Guards Armoured Division Order of Battle 17–25 September 1944
DIVISIONAL STAFF
Lt. Col J.D.Hornung
AA&QMG: Lt- Col. W. M. Sale
Lt. Col J.D.Hornung
AA&QMG: Lt-
ADMS: Col. B. J. Daunt
CRASC: Lt- Col. A. K. Woods
ADOS: Lt- Col. F. B. H. Villiers
CREME: L. H. Atkinson
5th Guards Armoured Brigade
Brigadier N.W. Gwatkin
1st (Motor) Battalion Grenadier Guards
Lt. Col. E.H Goulburn
21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
(Achilles self propelled tank destroyers)
32nd Guards Brigade
Brigadier G.F Johnson
Coldstream Guards Battlegroup
1st (Armoured) Battalion Coldstream Guards
Lt. Col. R.F.S. Gooch
5th Battalion Coldstream Guards
Lt. Col.E.R. Hill
21st Anti Tank Regiment Royal Artillery
M10 self propelled tank destroyers
1st (Armoured) Battalion Coldstream Guards
Lt. Col. R.F.S. Gooch
5th Battalion Coldstream Guards
Lt. Col.E.R. Hill
21st Anti Tank Regiment Royal Artillery
M10 self propelled tank destroyers
Welsh Guards Battlegroup
2nd Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion Welsh Guards
Lt. Col. J.C. Windsor-Lewis
1st Battalion Welsh Guards
Lt. Col. J.F Gresham
153rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery
Lt. Col. J.S. Atkins
(Sexton sp 25 pdr field guns)
55th (Wessex) Field Regiment Royal Artillery
Lt. Col. B. Wilson
(25 pdr field guns)
94th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery
(Bofors AA guns)
Other Divisional Units
Household Cavalry Regiment
Lt. Col. H. Abel Smith
14th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
615th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
148th Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers
11th Bridging Troop, Royal Engineers
(Leicestershire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
Signals
Guards Armoured Division Signals, Royal Corps of Signals
Logistics Support
5th Guards Brigade Workshop REME
32nd Guards Brigade Workshop, REME
224th Infantry Brigade Workshop, RASC
310th Armoured Brigade Company, RASC
535th Transport Company, RASC
Whoa -- were there really 2 Vandeleur brothers, EACH a Lt. Col. commanding a Battalion of the Irish Guards?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteJohn Ormsby Evelyn 'JOE' Vandeleur, 3rd Battalion Irish Guards and Giles Alexander Meysey Vandeleur, 2nd Armoured Battalion Irish Guards, were second cousins (their grandfathers were brothers).
ReplyDeleteAhhhh... hadn't thought of cousins. Still remarkable, but not as outlandishly so!
ReplyDeleteThis is the order of Battle OF 2ND HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY REGIMENT ON SAILING TO NORMANDY,
ReplyDelete13TH JULY, 1944 R.H.Q. AND H.Q. SQUADRON
1 Daimler scout car 12 Humber scout cars
I Daimler armoured car
3 Chevrolet (Staghound) armoured cars 1 Armoured Command vehicle
Troop of 4 Humber armoured cars Also Signals, LA.D. and Administration vehicles
"B" SQUADRON
1 Troop
2 Daimler scout cars 2 Daimler armoured cars
2 Troop
"C" SQUADRON
4 Troop
5 Troop
3 Troop
"A" SQUADRON
Squadron H.Q.
1 Daimler scout car I Daimler armoured cart 3 Chevrolet (Staghound)
armoured cars und Administration vehicles
"D" SQUADRON
Heavy Troop
1 Daimler scout car 2 A.E.C. Mk. III
(Matador)
armoured cars
BRIGHTON
Support Troop
I Daimler scout car 3 White scout cars
NOTES The armament of the Daimler armoured car consisted of one 2-pdr. gun and a 792 mm. Besa machine gun. The Troop Leader's 2-pdr. gun being fitted with the Littlejohn apparatus, a form of squeeze" gun to give added muzzle velocity and therefore greater penetrative power, could only fire A.P. shot. The corporal-of-horse's car could fire either A.P. shot or H.E, shell. The Staghound armoured car was armed with one 37 mm. gun firing either A.P. shot or H.E. shell, and three 30 Browning machine guns.
The Matador armoured car was armed with one 75 mm. gun, also capable of firing either A.P. or HE, and one 792 mm. Besa machine gun. The scout cars, both Daimler and Humber, carried a Bren gun. Each White scout car carried a section of the Support Troop with
Bren gun and 2 in mortar. Total number of Armoured and "Soft" vehicles, 240. Total number of Officers, 55. Total number of O.Rs, 778.