Another Obscure WWII Question for RMD.

[Etranger]

The tac number for the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiments in British Armoured Divisions should be '45', Yes?

Specifically for 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry (& then 15/19th KRH), as shown here:



IWM original caption: Cromwell tanks of 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, passing through Flers, 17 August 1944. (The date suggests that it may just be 15/19KRH though).


So what's happened here?


IWM original caption: Cromwell tanks of 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, passing through Herouvillette, 14 June 1944.

That looks like '49' (or at a pinch 48). The only AOS of that era that I can find that corresponds to 49 are some RE formations or the RM Commando Engineers! It's clearly a two colour (green/blue background), and the RE units were blue. So mistake or remnant of an older scheme?

and just for completeness, a Challenger from 2NY from the same photographic series as the first photograph.

[RMD]

Yeah, it was still 15/19H at Flers. Might it be '40' for the divisional headquarters?

[Etranger]

I wondered about that too, but it looks like a 2 colour background, rather than black. The 'black bull' is darker than the AOS colour, not that difference is definitive. I can't see any Cromwells in the T, O & E for HQ. The two behind are also Cromwells, FWIW.

[RMD]

Armd Div HQs were always Cromwell in NW Europe (7 of them, iirc?), with the sole exception of the 4th Canadian Div.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

IWM original caption: Cromwell tanks of 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, passing through Flers, 17 August 1944.

Plus ca change, plus que c'est la meme chose.....

"A tank is walking down the High Street of Flers with the British Army cheering behind it."

Un-named RFC observer, September 15th, 1916

[RMD]

IWM original caption: Cromwell tanks of 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, passing through Flers, 17 August 1944.

Plus ca change, plus que c'est la meme chose.....

"A tank is walking down the High Street of Flers with the British Army cheering behind it."

Un-named RFC observer, September 15th, 1916

A different Flers. This one's in Normandy.

[RMD]

I wondered about that too, but it looks like a 2 colour background, rather than black. The 'black bull' is darker than the AOS colour, not that difference is definitive. I can't see any Cromwells in the T, O & E for HQ. The two behind are also Cromwells, FWIW.

There's a photo of an 11th Armd Div HQ Cromwell here: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item ... /205202038

[RMD]

Yeah, it was still 15/19H at Flers. Might it be '40' for the divisional headquarters?

Sorry, I meant 2nd Northants Yeo.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

A different Flers. This one's in Normandy.

Typical. Bloody French.....

[RMD]

A different Flers. This one's in Normandy.

Typical. Bloody French.....

They do seem to recycle their place-names (and road-numbers) every five miles or so... Although that said, there are three Hermons within 30 minutes' drive of my house and I'm not even in Israel...