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activity of unit in africa and italy

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hello peter !
just a question to see if you can help!(highly reccomended by trooper tom canning)i have been in discussions with tom about my grandfathers movements in ww2 in n/africa then italy i cannot seem to find any info of the whereabouts of his units movements
would you please take a look and advise the best way of researching this
ive copied and pasted the forum as was unsure how to get it to you !(as below)



Message 1 Unit in Africa and Italy
Posted 6 Days Ago by Trooper Tom Canning - WW2 Site Helper

Nobby -

the number you have quoted is pretty high for an LAA ( Light anti-aircraft artillery)battery which would put him close to the Tunisian border on the 3rd January 1943 with 1st Army - which feels right - the other transfer to a GT ( general transport) company in Novemeber '44 puts him around the Senio River - or the winter line of the 8th army, and as a driver he would know all about driving in snow and Ice !
Need more from his service record to be of any more assistance.
good luck


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Unit in Africa and Italy
Posted 4 Days Ago by nobbyballinger

thank you very much tom
its very much appreciated i dont know quite what you require about the service record
here is a run down ?
2/5/1940 posted to 175 coy
2/11/1940 posted t0 927 coy
24/8/1942 posted to 63LAA
21/12/1942 posted to n africa
2/05/1943 reclassified? 1556LAA CMF
then transferred from 1556LAA to 12 CCs on the 17/5/43
then to 8CCS on the 23/5/43
then back to 1556 LAA on the 27/5/43
then next
posted to 465 coy gt on the 15/11/44 until 27/9/45
then to i think reads R4SCTD X 4?
always as a driver
i am getting married in italy in 2 weeks time most of our family will be there and would love to trace a little of his history and maybe visit some of the places he was but unsure where his movements were.
i am interested also in finding out how i can research all of this?
once again i really appreciate your help please let me know if you need any more information
or if there is anything i can do to help this site its fantastic!

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Unit in Africa and Italy
Posted 4 Days Ago by Trooper Tom Canning - WW2 Site Helper

Nobby...

Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding in Italy ....where in Italy ???
You have handed me a tough one with your Father's movements simply because he was in the Service Corps which was always the tail end of any unit ...having said that.... no one could move without the stuff they had to transport all the way from the Docks where it usually arrived to handing over at the various Brigade depots of the front line troops..so he was a very important cog in the big machine. Unfortunately it does not appear that any formation is cited in his reords e.g =- attached to 78th Div - 21st tank bde etc...so we are very short of history here - all I can say is that when he went to Africa - he obviously went to the british 1st Army at BNAF - as opposed to 8th Army which was still MEF ( Middle East Force, on 21/12/42 six weeks after the invasion ! Then on the 2/5/43 I would assume that he went to 1556 Light ack ack mob in Italy - just before the last battle for Cassino !
he then went into hospital for four days at 12CCS( Casualty clearing station) - they were busy so they chucked him over to 8th CCS and got back to his unit on 27th may - when the armies were tearing up the Liri Valley.
So you see - not knowing which formation he was with - it becomes difficult - BUT I would asume he landed at naples - Caserta - cassino - then into Rome - Perugia - Arrezo - Florence - Venice ... /... OR
Assisi - Fabriano - Rimini- Venice and possibly Austria this is about the best I can do for you !
good luck on your honeymoon tour !
Tom can

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Unit in Africa and Italy
Posted 4 Days Ago by nobbyballinger

hi tom
thanks for replying so quick!
were getting married in sorrento on the amalfi coast really looking forward to it !
its good to know he played a big part
(everyone who took part did)
and ive enjoyed finding this material
its taken me 14 months to get this far! all i started with was his name and the rasc!
just a couple of questions if i may!

BNAF ? what does this mean?
the hospital ? would he have been in hospital sick or would he have been driving for them?
is it possible for me to find out which army/formation his units were with ? any advice where i can start looking ? and is there anyone who will look at his service record for me and explain it breifly as there is quite a lot of bits i cant quite make out! maybe a contact or place ?
i really appreciate your help
keep up the good work
again, any thing i can do to help in anyway please ask!

thankyou



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Message 5
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Unit in Africa and Italy
Posted 4 Days Ago by Trooper Tom Canning - WW2 Site Helper

Nobby - you've picked a good spot for a wedding and honeymoon - my son was there just a few weeks ago and I spent a week in a villa convalescing in Torre Annunziatta just a few miles north of there in '44. You will have to learn the words of Riturno di Surrienti real fast as that is about all you will hear !
Your questions - BNAF British North African Force ( i.e. 1st Army) MEF - Middle East Force ( 8th Army)CMF -Central Mediterranian Force ( combined 1st & 8th Army in Italy)
PIAF - Palestine and Iraq Army Force( what was Ninth & Tenth army for a while)- you know two brigades to scare the Germans into thinking we were tough, and all over the place !

Hospital - yes he would have been on the sick list as only four days - then transferred to another one probably further back for four days tells me that 1) it was NOT malaria (12 days)NOT gastro-enteritis(21days)
the CCs's were not what we would call real Hospitals as they tended the wounded on a first aid basis - serious cases went back to a Gen/Hosp
say 30 miles from the front line, and further back. He probably got a septic cut which would have been hit with doses of Penicillin for three days - then they got real busy and moved him down the line, his healing process had obviously started but was taking another few days to become o.k. - so they would move him out as they needed his bed for incoming wounded... the American show of MASH is not typical of the British system,
it was made in Hollywood !
You could contact the RASC - now Logistics - association to find out where his various units were attatched - they should know...the other way would be to look up the Order of Battle of every Division - ouch - that would be a long drawn out deal !
Failing that we can get our Oracle - who knows everything - Peter - he must know !
Cheers and happy wedding day, and after !
tomcan



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Message 6
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Unit in Africa and Italy
Posted 4 Days Ago by nobbyballinger

hi tom
thats superb! just checked war records again and there at the end in the D coloumn (place of casualty ) was CMF when he was posted to 465 coy gt on the 15/11/44 until 27/9/45
so this i presume puts him with the 1st & 8th army in italy?
this just gets better and better ! its quite exciting!
i will be hiring a car when were there to visit a few places will try and look up torre annunziatta ! and email you when i get back if you dont mind
i really appreciate your help!
thanks tom




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Message 7
In reply to this message Unit in Africa and Italy
Posted 3 Days Ago by Trooper Tom Canning - WW2 Site Helper

Nobby -
don't forget to drive on the wrong side of the roads - watch the Autostrado's - they tend to drive over the top of you if you are not doing 200mph.

I would have thought that your Father would have gone into Italy before November '44 as most of the fun was in the May when the ground dried up and we got going finally, after the winter of three battles for Cassino.

When the Sicily invasion started in the July '43 - both Armies were represented as the 8th Army with Monty in charge - we then started to lose the desert wallahs of 30th Corps which included the 50th Northumbrian Div; the 51st Highland Div; then after Salerno we lost the 7th Armerd Div( Desert rats) who all went home to get ready for Normandy. Basically then the 8th Army was loaded with the 1st Army when 78th Div;6th ArmedDiv.4th Div...they were then joined by 46th and 56th Divs so basically all that was left of the original 8th Army was the Indian Corps of 4th-8th and 10th Indians; the New Zealanders; and the Polish Corps; we then joined from Africa as we were the "heavy thumpers" with Churchill tanks and both my brigade 21st tanks; and the 25th tanks joined the Canadian Corps all the way up from Ortona - through Cassino - Liri valley - Gothic Line and the Po delta
until the Canadians transferred to Nw Europe to join their other three Divisions. Have a look at the Salerno beaches and see how stupid it was to land there - overlooked from the hills with a Panzer Div breathing down your neck !There's a lot of tourist spots around there so - enjoy
cheers
tomcan



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messages 1 to 7

Nobby

There is no need to copy and paste an entire thread, it is here A4136799 - I found it at once simply by clicking on your User Name and going to your Private Page.

Just that reference link suffices. I'll read the thread and respond there and close this one.

Peter