172nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

589: 520: 253: 532:, for which 400 rounds per gun were dumped ready for use.. The division's attack on the night of 12/13 October was almost unopposed except in one sector, and it had two brigade bridgeheads by nightfall on 13 October. However, this was partly because the Germans had chosen to defend the wide marshy area across the river, rather than the line of the river itself. 46th Division next worked its way up the coastal plain past Monte Camino to the German 41: 65: 82: 457:(6–7 April), 128th Bde was part of the force sent by First Army to cut the retreat of the Axis forces, even though Army HQ did not consider it completely ready for battle. As a preliminary to the main attack on the Fondouk Pass, it was tasked with capturing and holding crossings over Wadi Marguellil and then the high ground beyond, which it successfully achieved on 7/8 April. First Army began its final offensive on 552:). 128th Brivgade made the assault with the support of the whole divisional artillery, augmented with corps artillery, but the assault boats were swept away of damaged by the fast-flowing river. Afterwards the division was involved in hill fighting between 26 January and 9 February, taking Monte Furlito and Monte Purgatorio but failing at Monte Faito. The attacks were then called off in rain, sleet and snow. 311: 415:

being overrun, when the Hampshire's commanding officer ordered a retreat. Only nine men of the battery made it back to the main position; all the 25-pdrs were knocked out by the enemy or destroyed by the gunners when it became impossible to save them. Around 40 of Lang's tanks were destroyed or temporarily crippled by mines, the infantry anti-tank guns and by 155 Field Bty.

276:, and 912, 913 and 914 Defence Btys were designated A, B and C Btys. At the same time 5th Defence Rgt and its two remaining batteries were disbanded and their personnel posted to 172nd Field Rgt. A, B and C Btys were redesignated P, Q and R on 11 March. At this period the establishment of a field regiment was three batteries, each of two troops of four 635:, struggling as much with bad weather and swollen rivers as with stubborn enemy opposition. 46th Division was now due for a rest, having been in almost continuous operations for two months, and it was relieved in mid-October, though it was back in the line on 31 October. In November 46th Division fought its way to the 414:

and knocked out three tanks, which blocked the road. At 17.30 another German attack on the remaining guns began; seven tanks were hit but one by one, the guns were hit by tank-gun and machine-gun fire. By nightfall, only one 25-pdr remained in action, engaging the German tanks at close range before

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By the beginning of 1942 the imminent threat of invasion had passed, the coast artillery batteries were fully established, and the RA required gunners for the field forces. The remaining Defence Regiments in the UK were disbanded or converted into field artillery. On 12 January 1942 3rd Defence Rgt

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self-propelled 25-pdrs. The towed 25-pdrs of 172nd Field Rgt began landing shortly afterwards: one battery in the morning, a second during the afternoon, and the third next day. A week-long battle for Salerno and its hinterland followed, with more and more reinforcements squeezing onto the beaches

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After the action at Sidi Nsir, the CO of 172nd Field Rgt had an unofficial commemorative badge made locally. Worn either above the right breast pocket or on the right arm beneath the divisional badge it consisted of a red shield on which a silver sword pierces a German tank, with the word 'BEJA'

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and four of the 25-pdrs opened fire. No. 1 gun had been specially placed at the top of a slope to cover the approach from Mateur and fired over open sights. The leading German tanks ran onto mines, were damaged and withdrew with the infantry. At 11.00 the Germans made another attempt on the left

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Later, as the Home Defence strategy developed, the Royal Artillery formed a number of 'Defence Batteries' to deploy around the coastline for general beach defence. These were not part of the RA's Coast Artillery branch, nor were they included in the field forces under

214:, but equipped with whatever old guns were available they freed up scarce field artillery from static beach defence for the mobile counter-attack forces. Most of these batteries were formed on 1 September 1940, and they were grouped into regiments from 4 October. 465:) on 22 April. 46th Division attacked with strong artillery and tank support towards some hills near Sebkret el Kourzia in an effort to crack open the position for the armour to pass through. By early May the Axis forces were crumbling, and a final thrust ( 643:

with corps artillery and air support, but the river crossing itself was foiled by the fast-flowing river until the night of 11/12 November. The division was then held up again at the Cosina. After a rest it was brought in December back to cross the

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were also hit and left burning. Just after 14.30 German lorried infantry turned the southern flank by infiltrating forward under cover of a hill. At 15.00 German infantry commenced small-arms fire at close range and a column of tanks led by a

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46th Division was now exhausted from the winter fighting and was withdrawn from the front, but it had been earmarked for service in Greece. Greece had been liberated in October 1944, but in December the former partisans of the

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was sent into Austria for occupation duties, and 46th Division was concentrated to take part in this operation. It crossed into Austria on 12 May and remained there on occupation duties for the rest of its service.

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46th Division fought its way through the high ground north of Salerno, and then the armour drove across the Plain of Naples to the city itself on 1 October. Next the force moved up for the assault crossing of the

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flank, but F Troop opened fire and hit four German tanks, setting them ablaze. Around midday, the Germans prepared to attack again, but massed British artillery fire broke up the attack before it began.

1368: 498: 1363: 446:. By 1 March Lang had only five tanks fit for action and was forced to go over to the defensive. Lang's tank casualties had been so high that his own troops nicknamed him the 'Tank Killer'. 393:

the guns, inflicting casualties, and also attacked rear areas. Several of the British vehicles on the road to Hunt's Gap were hit, and ammunition had to be salvaged at risk by the gunners.

683:'), and the rest of the division including 172nd Field Rgt followed on 14 January 1945. The division was given responsibility for restoring the rule of law in the area in the northern 687:, which had without it for the past four years of German occupation. The fighting was effectively over and the British troops were used to collect guerilla arms, establish the Greek 361:

Rudolf Lang. The fighting began at the patrol base of Sidi Nsir, 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Hunt's Gap, when Lang's Panzers fell on a detachment consisting of 5th Battalion

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called 'a hot reception' for Lang at Hunt's Gap. It had support from 72 25-pdrs (153 and 154 Field Btys of 172nd Field Rgt, the whole of 71st Field Rgt, and a battery of

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began to go up in the hills around Sidi Nsir, and at 06.30 German mortars began firing on the British guns. After 45 minutes German tanks drove down the road from

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46th Division began sailing back to Italy in early April, its last troops leaving Greece by the middle of the month. Fighting in Italy ended on 2 May with the

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from its training areas in mid-August. 128th Brigade carried out an assault landing on two beaches between the rivers Asa and Picentino, accompanied by

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and the United Kingdom was threatened with invasion, a crash programme of installing coastal artillery batteries was implemented in the summer of 1940.

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and infantry had worked round both flanks and were within 600 yards (550 m) of the position. The highest observation post (OP) was attacked, its

329:. By midnight on 13/14 February, the division was in the line, holding the sector nearest the coast. During the hurried reorganisation caused by the 325:

sailed on 24 December; the rest of the division embarked on 6 January 1943 and landed on 17 January, by which time the focus of the campaign was in

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The Torch landings began on 8 November 1942, and First Army's units and formations were progressively fed into the fighting. 46th Division's

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at the end of the month. Rested and reinforced, the division retraced its journey in June, landing back in Italy on 3 July and taking over

624:. Only on 17 September were the Germans cleared out of their defences and Eighth Army able to close up to the next line of defences, the 1195: 688: 666: 652:, but on 9 December it was heavily counter-attacked. The 'gun duel' was the heaviest 46th Divisional artillery had ever faced, but 670: 211: 512:

attacked the beaches and shipping. Finally, on 16 September the Germans withdrew and 46th Division swung northwards towards

190:. The regiment spent early 1945 on security duties in Greece, and ended the war in Austria. It was disbanded after the war. 1055: 434:

of the North Irish Horse. A tank-killing zone had been prepared with minefields, anti-tank guns, hull-down Churchills and

450: 292: 545: 288: 482: 411: 1281:, London: Royal Artillery Institution, 1959/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-845740-31-3. 708: 541: 330: 785: 588: 549: 519: 1008: 640: 600:(Operation Olive). The initial operations starting on 26 August began well, with 46th Division taking the 561: 427: 277: 732: 454: 333:(19–24 February) the division's brigades were split up, each with its attached field regiment. When the 648:

river in a setpiece operation with the artillery integrated with air support. It then advanced towards

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On its return 46th Division joined Eighth Army on the east side of Italy to take part in breaching the

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for rest and retraining. The first of these was 46th Division, which embarked on 16 March, arriving in

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Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945

704: 680: 386: 338: 175: 126: 17: 1325:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1966/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-68-8. 1303:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1987/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-70-X. 1292:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1973/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-69-6. 1267:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6. 1260:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1988/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-72-6. 1249:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1987/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-71-8. 868: 1218:

History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941

609: 573: 565: 564:(AAI) instituted a procedure of shipping exhausted British formations (without their equipment) to 490: 179: 130: 1319: