Michael whittman panzer ace

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MICHAEL WITTMANN (1914-1944), proud son of the Bavarian village of Vogelthal and winner of the coveted Knight's Cross with Oak leaves and Swords, has to go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, exponent of the art of armoured warfare in the modern era.
During his many campaigns both on the Eastern front and in the West, Whittmann was to make a name for himself with his exceptional skill and bravery, and was highly respected both by friend and foe alike. While his skill had been recognised on the harsh battlefields on the Eastern Front, his exploits during the Normandy campaign of 1944 - and the famous assault at Villers-Bocage - were to elevate him to the status of a legend.

Following the D-Day landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, the Allies had made rapid progress inland in what had become the Battle of Normandy. By 13 June, a full week after the beach landings, Allied formations including the famous 7th Armoured Division (the 'Desert Rats') had reached the vicinity of the city of Caen, slicing through the fast-retreating German defences in the process. This smooth action was made easier with the massive air superiority held by the Allies, and by the morning of 13 June the flanks of the Panzer Lehr Division had been massively exposed - setting up the possibility of their being completely enclosed.
Central to the Allied plan was the main road towards Caen, and the high ground located at Hill 213 (also known as Point 213); right in the path lay the small, compact town of Villers-Bocage. The Allies were completely unaware of the presence of the 101st LSSAH in the area, among which was Michael Wittmann and his Tiger I; commanding officer Lt-Colonel Arthur, the Viscount Cranleigh, had requested time to carry out a proper reconnaissance of the area but this was ignored as the order was issued to push on regardless. This decision to press on was to have dire consequences.

The build up: Morning, 13 June 1944

On the morning of 13 June, the LSSAH panzer unit commanders conferred with divisional commander Obergruppenführer 'Sepp' Dietrich as to what their plan of action would be. The general feeling was that the Allies were about to launch a massive thrust with the aim of outflanking Panzer Lehr; it was concluded that the targets to secure would be Villers-Bocage and Hill 213, which was located close to the main crossroads north of the town. Thus the scene was set for what was essentially a simple race for tactical supremacy; nobody was able to predict the events that were to follow. In his typically selfless way, Whittmann suggested that his Tiger carry out a reconnoitre of the surrounding area, a plan to which his battalion commander instantly agreed.
Whittmann's role was one of simply checking out enemy movement in the area around Villers-Bocage, which had been cited by Dietrich as being essential to securing a crucial foothold in the area. Wittmann set out towards Villers-Bocage at around 6am, moving cautiously alongside a wooded area in order to avoid being spotted from the air.

Led by Wittmann's Tiger Nr. 205, Tigers of the Second Company head towards the area surrounding the town of Villers-Bocage, 13 June 1944.

While at his command post some 150 metres from Hill 213, Wittmann encountered an Army sergeant who informed him of the presence of a number of unfamiliar vehicles. Wittmann spotted what seemed like a never-ending convoy of British and American type vehicles rolling along the highway, heading out of Villers-Bocage towards Hill 213. It turned out that these vehicles were the lead element of a highly-trained British unit, the 4th County of London Yeomanry (CLY) ("Sharpshooters"), part of the 22nd Armoured Brigade of the 7th Armoured Division, the renowned 'Desert Rats'.
Equipped with both Cromwell and M4A4 Sherman Firefly tanks, 'A' Squadron 4CLY had positioned themselves east of the village; meanwhile, 'B' Sqn. 4CLY had been stationed west of Villers, overseeing the intersection with the road leading to the neighbouring village of Caumont. 4CLY's Regimental Headquarters was situated in the main street of Villers-Bocage itself. Directly behind 'A' Sqn. were the 1st Rifle Brigade, which was equipped with a dozen M3 half-tracks and three Stuart M5A1 'Honey' light tanks.

Map of Villers-Bocage and the surrounding area.

This rather enticing opportunity provided Wittmann with something of a dilemma: he clearly felt that he could not allow this situation to escape him, yet any radio contact with HQ would have been instantly intercepted. More crucially Wittmann noted that there were few German forces of substance in the immediate vicinity, and that the British column would have had a clear and unobstructed route though to the town of Caen. He himself had only six serviceable Tigers at his disposal: these were numbers 211 (commanded by SS-Ostuf. Jürgen Wessel), 221 (SS-Ustuf. Georg Hantusch), 222 (SS-Uscha. Kurt Sowa), 223 (SS-Oscha. Jürgen Brandt), 233 (SS-Oscha. Georg Lötzsch, and 234 (SS-Uscha. Herbert Stief); of these six vehicles, 233 had track damage and SS-Ostuf. Wessel was not present, having departed for the front to receive orders. It was at this moment that the enterprising panzer ace decided to take action himself. He recalled that the decision was a tough one, one that required split-second thinking:

"...the decision was a very, very difficult one. Never before had I been so impressed by the strength of the enemy as I was by those tanks rolling by; but I knew it absolutely had to be and I decided to strike out into the enemy."

Leaving the infantry sergeant safely in his foxhole, Wittmann sprinted towards Stief's Tiger Nr. 234 as it was the vehicle closest to him. The vehicle's commander, who had previously been taking a short nap, was quickly despatched to brief the remaining members of the platoon. The driver cranked up the engine. However, after rolling forward some twenty-five or so yards Wittmann sensed something not quite right. SS-Rottenführer Walter Lau, Stief's gunner, was not to know what he would miss out on as the next vital minutes unfolded. Without a moment of hesitation Wittmann leapt out and sprinted towards the next available Tiger, that of of SS-Unterscharführer Kurt Sowa, which had by this time made its way out of the defile.

Which Tiger?

The number of the vehicle Whittmann commandeered that morning is a subject of enthusiastic debate; Sowa's assigned vehicle at the time of the battalion's formation had been Nr. 222, and it is this vehicle that has been cited by the majority of commentators as being the one Whittmann climbed into on the morning of June 13 prior to advancing on Villers-Bocage. However, the historian Daniel Taylor has presented a series of arguments that suggest the vehicle Whittmann took into Villers-Bocage might well have been SS-Ustuf. Heinz Belbe's Tiger Nr. 231, which had not been among the six serviceable Tigers listed by both Patrick Agte and George Forty in their studies of the battle. There are a number of possible reasons for this, most of which stem from the (assumption?) that Sowa's tank was in fact Nr. 222. It is fairly well-known that the Tigers were prone to mechanical failure, and as a result commanders had got used to what could best be described as 'tank-hopping'. It could well have been that by this time in the campaign Sowa's assigned vehicle might have been undergoing maintenance, and that on the day of the attack on Villers-Bocage he may have been in command of Nr. 231 and not his designated vehicle. Thus, Sowa's Tiger, which everyone who has written on the subject is agreed that Wittmann commandeered on the morning of 13 June, might have been Nr. 231 instead of Nr. 222.
Whittmann gave the command to his 'new' driver, SS-Uscha. Walter Müller, to crank up the vehicle for an all out attack on the enemy formation. Also on board were his gunner Bobby Woll, Loader Sturmmann Günter Boldt, and radio operator Sturmmann Günther Jonas. The order was issued for all the remaining Tigers to stand fast and host their positions; Kurt Sowa, whose vehicle had been commandeered by Whittmann moments earlier, now in turn took charge of Stief's 234, rolling it into a defensive position on the highway. The other vehicles at the ready were Hantusch's 221 and Brandt's 233. The time was now 08:35.

"...the decision was a very, very difficult one. Never before had I been so impressed by the strength of the enemy as I was by those tanks rolling by; but I knew it absolutely had to be and I decided to strike out into the enemy."

Michael Whittmann, 13th June 1944.

Royal green jackets

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History

It was formed in 1966 by the amalgamation of the three separate regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade:
1st Green Jackets, (43rd and 52nd)
2nd Green Jackets, The King's Royal Rifle Corps
3rd Green Jackets, The Rifle Brigade

There were also two Territorial Army battalions made up as follows
4th(V) Bn Royal Green Jackets - formed from the remnants of the Rangers (KRRC), London Rifle Brigade, Tower Hamlets Rifles, Queens Westminsters, Queen Victoria's Rifles and Civil Service Rifles.
5th(V) Bn Royal Green Jackets - formed from the 4th Bn the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (TA) and the Buckinghamshire Battalion of the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry

During the 1980s, the battalions were deployed to various parts of Northern Ireland (Operation Banner). The 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions were also based in West Germany, Osnabrück (1RGJ), Minden (2RGJ) and Celle (3RGJ), where the Queen visited the Regiment in the mid 1980s. The 4th and 5th Battalions were also part of the NORTHAG NATO forces based in West Germany prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 1992 1st RGJ was disbanded and 2/RGJ and 3/RGJ renumbered 1/RGJ and 2/RGJ respectively. The last ever Royal Green Jackets unit was the London Oratory CCF who were rebadged as Irish Guards in 2010.

The regiment's greatest loss of life came on 20 July 1982 when seven RGJ bandsmen were killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb which exploded during a public concert featuring the music from Oliver! to 120 people at the bandstand in Regents Park.

After the 1992 reorganisation, the unit was mostly based overseas in Dhekelia, Cyprus and Paderborn, Germany as well as in Northern Ireland and saw action in Bosnia and Kosovo during the Yugoslav Wars. Both battalions returned to the UK by 2002 and one battalion served on Operation Telic in Iraq, the regiment's last ever assignment before the amalgamation. In 1975 to 1977 in Berlin 3 RGJ had a mascot called Charlie the Pig

Traditions

Their motto was Celer et Audax (Latin: "Swift and Bold"). As they were used as shock troops and marksmen, they had to get to the front line of battle as fast as was possible; as a result the RGJ marched at 140 paces per minute (at a 15" pace) whereas other regiments march at just 120 (with an 18" stride). Until recently no other regiment has devoted so much time to becoming highly proficient with the rifle, even though it has been part of standard army issue for 140 years; as a consequence, the RGJ's lowest rank (other than 'recruit') is Rifleman (Rfn), rather than Private (Pte), as in other regiments.

The regiment was classed as a 'rifle' regiment, having its lineage in the regiments of foot that were equipped with the first Baker rifles. Traditionally, rifle regiments wore rifle green tunics, an early form of camouflage, instead of the red jackets worn by line infantry, hence the regimental name. Also, the regiment carried no colours, as traditionally rifle regiments, being skirmishers and sharpshooters, had no need to identify where their fellows were on the battlefield. So, the battle honours of the Royal Green Jackets were worn on the regiment's cap badge. Infantry in the regiment wore a beret with the badge behind the left eye towards the side of the head, traditionally to show that they do not need to hide behind their colours to show how good the regiment is. The Royal Green Jackets' predecessors were issued with short swords instead of bayonets as the Baker rifles of the past were shorter than the traditional musket, fitting the sword to the rifle made the overall weapon length the same as a musket with bayonet attached. The RGJ consequently referred to their bayonets as 'swords'.

The Royal Green Jackets and its antecedent regiments, have been awarded, with a total of 59, more Victoria Crosses than any other infantry unit. The Royal Artillery, with 65, currently hold the most in the British Army.

Amalgamations of 2007

As part of the 2004 restructuring of the infantry, the RGJ was scheduled to be largely unaffected - though the regiment had already been reduced to two Regular battalions in 1992. The regiment would have received a new Territorial Army battalion through the grouping together of the various RGJ companies of the Royal Rifle Volunteers and the London Regiment.

However, on 24 November 2005 it was announced that after discussions between The Light Infantry and the RGJ, the two would be merged with the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry and Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry (RGBW) by the end of 2007 to form a single large regiment to be called The Rifles. The new regiment was to contain five Regular Battalions and two TA Battalions.

The reorganisation into "The Rifles" took effect on 1 February 2007:
The 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets became 2nd Battalion, The Rifles
The 2nd Battalion Royal Green Jackets became 4th Battalion, The Rifles
the surviving Territorial Army companies of 4 & 5 RGJ, along with a company of the RGBW became 7th Battalion, The Rifles

The Maltese Cross cap badge of the RGJ was adopted as the belt badge of The Rifles and will carry the battle honours. The Rifles is a Rifle Regiment and as such will not carry colours. The title "rifleman" was adopted for soldiers of the rank of private, as it had been with the Royal Green Jackets.

The Royal Green Jackets had four Combined Cadet Force units, which were part of the London Oratory School CCF, Winchester College CCF, Rutlish School CCF and Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe CCF (which was originally attached to the Buckinghamshire Battalion).

Battle honours


A memorial sign of 1982 Regent's park bombingLouisburg, Quebec 1759, Martinique 1762, Havannah, North America 1763-64, Mysore, Hindoostan, Martinique 1794, Copenhagen, Montevideo, RoLica, Vimiero, Corunna, Martinique 1809, Talavera, Busaco, Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onor, Albuhera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vitoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthez, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo, South Africa 1846-47, Mooltan, Goojerat, Punjab, South Africa 1851-53, Alma, lnkerman, Sevastopol, Delhi 1857, Lucknow, Taku Forts, Pekin 1860, New Zealand, Ashantee 1873-74, Au Masjid, South Africa 1879, Ahmad Khel, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1878-80, Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 1882-84, Burma 1885-87, Chitral, Khartoum, Defence of Ladysmith, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902.
The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, 18, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1914, 15, 17, 18, Langemarck 1914, 17, Gheluvelt, Nonne Boschen, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Heliewaarde, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Hooge 1915, Loos, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916, 18, Albert 1916, 18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozières, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, 18, Bapaume 1917, 18, Arras 1917, 18, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, 18, Arleux, Messines 1917, 18, Pilckem, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917, 18, St. Quentin, Rosières, Avre, Villers-Bretonneux, Lys, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Bethune, Drocourt Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Epehy, Canal du Nord, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Kortrijk, Selle, Valenciennes, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Piave, Vittorio Veneto, Italy 1917-18, Doiran 1917, 18, Macedonia 1915-18, Kut al Amara 1915, Ctesiphon, Defence of Kut al Amara, Tigris 1916, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1914-18.
Archangel 1919
The Second World War: Defence of Escaut, Siege of Calais, Cassel, Ypres-Comines Canal, Normandy Landing, Pegasus Bridge, Villers-Bocage, Odon, Caen, Esquay, Bourguebus Ridge, Mont Pincon, Le Perier Ridge, Falaise, Antwerp, Hechtel, Nederrijn, Lower Maas, Roer, Ourthe, Rhineland, Reichswald, Kleve, Goch, Hochwald, Rhine, Ibbenbueren, Dreirwalde, Leese, Aller, North-West Europe 1940, 44-45, Egyptian Frontier 1940, Sidi Barrani, Beda Fomm, Mersa el Brega, Agedabia, Derna Aerodrome, Tobruk 1941, Sidi Rezegh 1941, Chor es Sufan, Saunnu, Gazala, Bir Hacheim, Knightsbridge, Defence of Alamein Line, Ruweisat, Fuka Airfield, Alam el Halfa, El Alamein, Capture of Haifaya Pass, Nofilia, Tebaga Gap, Enfidaville, Medjez el Bab, Kasserine, Thala, Fondouk, Fondouk Pass, El Kourzia, Djebel Kournine, Agroub el Megas, Tunis, Hamman Lif, North Africa 1940-43, Sangro, Salerno, Santa Lucia, Salerno Hills, Cardito, Teano, Monte Camino, Garigliano Crossing, Damiano, Anzio, Cassino II, Liri Valley, Melfa Crossing, Monte Rotondo, Capture of Perugia, Monte Malbe, Arezzo, Advance to Florence, Gothic Line, Coriano, Gemmano Ridge, Lamone Crossing, Orsara, Tossignano, Argenta Gap, Fossa Cembalina, Italy 1943-45, Veve, Greece 1941, 44,45, Crete, Middle East 1941, Arakan Beaches, Tamandu, Burma 1943-44.


File:RGJ Recruiting Poster from 1994
RGJ Recruiting Poster from 1994

Uniform

All Green jackets would have historically been made of wool with a lining of linen to give shape to the garment. The modern scarlet wool is also supplied by "Abimelech Hainsworth" and is much lighter than the traditional material, which was intended for hard wear on active service. Their boots were made of thick, imitation animal hide; this was then lined with a thin layer of wool. They had a small pouch on the side of their hip which contained the ammunition for their rifles.
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Militaria|Military Patches|Antiques|History|War medals|Custom Badges|Death cards|Mugs| Denison smocks|Militaryflashpatches.co.uk

 

Welcome to Paul Harding's Military Flash Patches.Paul Harding’s military patches specializes in WW2 German, British and American Militaria, providing WWII Re-enactors and Enthusiasts with quality kit at great prices. We keep an extensive range of WW2 Uniforms, Equipment, Boots, Helmets, Hats, Caps, Badges and Insignia, all in-stock! We also stock an expanding range of Military/Outdoor clothing & kit plus a great range of Army Surplus from around the world.
Paul Harding’s military flash patches is a UK based company, but we ship to the USA, Europe and Worldwide. All orders are dispatched within 24 hours.
You can call us on 0121 502 1356 (local call rate), Emails are answered within 24 hours. Paul Harding’s military patches takes customer service very seriously.

We are also working on ways to fund the Staffordshire war memorial covering North Staffordshire, South Staffordshire and Staffordshire regiments. A category as been allocated for 20% of each sale toward the memorial if you want to know more please email us.Sign-up to our free monthly newsletter by adding your email address to the box on the bottom left so you don't miss out on the latest WW2 and Military products. We have tried to streamline the first page of this site because we felt there were to many items. so if you like what you see you can use our categories menu to find what your looking for. We hope this will make the site easier to use. This also makes the site load quicker.

Paul Harding’s military patches in no way subscribe to any Nazi or right wing views and the items we sell are purely to customers for re-enactment and military history purposes only.
The main thing is preserveing history.

 

1st of September 2013 was our first model making show we have ever attended the modelers liked out U-Boat and pennent flags so much they asked wether we could possibley do these flags to scale. This we are currently working on so if you have any querries please either click here:

Militaria|Military Patches|Antiques|History|War medals|Custom Badges|Death cards|Mugs| Denison smocks|Militaryflashpatches.co.uk

 

Welcome to Paul Harding's Military Flash Patches.Paul Harding’s military patches specializes in WW2 German, British and American Militaria, providing WWII Re-enactors and Enthusiasts with quality kit at great prices. We keep an extensive range of WW2 Uniforms, Equipment, Boots, Helmets, Hats, Caps, Badges and Insignia, all in-stock! We also stock an expanding range of Military/Outdoor clothing & kit plus a great range of Army Surplus from around the world.
Paul Harding’s military flash patches is a UK based company, but we ship to the USA, Europe and Worldwide. All orders are dispatched within 24 hours.
You can call us on 0121 502 1356 (local call rate), Emails are answered within 24 hours. Paul Harding’s military patches takes customer service very seriously.

We are also working on ways to fund the Staffordshire war memorial covering North Staffordshire, South Staffordshire and Staffordshire regiments. A category as been allocated for 20% of each sale toward the memorial if you want to know more please email us.Sign-up to our free monthly newsletter by adding your email address to the box on the bottom left so you don't miss out on the latest WW2 and Military products. We have tried to streamline the first page of this site because we felt there were to many items. so if you like what you see you can use our categories menu to find what your looking for. We hope this will make the site easier to use. This also makes the site load quicker.
Paul Harding’s military patches in no way subscribe to any Nazi or right wing views and the items we sell are purely to customers for re-enactment and military history purposes only.
The main thing is preserveing history.

Making Your Diorama

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More of my customers are using my products such as 1 1/6th scale flags, and military patches to had realism to there model making and diorama so here's some basic tips to get knew model makers started on there journey good luck and have fun. My website is linked above but if you need anything you can also contact me via email: paulharding30@hotmail.co.uk

The above 1 1/6th scale flags are limited in stock so if you want some or want some different ones please drop me an email and will have made to your requirements.

 The word diorama is a way to build an exciting scene in a small space. They usually model a historical time period, a nature scene, or a fictional situation, and allow a lot of room for creativity and innovation. Whether your diorama is a school project, a base for a model, or just for fun, building one is easy. Try these techniques for a homemade diorama.



Choose a theme.

Dioramas are small scenes created of layers of materials, all depicting a similar theme. Think of the topic or idea you want your diorama to portray - is it a scene from a book? A period in time? An example of an ecosystem or animal/plant group? The options for a diorama are endless; anything topics with a common thread could be made into a diorama.

•  themes you choose may vary depending on the ultimate size you want and the amount of supplies you have. A very broad theme may not be able to be accomplished in a small shoebox, while a very specific theme will be difficult to accomplish in a large frame.
• Consider the availability of your supplies. If you want to make a diorama with an ocean theme, but have nothing to represent water or fish, it will be difficult to accomplish.

 

 

Plan your diorama. Create a list of ideas for possible inclusions for your diorama. How do you want the background to look? Will you use found objects only, or printed pictures as well? Do you need to buy any supplies to create your scene, or can it all be made using things from your home and garden? Brainstorming ideas prior to starting to build up your diorama will help you to have a more finished looking piece.






    Select a frame.

Because dioramas have layers of background, they need a box or frame that is several inches deep. For a basic diorama, a shoebox or old shipping box can be turned on its side and used. Larger dioramas can be created out of a large wooden crate or frame attached to a box. Anything that gives the illusion of a small open-faced room can be used as the frame for your diorama

Create your background. Your diorama should be worked on from the back to the front. As you work, you will add layers of details and images which create depth in your scene. Make the background first against the formost wall of your box. Consider painting a basic scene or printing an image and gluing it on. You could also create a collage out of magazine cut outs to act as the background for your diorama.

Begin adding details. Add your first layer of details and objects at the back and near the sides of your diorama. At this point, you could add larger detail items such as trees, rocks, or pieces of furniture. Keep to the edges of your project, as you will work inwards and forwards as you go.


Add your figures. Although you don’t have to, complete your scene with the addition of small figurines or models. Keeping with our nature theme example, you might put small toy animals or bugs throughout the frame. Consider hanging things like birds or tiny airplanes from the top of your frame using fishing line and a bit of hot glue or staples. Simple photos could also be printed of the figures and be cut out and set amongst the landscape. This is the final step in your diorama, so complete the scene as you like






Create a textured ground. Although you may just want a simple, smooth ground in your diorama, you can create a very realistic and textured ground easily. Try gluing sand or gravel along the bottom of the frame to give the look of a rough terrain. Pine needles, small leaves, and grass clippings can be glued down to look like grass or a more natural bottom.

To give the appearance of trees in your diorama, gather small twigs and branches from your yard or neighbourhood. Twigs without any leaves look like trees barren in the winter, while small branches off of bushes or trees with needles look like full trees. Stick a tiny ball of clay on the bottom of the branch to hold it upright, or glue it to the inside of your box.

    

Militaria|Military Patches|Antiques|History|War medals|Custom Badges|Death cards|Mugs| Denison smocks|Militaryflashpatches.co.uk

 

Welcome to Paul Harding's Military Flash Patches.
Paul Harding’s military patches specializes in WW2 German, British and American Militaria, providing WWII Re-enactors and Enthusiasts with quality kit at great prices. We keep an extensive range of WW2 Uniforms, Equipment, Boots, Helmets, Hats, Caps, Badges and Insignia, all in-stock! We also stock an expanding range of Military/Outdoor clothing & kit plus a great range of Army Surplus from around the world.
Paul Harding’s military flash patches is a UK based company, but we ship to the USA, Europe and Worldwide. All orders are dispatched within 24 hours.
You can call us on 0121 502 1356 (local call rate), Emails are answered within 24 hours. Paul Harding’s military patches takes customer service very seriously.

We are also working on ways to fund the Staffordshire war memorial covering North Staffordshire, South Staffordshire and Staffordshire regiments. A category as been allocated for 20% of each sale toward the memorial if you want to know more please email us.
Sign-up to our free monthly newsletter by adding your email address to the box on the bottom left so you don't miss out on the latest WW2 and Military products. We have tried to streamline the first page of this site because we felt there were to many items. so if you like what you see you can use our categories menu to find what your looking for. We hope this will make the site easier to use. This also makes the site load quicker.

Paul Harding’s military patches in no way subscribe to any Nazi or right wing views and the items we sell are purely to customers for re-enactment and military history purposes only.
The main thing is preserveing history.

 

 

 

We recently did a stall at a model making show as more and more model makers are looking for military items to 1/16th scale we are working on this as they loved our U-boat flags and the other pennant flags.

 

so if you would like us to find scale items please email me: paulharding30@hotmail.co.uk or

click here: http://www.militaryflashpatches.co.uk/index.php

 

do not hesitate to get in touch best wishes

Paul Harding

 

 

South Staffordshire regiments two Victoria crosses

won at Arnhem.

 

 

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Unit : "B" Company, 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment
Army No. : 129484
Awards : Victoria Cross

Robert Cain was born of Manx parents in Shanghai, China, on the 2nd January 1909, and worked for Shell in Thailand, and later Malaya, until the war began when, in 1940, he was commissioned into the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. He was later posted to the 2nd South Staffords and participated in the glider assault on Sicily. Commanding B Company, the 35 year old Major flew to Arnhem with the First Lift, travelling in a Horsa from Manston. However they had only been airborne for five minutes when the tow rope became disconnected from the Albermarle tug, causing the glider to stagger while the tow rope coiled up and lashed back at them. The glider made a safe landing in a field, bumping over the rough ground and ripping through a fence before coming to a standstill. Cain described it as a terrible anti-climax, and said how the glider pilot couldn't believe his luck as exactly the same thing had happened to him on D-Day.

Cain and his men flew out to Arnhem as part of the Second Lift on the following day. Upon landing he immediately set out to find B Company, who were presently moving forward to help the 1st Para Brigade, but he wasn't able to resume command until late on the following morning, when they were involved in vicious fighting in a dell around the area of the St. Elizabeth Hospital. The South Staffords were being heavily attacked by tank and self-propelled guns, but they weren't able to bring up any anti-tank guns to repel them. Mortars were effectively being fired at point blank range upon German infantry, but the Staffords had to rely on PIAT's to deal with the armour. Lieutenant Georges Dupenois kept several tanks at bay with his PIAT, while Major Jock Buchanan and Cain drew a lot of enemy fire by running around searching for ammunition for him. Cain did not believe that any tanks were actually disabled during the action, but the hits did encourage them to withdraw; even firing at the turrets with Bren guns forced them to move. The PIAT ammunition ran dry at 11:30, and from then on the tanks had free reign over the area and proceeded to blow the defenceless troopers out of the buildings they occupied. Lt-Colonel McCardie came to see Major Cain and he ordered him to withdraw from the dell. As they were talking, Cain recalled seeing an entire bush being blown clean out of the ground. Putting down a rear guard of about a dozen men and a Bren gun, the Company withdrew from what Cain later described as the South Staffords Waterloo. However only himself and a handful of other men succeeded in escaping.

Falling back through the 11th Battalion, Major Cain informed them that the tanks were on their way and requested they give him a PIAT, though sadly they had none to spare. He withdrew his men beyond the Battalion and gathered all the remaining South Staffords under his command. Though C Company was largely intact, at this stage he only managed to form two platoons from the entire Battalion.

As the 11th Battalion were preparing to capture some high ground to pave the way for an attack by the rest of the Division, Lt-Colonel George Lea decided to utilised Major Cain and his men by ordering them to capture the nearby high ground, known as Den Brink, to lend support to their own attack. This they did, but were soon spotted and came under very heavy mortar fire. The ground was too hard for the men to dig in and so they took many casualties. After he saw the destruction of the 11th Battalion, Cain took the decision to withdraw his men, numbering only 100, towards Oosterbeek.

Cain appeared to have developed an intense loathing of tanks after the bitter experiences of his Battalion on Tuesday 19th, and he personally saw to it that as many were destroyed as possible. If ever armour approached then he would grab the nearest PIAT and set out to deal with it himself. On one occasion, two Tiger tanks approached the South Staffords position, and Cain lay in wait in a slit trench while Lieutenant Ian Meikle of the Light Regiment gave him bearings from a house above him. The first tank fired at the house and killed Meikle, while the chimney collapsed and almost fell on top of Major Cain. He still held his position until it was 100 yards away, whereupon he fired at it. The tank immediately returned fire with its machinegun and wounded Cain, who took refuge in a nearby shed from where he fired another round, which exploded beneath the tank and disabled it. The crew abandoned the vehicle but all were gunned down as they bailed out. Cain fired at the second tank, but the bomb was faulty and exploded directly in front of him. It blew him off his feet and left him blind with metal fragments in his blackened face. As his men dragged him off, Cain recalls yelling like a hooligan and calling for somebody to get hold of the PIAT and deal with the tank. One of the Light Regiment's 75mm guns was brought forward and it blew the tank apart.

Half an hour later though, Cain's sight returned, and against doctor's advice he refused to stay with the wounded and declared himself fit for duty. He also refused morphia (which was in very short supply) to ease the pain he had. Instead he armed himself with another PIAT and went in search of tanks, frequently alone. Tigers continued to harass the Lonsdale Force, and upon hearing that one was in the area, Major Cain raced out to an anti-tank gun and began to drag it into position. A gunner saw him and ran over to assist, and the two men succeeded in disabling it. Cain wanted to fire another shot to make sure that it was finished off, but the gunner informed him that the blast had destroyed the gun's recoil mechanism and it could no longer fire.

On Friday 22nd, his eardrums burst from his constant firing, but he continued to take on any tanks he encountered, contenting himself with merely stuffing pieces of field dressing into his ears. Nevertheless he never ceased to urge his men on, and was seen by his driver, Private Grainger, giving a man his last cigarette.

Monday 25th saw very heavy fighting in the area occupied by the Lonsdale Force. Self-propelled guns, flame thrower tanks, and infantry took great interest in Cain's position. By this time there were no more PIAT's available to the Major. Undeterred, he armed himself with a two inch mortar and added further trophies to his collection, while his brilliant leadership ensured that the South Staffords gave no ground and drove the enemy off in complete disorder. By the end of the Battle, Cain had been responsible for the destruction or disabling of six tanks, four of which were Tigers, as well as a number of self-propelled guns.

As the Division was about to withdraw, some men were encouraged to shave before crossing the river, determined to leave looking like British soldiers. Robert found a razor and some water and proceeded to remove a week's growth of beard from his face, drying himself on his filthy, blood-stained Denison smock. His effort was noticed by Brigadier Hicks who remarked "Well, there's one officer, at least, who's shaved". Cain happily replied that he had been well brought up.

When the actual evacuation was taking place, Major Cain remained on the north bank until his men had departed for the other side. However when it came to his turn there didn't seem to be any boats left in operation. He and some fellow men caught sight of a damaged assault craft in the river, and they swam out to collect it. Using their rifle butts as paddles while other troopers baled out the water that was threatening to sink it, they made it across.

Major Cain's conduct throughout was of the highest order, both in terms of personal actions and leadership ability, and for this he was awarded the Victoria Cross; the only man to receive this medal at Arnhem and live to tell the tale. His citation said of him "His coolness and courage under incessant fire could not be surpassed".

After the war he journeyed to Norway with the 1st Airlanding Brigade and Divisional HQ to oversee the German surrender. He returned to his pre-war occupation with Shell, living in the Far East and later West Africa, before retiring to the Isle of Man with his family. Robert Cain died on the 2nd May 1974, and he is buried in Sussex. There is a chapel in the Hospice at Douglas, on the Isle of Man, that is dedicated to his memory, and also a memorial scholarship at King William's College. The Staffordshire Regimental Museum holds several items relating to the Major, including his Victoria Cross, and the Denison smock and maroon beret he wore at Arnhem.

Unit : Anti-Tank Platoon, Support Company, 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment
Army No. : 5057916
Awards : Victoria Cross

John Baskeyfield was born in Burslem in November 1922. He became a butcher in 1940, and became the manager of a co-op butchers in Pittshull. In February 1942 he received his call up papers and served with the 2nd South Staffords in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Commanding two 6-pounder anti-tank guns at Arnhem, his section saw heavy action during the vicious fighting that followed the stand of the Lonsdale Force in Oosterbeek on Wednesday 20th September. The enemy made a consistent and determined drive to break what remained of the parachute battalions and the 2nd South Staffords in the area, throwing everything at them that they had at their disposal.

Positioned on the Benedendorpsweg-Acacialaan road junction, his crew were responsible for the destruction of two Tiger tanks and at least one self-propelled gun. Baskeyfield manned his gun until he was killed. For his selfless dedication and determination he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. His citation reads:

On 20th September 1944, during the Battle of Arnhem, Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield was the nco in charge of a six-pounder anti-tank gun at Oosterbeek.

The enemy developed a major attack on this sector with infantry, tanks and self-propelled guns with the obvious intention to break into and overrun the battalion position. During the early stage of the action the crew commanded by this nco was responsible for the destruction of two Tiger tanks and at least one self-propelled gun, thanks to the coolness and daring of this nco who with complete disregard for his own safety allowed each tank to come well within 100 yards before opening fire.

In the course of this preliminary engagement Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield was badly wounded in the leg and the remainder of his crew were either killed or badly wounded. During a brief respite after the engagement Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield refused to be carried to the Regimental Aid Post and spent his time attending to his gun and shouting encouragement to his comrades in neighbouring trenches.

After a short interval the enemy renewed the attack with even greater ferocity than before, under cover of intense mortar and shell fire. Manning his gun quite alone, Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield continued to fire round after round at the enemy until his gun was put out of action. By this time his activity was the main factor in keeping the enemy tanks at bay. The fact that the surviving men in his vicinity were held together and kept in action was undoubtedly due to his magnificent example and outstanding courage. Time after time the enemy attacks were launched and driven off. Finally when his gun was knocked out Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield crawled under intense enemy fire to another six-pounder gun nearby, the crew of which had been killed and proceeded to man is single handed. With this gun he engaged an enemy self-propelled gun which was approaching to attack. Another soldier crawled over open ground to assist him but was killed almost at once. Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield succeeded in firing two rounds at the SP gun, scoring direct hits, which rendered it ineffective. Whilst preparing to fire a third show, however, he was killed by a shell from a supporting enemy tank.

The superb gallantry of this nco is beyond praise. During the remaining days at Arnhem, stories of his valour were a constant inspiration to all ranks. He spurned danger, ignored pain and, by his supreme fighting spirit, infected all who witnessed his conduct with the same aggressiveness and dogged devotion to duty, which characterised his actions throughout.

John Baskeyfield's body was never found. A memorial statue, depicting him in action, stands at the Festival Heights, in Stoke.

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Deserts rats

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The 7th Armoured Division was a British armoured division which saw service during the Second World War where its exploits made it famous as the Desert Rats.

After the Munich Crisis, the division was formed in Egypt during 1938 as the Mobile Division (Egypt) and its first divisional commander was the acclaimed tank theorist Major-General Sir Percy Hobart. During January 1940, the name of the unit was changed to the 7th Armoured Division. It was during this period that the nickname "Desert Rats" was coined.

The division fought in every major battle during the North African Campaign; later it would land and fight in Italy before being withdrawn to the United Kingdom where it prepared to fight in North West Europe. It began landing in Normandy during the afternoon of 6 June and fought its way across Europe ending the war in Kiel and Hamburg, Germany. The 7th Armoured Brigade was detached from the division during early 1942 and fought the Japanese during the fighting inBurma before it returned to the Mediterranean Theatre and fought in Italy.

Although the division was disbanded during the 1950s, the history, name and the famous 'Desert Rat' flash is carried on by the 7th Armoured Brigade.

History

Further information: Order of Battle for the 7th Armoured Division

Founding

When Italian troops were massed for the invasion of Abyssinia in 1935 a Mobile Force was assembled in Egypt in case the war spread. When rain and sandstorms led to vehicles being bogged down, it became known as the "Immobile Farce" within the ranks.

After the Munich Crisis, elements of what would become the 7th Armoured Division arrived in the Middle East in 1938 to increase British strength in Egypt and form a Mobile Division The 'Mobile Force' - initially the "Matruh Mobile Force" - was established on the coast some 120 mi (190 km) west of Alexandria. It was formed from the Cairo Cavalry Brigade (three armoured regiments: the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, and the 11th Hussars) and the 1st Royal Tank Regiment; and supported by the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, a company of the Royal Army Service Corps and a Field Ambulance unit.

The Force was organised as a cavalry brigade (the Hussar regiments with Light Tanks, 15-cwt Ford vehicles, and armoured cars), a tank group (older medium and light tanks and latest Light Tanks) and a "pivot group" (artillery with 3.7 inch Mountain guns and tracked vehicles to tow them).

It was joined by the 1st battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps from Burma and then its first commander, Major-General Percy Hobart. Hobart was an armoured warfare expert and saw that his troops were properly prepared to fight in the desert despite their poor equipment. Stewart Henry Perowne, the Public Relations Attaché at the British Embassy in Baghdad, perhaps uncharitably referred to the unit as the "Mobile Farce" because it included some obsolete tanks like the Vickers Medium Mark II.

The King's Royal Rifle Corps battalion joined the pivot group as a Motor Battalion. By September 1939 the artillery was equipped with 25 pounder gun-howitzers and 37mm anti-tank guns. The next month the first cruiser tanks were issued.

North Africa

In December 1939, Major-General Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh succeeded Hobart, who had fallen afoul of his superiors.

The unit was meant to be equipped with 220 tanks. However, at the outbreak of war the 'Mobile Force' had only 65. Most of the unit's troops had already been deployed for two years by 1940 and it took as long as three months for mail to arrive.

On 16 February 1940, the Mobile Division, which had changed names during the middle of 1939 to be called the Armoured Division, became the 7th Armoured Division.The Desert Rat divisional flash was adopted about the same time. It originated from a sketch of a jerboa drawn by the divisional commander's wife after a visit to the Cairo Zoo.

After the Italian declaration of war, the Western Desert Force was massively outnumbered. However, the Italians proved to be no match for the British. The Western Desert Force captured 250,000 Italians in the early engagements in 1940.

During the January 1941 Italian retreat, Major-General Richard O'Connor, the Western Desert Force commander, ordered the Desert Rats to travel south of the Jebel Akhdar and cut off the Italian forces at Beda Fomm, while Australian forces pushed the Italians west. On 7 February, as the tanks were unable to travel fast enough, the manoeuvre was led by an ad hoc brigade of armoured cars, towed artillery and infantry which completed the trip in 30 hours, cutting off the Italian retreat and destroying the Italian Tenth Army. Lieutenant-Colonel John Combe led this ad hoc group which was known as "Combe Force" after him. After this, the tanks of 7th Armoured Division, after eight months of fighting, needed a complete overhaul and the division was withdrawn to Cairo and temporarily ceased to be available as a fighting formation.

The Italians had proved so weak that Hitler was forced to send the Afrika Korps as reinforcements under the command of General Erwin Rommel. In April 1941, the allied troops in Tobruk were cut off by the Germans and Italians. In June the 7th was again prepared for battle as part ofOperation Battleaxe having received new tanks and additional personnel.^[8] In the attack plan for Operation Battleaxe, the 7th force was divided between the Coast Force and Escarpment Force. However, this Allied push failed, and the 7th was forced to withdraw on the third day of fighting.^[9]On 18 November, as part of Operation Crusader the whole of the 7th Armoured Division was concentrated on breaking through. They faced only the weakened 21st Panzer. However, XXX Corps commander Norrie, aware that 7th Armoured division was down to 200 tanks decided on caution. During the wait, in the early afternoon of 22 November Rommel attacked Sidi Rezegh with 21st Panzer and captured the airfield. Fighting was desperate and gallant: for his actions during these two days of fighting Brigadier Jock Campbell, commanding 7th Support Group, was awarded theVictoria Cross. However, 21st Panzer, despite being considerably weaker in armour, proved superior in its combined arms tactics, pushing 7th Armoured Division back with a further 50 tanks lost (mainly from 22nd Brigade).^[10]

The Western Desert Force later became HQ XIII Corps, one of the major parts of Eighth Army. The 7th Armoured Division took part in most of the major battles of the North African Campaign, including both Battles of El Alamein (see First Battle of El Alamein and Second Battle of El Alameinfor details). It also participated in the destruction of Axis forces in North Africa in Tunisia in 1943.

Italy

The division was not an assault force in the invasion of Sicily but did participate in the battle for Italy. It came ashore at Salerno on 15 September 1943, to help repel heavy German counterattacks, then as part of U.S. Fifth Army's British X Corps and supported by the 46th (North Midland) Division, drove on and took Naples. The Desert Rats, used to fighting in the desert, had to adjust to the confined Italian roads. The division crossed the river Volturno in southern Italy, constructing a pontoon bridge. This paved the way for many divisions heading north.

North West Europe

The division departed Italy from November 1943, the last of the division arrived in the United Kingdom on 7 January 1944.^[11][12] The division was reequipped with the new Cromwell cruiser tanks and in April and May received delivery of 36 Sherman Vc Fireflies; enough to organise each troop so that they had a complement of three 75 mm gun Cromwell tanks and a 17 pounder gun Firefly.^[11] 7th Armoured was the only British division to use the Cromwell as their main battle tank.^[13]

The division was one of the three British follow-up divisions of the two British assault Corps earmarked for the Normandy Landings.^[14] The 22nd Armoured Brigade embarked on 4 June and most of the division landed on Gold Beach by the end of 7 June.^[11][15] The division initially took part inOperation Perch and Operation Goodwood, two operations that formed part of the Battle for Caen. During Perch the division was to spearhead one arm of a pincer attack to capture the city. Due to a change in plan elements of the division engaged tanks of the Panzer-Lehr-Division and theHeavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101 in the Battle of Villers-Bocage.^[16] Following the capture of Caen the division took part in Operation Spring, intended to keep German forces pinned to the British front away from the Americans who were launching Operation Cobra and then Operation Bluecoat, an attack to support the American breakout and intercept German reinforcements moving to stop it. The division then took part in the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine.

The division's performance in Normandy and the rest of France has been called into question and it has been claimed they did not match those of its earlier campaigns.^{[citation needed]} In early August George Erskine the division's commander, Hinde, the armoured brigade commanding officer and up to 100 other officers were removed from their positions and reassigned. Historians largely agree that this was a consequence of the "failure" at Villers-Bocage and had been planned since that battle.^{[17][18][19][20]} Historian Daniel Taylor is of the opinion that the battle's result provided an excuse and that the sackings took place to "demonstrate that the army command was doing something to counteract the poor public opinion of the conduct of the campaign".^[19] Historian Mungo Melvin has commented approvingly of the 7th Armoured Division's institution of a flexiblecombined arms structure which other British armoured divisions did not adopt until after Operation Goodwood.^[21]

Cromwell tank with Challenger tankbehind of 8th Hussars, 7th Armoured Division, outside Hamburg Dammtor station, 5 May 1945

Following the advance across France, the division took part in the Allied advance through Belgium and the Netherlands; liberating Ghent on 6 September. The division then took part in the advance to and securing of the River Maas. In January 1945 the division took part in Operation Blackcock to clear the Roer Triangle, followed by Operation Plunder; the division crossed the Xanten and Wesel rivers and advance on the city of Hamburg its destination, part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany.

The replacement of the division's commanding officer, following Normandy, did not change the performance of the division and in November 1944, Erskine's replacement Major-General G.L. Verney was relieved after he "was unable to cure the division's bad habits well enough to satisfy Montgomery and [Lieutenant-General Miles] Dempsey."^[22]

No doubt the division suffered from collective and cumulative battle fatigue. As Verney put it, with some prescience: "There is no doubt that familiarity with war does not make one more courageous. One becomes cunning and from cunning to cowardice is but a short step."^[23]

Post war

The Division remained in Germany as part of the occupation forces and then into the 1950s as part of the British Army of the Rhine standing watch against the Warsaw Pact. As the British Army became smaller, its higher numbered divisions were removed from the order of battle. The Division's long and illustrious career finally came to an end in this fashion, in April 1958, when it was converted into 5th Division. However, the traditions and iconic nickname ("Desert Rats") of the Division are maintained by 7th Armoured Brigade, which forms part of 1 (UK) Division.

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