In the period of international tension preceding the outbreak of World War II, the 1st Line TA divisions once more formed duplicates, the 43rd forming 45th Infantry Division. The 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment was a regiment of the British Army's Reconnaissance Corps, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps, during World War II. The pursuit continued through April and ended with the capture of Bremen and XXX Corps' drive into the Cuxhaven peninsula. Throughout most of its existence the regiment was part of the 43rd Infantry Division; the regiment was formed on 14 October 1941 by the ⦠For example, the 43rd Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps (based on the 5th Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment) was the divisional reconnaissance battalion of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. In 1961 the division became a district headquarters as 43rd (Wessex) Division/District, and it was disbanded on the reduction of the TA into the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve on 1 April 1967, when many individual TA units lost their identities. It fought in North West Europe with the 21st Army Group in 1944â1945.wikipedia 59th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery. 'Thus, boldly handled, the Reconnaissance Regiment in its first battle had gained information vital to the success of Major-General Thomas's plan,' the divisional historian wrote. The Worcesters got over the broken bridge, and light rafts began to get 6-pounder anti-tank guns and armoured cars of the recce regiment across, but work on the bridge was halted by heavy fire until 5th DCLI and 7th Somerset LI from newly-arrived 214th Brigade struggled across the broken road bridge into Vernonnet. HMSO:1960]. 45th (2nd Wessex) Division at Long, Long Trail. [88][89][93][94][95], Next morning (27 August) a squadron each of 15th/19th Hussars' Cromwells and 4th/7th DGs' Shermans were rafted across and held off an armoured counter-attack, the infantry and 43rd Recce cleared the banks and pushed through the forest until they were firmly established on the heights. The 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment (The Gloucestershire Regiment) (43 Recce) was a regiment of the British Army's Reconnaissance Corps, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps, during World War II. It found itself in immediate combat, but had broken through by 29 March. Formerly part of 43 Wessex Brigade 43 Wessex Signal Regiment was a Territorial Army TA unit of the British Army s Royal Corps of Signals from 1920. 5th Battalion Dorsets and 9th Royal Tank Regiment, leading 130th Brigade against the farms on the lower ground, made quick progress, 7th Somerset Light Infantry passing through with the Churchills and Crocodiles to deal with Chateau de Fontaine. Artillery â 94th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery The 43rd Indian Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Indian Army during World War II. Worse still, an ammunition lorry caught fire, and oil floating on the water was set alight. [17][25][26][27], In 1942, however, after the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the entrance of the United States into the war, the situation changed and the 43rd Division started training for offensive operations to return to mainland Europe. [18] In the meantime, 43rd Division had taken part in operations near Caen and was ready to move forward at the beginning of August. [88][89][90][91][92], The Wessex field companies now began work under fire on a Class 9 (9 tonne maximum load) Folding Boat Equipment (FBE) bridge while the infantry fought to expand the bridgehead and clear Vernonnet. 48th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps (from 20 November 1941, redesignated 43rd Battalion 1 January 1942, later 43rd Regiment 6 June 1942, finally 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps 1 January 1944) [28] Nevertheless, Lane Fox was immediately replaced as CO of 43 Recce (1 October 1944). On 6 June 1942 all reconnaissance battalions were redesignated regiments, and on 1 ⦠On the left, 4th Somerset LI got across in the storm boats relatively easily, but found that their bridgehead was on an island, and they were still cut off from the east bank, apart from a few men who scrambled over the wreckage of the railway bridge. [57][58][59][60][61], The division fought its way forward during 1 August, then at 02.00 on 2 August 129th Brigade began its advance on Ondefontaine. It crossed the Noireau on 15 August by a broken railway bridge and by wading, whereupon 204 Field Company RE set to work with a waterproofed bulldozer to build a tank ford and a trestle bridge named 'Genesis'. They also had storm boats in reserve but these had to be used in the first wave because launching points for DUKWs were hard to find. [13] 43 Recce was not fully up to strength until the end of July 1944. Despite being injured, he considers himself a lucky soldier. [62][63], At 08.00 on 5 August, 4th Wiltshires moved out with B Squadron 13th/18th Royal Hussars, picking their way through the narrow lanes, while A Sqn took a parallel route carrying 5th Wiltshires. The concealed squadrons sent back reports, but were forbidden to engage the enemy in order to hide the extent of the position. It fought in North West Europe in 1944â45. B Sqn's other troop had turned the other way and probed a long way forward, meeting C Sqn, which had passed through several villages until it caught up with the enemy late in the day at Montcharivel, where leading elements of 15th (Scottish) Division had also gained contact. 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps. High seas and enemy shelling prevented unloading for three days and it was decided to move T72 to Juno Beach for disembarkation. The attack on 10 July was supported by all the divisional artillery and mortars, plus the artillery of 15th (Scottish) Division and 11th Armoured Division and 3rd and 8th Army Groups Royal Artillery (AGRAs). In the end, the dominating position fell to a surprise attack. In May 1940 it was preparing to go overseas to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, but the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May ended the 'Phoney War' before the division was ready. 389â322 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on. It fought in North West Europe with the 21st Army Group in ⦠About 16.00 the battalion pioneers managed to bridge the stream and a Troop of B Sqn crossed, but withdrew to 'harbour' at dusk. [101][102][103][104][105], The whole of 23 September was taken up with getting support through to 5th DCLI and the Poles and in clearing the main road, though 43rd Recce Rgt was able to exploit westwards. Once the German Ardennes Offensive had been halted, 43rd (Wessex) Division returned to the offensive in early 1945 in Operation Blackcock to reduce the Roer Triangle, though exploitation was prevented by bad weather. The Wyvern dragon, logo of the 43rd (Wessex) Division. [24], 43 (Wessex) Division crossed the River Seine at Vernon on 25 August, and then drove on across Belgium before German resistance stiffened. [30] The divisional historian records that 'While the Division faced the monotony inseparable from static defence, the Reconnaissance Regiment fought a different type of war'. To prepare as far as possible a complete Roll of the officer and men who were killed while serving with the division in the North West Europe campaign. The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Force, the Honourable Artillery Company and the Yeomanry. In particular I am researching the loss of the troopship MV Derrycunihy off the Normandy coast on Saturday, 24th of June 1944. 8th Bn. By mid-afternoon all the anti-tank guns on the hill had been knocked out, the tanks had to retire to the reverse slope, and the defence was almost over. [a] In peacetime, the divisional headquarters was at 19 Cathedral Close in Exeter. Although titled as a Living History Group, 43rd Recce is a Group with a more serious historical slant than most. 5th Battalion, 43rd Infantry Division (Wessex) The 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment is our Primary Impression for all events that take place from June 1944 to the end of the War in 1945 within the European Theater of Operations. By nightfall the bridgehead was reasonably secure, the FBE bridge named 'David' was complete and 15th (Kent) GHQTRE's rafting troops were arriving to get a tank ferry into operation before morning. [9], On 18 June 1944 HQ, A and C squadrons embarked at West India Docks, London, aboard Motor Transport Ship (MTS) T72, a general purpose cargo ship named the MV Derrycunihy. Landing craft and the gunboat HMS Locust quickly came alongside and picked up survivors, most of whom were evacuated to SS Cap Touraine, a former French liner. In the Arctic Barents Sea most of the ships in PQ-17 , a British supply convoy to the Soviet Union, were sunk by Luftwaffe planes and U-boats (one of the Allies worst Naval ⦠Most of 43rd Recce Rgts's vehicles were landed from the beached fore part of the "Derrycunihy", and reinforcements were sent from England, but the regiment was not fully up to strength until the end of July 1944. It took until the following morning to clear the mines and restart the advance with 214th Brigade and the tanks of 4th/7th Dragoon Guards. Horrocks himself authorised the withdrawal of the DCLI before they were overwhelmed. It fought in North West Europe with the 21st Army Group in 1944â1945. 43rd Recce Rgt, with 12th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps from 8th Armoured Bde under command, protected the division's open western flank. 214th Brigade then attacked on its left in the afternoon, led by 7th Somerset LI and tanks of 4th/7th DG, and took its first objective, the village of Neiderheide. from:Alperton, London (d.24th June 1944) My uncle, Ernest Leonard Sellman was a trooper in the British Army, 43rd 2/5th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment. [139][b] However, the TA saw large numbers of amalgamations from 1950 onwards. They were supported by Churchill tanks from 31st Tank Brigade. The infantry followed the Creeping barrage of smoke and High explosive shells and forced their way into the houses and gardens, using PIATs against those German tanks that had survived the barrage. Se vi volas enigi tiun artikolon en la originalan Esperanto-Vikipedion, vi povas uzi nian specialan redakt-interfacon. [9] In the meantime, 43rd Division had taken part in operations near Caen and was ready to move forward at the beginning of August. By 18.30, seven Shermans were on the summit, attempting to mount an all-round defence and calling for infantry support. [10] [5], By D-Day recce regiments were organised into a headquarters squadron and three reconnaissance squadrons. Other battalions mopped up the important objective of Manvieux. The leading Hampshire penetrated the village, leaving strongpoints to be mopped up later by the following Dorsets, but they were driven out by counter-attacks. [115], 43rd (Wessex) Division was then shifted east with XXX Corps to cooperate with the US Ninth Army by capturing the Geilenkirchen salient (Operation Clipper). The infantry and anti-tank guns held off counter-attacks through the night from the newly-arrived 9th SS Panzer Division, and were reinforced in the morning by a company of 1st Worcesters and briefly by a squadron of Sherman tanks from the Royal Scots Greys. However, shipping delays and a storm between 19 and 22 June delayed its arrival; the division finally concentrated round Bayeux on 24 June. [99][100], When 43rd (Wessex) Division next moved, the war was now 250 miles (400 km) away. 43 Recce, with 12th Bn King's Royal Rifle Corps from 8th Armoured Brigade under command, protected the division's open western flank. [145], The following officers commanded the division at various times:[4][6][17][157], The banner of the kings of Wessex bore a golden Wyvern, a dragon with two eagle-like legs and the barbed tail of a snake. "Corps of Royal Engineers, Volunteer Regiments". The order to mobilise arrived on the evening of 4 August. 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