uiolls the Balkans and bombing missions against Romanian oilfields. On Ma)' an all-out German airborne inV<1sion began, prOlected by Axis air rioril)'; despite determined resistance led b)' the NZ Gen.Frcybcrg, erne airfield and othcr important targel.S soon fell, and fun her my troops werc l10wll and shipped in with sllpponing armour and ·IJell'. Some 9,510 troops had landed by the first night and a 1,00al of r 35,000 werc e\'enlll
For AA defence of convoys,

"etllele. could be fitted with the .pring·ba~nc:ed 'MoUe,'

mounting which aUOWitd ill seated

'No.1' to ~ln the Bren gun wtth ttIe ~Id . ~ of trnverse and elevation needecI lor gaining ill

lead on low-flying eireran. An adapter could De Iitted 10 the magazine Mull"ll allowing UN 01 • 100-round drum magazine thl,

wa.

IP
U$l!,

due to In. high ...pendlture of ammunition. This crew use

standard 30-roYnd magazine. on this weapon moynted In a 15cwt truck. Uniform consists of Indian shirts wl1h bra.. spaulette titles, KD ,hortl, and Pattern 08 web equipment.

•

10

011 British troops ('ddensive, slllall arms fire only') hwoured EIAS, who soon took cOlltTol of the capital. A spirited counter-attack \\~IS launched; with reinforcement frolll the Brilish 4th Oi\' in mid-December and a rela.xation of ,he rules of engagement, the city was retaken by early Januaq' 19·15. and ELr-\S I
OPPOSITE At the outbreak of war a RoUs Royce HI24 pilttern Phantom I _""ou,..;l car 01 the 11 th H....... ~ gou.ards 'the Wire' the £gyptianlUb'.... lrootler, marked by" multiple: 1 _ 01 barbed wire which 10 some places reached . . high as 12 feet. A .551n Born AITk rifle, .303ln 8ren ..tct 41n smoke diKhilf'98\'" _ .. mounted in the t 939

~tt....

t_t. ...

Ilsed on

the Monis light reconnalu.ance

.

~,

Persia 1941, on the road to Ka~ln: the brigadier of a 8ritish a""oured column ~teps forward to greet a Russian officer as Allied and So."let troops link up for the first time during the wariln important but almoat unnoticed e."ent. Persia offered a ."Ilal route b)I' which INlttirlel was pro."lded lor the Soviet war effOf1 - supplte. that would otherwise ha.... had to be .... pped ."ia the perilou• ..tct al..-dr oyerburdened North AuUlan CGmtO)'$; 4,159,117 tons, representing 23.8 per cent 01 the total w..t .... ski to the USSA, wa. sent th~ Persl.a,

\Ichy lrOOps to rail)' 10 thc AlIicd cause, hUI ollly

5,iOO chose to join him. the rc.:st being repalrialed. AlIi<."d casualties tOlallcd 2,400 lIIen, and Vichy.

3.350.

-.. ... ~.

'IObnlk, No..embe. 1941: a c:tIeerfur Tommy (wearin9 a ....lIolle. and KO lrousera' gille,

... thumbs-up a. he marches a column of Afrika Korp. POW. to . . . . . . - just a few of the .,000 taken during Gotn.Auchinleck~ 'Cru..cler'

""en,lIIe,

which op;ened

rn

""""berand by January 1M2 "-d succeeded '" pushing IIommeI bKk 500 miles, Iosi", .uch of his ,.....our >n \he II"'C....

Two dar. after the armistice, in vic....' of the British habit of ocClSionally failing to recognise nclltr.llity uflder pressure of the gre;ucr cause. a Turkish infantry divisioll \\'. Ahhough short-lived. lhe Syrian campaign was costl)' - the Ausu~Ij;lIIs losl morc mcn m;m in lhe Creek and Cretan c:.llup:ligns comhincd. and Indian Iroops suffered hea\y casualties anempling to take Damascus. MalIa The on I}' British base in lhe cenrral Medilerr..lllcan and the only m~or harbour belween Gib....ltar and Alexandria, Malta lay only 60 miles 50mh of Sicily. IL~ {X)Silion was considered ulltl:nable. but nonelhdcs..~ vital 10 Allied dforL~ ill lhe Mediterranean and North Africa. anel as a point orinlerdiction for Axis supply roules. An Axis illvasion was planned. but enthusiasm was low g-ivcn the murderOllS caMlalties suffered on Crete. It \\~IS hoped thaI all intense aerial bombardment would force submission; 10 lhis end Ihe island was laid under siege and bombed mercilessly and almost wilhout respite lor over IWO rears. During Ihe monuls of March and April 1912 "lone, over t\\'ice Ihe tonnage or bombs that had been dropped on London dUling the 19..\0-41 Blitz were dropped on ~Iaha. Allhough the bombing did force the c<.'SSlIion of offensive operations for a Iimc. the island Ia.tcr resumed iL" main role as a base for na\'al and :'lir opemtions; aircraft and submarines from Maha reglllarir sank a high proportion of ROlllmel's supply ships belwccn Italy and North Africa. The MaiL') garrison were cmployed on ami-aircraft dUlil..-'S or in olhen\'ise ensuring lhc survival of the tiny isl;lIld, prmiding a pool of labour for whatC\'cr dmies wcre required of them by Ihe RAF. RN and ci\ilian amhOlilies. The Axis dereat in North Mrica relieved the pressure on J\Ia.lta, which \\'as to become a 11l~jor base

11

the operations against Italy. Uniquely, the whole island was granted the George Cross, Britain's highest civilian decoration for gallantry. by King George VI. becoming known thereafLer as Malta 111

e.G. Palestine Until the end of the Greal \Var part of the Ottoman Elllpire, Il;llestine became a British protectorate in 1920, forming a northern defence for the vital Suez Canal. The allegiance of the Palestinian Arabs was threatened by resentment over the ever-increasing: number of Jewish refugees who arrived from Europe after the Nazis carne to power in 1933. Immigration W,L~ stopped in 193910 help stabilise the situation. Like Cyprus. Palestine played no part in military operations other than as a rear base for persollnel and equipment, althoug:h troops from Palestine aud Trall.~ordan were used in Iraq and Syria. Persia Renamed Iran in 1935. Persia continued to be known by iL~ old name. Vital to the overall Allied sU
12

The fall of Fmnce in June of 1940 seriously afTected Blitish plans for the defence of North Africa. Italy had entered the war; the Fn:nch colonies

EI Duda, 27 November 1941: Brig.Wililson holds an 'O-group' ('orders group'} for 1st RTR commanders against a backdrop of Matilda tanks - the annour had broken out of besieged Tobruk and linked up with New Zealand troops advancing from the east as part of Operation 'Crusader'. The tank men wear a typical mix of BD, KD overalls, greatcoats and leather jerkins, with black berets, balaclavas and helmets; and note the RTR's white tank badge wom on the upper right sleeve.

OPPOSITE A Canadian-built, New Zaaland-manned 30cwt Chevrolet truck of the Long Range Desert Group'll 'R' Patrol, March 1941. These vehicles carried an exceptional load, which enabled the desert reconnaissance patrols to operate behind enemy lines wholly unsupported. This truck, named 'Rotowhero', mounts a .303in Lewis gun and a .551n Boyes AlTk rifle; it also carries a No.11 radio set.

A V1ckeno MMG crew in action, A doud of .teilm billows from the condenMf" can during sustained h ; despite this obvlO\lS nufd .... the conden.... did ..we _ of the precious wate.-, ....,h was then poured back Into

... SlU"" cooling jacket. Each 01 ... three bri;adn of an infantry 4trision 11511311'1' had _ company

.. the divisional MQ battalion .uached in support.

in Nonh Africa and the Le\'
..

•

..

13

,

Deflnltely _ stllged shot, suppoaedly sho....ing tank crewmen removing a casualty from the IUfTOl antsled by an RAMC orderty, This difficutt operation tnevltabty entailed a tot of rough manhandling; under perfect conditions, with a medic prellent, the casualty might be knocked _t with chlorofonn so thaI he coukl be extricaled with less ~In and stress. In the real cond~ of tank warfare such niceties _ _ rare; Injured

CrtWTnen of diubMd tanks who ~ lmiIbfe to 'bailout' undef" thel, own powe', 01" c_td nol be dnt9ged out Immediately by luckie, comradf!.s. often perished in the ensuing fire and e ~ of slowed ammunition, One way Of' another, II was all _ long before a medic

14

could arrive,

The ollcnsivc (Operation 'Compass') beg.1ll on the niglll of 7/8 December 1940. nle RAF auad:.ed airfields at Binini and $idi Banani. crTccli\'c1)' grounding the Regia r\cronauuca: and the RN bomharded Sidi Barrani and Mallila, the laucr being evacuated by the Iwlians. Sidi Barr..mi tell arler a blief defence, as did Buq Buq and SoIlUlll, and the Italian incursion into E~m)t had been n..'\'cl"St.:O. TIle first phase of operations neued o\'er 38.000 prisoners ~ more than the strcllb'1.h of Gcn.OT..onnor's whole atL'lcking Jorcc of British. Allslr.tlian and Indian troops. nlis initial ph'lse \\~lS followed up by the encirclement of Bardia, an imponant Lihyan pon: the att~lck commenced on New Year's Day 1941. and h}' 5 Janu
exch:lllg\' of appointmcnts, with Wa\elJ L."1.king up Auchinleck's prcvious POSt as Gin-C India. A peri()(1 of sTalcmale follo\\'cd. enabling Auchinled. 10 reorb'nsibilil)' for o\'er 1.500.000 square Illiles of terriTory, and able 10 concenlrale on operations ill me We'ltern l)el\CfI. NO\'ember So.'lW the Western Desert AmlY. ,,'hich had slMted lite as the Army of the Nile. renamed as 8th Anuy. On 18 Q\'cmbcr 1941 Auchinleck's offensi\'e, Operdtion 'CnL'I11ed by ofJ"cnsi\"e operations from Tobmk. By Janu.u), 1942, afTer some of the gTe'IlL'St lank bank'S of Ihe war. ROlllmel had been dl;\'en hack 5
... Ford WOT2 15cwt truck ~nowty ."old. dntRlC'tion by enemy artillery. no. 6eHrt lIUrface OO::Q,1ona11y allowed ....n. to bury themsetv8$ to _ depth before eq»odi"'ll. Mndlnog much or the blast upwanb; but the iround was often roc:ky. whIch Increased the numbet" 01 letho>l projectile. thrown up by the blnt. The won w .. _ of • Aries of

sHrIllar utility vehicle. used in a multitude of roles, inclwini troop carrlefo, water bowser, wl...- " "an and 2pdr AI11I ;Un

po"". WInt... t942/43: Gen.EiMnhower Wshs tat oe.tJyahire Ye<>manr)I. the armoured car regiment of the newty amv.d 8th Armel Oiv. The eamouftaged Humber Mk.1l at left I. armed with a 15mm 8Gsa and a eo-alllal 7.i2mm Beu; the Daimler armoured car at ri{lht (partially ob&cured by the 8th Anny Commande.... Humber Snipe Mk II 'tourer'), with a 2pdr gun and co-all 7.92mm Bea•. The t:roope... wear BO and ovemlls, .ome with long-.tmp pt.tot hol.te....

ll~h.

AllguSl, wilh ndlia and tllC C:m.. 1 rentl)' safe, ch'llIj.;<::' 10 cOllllllalld wcre a~ain In

15

implemented. General Auchinleck was replaced as C-in-C Middle East by Gcn.A.lcxander, and returned to the Lndian command. General GOll was to succeed to the vacant command of the 8th Army, but was killed when lite aircraft taking him to Cairo \\~lS shot down; he was replaced by GCld\'IoTlt,l!;omeryon 13 Augusl. At the end of that rnonLh Rommel again atracked the El Alamcin line, breaching it at Ruweisal Ridge. but was unable to sLlcces..<;fully exploit the breach; his d\\·indillg" armour was driven back from Alam El Haifa Ridge with heavy losses. Both sides then paused LO build up their strcll,l!;lh. Now it was the Axis division.~ which were exhausted, at the end of precarious supply lines, and facing superior airpower. Momgotrlcl}' received fresh divisions from the UK, and new equipmelll - particularly the 6pdr anti-rank gun and the US \14 Shennan tank - began to arrive in quamity. Known for his metiClIIOlIS prep, " :-.Jovember the breakthrough had been achieved. By 12 November, despite severe rain hampering movement, the last enemy had been pushed out of E6'"ypt with losses or nearly 80,000 prisoners, ] ,000 artillery pieces and 500 tanks. I{ommel retreated across the whole of Cyrenaica and TripoliL'1nia.

•

16

•

At thc beg-inning of Now:mber 1942 therc was no friendly territory in the l'vlcditerranean west of Malta. On Sunday 8 November 1942 100,000 American and British troops under the command of Cen.Eisenhower landcd in French l\'lorocco and Algeria (Operation 'Torch'). There was brief but determined opposition by Vichy French garrisons at Casablanca ami Algiers; otlH,:rs welcomcd the Allies with OpCl!
lWIisi411e43: .luftw.ffe medic, pl"Obably from ~ ·....-m.nn GOring' DIY, n.nked by Bri1lsh *etcher btl.rers. c.ptured .-cIlc.1 poMSOfllMll _ ... often ~rity rebined by Allied -.d .....i. medi~1 units to treat ~n6ed both sides during -..jor engagements. when the ....ber 01 ~sualtles sometime. -.whelmed the ."anable -aleal ataH.

0'

OPPOSITE February 1943: a _\lOy made up a multitude 6tferenl "ehlcle typel wlndl ItI _y westwardl through 1iipolitanla. The huge logistical

0'

0'

0'

~Iems pro"ldlng a continuous supply of e"arythlng ~ed to anable Iha 8th Army .. continue the fight Into nlnl.la lIade"iIIod Allied planners. The... _ only s .Ingle metalled road pre_war Italian Via SalDia _ ~ the whole coasUlne of &,qa. In Gen.Montgomery" ~s, 'From Cairo to Tripoli Is I"lOO miles by road: wtth GHa at former and ...clIng troopl .t latter, it wa• •1 H GHQ we... london .nd the leading troopl MoIeow, with only one road .....lngthem·.

pouring into Tunisia where, ill sorlie inst.ances. French ~arrisons calmly handed o\'er their positions. This inilial col1ahoronioll ~oon ceased: under the orders of Gcn.Barrt~ the Frellch forces in Tunisia IUrned ag;lillsl the Genmllls. and fou~ht lheir way LO\I'ard~ Brili~h lSI Anny uniLS which were pushing Casl LO'\~lrds the ,ital porn of TUllis and Bizert.a. General Anderson took the illiliat.i\'e; !.here wen~ commando and p.u';:lchme landinh'S ill easLCrn Algeria, and an infarllry bligade made a delennined dash 1O'\~lrds Ihe l>orts. reachillg Tebourba. on I)' ten miles from Tunis, un 27 :\'o\'embcr: but here Ihe 15t Ann}' ,\~.tS slLIllcd. TIle lSI AJ'my Iricd doggedly 10 contjnue the arhanterarmee Afrika agaillsi the French and US sectors; thl:}' infliCied lllany casual Lies all US II COIVS when they broke through at K.i.lSSCline Pass. bUl lhe Allies held. The IIIOSt serious conSCfJuence of the temporary Cerman breakthrough was the withdr.l\\
17

Operation 'Supercharge II' ,Igainsl Ihe Mareth line on 20 March 1943. Within 1\"0 days Ihe Wadi Zig7..
18

Most of the ).ing, l,'Tcatly increasing me possibilities for further exploitation; the underbelly of the Axis \\~IS open 10 allack. The opening of a second frolll by an in\'3.sioll of Italy via Sicil}' would ensure lhat up to 20 German divisions would be engaged in the thealre, redHcing bolh me pressure 011 the USSR and the assets available to resist Ihe eventual invasion of France. II \\~I.S rightly helieved that the Italians would soon capitulate, putting virtually the whole )'1editerranean in Allied hands. I\cfore any attempt could be made to cross the narrow stl'ait;\; between Tunisia and Sicily stores needed to be built up, lroOpS rested and trained for a seaborne assault, and specialised equipment asscmbled. Landing craft and shipping were at a premium; plans for the invasion of NW Europe were already unden",ay. and Gen.Alexander C;:lme under pressure to executc an invasion ",ilh all hasl.e so that resources could be diverted elsewhere. The L."lSk ""IS to prove far less straighllorward than lhe politicians and deskoound Ic:.lders hoped. Mid.....ay between Tunisia and Sicily lay me hal ian island stronghold or I):ullelleria and its satellites, L.."lIllI>cdlL'ia and Unosa. To pre'·ent the Regia Aeronautica from launching attacks from this base against tlle Sicily invasion force. Palllelleria ....':!S bombed into submission, capitlilatin~ on 10 June before a planned landing (Operation 'Corkscrew') could take place.

An Infantry AITk gun crew haul their 6pdr up a mountainside overlooking the Medjez-el-Bab in TUnisia. At nound 2,500lb, manhandling .Yen • relalively small piec:. SlJCh as this nee
OPPOSITE July 1043: a heavily loaded UnlverNI carrier, stalled on a Sklllan beach, Is being towed from the sea, mlJCh to the embarrassed amusement of the crew. Vision slits and Bren gun port are nolk:. .bty watetlKOO1ed for ttte landings, using a glut!fMM1a mbrtl.l,. containing asbestos. The carrier was a highly ...-tlle light .......icle used wrthin and beyond the Infantry drrision In werious aupporI rvIes, from the bask: ar.n carrier to ill mortar and MMQ plattonn.

Skit)<, Soptember 1M3: Scottish Infantry of 5th Inf DI'I bolIrd a Unding snip Infantry (lSI} to c;n>SS

the Stnlitll of Menlna to

the italian mainland; they wear

ltD trouser. with ankle putt.... on 3 September put ttoops of XIll Corps a$hOre near Reggio ~tion '8ll)'town'

CIolabria

In the 'toe' of ltaill-

The Sicilian landing~ (Operalioll 'Husky') took place on 10 July 1943, the Briti~h 8th and US 7th Armies coming a~hore ill the sOllth-east and south of the island respcctively as airbome troops dropped on inland ohjecrive~. In ~le sheer numbers imolvcd Ihi~ Opt>raliol\ was compar'lblc with the I)-Da)' landitlg~: 160.000 men for the initial assault alonc - eight infantl1' divisions. 600 tanks, I.SOO guns. 24.000 \'chicles. O\'cr 4,000 aircrafl and 3.500 \'csq:ls, The 8th Arm)' lInil~ cOlllmitted were 5th & jOth Inf Divs under XIII Corp:. and jist Highland, lSI C'l.nadian and i8th Inf Divs under XXX Corps. plus airhorne and commando clements. Bad weather reduced enem}' air aeti\;ty ami increased Ihe clement of surptise. The seaborne landings WCIlI exceptional!) well. The ,lit'bome ass.lult was a near disaster: incxpericl1cetl transport pi loIS and nervolls AA Kunnet"S on the ships led to many troops being dropped too soon, to drown helplessl)" and others being badh' '>Glttered on land, German rCSI)()llsc was swifl. but with limited air support the\' were unable 10 exploit any successes: within 24 hOlll"'l the \'ilal port of S) meuse was occupied. reducing the amount ofstore~ Ihat had 10 be brought in O\'er lhe bc'lclu..'S. Before long the Brilish and US force:. juined up to fonn a COlliinuous beachhead between Lical,1 and S)'r.lcusc. Most Ilalians welcomed the ABies. and on 25 Jill), MII"-"olini wa~ deposed; Ule king was reinsLated and peace tenns were sought. The 8th Anll}' saw some hard lighting a" il mol'ed lIorth up Ihe eastern ~ide of the island. whik lhe CS force~ hook(..>(1 to the north ali(I west, then l\Illled cast alOlIJ.:" the north coaSl: IXlIJl \\'cn' aiming for Messina on the natTOW str~ailS di\iding Sidl}' from the lIIailllalld. Most Italian lIllilS collapsed. but Cerman troops indutlillJ.:" the crack 'Ilennalln Goring' nil' made a skilful fighting withdrawal. Although 0111 re~istallCe ceased on 17 August man}' German unit" were sliccessfull}' cvacuaLed to It'lly. leaving 20,000 dead and 7,000 prisoners behind. (Or British Gl'iualties totalling 19.!i96 men. 110 fewer than 11.598 were due to malaria.) On 3 Seplember lhe new Italian go\'ellllllem SlllTClldercd 1I11conditionally 10 the Allies. Italy Fiftcen German di"isions were already in place and many Illore troops were

19

ltal~, October 1943: a British Sherman III (M4A2) advances

toward Aversa, passing an ox-cart. With a staggaring 49,234 of all mal1ts manufactured during the war, the Shennan was by far the most Important Allied tank. It was first suppllad to the Brltlsh in September 1942, and 270 fought at Et Alamein; in 1943-45 it far outnumbered the Churchill and Cromwell in British service, equlppin9 32 armoured regiments at Ita peak. While not without its drawbacks, It was generally praised by ita five-man British crews for its speed, simplicity, reliabilit~, (relative) roominess - and above all for itS high-mounted 75mm 9un, with both HE and AP ammunition.

20

pouring into Italy daily. The fall ofthe Italian Fa.scisL~ did not open up the country to easy Allied occupatjon, as some had hoped; it gave the very able German C-in-C, Gen.Kessching, the opportunity to plan a cohesive defence without having- to rely on the uncertain loy-alties and abilities of Italian troops. A dming- nid by Otto Skorzeny freed Mussolini from his mountaintop detention at Gran Sasso on 12 Septembet; rekindling hard-line Fascist morale and dividing the loyalties of the Italian Anny; a minority I','ould fig-bt on beside the Germ MAA 353. The /la/ian Amly 1940-45 (J) lIMy 1943-45.

Command strengths of formations, decided to dcfeat the Gust British lst Inf Divs WCllt ashore \'inu;:llIy 150.000 unopposed on 22 January 1944; hilt Gen. Lucas U.Gon 4O.coo-eo,lXXl 13.0Xl-18.CXXl mell dug in to wait for a build-up of resources, 2.500-3.500 ..ultcr than dashing inland, The Gennans quidJ)' 7l5
\\",15

_........

-- ""'""'" """

""""0

"""""' """""0-" """'"

""""" .... "'"

'" """'"

""""'"

21

twist of fale he \\'as denied much of the fame he had no doubt expected - the' following da)' the Allit'd landings III ~ormand\

reduced his par-ute to a sideshow in the world\ news media. Slimmer 1944 saw the Allies pushing nunh from Rome against st.llbbonJ reargllard actiolls along: lhl' 'Caesar', Vitl'rho.

Trasimene and Arno defensi,'c lines, dcsigm..-d. LO dela}'

At the outbreak of the war

Britain had Iargety ~ in Its aim of fielding. med\llni$ed .rmy _ unlike the Gennan., who ,till relied heavily on horsedrawn transport. Howe..,er, there

were always region_ where motor transport Just could not 90. Mules were used to -.om. extent in the Middle E. .t, but

were to c:ome into their own In Italy; they could sUII get through

wMre winter rains made roads and tracks Impassable to

vehlclft. Here muleteers guide their heavily

~ .... b. .sts along • ntOUnt;Mn tr;IN;k typica' of those enco..llerec1 in the Apennines.

them

while

the

Germans prep:m.'(lthcir last m'!ior delellce, tJle 'Gothic Linc' (later rt:llamed the 'Grcell Line'. il was knOl\1l Lo Lhe Allies as lhe Pis.."l.-Rimini Line). Allied forct'S in lIal}' now look 011 ;:1 secondar}' role to those fighting in I'rance; their nllml>el~ were r<':lJI;ged down in the Apelllline t\'tOllntains. Alkr Ihe Vaha conlCrcllce in Febnl;ll)' 19·15. CeIl.Alexander (from 24 Ntl\'ember 19·-14. Supreme Allied Commallder Mediterrancan) \\~LS informed lhal his ta.sk in hal)' was merely to pin dOlI11 as man~ t:llelm forces as pos.."ible while the m:yor cf!:ort W;LS made in :-\W Europe. Typically, Nexandcr illlerpreLCd this direc:ti,·c 'IS being besL implemcnlcd by annihilating lhe enem)'. 011 9 April 1945 tlte final offcnsi\'e opened: the t;S [jth Arlll)' ad\",lllced on the \\,el>lCfIl Oank. and the 8th Army (V. X & XIII I~titish & I[ Polish Corps) bruke 0111 past thc CCllll'C and east of the Gmhic Line. overrunning lhe 'Cenghis Khan' line and into the plains of northern Italy and the Po Valkr. Bologna, Ferrara, Argenta, the Po alld Adigc (Venetian) lines .. II fell 1.0 Ihe 8th Army as lhe Allies attacked relentlessly. trying to destroy the German Ann)' Croup C before it could wiLhdraw into the Nps. By the end of April the Gennan forces in Ital)' had collapS<.'(), and a cea~e-firc was implemented on 2 May 1945. During operations in Ital)' the 8th Arm}' had suffered 123,254 casualties: t;S 5th Arm} losses were 188.7-16; and Axis casualties, an estimated 43-1.646. South of France

22

Operation 'Dragoon' "',IS first conceived as a feint to pull Ccnnan forces 01""<1)' from NOlluand}', a result achie\'ed ~ Lhe Anno landinbrs; but despite British ;:u){ul1lenLS againsl further depleung tJ1C forces in Italy the US VI Coqh !amk'(! on the I'rench Ri,iera on 15 AUglLSt 1944, supported by strong: Free French unit.s on tJ1C Danks. British invoh'cmcnt was limited (0

p:ml.lroopcrs of the joill1 US/British 1st Airborne Task Force. which land(."(1 inlrllld of the ass;llIh area. /I.·len of the 2nd Independenl Parachlllc Bde wcre dropped around lhe villagc of Le Mu}':: despilc lhe troops being scatlered over 25 miles all objecth'es had been taken by midIlloming, and lWO da)'S later the paratroopers linked up \\;th the units which had cOllle ashore over the beache'i. TIle paratroops were pulled out on 26 August. returning to Italy. The town of CHaine was subjected to intense bombardment, reduciftg It to ....bble; th
ARTILLERY As most spacc was given in me fil-:Sl book in this sequence (/I.IAA 15--1. ... Nor1"-I\bt EllrofN) lO lhe organisation of infantI)' formation'i and units. this seems a logic
T;"nk armour during the illler"\'~lr ye,ll"S had been light, and thus dC\'c!opment of anti-lank weapons had heel1 ill linc wi1.h lhe L"lrgets' proleclion. The QF (Quick Firing) 21x1r A/Tk gWl was a satisfactory weapon when il elllered sen'icc in 19:18; il pnwed adt."
23

A Speir anti_tank gun

photogrllphed on the outskirts of TOt'e. Annunzistll, Just short of the vital port of N.ples and Mount VesU'Viln; Naptes fell on

1 October

1~.

The crew wear

KO trouse.. ;mel shirts, and th... 01 th
mutt

--'len pullover.

gun ill t:lnks, as well as being adopted by the Americanlo as the 57mm ~II. The introduClion of the 6pdr by the RA regimenLS saw the 2pdr re-issued to the AITk platoons of infuntn battalions anI). The 6pdr "'-dS iLSelf relegated to infanu)' ,VTk plaLOons when Ihe 17pdr gun ell1ered service with R,\,. AITk rcgimelll_~. The lil'St 17pdrs wen' ready before their carriages. and as a slOp-g"ap were m,lted with 25pdr field bTJ1n carriages and sellt to :-.Jonh Africa to COllll1er German armour in \942, With a muzzle velocity of 2,980fps, Ilw 17pdr was extremely eITeClh'e against even the German Palllher and liger tanks, and was later mounted in the Shennan 'Firefly' tank and the 'Achilles' lank-destrorer to provide AfTk cover 10 annoured regimenL~, At 1944 lotrengths the A/Tk rq;illlent of an armoured dhision comprised fOllr batt.eries, 1\\'0 of 12x towt.x1 17pdrs and t\,'O of 12x Achilles 51' tank dC'itroyers; these were later augmented b)' the Archer 51' AITk gUll. which also s."1W senicc with A/Tk regiments sening with infantry dhisions. Each inf.uHrY dhision had one A/Tk rebrimenl consisting of fnur batteries. each of thrt."C troops, each \\ith three gUllS. Anti-Aircraft

AA defence was di\'ided bt~l\\'een light and medium b'llns. Light guns included the 20mm Pol..tell and 40mm Bofors automatic cannon (rolll;lIlIffl 011 page 33)

Italy, 1$43: bringing a 3.7;n .nti· li~rlI" gun ..to action. The heavy 3.7 proved II ....
24

of 20.500

,..rd,.

194Q-41 1: Private, 2nd Bn, King's Regt (Liverpool); Gibrnltar, 1940 2: Guardsman, 3fd Bn, Cold stream Guards; Libya, December 1940 3: Subaltern, 9th Bn, King's Royal Rifle Corps, 1st Armd Bde; Greece, April 1941

3

2

A

1941 1:

Prival~,

lsi en, King'" Own Royal RI1II(Lancaster); Iraq, June 1941

2: Oflicer, 60th Field Regl, RA; Libya, No¥ember 1941 3; Privale, 2nd Bn., Oe,,~ Regt Malta, 1941

,

+ B

1941-42 1: Cot'poral, CMP; Lebanon, Augu111941 2: NCO, 5th Roval Tank R~I, 7th Armd Oiv; El Alamein, Oclobe<" 1942 3: Trooper, 1$1 SAS Reg!; WeSlem Desert, November 1942

c

1942-43 1: CSM, 1/5th Bn, Queen's Royal Rll9t. 7th Annd ();v: TobnJk, November 1942 2: ueutenant, No.1 Commando; A1giet's, Novil'mbef 1942 3: Private, l"1th Bn, Queen's Royal R89t, 7th Annd Diy; OjeQ
2

D

1943 1: Trooper, 11th Hussars, 7th Armd Div; Tripoli, January 1943 2: Captain, 5th Bn, Cameron Highlandeffl, 51st Div; Tunisia, March 1943 3: Private, 214th Bn, KOYLI, 46th Dlv; Tunisia, March 1943

E

1943 Sol"o/e~ Company, RE: He 8th Army, Tunisia, 1943 2: Corporal, ht Pfowost Co, CMP, 1st Div:

1: Caplllln, Field

Pantelletill. June 1943 3:

F

1st 50, alack Watch, 51S1 Diw; $ic:ily. 1943

COrJlOrl'l~

3

•

•

1943-44 1: fusi~8f", 6th Bn, Royallnnlskliling Fuslliers, 78th DiY; Sicily, July 1~ 2: Stretcher·bearer, 151 en, london Scottish, 56th Diy; Monte Camino, Italy, December 1943 3: Corporal, 116th en, East Sumly Regl, 4th Oiv; Cassino. Italy, May 19«

G

1944-45 1: Trooper, 2nd SAS Regt: Castino, Italy, April 1945 2: Private, 2nd Independent Pa.a Bda: le Muy, France, August 1944 3: Bombardier, l38th Field Reg! RA, 78th Div: Naples, spring 1945

:\II;l\OHNl

H

deployed at di\"isional levcl'. J-1c,ny AA guns included !he !\. iin, 4.5in and 5.2in, of which the most numerous was the 3.7in - an impressi\'e weapon \\'hich, like Ihe Genllan '88', was also used in the grollnd role. The Heavy AA regiments (HAA), deplored .It A..nll}' k...·el. had three bat~ tcries of 1,,'0 troops, each ha\'ing four guns. A Lig:ht AA rcgimclll (LA-'\.) consisted of three b..u~ tcries each of three troops. each of six Bofms !"rtIllS. III armoured reg1menL~ one b..1.uery of the three was equipped \\;th 20111111 or 40mm guns tIlollll(ed on Crusader tank chassis. Field Al lhe outbreak of war the old bm reliable World War [ [SIxlr (83.8mm) was sl,ill ill usc 011 ;1ll upgl-.. lded c<1rri<1ge wilh mbber l)'res, although il was being- I'cplaced by the 'gUll howill.er, quick firing 25pdr Mk [' (Si.6111111). f\Iallr li:lpdrs were 10SI in Fl'nnce in 1~)40. The 251xlr Mk I was replaced b}' the Mk II which had a marginally ~Tcaler muzzle \·c1odlY alld nmge lin win!.- 19"/.5 _ io'lI.mry onts -e g. _ ...... '-""d b 20rmI Pds1ell M cannon ... _ 1ranIpClr'Ied ... u--seI cerriIrs

at",," 52nd tl-.cll 00.SUJlPOfI ~

ABOVE The busine. . end of I 3.7;n HAA gun. The iun........

were removable, but It retained the)' made ~Id redet>foyment

easier during the fluid engagements that t)"plfied the c.mpaign in the 6eMrt. Tl1l. pie<;:e is manned by iUnneo-s 01 the Malta Artllfe who _ _ nonnally only req

red to .......

Within their home I.lands, although a small number of ...olunteers served o ...erae.s.

Tunisia, Ma~h 1$43: c.ptured British ~ier1l .tand around aimlessly, alongside a 25pdr Mk I gun tall.n by the enemy; note Its Int~" tR... ersing platform.. Such Image. were widely published On German p~anda to ~as..... ~ any of their own c ...I1..... who ma)' ha.... had doubts whether the War In Africa WI. being - - . by the ArlS; It Is unJlk.-ly that man)' .e~ comrinc:ed. WIthin a f _ ...... the final Allied 1Ik:tOl')' would be ~fef'nKI to a. 'Yunisgrad' by cynk.,sl GennlIn•. The 25pdr had a Inehll anti-tank round, and befon the amoral of the 5pdr AI'T1I. ;un

field r89iments In the Western Desert _re otten ~t1"etched - and exposed to dired .ttack - by being required to thic;ken up the AI'T1I. screen in the front line.

33

ttaly t943: from a posltiOfl rNlu.ed wtth C8moyfl-.ge nening, a 5.51n gUll of an RA medium regiment fires upon aannan positions. The crew wear a relaxed dress consl,tlng of KD ,horU, steel helmet, basic web equipment with cartridge carriers and water bonle, with the shoulder bt'aces worn hanging loose at the sides.

Ro,al Artillery antl.alrcraft defence relied Ofl detection in ti.... to align the guns - without deleetiOfl equipment the 31Tival 01 bombs woyid 10How the noise 01 engines too closel, too- there to be lime to do anyUl11"lll other than di"e into a slit trenc:h. In "140 radar was onl, a"ailable to the home defencea; this rather medieval looking 'Acoustic Unit' was pretty mlK:h the ,tate of the art In mobile aircraft detection apparatus. Normally operated by a crew of two., it h.cl a __ degree detection arc and a range of - . . miles; unlike 'ltaUBI apparatus, it could be used at night or In low "Ialbrllty. The drawback was the relatl"el, low speed of sound w .... n; triangulation with these units g.... the posilion of the aircraft al the time of transmisslOfl, not In 'real time'.

34

(7.7 miles, IY.Y5km): thi, gun/howiu.er became the Sl.
The {lin howit.zer was Ihc main mcdiulll :tr1ill{o'l"y weapon dcploycd wit.h thc ncr in 19~9/40, but due LO massivc lo;-...es during lhc Dunkirk wiLll(h~I\'",11 it was relcg;lled to a hOlllc dcfenre weapon, The ".sin "'lllI ,\lid ..imilar 4.5in QF howiucr wcrc abo \'CH"rans of the Crcat War. the gUll :.0011 r('\'erted lO a training rolc, \,'hile lhe howit7cr rcmaint.-d in

Within visual range accurate tracking of aerial targets was made simple by the use of the helght.flnder; this gav8 an accurate range which. combined with the angle of elevation, 98ve the target altitude, Information was fed Into a pntdlctor unit which calculated whe,. an I4A barrage had to be piKed in order to Int.~ept th. moving target. The servesnt al left _ .... a lfe.<)n brassard with tropical rank chevrons In KD fabric; the lIunner at centre has adorned his Mk ,. hetmet with the red·a!ld·blue RA diamond

...".

Accurate registration of r;mge was requi..-d by many troops;

senice. BOlh (he 4.5in and 6iu hm.il7.ers wen: progressi\'el)' replac(."
Defeat in France ill 1910 oS;ll\' Ihe Ilea\")' Reh>imenl.S RI\ Iea\'e lheir 1\1"e1\'e Bill ho\\itzers behind: the fc\\' len in the UK had lheir barrels convcned 10 i.2in lo provide improved performance. From 19·13 Americau Sill howil"Zers wt;re also hOllglll and converted, the calibrc being reduced but the caniage rcI~lilled. The 7.2in howitler COrlvcrsiom appeared from April I Y41 in Mk.~ I-V, and from Dt-rt:mher 19,13 in lhe purpose-built Mk VI: thc)' rcmained in sen'ice throughollt the waf. The US 15511111l 'Long Tom' was also plJI'C.:hascd from 194~: this 6.lin gun had a greater nne 01' life and lIlaxim1l1l1 range of 23,000 mctrcs, e0111pan:d 10 Ihe 16,000 metres of llw 7.2in howitlcr. The 7.2in I\~l.s deplored in four h.'1.lIelies each offollr guns 10 ('aeh hc,1\)' regiment. Jo

hera a Barr" Stroud range-finder Is Men In UN at the HQ 01 1S.th Bde, 51st (Highland) Oiv during the batue of Et AJamein. At infanlty level range-findera were ImportJlnt In accu...te target r89lstratlon when using morta and MMGs such a$ the Vlck or proridin9 target Informallon for supporting artillery.

't

Super· Heavy

A few Supcr..He'l\'r Rc/{imenls RA were equipped ....ith American we"poIlS: eilher the \\11 8in. which ....;th sllper-
\

•

35

This 3in mortil~ c:rew, probably fnIm a unit newly arrived from India, wea~ Indian-....d. wool .hlrts with brasa .p"ul.n. titles, KD .horts, woollen ho.etOfl' (here with unit 9arter flashes) and ankle puttee•• They .tlll have the old Pattern 08 web equipment, and the bayonet scabbard has a fabric: c:oller to pn)tect the lea!tler fTom sand; at right, note tne mortar's leather slogttl caM. The 3in mortaf' wu a manportable _apon breakl"i down Into three load. - baHplate {3aab.I, mounting {
3.

Coastal Had Operation 'Scalion' been launched by the GemlallS in 1940 they would have faced a coaSI pl"Olected by a defensi\'e bell of h'lms ldnging from mobile 6in weapons, to 15in guns in concretc emplaCClllCllLS widl a range of up to 24 miles - thus bringing somc of the French cmbarkation porL<; wilhin reach. The hea\iest concentr.Hion was n,ULll1tlly along the Channel coast in the somh-east, particularly covering the narrows between Dover and 1l1e Pas de C... lais. After 1941 Ihe fear of invasion disappeared, hilt coa~tal weapons in the critical ~CClor were still imp0rlalll lO British control of ship movement's in the Dovel' SlraiLS, Ah,holl~h it was occasionally outwitted, this control usually forced Krieg-~111
UNIFORMS Although such uniforms were often WOnl in the Middle E.;ISt and r.,ledilerranean depending on location, season and weather, wc do Tlot duplicale here the dClails of wool serge Sel"\"ice Dress (SO) and 1\:mledrl."SS (RO) uniforms, and the O\'cr;11ls. Denim, issued concUlTclHly with Ihe lattcr. TIlese, \\'ith basic infonnatiOtl on headgear, fool\,·ear and \,'eh equipment, will be found in the IIrst book in this study, MAA 354, .. , "!ol'/h-West Euro/)e. In this volume we covcr in detail only Ihe lropical
authorised for church parades and walking-out in tropicallo<:aliotls). In the mid·1930s the KD SO ....-as upplemented with the is.'IHe of KD shorts and tropical shirts, these loose-fitting items being far more comfonahle in tropical heal. 111C shirt and shorts combination was soon lO replace the SO; general issue of the latter ceased in 1941, allhough a\'itilable slc)Cks k'd 10 the ttl1ifonn remaining in limiled usc for some lime thereafter. The ne...., :.hirts ' ..ere manufaclured from a soft, open-wean~ 'aerlex' fabric which alTered both good ventilation and proteclion from the sun. The)' were of pullover t)1>e, \\it.h a four-buuon placket. reaching down the che~lle\'c1 wilh t.he bouom of tile lwO plea lcd, napl>ed pockcts; det....chable doubk.'d cp;mleues were usually fixed ....itJl a buuon and loop; all bultons were brown plastic. Although made \\-;lh long sleews, by l"L'gulation \\'001 rolled most of lhe time, examples with shortened sleevcs wel-e quit.e commonl)' seell. TIle accompall}ing shorts were made from t.he harder-\\'eal;ng drill fabric; declils OfW'list.bands. belt loops, and the pbcill~ of dressing pockcts \,eared in the form or a bush shirt. ('hllshjacket' for oniccl's) wilh long KD t.rousers. 111e bush shirt was a looSl..,
May 1M1: a trio of Britbtl gunnera man a light AA gun withtn the be5leged pm- of Tobruk. Thl. Im.ge givea .. good ¥lew of the two-part red and green comprened fibre identit)l dll<: Nt worn by alllef"ricemen; atamped upon both dlaca were the aurname, inlUala, religion and urvlce number - If a mM\ was killed, _ was left wfth the bod'I'

and one removed fOl" unit

raeords. Nota also the untidJ'tookl", ehlns~p of the Mk II helmat; a central web .~p waa attached to two s.ectlon. of elaatlcated fabrk anchored 10 the lIt_llIhell,

37

The extremes of c1irn:lle encountered ill the tJu::atre ~IW the usc of a diverse mix of uniform items; I~'ool Battledress and greatcoaL~ were oftell worn in colder weather, and various mixtures of BD, KD itclII~ and the issue woollen pullover I~'ere commonplace. Even tbe he;l\Y 'Coats, Tropal' issued for the :\'orwegian campaif.,'1l werc rcsurrectcd for It"'-: during the cold desert nighLS. B)' the closing slagcs of thc \~~lr in North AJlica US War Aid clothing was 3ITiving in theatre, and US-made linT bush shirts, COllon trousel'l> and shorts as well as wool BD were being i~lled to British troops. The War Aid BD IVO provided \\'A ;-';:0.4 nne.'. and bayonets.) In tropicli dimau::s rCj.,,>1ll1clHal hcadgear - normall), Ihe khali wool Field Scnicc ,md. from 1914, Gener,ll Scn1ce caps - were slIpplcmentc.:d bp,UII helmels. The tropical pith hal or 'solar LOpec' was well suited to the couditions ill milch of India and Africa, although it was oflicially WOlll on I) 011 Indian SoCn;ce: Ihe similar \\'ol~e1e} I),."lltern helmel was WOlll in otJlcr IlX,niolis including Iht' Middle [;L'it ami Africa. Neither of lhese I}lX'S offered ;tny ballblic prolt-"Cl.inn. :md lile ~1 k 1* and later i\lk II steel hclme~ were \"001 in actiull. Th., 11M' of Ihe ~lln helmets gradually diminished: b\' ~pring 19·13 tJlt-')' I,,'l'n- only 10 1')(' !>C~n in Wie by ganison troops in il>Olatt-'(1 and re.lr an.:as. and Ih'-1' were -.oon to dis.'lppear altogether. Web equipment

The olllbreak of \'~lr in 19:19 found Ihe lll.yorit), of troops in the Middle EaSI and Africa still equipped with the old but adequale I'aucrn OM web eCJuipmenl. All produclion of the new 193i pattern set ;md of \\'eaponssllch as tJle .303in Uren light machine gun W~lS channelled to tile BEF in France. lhe Mcdit('rrancan being a low plioril),. After the f:lll of Fmnce supplies were shipped to ll'Opic:l1 lhealres, and lroops in Egypt gradually receil'cd lhe 37 Pattcrn equipment, \11lh infantry el~o>,illg priorit),. India providc:.-xj a l'ilSt manufacturing pool and 11~IS 10 be lhe source of m ueh of the 37 wcb and olhcr equipment issued in North N·rica. Webbing- issucd in Africa was of standard 37 l'allel'n, though it was llorma11)' worn 'unblancoc::d' and wilh brasswork allowed LO dull. Insignia

38

The weallh of insignia WOrJl by the British Army dUling tile war is a slud)' in ilS own right (sc~ l\'!AA 187, British B(jftf" buiJ:..11li(j (2): 1939-45). Briefl)', howcycr: tile most illlPOrt:Ull imignia worn on lhe shoulder and slee\'e wcre shoulder designal,ions ('tilles'), formalion hadges, arm-of-sen1ce strips, and regimcntal fla.~hes. Seen in comhinalion b), an t--duC:lled obSt:n'cr. e\'en without a visible cap badge. thest: cOllld identif)' an indi\'idual's regiment, battalion ..eniorit)" and an)' higher formation. The badges llsed ....·cre intcnded to

Tun"Ja 11143.: '~ar _ Grub up!' A se.'orth Highlander us hi. und$ full with two meutlns and a mug 01 ch'f, &0 the COMS i. kindly .tuffing hi. shirtfront with a boll 01 malcMs and fiye ten·smoke packets of the ubiquilou. and honible 'V' cigarenes, made in India and convoyed to the Western Dese" in yast. quantities. Thi. imaee proykIes a iood ¥few of the 'tam 0' shanter' which In Sc:onish regiments replaced the FS and later GS caps a. oul-of-banle headgear; nole the ret.at/Yely pale tone of the khaki fabric:, the dartler khaki woollen '1oun.' or pompon on lhe crown••1'Hl the regimental badge with tartan backinll. In typical Tommr lashion, the lop bunon. of the collarle.. wool .hi" a .. left open with .....terial lurned inward. at the front.

display this information to informed feUowCOLllllJ)"men: since it ....'as likel~ that the enelll' also appreciatC'.."<1 the usefulness of this displa,. there was all (often ignored) mUng that all irni~nia were to be relllo,"ed IJ)' combat units on active nice. With the introduction of BattledTes.imeillal designations with full titles at the lOp of the "!cC"e. Thi~ ~t}'le was also adopted by the Airborne Forc<-'S and. despitt· War Onice ill"tructions to tile comr.u)'. by a number of other unilS. Thcir USt: became 'i() \\idespread bl' 1942 lhat in order to standardise thc situation an ACI ....~d.S publislu.'(! in.Junc 19-13, which introduced a lisl of shoulder dcsih'1lalions and colours for ;til units. All inf
Italy, late May 1lil44: men 01 the 1st Bn, Green Howard' (1~th Bdo, 5th lnf Dlv) cautlou,ly mOve forward durlng the attack on the Moletta River, a diver· slonary assault which fanned

0'

part the break-out from the Anzio beachhead Into u.. AtlNn Hills _ Oper1Itlon 'So.rtfa!<>'. Thb ~t

saw the 1Ntt.lloon

he;JYi"1y mauled, with 1!J~

casualties; such • rate of Ioss20 to 25 per cent of u.. battalion strength - was not unusual In World War II attacks, a/tho1.lgh today any Western army (.nd the medial would consider It •

disaste.-. The ....,•• nt. lop right. has a white tape cross on his small pack. an Identllylng ma"" lor followinlil troops. (R.F. Stedman Colle<:tlon]

39

"

• During the course of the war the bland appearance of 80 and KD uniform w"s gradually brightened up by the emervenc:e of • multitude of coloured formation

and other badges; 10 the inlormed obsetYet' theM lndated the ann

aervice, highef 'onNItlon, ~ in_ In.uonc:" the indMd,* ~ttallon. ... typieal eumple is this wnngement - . . on BO by. algn8llef' of 5th &n. Hamp5hire Regt, In Italy In 1M5. (Top to bottom) Regimental .!wYlde. designation or 'tItle', In the non·regulation yellow-onblack used by this, the 1I4th & 2nd Bn, of the regiment, who un......11)' served together . . t28th &de. Formation Ndge 01 46th Inf DiY t - Plate E). SIngle M:lIftet infantry ann-of~. mp identifying tn. Hf>Ior bripde in the dirision, 128th &de. Ye!low.;ond+black ~tal n...... At the b;ose of tn. 5IeeYe _ the crossed nap of ;II

As tropieal shirt. h.ad to be w.$heel frequently, all tn.lgnla wenl detachable. While formation .ign. were sometimes wom attached to the sleeves with small press·faslene... ('PCl9P8rs'l, It was also common for insignia to be displayed on eJNIulette. either sewn directly to the atrapa, or more often to aUp-on loops of ltD cloth. The display of Insignia varied from unit to unit, from none whlltsoever through to full battalion, brigade, regimental and divisional insignia. ABOVE LEFT The yellow-an-black printed battlealle of 78th Dlv, above a regimental flash _ the white-an-black embroidered star 01 the 1st 8n, East Surrey Regt. ABOVE RIGHT The White trian"le of 1st Div, above the two red arm-of-servlce strlpa 01 2nd Bde _ tat Loyala, 2nd Norlh Statfonla, 6th Gonlona. '" f _ photos - e.g 51st Highland Div, Tunisia and Skity - all_tively show
Of

qWIl~ and

40

qualified slgnallet" In wttlte and blue; and two InYel1:ed chevrons lIOOd conduct badge_ - In whiteon-khaki 'herringbone', algnlfylng fl.... years of 'undetec:ted crime'.

dHli.:rent brig-.ldes. di\isions. or I.·ven thealrc..'S, thl."St: could \'ar)' in style from ballalion to batlalion. They ranged from simple coloured patches to Illulti-colour geomeuic (k:si!;"lls and otJler de\ices. Dc.'lpiIC allempts to prohibit the ll'le of doth insiWlia which might give a'\~IY a unit's identity, no allempl was made 10 conceal the lllcwl badg-es worn on he
THE PLATES A: 1940-41 A1: Prillale, 2nd Bn, King's Regiment (Liverpool); Gibraltar Command, 1940 Following the lall of France the colony of Gibfa/taf remained the only Bntlsh slronghokl on mainland Europe, guarding the

sea.

strategic: western entrance to the Mediterranean DOOng the war 'the Rock's' hooeycomb of tunnel systems were ellpanded to OYef 25 miles of tunnels and caverns used for officeS. accommodation, stores and ammo dumps. This sentry of the 2nd KIng's guarding the entrance to one of the many complexes wears the odd mix of KD shorts with woollen SO tunic. hosetops. puttees. dal1\ened 1937 pattern web equipment and Mk II steel helmet. The SMLE riffe has a 'war economy' sling made up from a double thickness 01 fabric similar to that used fOf the watflfPl'OOl groundsheet! cape. rather than the normal webbing sling.

A2: Guardsman, 3rd Bn, Coldstream Guards, 'SELBYFORCE'; Sidi Barrani, Libya, December

1940 The 3rd Battalion of the Coldstream were under the command 01 BrigARSelby for Operation 'Compass', the first major British assault against Iialian troops in North Africa. As part of his detached force they supported the Western Desert Force (renamed XIII Corps in January 1941) in its attack, which commenced on 8 December. within eight weeks the 9l'eatly outnumbered Bntlsh had advanced 500 miles and taken 130,000 prisoners. The appearance of this Guardsman is somewhat different from the stereotype 'Tommy' of the desert campaign. The SO cap does much to aI1er his appearance. even with the WIre stiffener removed; thIS cap was a limited issue to the Guards, CMp, MPSC. SASC and gunoery instructors, mounted units and musICians. h is worn here with the brass ftlgimental badge. anti-gas goggles. and with the chinsttap over the crown. The issue khaki woollen pullover is worn over the tropical shirt With a wool scarf, KD shorts, hosetops, puttees and 'ammo' boots. Equipment is Pattern 37 web 'battle order' with small pack on the back, respirator on the left hip alongside the

British Infantry double ....ross typic'" open dosert len-ain problIbty a .taged shot, given the aban 'intrenching tool' (sic), whoch betan to appear irl the westen> Desert from 1"2.

No.1 (SMLE) bayonet scabbard, and the Mk II helmet slung on the right side over the water bottle, The rifle is the standard .303ln SMLE NO.1 Mk 111·, with bayonet fixed. A3: Subaltern, 9th Bn, King's Royal Rille Corps, 1st Armoured Brigade; Greece, April 1941 As part of Operation 'Lustre' the 9th KRRC were shipped to Greece as support troopS for 1st Armel Bde: the Rifle regiments - KRRC and Rifle Brigade - usually ptOVlded the 'motor' infantry battalions 01 annoured brigades, in keeping with thew" 150-year tradition as fast-mO'Vlf'lg light troops. The 9th's stay in Greece was to be very short. but dooog their fighting withdrawal they were to win battle honours for Veve, Greece 1941 and Crete. ThIs young lieutenant is lypICa! of the rather regulation appearance of some units' officers. He wears lull officer's Pattern 37 web 'pistol order' wl1h bell, braces, brace aUachments, compass pocket, ammunition pouch, pistol case, water bottle, haversack, and officer's valise. The woollen pullovef is worn over 3 KD shirt. and KO rank slip-ons with black metal title and 'pips' are worn on the shirt epaulettes bulloned through slits in the pullover. KO trousers are worn loose over blackened officer's boots, and the helmet is the standard Mk II in desert finish.

B: 1941 B1: Private, 1st Bn, King's Own Royal Regiment ILancaster); Iraq, June 1941 Patrolling after the armistice which ended Rashid Ali's revatt, this private of. the battalion which had defended Habbaniya airfield wears light patrol order cooslsting of Pattern 37 bell, braces and ammunition earners worn with tropical shirl, KD shorts and full length puttees. The unit had been deployed to Iraq from India, where issues of 1937 web equ,pment were incomplete. priority going to troopS In Europe and North Afnca. The 'pith hat' was well suJled to the dty heat of Iraq. B2: Officer, 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery; Sidi Re
41

being destroyed or running out of ammunition. Officers' dress in North Africa was caricatured by the cartoonist Jon's 'Two Types', and this gunner officer (rank invisible) typifies the relaxed attitude adopted by many. He wears privately tailored barathea trousers based on BD, a woollen BD blouse, and a full length sheepskin 'Hebron' coat. The 'chukka' or 'desert' boots have suede uppers with crepe rubber soles; weil suited to the terrain, they were very comfortable. The use of the RA coloured Field Service cap further exaggerates the individual approach to field dress. B3: Private, 2nd Bn, Devonshire Regiment, 'Southern Infantry Brigade'; Malta, 1941 Under relentless Axis air attack infantrymen frequently found themselves supporting the vital anti-aircraft batteries, or helping the RAF by repairing bomb damage or even rearming fighters. This soldier of the 2nd Devons seconded to RAF duties has been manually linking 20mm ammunition for the Hispano cannon of the defending Spitfires - hence the rubber-headed hammer. His uniform consists of a pair of well worn 'Trousers. Overall, Denim' held up by issue braces, an aertex tropical shirt with shortened sleeves, and a Mk II helmet with the applied black and sand camouflage unique to units serving in Malta. The strains and hardships endured by the defenders of Malta were reflected in the general laxity of uniform standards. Inset A white Maltese Cross on a red shield was the filting sign adopted by the 'Southern Infantry Brigade' (later to become 231 st Independent Inf Bde); its units were the 2nd Devonshires, 1st Hampshires and 1st Dorsets.

c: 1941-42 C1: Corporal, Corps of Military Police; Beirut, Lebanon, August 1941 This mounted corporal of the Corps of Military Police sets a fine example to the occupying forces after the Convention of Acre. He wears a well starched cotton KD bush shirt, Indian-made tan whipcord riding breeches (these were also made in KD fabric), and full length woollen puttees with ammunition boots and spurs. His status is shown by the 'MP' brassard on his arm and the red-topped SO cap. leather 03 Pattern pistol order and the iong mounted troops' truncheon complete his equipment. Horse tack consists of the 1902 bridle with whitened halter, 1912 saddle, and leather frog for the truncheon. C2: Sherman commander, B Squadron, 5th Royal Tank Regiment, 7th Armoured Division; EI Alamein, October 1942 This NCO commander of an American 'lend-lease' M4 Sherman from 22nd Armd Bde typifies the grubby appearance of many 'tankies'. The KD coveralls, a general issue for vehicie crews and mechanics, were hard wearing and well suited to duty in tanks; over them he wears a round-necked woollen pullover. The web equipment, consisting ot a Pattern 37 bet! with shoulder braces and brace attachments. seems somewhat pointless; it might be useful as an extraction harness for a casualty, but equally would tend to snag. An American 1942 tank crew helmet is worn with the British headset and microphone for the No.1 9 radio set; US tanks were supplied complete with full equipment sets inciuding helmets. Uke the other numbered tactical units of the Royal Tank Regiment, 5th RTR wore the biack Royai Armoured Corps beret with the silver RTR cap badge. C3: Trooper, 1st Special Air Service Regiment; Western Desert, November 1942 Formed in the Middle East from members of 'LAYFORCE' (Middle East Commando) in October 1941, the SAS undertook a number of long range sabotage operations behind enemy lines. Patrols attacked lines of communication, water and supply dumps as well as enemy airfields; these attacks destroyed a large number of Axis aircraft on the ground, and one SAS officer, Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, wrecked 47 aircraft in a singie night. in October 1942 the official title was changed from 'l Detachment' to 1st SAS Regiment. This trooper cradles a jar of service issue rum, one of a pair that came in well protected wooden crates packed with loose cork. Despite the very limited space available in long range patrol vehicles, a niche for these was always found, and 'SRD' jars were included in the supply dumps of long range penetration groups such as the SAS and LRDG; a 'tot' was found to be invaluable in warding off the cold of the desert night. Typical of the 'mix and match' approach to uniform,

The American M3 Stuart ('Honey') and M3 Grant tanks (:ame complete with first pattern US tank helmets, with full circumference leather bumper and fabric side curtains. Both this and the pattern shown in Plate C2 were uncomfortable in the heat of the desert, and were often discarded in favour 01 standard Mk II sleel helmets. This is the commander 01 'Cresla Run', a Stuart Mk I of 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars In late 1941. He has disconnected the jacks for his headset and throat microphones; and wears the Issue khaki wool pullover o...er the tropical shirt. (IWM E6291)

A tank commanders' conference atop 'Cynic', a Crusader I of C Sqn, 10th Hussars in February 1942. This Is the desert, in daytime; yet they wear Bo, leather Jerkins and wool scarves; headgear Includes two khaki FS caps, a rolled-up balaclava and a black Royal Annoured Corps beret. At the top of their sleeves two NCos wear tha white-rhino-onblack-oval sign of 1st Armd Div; the light spot above the chevrons of the sergeant at left is the regimental NCOs' brass sleeve badge. the Prince of Wales' plumes and scroll on a shaped red cloth backing. A range of such badges were regulation in the cavalry, although often discarded from combat unlfonns. (lWM EB076) this soldier wears BD Serge trousers with KD shirt tucked in, an issue leather jerkin, and woollen socks with leather sandals. His headdress is the practical Arab shemagh, worn by some SAS and LRDG personnel as sun and dust protection. His belt supports a holstered pistol and a first pallern Fairbairn Sykes fighting knife in its leather sheath. D: 1942-43 01: Company Sergeant Major, 1/5th Bn, Queen's Royal Regiment, 7th Armoured Division; Tobruk, November 1942 Marching into the liberated port of Tobruk during the advance after EI Alamein, this WO Class II sef\les - most unusually with a brigade entirely made up of battalions of his regirT' -nt: 131st Bde. the lorried infantry of the 7th Armd Div 'Desert Rats', comprised 1/Sth, 1/6th and 1i7th Queen's. His uniform IS fairly typical of the 8th AffilY infantryman, although it was unusual to see 'Bombay bloomers' this late in the campaign - never particularly popular, most had been shortened by this lime. A standard 'aertex' shirt, Mk II helmet, hosetops and puttees are worn with 1937 web equipment, a second belt being used to support the 'Sombays', The only insignia

visible is his wreathed crown warrant badge worn on a leather wristlet- more practical than the forearm. given fhat sleeves were usually worn rolled. His weapon is the .4Sin Thompson M1928A1, widely issued in these campaigns, although by 1944 the Sten was beginning to appear in Italy in limited numbers. Inset The cap badge of the Queen's Royal Regiment. 02: Lieutenant, No.1 Commando; Algiers, November 1942 For the 'Torch' landings the Eastern Task Force assaulting Algiers consisted of the American 39th & 168th Regimental Combat Teams, the British 11 th and 36th Inf Bdes, and Nos.1 & 6 Commandos. NO.1 Cdo was tasked with silencing the batteries covering the bay of Algiers from Sidi Feruch and Cape Matifou. Sidi Feruch was surrendered without a shot. but at Cape Malifou the nearby stronghold of Fort d'Estrees put up stiff resistance and inflicted a number of casualties among the commandos. This lieutenant wears the 'Overall, Denim' version of Battledress, bearing the Combined Operations insignia at both shoulders and his rank on the epaulelles, and a woollen 'cap. comforter'. The original photograph shows his shirt and detachable collar in

43

mismatched shades of khaki - an oversight. or a fashion statement? Pattern 37 web equipment consists of a belt and shoulder braces, a single basic pouch for grenades, a single brace attachment alongside a pistol holsler and an officer's valise. All webbing has been scrubbed and whitened, a lactic first employed dUring the 5t Nazaire raid: at night fnen<:lly troops could readily be recognised at close 'killing' range, reducing the 'friendly fire' incideols which were a high risk dunng commando operalioos. At any greater distance it merged ioto the dar1uless well enough not to betray a steahhy assault; but under a searChlight Of at dawn and dusk it was highly viSIble, particularly dunng rnov«nenl. A toggle rope is worn around the waISt, passed through a carabiner worn at the junction 01 the brace attachment and betl. Web anklets and rubbersoled commando boots complete his ensemble. Inset Combined Operations adopted an \ insignia representallve or lheir tri-service activities: an anchor, Thompson 'machine carbine' and RAF eagle. all in red on a dark bluebacking, at first of 'tombstone' shape and later circular. 03: Private, 1/6th Bn, Queen's Royal Regiment, 7th Armoured Division; Djebel Tarhuna, Libya, January 1943 Duril'"lQ the night of 21m January 1943 the men of 1/6th and 1/5th Queen's from 131st BcIe were instrumental in securing the road from the village of Tarhuna through the Diebel Tarhuna pass and onto the TripoH plain, opening the way for the 7th Armoured Division to continue its pursuit into Tunisia. This Bren gun 'No,1' wears KD trousers without web anklets or pUllees, and a tropical shirt with epaulelles bUlloned through the slits In the woollen pullover. Being a lorried infantryman he is lightly equipped, wearing only basic web equipment of bell, braces, universal pouches and water bottle; the Bren spare parts wallet is slung over his shoulder.

J

44

E: 1943 E1: Trooper, B Squadron, 11th Hussars, 7th Armoured Division; Tripoli, Libya, January 1943 The winter storms which lashed the Ubyan coast during January 1943 not only brought cold weather, but devastated facilities in the ports of TobNk and Benghazi, so reducing the 8th Army's ability to push on Inlo Tuoisia. The capture of Tripoli - the only other deep-water port In more than 630 miles of coastline - was a great boost. The first Allied soldiers 10 enter Tripoli were the armoured car crews of B Sqn, 11th Hussars - the reconaissance regiment of 7th Armd Div - who drove in before dawn on 23 January, This trooper IS wrapped

A rare study of. commando of the Raiding Suppor1 Rett, formed in 1M3 to provide hea\/)' weapons suppor1 - MMGs, mor1a.... AlTk and AA ar1illery _ to other raIding forces such as the SBS and G~ Sacred Sqn openlting in the Aegean. Based In the Italian Dalmatian '~ands, they were I ~ In operatlona In the OOdk1Ineae and in aupport of rlto's y\Oll.....'.n par1isoons. He appears 10 wear the SAS beige berel with the badge of tltla l'89iment - not the almllar badge 01 the Royal Scots Greys. aa mlslht at Ii... t appear.

up against the &arty morning chill in a cavalry pattern greatcoat (shorter than the general 5efVice issue): KD trousefs over his BD trousers: a scaff; and a BD blouse draped over 'his shoulder - note the I\alved yeIIow/~ Royal Armoured Corps arm-of-5efVice strip. His headgear is the uolque brown and 'cherry' regimental beret wOfn unbadged by lhe 'Cherry Pickers'. har1dng back to the glory of their uniform al the Charge of the Ught Brigade. The proud grin recalls the fact that the 11th were not only first into Tripoli but also into Tobruk and Benghazi. E2: Captain, 5th Bn, Cameron Highlanders. 51st (Highland) Inlantry DIvision; Wadi Zig:z:aou, Tunisia. March 1943 The Mareth Une had been built before the war by the French in anticipation of possible attack by Italian forces from neighbouring Tripolitania. It was flanked by the sea and the Matmata Hills: 10 its fronl was the Wadi Zigzaou, which had to be crossed before any major assault on the line could be delivered. The wadi was still waterlogged Irom the winter rains, but the British sappers managed to create gaps which infantry and tanks exploited. The 5th Camerons from 152nd Bde of the 51st Inf Div gained battle honours both for Wadi ZigUlOtJ and Mareth Line in separate actions. This company commander wears 'Saltledress Serge', the tam 0' shanter bonnet with regimental cap badge on a tartan backing patch. and Pattern 37 pistol order with officer's valise: his helmet is slung on his right hip. On the sleeve of his SO blouse he wears the 51st (Highland) Division's 'HD' sign, above the single infantry-red arm-of-service strip of the senior brigade, and the regimental Rash - an oblong of Cameron 01 Erracht tartan. The emvat worn under the open blouse collar is strictly personal. Inset The red 'HD' within a red circle on a blue square was used as the Sign of 51st Div alter it was reconstituted in the UK in September' 1940, the original formation having been destroyed With the BEF io France. Both formations were composed of RegUlar and Territorial battahons of the Highland regiments.

E3: Private, 2/4th Bn, King's Own Yorkshire light Infantry, 46th Infantry Division; Mine de Sedjenane, Tunisia, March 1943 The 46th Inf Div landed in Tunisia in lime to take part in the final eteleat of the Axis forces in North Africa. The captlxe of Mine de 5edjenane was achieved under the driving rain typtcal of the T.....lsian spring: most troopS lought in wool Battledress, ahhough a few soldiered on in a .me of SO and KD. This Bran gun 'No.2' wears a pre-war '80, 5erge' blouse, KD shorts, web anklets and web equipment in battle on:ier. The pair of 'Pouches, utility' which he has slung CNfJt his right shoulder earned extra mag3.llnes for the Bren, and he carnes its spare barrel, On his epauleUes he wears an old b1ack-ookhaki slip-on title, 'KOYU'; on his sleeves, the oak tree sign 01 46th Div, above the two red arm-of-service strips indicating the division's intelmediate brigade, 138th Brigade. Inset The 'Sherwood Forest Oak' set on a black squam was adopted as the sign of 46th Inf Division, which was composed of Territorial units from the North Midlands.

F: 1943 F1: Captain, Field Survey Company, Royal Engineers, HQ 8th Army; Tunisia, 1943 The Royal Engineers provided invaluable support to the 8th Army's advance across North Africa and later in Italy; they mapped the terrain, cleared the numerous minefields, marked safe lanes, repaired roads and bridges, as well as spanning wadis and other natural obstacles, This sapper otrlCEll'" wears clothing privately purchased from a tailor in Egypt and well suited 10 the desert campalQn. The cap is in a line light khaki bafathea, with brown leather chinstrap and bronZe RE badge. The 'bush jacIl;et' and trousers are belh made not from cotton KD but from heavyweighl corduroy - a fabric thai was harder·wearing and warmer for the winter. Nole his suede 'chukka boots', popular among officers. Equipment consists of the web belt wrth compass pocket, ammuMion pouch and pistol case, and a large map board. Being in frequent use lhe compass, rather than the pistol, is attached to the lanyard worn around his neck. Inset Originally the Army of the Nile, the 81h Army adopted Ihe insignia of a while crusader shield wilh yellow cross on a blue ground aller their firsl operalion, 'Crusader', The yellow cross was adopled instead of Ihe true red cross of the medieval crusaders to avoid any confusion with the Geneva red cross device. F2: Corporal, 1st Provost Company CMP, 1st Infantry Division: Pantelleria, June 1943 This island commanding the strails between Tunisia and Sicily was heavily defended, wilh 16 coastal batteries and a large garrison. To remove this thmat to lhe Sicilian invasion, over the period 8 May-l1 June some 6.200 tons of bombs were dropped during 5,285 sorties. destroying 1t and damaging 54 01 the 80 guns. The Italian gamson surrendered

" denlm-<:'-d ...ppet _tits on dearanc:. of an ob.tacle u.lng a compre.sed air powet" ham_. The support pn>VicIoed by the Royal EngineeB inc:luded modem equipment, atthough in its ilbsenc:e there ..... no .ubstitute for hard llIboYr, The RE were 1;On$idered • combat ilt1ll as their ro4e was in close support of the inf.ntry and _our, wtIO frequently needed them to CleM mlnefiekft and remove Of" bridge ob.tacles.

belore the assault units stepped ashore. This MP was one of the detachment which rounded up and searched the 11,000 Italian POWs. He wears U5-made 'War Aid' KD trousers and a WA bush shirt in HBT fabric; a stiff SO cap with cut peak: the 'MP' brassard, and web equipment in 'musketry order'. He is armed with a .45in Thompson gun. officially termed a 'machine carbine' In British use. Inset The white triangle divisional sign of 1sl OIV: divisional artillery wore it sel oerIlrally on a red-and·bIue RA diamond, and Royal 5ignaIs UOlls on a blue diamond. F3: Corporal, 1st Bn, Blaek Watch, 51st (Highland) Infantry Division; Sicily, 1943 This veleran 'Jock' of a pre-war Regular battalIOn, pholographed boarding a troop transport, had already seen action with the BEF; 1541h Bde, holding the port 01 Le Havm In June 1940, eseaped while Ihe rest of the 51s1 OIl,' was captured. The division arrived in North Africa in August 1942, fighting at EI A!amein, Medinine, Mareth, Wadi Akaril, Enfidaville, Tunis and on Sicily before receiving orders to relum to the UK, where Ihis baltle-hardElf'led division was required for the planned assault on 'Fortress Europe'. This seclion commander wears no badgos of rank, but Ihe machete and Thompson identify an NCO, He wears a tropical shirt and 1941 pattern KD shorts, a sleeveless woollen pullover, hosetops and puttees. The Black Walch's regimental red feather hackle has been removed Irom the Highland tam o'shanter; since il look Ihe place of a cap badge when in the fl6ld, the bonnet is now plain. For

BriUsh POWs tend an on;hard somewher1l In mainland Italy. Their British Issue uniforms have been removed and replaced by denim work trousers, white shlrls, and round caps similar to the US Navy 'gob' cap. This IlfOYP seem happy enough in thel, labours; white thet'e were Inslances of inhumanity, most POWs in llalian captivity went well h ••ted.

embar\(atoo the web equipment is full marchUlg order WIth large pack. blanket roll, lightweight respirator and machete in ItS leather sheath. Arouocl his waISt and beneath lhe webbing IS an innatable life ~.

46

G: 1943-44 G1: Fusilier, 6th Bn, Royal I""lskilling Fusiliers, 78th Infantry Division; Catenanuova, Sicily, July 1943 Marching through this recently captured lown, the 6th 'Skins' from 38th (Irish) Bde would soon be involved in heavy fighting against inlantry and armour from the 'Hermann Goring' Divlsion for the key hilltop position of Cenluripe (10 the Tommies, 'Cherry Ripe') on 31 July3 August. In the heat of the Sicilian summer a combination of KD bush shirts loose over woollen 80 trousers is worn, the SO being harder-wearing than KD trousers. This private is armed with the .30310 Lee Enfield No.4 rifle. although other members of his section had a mix of SMLEs and No.4s; for most soldiers serving in the Mediterranean the SMLE was to remain standard - the 2nd Army in NW Europe had priority for the No.4, although some examples had been in limited use in North Africa since 1942. He also carries triple bomb tubes for the platoon HQ's PlAT anti-tank weapon. The lightweight respirator haversack is worn over his left hip: this first appeared In quantity in 1943, although it was rarely seen carried that early. 62: Corporal stretcher-bearer, 1st Bn, L.ondon Scottish, 56th Division; Monte Camino, Italy, December 1943 The winter fighting for Monte Gamino was particularly harsh, against dogged enemy resistance. Supplies had 10 be transported by pack mule or by hand; the wounded were brought back down rodty mule tracks by stretcher-bearers struggling lor a loothold in the mud and wet rock. The trip up the mountain 10 the Regimental Aid Post took lhree houfS, the return to the Advanced DressIng Staloo another ttvee. This

sa

of the 1st London SCottish from 168th Bde shows the stratn of the weather and terrain, his rain-sodden SO and leather jerton leaVIng him cold and ackling to his exhaustion. Many troops on Gamino wore the anb-gas cape to protect them from the weather; the drawbacks were its fragility, and its tendency to trap IT'IOlSture and heat d~og strenuous activity - this made its use by SBs as unpleasant as suffenog the drtving rain uncovered, This soldier wears corporal's chevrons on both upper arms, with the SB brassard on the left. Over his shoulder is slung the web shell dressing bag. and he holds the GS stretcher folded lor the trek up the mountain. Inset A black cat on red, symbolising DICk Whittington's eat, was adopted by the 56th (L.ondon) DiVision. The division saw service in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Tunisia and Itaty, fighting in both the Salerno and Anzio beaChheads. Below is the regimental flash of the L.ondon SCottiSh - a dark blue thistle on a patch of tha 'hodden grey' colour used for their kilts by this senior Territorial unit. G3: Corporal, 1/6th Bn, East Surrey Regiment, 4th Infantry Division; Cassino, Italy, May 1 g44 Uniformity of dress had by this time given way to a situation where each soldier wore what suited him best; most wore SO trousers but a variety of KD, BritiSh and US wool shirts as well as pullovers were used, the BD blouse being lillie in evidence during tha heat of the day. This section ieader has a US War Aid HBT bush shirt tucked into BD serge trousers, and 'musketry ordet" with entrenching tool: as was normal, he is armed with a Thompsoo. The 4th Division saw hard fighting against lha German paratroopers of 1.FallschirmjAger-Division during the final battle for Cassino town, establishing bridgeheads across the Rapido River close under the looming Monastery Hill, Inset The sharrYock sign of 38th (Irish) Bde was sometimes worn instead of, but l'IOlmalty below, the divisional sign; the extra red triangle identifies 2nd Royal Inniskilliog Fusilier's. Below is the first 'Quadrant' pattem of the 4th Division sign. as worn in spnng 1944.

H: 1944-45 H1: Trooper, 2nd Special Air Service Regiment; Castino, Italy, April 1945 Men 01 the 2nd SAS were parachuted inlo the area of GaslJno, south of Turin. in support of lhe hallan partisans who were playing a major part in the ~bel'atl()n of lhe northern cities. They provided specialist skIlls and manpower. as well as heavy weapons support - nere in the shape 01 a .303rn V1ckers medium machine gun. The SAS trooper'S WOf8 a mixture of uniform items to pet"SOOal preference. rangIng from camouflage windproof smocks to heavy duty woollen pullovers. Festooned With belts of .303in ammunition, this heavily loaded man has an issue woollen pullover, serge 'Trousers, Parachutist', and rubbersoled commando boots. His equipment is also a mhcture, of US and British items: the US M36 pistol belt, M3 fighting knife in M8 scabbard. and M1911Al pistol with leather M1916 holster, With British-made web compass pocket and twin magazine pouch - this took clips for both the 9mm Browning HP and .45in M1911A1. H2: Private, 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade, 1St Airborne Task Force; Le Muy, France, August 1944 On 15 August a combined AmericanlBritish airborne task force was dropped at key locations aloog the coasl of southern France between Cannes and Toulon in support of the amphibious landings. This trooper wears a Denison smocll; (displaying his 'jump wings' on the right shoutder) over a KO shirl. 'Trousers, Overall, Denim' and leather 'ammo' boots with web anklets. His equipment is Pattern 37 musketry order, .303in No.4 rine. and third pattern airborne helmet with web strapping ~ the web straps were widely issued from mid-l944, but both leather and web types remained In use untH the eocI of the war. For OperalJOfl 'Dragoon' '" Provence all A1lted troopS wore natJonal flag insigf'113 on the upper arm, to identify them as friendly to the surpnsecf Freoch who found them scattered through lheif fields and VIllages. Inset BellefOphon astride Pegasus in pale blue on a maroon ground. and worn above the 'Airborne' title in the same colours. was the Insignia worn by both the 1st and 6th Alrbo!"ne Divisioos. The blue and 'claret' were the pre--war racing colours of Maj.Gen.Frederick ('Boy') Browning, wi10 commanded Airborne Forces when these formatk>os were being organised. H3: Bombardier, 138th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, 78th Infantry Division; Naples, spring 1945 For this convalescing bombardier. sick leave has brought the chance of some R&R in Naples. The city. one of the main centres lor leave. offered visits to Vesuvius (which had erupted in March 1944), the sights of PompeII. or the many bars, cafes ancl racier establishments which flourished on the income from the Allied troops. He presents a smart and astonishingly officer-like appearance. HIS US-made War Aid BD is of finer fabric than British items. and also has the fly front as found on the BD Serge and 1940 pattern blouses. The offICer'S paltem SO cap IS a fashlOO accessory: by this date many soldiers In Ihe Medrterranean theatre were purchaSIng officer-quality caps complete WIth offIcer's paltern chinstraps. The wearing of such Items was against regulatiOns. but they were de rigeur lor the fashion-

At first glance Ihis fine portrnit of a DAK soldier shows typical Gennan lropicat .....lIann. However, the hetmet Is a British WcHH)ey pattem; even more blzarrel" the tunic Is captured KD $ervk:. Ot'eu modified with pebbted buttons, and remo.... bl. shouldar boards in place of the fbed epaul.ttes of the SD. The Gennan breast eagl., Iron Cross ribbon and national sports badge complet. the illusion. (R.F.Stedman Collection)

conscious Tommy who intended to cut a dash with Iha ladies. (Some Other Ranks purchased well-tailored SO in the bazaars of Egypt. pl"esenting an oflicer-like appearance which infuriated commissioned ranks and - perhaps even more so - the RSM.) On the sleeves of his BD are the red-on-blue Royal Artillery shoulder title, 78th Dlv sign and RA arm-ol-service strip, above the bombardier's badges of rank. HIS medal ribbons are those 01 the t939-45 Star. Africa Star with 1st Army numeral, and Italy Star, ancl note the wound stripe above hiS left cuff. Inset The 78th OMsloo's yellow ba1tleaJl.e on black. Formed In May 1942, the division saw actlOfl as part oltne 1st Army In TuruSla, later fighhng with the 6th Army ." SicIly and throughout the Italian campaign before finishing the war in Austria as part of the OCCUpatIOn foo:es.

47

INDEX '"ip
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The uniforms, equipment. history and organisation of the world's military forces, past and present.

The British Army 1939-45 (2) Middle East &

Mediterranean The scope of Britain's wartime Middle East Command stretched far beyond the Libyan desert where the 8th Army's most famous battles were fought - from Gibraltar and Tunisia in the west, to Iraq and Persia in the east, and from Greece south to the Gulf of Aden. In 1940-43 this was the only arena where the British Army could take the ground war to the German Wehrmacht; it saw a succession of setbacks and triumphs, until spring 1945 found the 8th Army victorious in northern Italy. This summary of these campaigns is illustrated by photographs and detailed

colour artworks of the wide range of uniforms worn in the varied conditions of this huge Unrivalled detail

OSPREY PUBLISHING www.ospreypublishing.com

Photographs

theatre of war.

ISBN 1-84176-237-7

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