Kingfish Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 I need to know what was the OOB of the British 107th RAC during August '44. I've read accounts that say they were equipped with Churchills, probably Mark VII and VIIIs, but is that all? Were Fireflys also included in the mix? Any others? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 I don't know about the 107th specifically, but I would be very surprised if they had any Fireflys, or in fact any tanks other than Churchills. There would have been some light tanks and/or recce vehicles, as well as liason vehicles which could have been Stuarts or Daimlers or the like, roaming about. Try here for a imperial buttload of useful TOE info: Military TsO&E or here, but be aware that these are for a miniatures based game, and there is a scaling factor for the number of vehicles: Fire and Fury Regards JonS [ August 12, 2003, 09:57 PM: Message edited by: JonS ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Bouchery lists Churchills (THE BRITISH SOLDIER VOL. II). They were an independent tank brigade; they would not AFAIK have had Fireflys, as JonS intimates. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Fox Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 The equipment of the 107th RAC in the period in question is impossible to replicate in CMBO due to the absence of the Churchill types with which they were equipped. The Firefly would definitely not be present. Otherwise all tanks would be Churchills apart from the Stuarts used for recce which wouldn't have seen much action. Each troop would comprise 3 tanks and the Sqn HQ would have 3-4 tanks with 2 of them being the V/VIII (95mm CS variants). [ August 13, 2003, 04:43 AM: Message edited by: Simon Fox ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Originally posted by Simon Fox: The Firefly would definitely not be present. Otherwise all tanks would be Churchills apart from the Stuarts used for recce which wouldn't have seen much action. . Would they have made use at all of turretless Stuarts in the recce role? And would they have had an anti-aircraft troop? [ August 13, 2003, 08:11 AM: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted August 13, 2003 Author Share Posted August 13, 2003 Thank you all for the info and links, especially the Fire and Fury site. A couple of Questions: Exactly what role did the Churchill equipped regiments play in the ETO? I know about the specialty units, such as the funnies, but what about the regular armored regiments such as the 107th. Were they a carry over from the 'I' tank brigades from earlier in the war? Why were they the only tank regiments in the 21st army group not equipped with Fireflys (not counting recce)? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Originally posted by Kingfish: Why were they the only tank regiments in the 21st army group not equipped with Fireflys (not counting recce)? The Armoured Recce regiment of 4th Candadian Armd Div did have Fireflies, though.... Academically, I would feel safe in saying the Churchills were intended as infantry support (slow speed, heavy armour, 75mm gun and Crocodiles in 79th Armd), but in reality, a superficial look at the NW Europe campaign tells me that all the British and Canadian armoured regiments - even the armoured recce - were used for infantry support primarily. So the distinction may be just that - academic. Perhaps the XXX Corps drive in Market Garden would be an exception? Was Antwerp captured by speedy armoured exploitation also? Simon, Andreas and JonS will have a better answer than that I am sure though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Fox Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 Would they have made use at all of turretless Stuarts in the recce role?Maybe. Depends on the Regt. More likely they would be used in the Intercommunication troop. As a general rule it seems that light tanks like the Stuart weren't really favoured in the recce role. Scout cars festooned with MGs were more popular. And would they have had an anti-aircraft troop?Yes. Crusader AAs. 6 of them. Withdrawn some time in 1944. Exactly what role did the Churchill equipped regiments play in the ETO? I know about the specialty units, such as the funnies, but what about the regular armored regiments such as the 107th.The 107th Rgt RAC was of course a battalion, the 5th Bn KOR, Lancs. to be precise. As such it was one of 3 tank Bn/Regts in the 34th Army Tank Brigade. The tank brigades were generally attached to an infantry div. Were they a carry over from the 'I' tank brigades from earlier in the war?Basically yes. The Churchill was an 'I' tank after all. Why were they the only tank regiments in the 21st army group not equipped with Fireflys (not counting recce)?A multitude of reasons but one was a justifiable aversion to mixing tank types. In the main Fireflys went to Sherman equipped units. The only reason Cromwell units had them was the Challenger wasn't available in time. They were not the only units which did not have Fireflys, Crab and DD regiments didn't have any either. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKELLEN Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Originally posted by Kingfish: I need to know what was the OOB of the British 107th RAC during August '44. I've read accounts that say they were equipped with Churchills, probably Mark VII and VIIIs, but is that all? Were Fireflys also included in the mix? Any others? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.