Geoff Winnington-Ball wrote:
> And needless to say, if you have any info or photos related to the
> 49th (or of any Kangaroos), I would love to see it. Full credit if
> it's used online, OF COURSE.
Are you sure they used the RAC badge Geoff???
49th Royal Tank Regiment
In 1938, as part of the mechanization of the entire British Army and in
preparation for the inevitable general war, certain infantry battalions
of the Territorial Army were reroled and converted into Tank Battalions
of the RTC. These included 6th Battalion, The Royal Northumberland
Fusiliers that became 43rd Battalion, RTC at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
In 1939, with the doubling in size of the Territorial Army, 49th
Battalion, The Royal Tank Regiment (Territorial Army) was formed by
authority of War Officer letter of 31 Mar 1939 as duplicate of parent
unit, 43rd Bn (6th (City) Battalion, The Royal Northumberland
Fusiliers) Royal Tank Corps.
49th RTR initially served in UK. In Jun 1943 the battalion joined 35th
Tank Brigade in 79th Armoured Division, commanded by General Percy
Hobart, that was developing a variety of specialized armour for the
re-invasion of north-west Europe. The battalion was equipped with Canal
Defence Light (CDL) tanks, one of the specialized weapons, equipped with
searchlights designed to blind the enemy during night attacks. The
battalion joined 11th and 42nd RTR in 1st Tank Brigade that took part on
the Normandy landings in Jun 1944. The CDL concept was not used.
The Ram Kangaroos used by the Canadians in the taking of Boulogne and
were so successful that it was decided to equip a British regiment for
the specialized APC role. An armoured brigade workshop converted 120 Ram
tanks for British use as Kangaroos within a month and so in Oct 1944 the
battalion was re-equipped with Kangaroos for the APC role and was
renamed the 49th (Armoured Personnel Carrier Regiment) RTR. 49th RTR
played a leading role in the Rhine crossings on 23 Mar 1945, its
Kangaroos acting as APCs and the remaining CDL tanks providing "movement
and direction" lighting. The last occasion they were used
was when men of the 7th Armoured Division were carried into the ruined
city of Hamburg on the 3rd May 1945 the day before the signing of the
surrender terms at 21st Army Group Headquarters.
As part of the post-war reductions, 49th Battalion RTR was disbanded
after demobilization.
TTFN
Jim
ICQ: 58721472
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