Jim, first of all, thanks for the great history bit. Your CDL info
certainly matches with what little I have.
Regards the badges, a veteran of the 49th APCR emailed me the other day
with a bad scan of "his badge". The scan was of a FEAR NAUGHT badge,
blurred and cut off on one side, but with Queens' crown. I can accept
that he might have bought a replacement for his original in his latter
years, perhaps not recognizing the difference in crown (don't forget,
he's 80 now)... but to have mistook the shape?
I DO know that the vets of the 49th are as few and far-between as our
own Kangaroo guys, and they're trying to pull together some sort of
record for the Regiment before they go. I can only go by what he, and
they, and people like you, can provide me. ANY info gratfully accepted.
Cheers,
Geoff
Jim Webster wrote:
>
> 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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-- Regards,Geoff Winnington-Ball MAPLE LEAF UP! ==> Zephyr, Ontario, Canada ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maple Leaf Up - The Canadian Army Overseas in WW2 http://www.mapleleafup.org <sunray@mapleleafup.org> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment http://www.1cacr.org <info@1cacr.org> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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