Posted on 04/04/2005 9:29:46 PM PDT by SAMWolf
The morning mists of mid-winter roll about a column of loaded Kangaroos somewhere in Holland, January 1945. Note that the troops in the lead vehicle are wearing berets, which suggests this might be an administrative move rather than combat assault. The gentleman on his feet looks like a cold and somewhat bored junior infantry officer waiting for orders. Kangaroo # 14 is a late-production model featuring a hull-mounted Browning .30 calibre machine gun rather than the cupola of the earlier Ram IIs. Most Kangaroos were initially equipped with at least one Browning .50 on an improvised mount on the turret ring, but these mounts were found awkward and unreliable due to the incredible vibration of firing, and were subsequently replaced with one or two additional Browning .30s scrounged from wrecked vehicles or wherever they could be found.
The Kangaroo concept of moving infantry units forward with the leading elements of armoured formations quickly became a critical, integral aspect of armoured corps operations in Northwest Europe, and later, in Italy. It is a concept which remains the cornerstone of all infantry operations today.
The Canadian Armoured Corps, which provided most of the personnel for the Kangaroos as well as the basis for their administration and employment, was itself a relatively new service, having only been constituted just a few short years before. Largely through the efforts of one remarkable man, Frank Worthington, Canada was able to field more than two complete armoured divisions during WW2. They played a critical part in the campaigns in Italy and Northwest Europe, fighting with equipment which was sometimes greatly inferior to that of the enemy. The men of these units were proud, bold, and creative, as they had to be - and they and their attitudes were the seed corn of the startlingly simple, radical new concept of carrying the infantry under armour .
The story of the Kangaroos is of a unit which used what it could, wherever it could be found. The vehicle chosen for their mission was initially the U.S. M7 Priest Self-propelled Gun, which embodied a 105mm howitzer in an open body set on an early Lee/Grant/Sherman chassis. As has been seen, in a momentous effort in the first week in August 1944, 72 of these vehicles were overhauled and modified as personnel carriers; subsequently they went on to prove a concept which remains the cornerstone of infantry operations to this day.
Once the inherent value of such a unit was realized, and official steps taken to expand it into a full regiment, the Priests, which were by this time some 53 in number through battle damage and general mechanical attrition, were replaced by specially modified Canadian Ram tanks, which were available in quantity in depots in England (having been superceded as battle tanks by the U.S. Sherman, itself having been declared the standard of Commonwealth armoured formations).
Along with the new Regiment came a significant headquarters infrastructure which also required different vehicles for reconnaissance, logistics and general administrative activities, which further changed the face of the unit as a whole.
There was no question about converting Shermans to APCs, as the battlefield attrition rate amongst those had put severe strain on the replacement pipelines as it was, but the Rams were another story. Here was a tank which would have been only marginally successful in its original role as a cruiser tank, but which, divested of its turret and inadequate main armament, was light, agile and with a comparatively low profile.
The first Ram Kangaroos were delivered to the Squadron at Pierreville, near Rouen, France, on 1 October 1944. At the same time, discussions had been taking place at the higher echelons about expanding the personnel carrier squadron. At this point, the squadron was authorized four troops of 16 carriers each, along with 3 to 5 assigned to headquarters.
24 October 1944 marks the official birth of the Regiment as an independent entity. On that day, an official communication was received which indicated that
...By authority of the GOC 1st Canadian Army, 19 October 1944, the 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron ceased to exist as a separate entity and became a squadron of the newly-created 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Regiment. The Regiment to be commanded by Lieut. Col. Gordon M. Churchill, formerly 25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment (Elgin Regiment) and 10 Canadian Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse) with Major F.K. Bingham Sherbrooke Fusiliers and 1st Hussars as Second-in-Command. Regimental Headquarters to be at 83 van Ryswick St., Antwerp.
Lt. Col. Churchill was truly the right man for the job. A Sergeant machine gunner in WW1, Churchill knew the face of war. With the new regimental status, he was now able to indent for the thousand-and-one things which the previous squadron had depended on others for. At the same time, Col. Churchill set about creating the trappings of a unique identity for this already unique unit.
At this time, the Regiment also came under command of 31 Brigade of the famous British 79th Armoured Division. Previously, the association of the original squadron with the British had been long and successful, and the whole concept of specialized armour fit perfectly within the infrastructure of the "Funnies" of this valourous assault division.
Accordingly, the Canadians of 1CACR were authorized the wearing of the 79th 'Bullshead' flash, and the same was painted on their vehicles, along with the unit designation "157" in white on a green-and-blue square. On 1 November 1944, RHQ moved formally to Tilburg, Holland, the 'birthplace' of the Regiment. Luckily, deteriorating weather conditions - which were to lead to the worst winter in Europe in 50 years - permitted the new CO to concentrate on building the new organization.
Fortunately, all progressed smoothly. The new faces were integrated quickly, and through labourious indents and some good, old-fashioned scrounging (for which the Canadians in Europe were famous), the Regiment was brought quickly to a state of battle readiness. At this point the combat strength of the Regiment was 106 carriers, and it was contemplated increasing the two existing squadrons to four, but this move was held in abeyance indefinitely, due to the logistical difficulties.
This was significant, as elements within the Canadian command infrastructure had long campaigned to make 1CACR a part of the Service Corps, due to its transport function; the men of the Regiment were vociferously opposed to this categorization, as in combat they were exposed daily to the same hazards as were the infantry and armoured corps.
The Regiment was back in action in January 1945, and stayed in the thick of things until the end of the war. 'A' and 'B' Squadrons functioned pretty much independently from the crossing of the Rhine until the official Cease Fire order on 5 May 1945, causing no end of headaches to the administrative staff attempting to keep up with the lads. However, both squadrons rendered yeoman service to many British and Canadian infantry formations through this final victory campaign
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www.diggerhistory.info/pages-armour/allied
www.1cacr.org
mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/can
www.geocities.com/dieppe_berlin/1Canada/1-Armoury/Tanks
www.battlefront.co.nz
The Canadian Tank Corps had been formed early in 1918 and equipped with the latest British Mk V heavy and French Renault light tanks. This unit was disbanded at the end of the World War 1. Not another tracked unit was available to the small Canadian army until twelve Carden-Loyd Mk VIB were purchased in 1930 for a handful of mobile machine gun platoons. Early Ram II at Worthington Park, CFB Borden. In 1936, due to the deteriorating international situation, the Canadian Defense Department decided to form an armored force with the intent to train a small group of men in tank warfare in the event of war. The Tank Training School was set up at London, Ontario, with the earlier purchased Carden-Loyd Mk VIB carriers used as training vehicles. Also added were two Vickers Mk VI light tanks with 14 more ordered in 1939. The 1940 fall of France, and the bombing offensive against Britain, led to a decision that Canada be made a source of manufacture of light armored vehicles and tanks. An authorization was given for the formation of two Canadian Armored Divisions in the summer of 1940. This necessitated a requirement for over 1,000 cruiser type tanks to equip these divisions. It was obvious that these could not be supplied through British production and that tank production in the United States was limited to British and American orders. The English and Canadians then decided to construct a Tank Arsenal in Canada under the administration of Montreal Locomotive Works with the assistance of its parent organization, American Locomotive. It was further decided that the Canadian built cruiser tank design would be based on that of the US M3 medium tank to save time and utilize mechanical and chassis components already in production. By the autumn of 1940, it became clear that many of the design features of the M3 would be far from satisfactory for the British or Canadian soldiers, in particular the high silhouette, sponson-mounted main armament, inadequate armor protection, and lack of radio in the turret. By January 1941 it was decided that Canada must develop and produce it's own tank utilizing the mechanical components of the M3 and make it standard with British main armament. This vehicle came to be known as the Ram tank. The Ram was named in honor of the founder of the Canadian Armored Corps, General "Worthy" Worthington. The Ram was part of his family crest. Late model Ram II at Worthington Park, CFB Borden. A running prototype of the Ram was completed in June 1941. Canada's Ram with a 6pdr gun production engineering drawings were assumed to be supplied by the United Kingdom. These did not materialize. The mantlet, cradle and elevating gear had to all be designed in Canada. While the engineering was being finalized, the first fifty vehicles were fitted with the standard 2pdr gun and designated Ram Mk I. Production mounting the 6pdr gun then became the Ram Mk II. Though the Ram looked like an American M4 Sherman, it quickly became evident that it lacked the firepower needed to overcome other enemy tanks. For this reason, Rams were used as training vehicles, conversions to Kangaroos, command vehicles, and test chassis. In 1942, the United States put the M4 into production replace the M3. The M4 incorporated all the features of the Ram and met British requirements. Thought was given to manufacture of the M4 in Canada but increased orders for the Valentine tank and the arsenal facilities in the United States rendered this idea moot. However, it was agreed that Ram production would be halted for the M4 Sherman at the earliest possible time. The specifications were laid down in September 1942 for the Canadian production of the M4AI. This tank became known as the 'Grizzly'. In August 1943 changeover in production was achieved after an amazing production of 1,941 Rams. While it had been planned to build large quantities of the Grizzly, orders were reduced when it was realized that the production of Sherman tanks from the USA would be sufficient for Allied requirements. Of the 188 Grizzly tanks built, some were allocated to British Forces but the bulk of them were retained for training. It was as the Kangaroo that Ram tank and it's designers would make the contribution to the Canadian soldier and history. Hitting the battlefield in 1944, the Kangaroo would become the first truly successful Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). Other contributions of the Ram were as armored recovery vehicles, towing vehicles, ammunition carriers, recovery units, and experiments. A popularly quoted model by Canadian sources, called the Skink, was armed with four 20 mm cannon for anti-aircraft defense. This vehicle was never adopted for use though one was sent "over there" for evaluation. By the time of its arrival, the German airforce was anything but a "force" and there was not much for the Skink to shoot at. It did get the opportunity to shoot up some ground targets with its rapid firing cannons. The contribution of the Ram and all the other vehicles provided by Canada during WW2 proved just how resourceful the Canadian people are when the going got tough. |
Skink Anti-Aircraft Tank
I can see where it could be deadly to infantry.
Teaser
1974 Then tallest building, World Trade Center opens in NYC (110 stories)
/Teaser
Night all.
Ping to you humblegunner. Sorry, I posted the list before I put you on it. You're on now. :-)
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.
Let's be honest. Are we always able to trust ourselves in everything? Even the apostle Paul said emphatically about himself, "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27). He wouldn't trust himself to do the right thing unless he kept his body under strict discipline. Today's Bible reading reminds us that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9.) It is not possible for any of us to fathom the extent of the deceptions of our heart. How then can we ever trust ourselves or anyone else completely? Jeremiah warned the last Judean kings against placing their trust in earthly kings (vv.5-6). But they continually sought help from Egypt. How foolish they were! They should have repented of their wickedness and returned to Almighty God for His help. Where can we put our trust for help in difficult and uncertain times? God's Word tells us that those who place their trust in God are like trees planted by the waters. Even in drought they will not cease to bear fruit (vv.7-8). Let's trust God to produce fruit in our lives. -Albert Lee
In what our eyes can see, But God asks us to trust in Him For our security. -Sper Don't let self-confidence replace your trust in God.
How Much Does God Control? |
Good morning ALL. Another beautiful sunny day seems to be in the making this morning. Rocket over slept, which means I overslept this morning.
Good Morning, Foxhole
FReegards...MUD
BTW...Arkansas is losing its last armor...we going field artillery....sigh...I might switch to Cavalry in East Arkansas...they might be getting Bradleys.. right now they just humvees.
Morning Snippy.
The Germans used their 20mm and 37mm AA guns against infantry with deadly effect too.
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