Coulsdon Eagle
Monthly Donor
I've not heard that of Percival, but well established now that Admiral Sir Dudley Pound did suffer from a brain tumour.
Sir John Valentine Carden Survives. Part 2.
- Thread starter allanpcameron
- Start date
Doesn't matter, it's only bullet-proof , so either it's hit by bullets that don't pop rivets anyway, or it's penetrated by a projectile which creates a lot of fragments so rivets are the least of your worries.
Point never looked that much into Japanese armour in WW2 except to know it kinda existed and was a bit rubbish.
This was exactly what I was thinking.
OTL IJA road blocks (felled trees covered by LMG and knee mortar) prevented motor transport and Bren carriers from moving through them often obliging a retreating unit to abandon its heavy equipment (artillery, command vehicles, ambulance, field kitchen, motor transport, carriers and mobile VD clinic)
The blocking forces could not however carry heavier weapons and in Burma 7th Armoured with 100 Stuart’s wrecked attempts to use this tactic effectively allowing the remains of the 2 Divisions to escape Rangoon.
To that end Matilda II in Malaya might actually work being used in penny packets although this would complicate maintenance and control and likely prevent their use for offensive action.
A decisive offensive - say capture of the Thai ports south of the Kra Isthmus using the Tank Battalion might have massive repercussions to the invasion of Malaya.
I was actually thinking from the opposite perspective.....
Looking at a map from a logistics perspective, find the choke points where the Japanese absolutely have to pass their supplies through in order to take Malaya and threaten Singapore, and place your Matilda II's there. They may be able to skirt light infantry around you temporarily through the jungle, but if your units are well-stocked (60-days of rations and ammo), those light infantry will whither on the vine while you block their line of supply.
Looking at a map from a logistics perspective, find the choke points where the Japanese absolutely have to pass their supplies through in order to take Malaya and threaten Singapore, and place your Matilda II's there. They may be able to skirt light infantry around you temporarily through the jungle, but if your units are well-stocked (60-days of rations and ammo), those light infantry will whither on the vine while you block their line of supply.
The Kra Isthmus
It is the narrowest point of the Malaya Peninsula (note its in Thailand!)
Operation matador was a plan to the ports of Songkhla and Pattani on the East Coast south of the Kra Pennisula but following such a successful op the narrow part to the north (in red) would also have prevented or resisted a Japanese push from the rest of Thailand but the closer narrow bit (in green) might also serve and be easier to reach!
14 August 1941. Canal Zone, Egypt.
allanpcameron
Donor
14 August 1941. Canal Zone, Egypt.
Wavell’s requests for reinforcements were starting to build up. The 50th (Northumberland) Division had arrived in June on Convoy WS8, and had been acclimatising and getting used to desert existence. The 9th (Highland) Division, who had been acting as line of communication troop in the Canal Zone had hoped that they would be relieved of this role and move up to the front to get into action. General Wavell didn’t want to go through a process of three Brigades having to exchange with another three Brigades, with all the problems associated. 50th (Northumberland) Division had proven itself at the Battle of Arras, and had been brought up to strength having come back from Dunkirk. Wavell wanted O’Connor to have the 50th Division join 7th Armoured, and 6th Infantry Division as XIII Corps.
9th Australian Division would be replaced by 50th Division, allowing General Blamey to create an Australian Corps of three Divisions. 6th and 7th Australian Divisions were keeping the Vichy French in Syria honest. 6th Division were still recovering from their escapades in Greece, and 7th Division training and equipment levels were reaching completeness. The situation with the growing Japanese numbers in Vichy IndoChina was of deep concern to the Australian Government in Canberra. Wavell was waiting for word that at least one of the Australian Divisions would go to support 8th Australian Division already in Malaya. Both the 6th and 9th Divisions had been reduced by their efforts up until now, the 7th Division was as yet unbloodied. If Wavell was given the choice, he’d argue that he be allowed to keep 7th Division. This would give the men of 6th and 9th Divisions the chance for some home leave, and save reinforcement drafts to travel to the Middle East, only to return again.
The 10th Armoured Division (formerly 1st Cavalry Division) had received enough tanks in June to fully equip one of its Brigades. 9th Armoured Brigade (formerly 4th Cavalry) had been chosen to receive these. The 1st Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) had taken possession of the first Lend Lease American tanks, Light Tank M3, which had been named for General Stuart of the American Civil War. The South Wiltshire and Warwick Yeomanry Regiments had the first 120 A15MkII Cruiser Mark VI shipped overseas. The discovery of the problem with the external mounting of the air cleaners had now been fixed and work had been done to sort out some of the problems with the cooling fan chain and the oil pumps, hence they were known as Mark IIs. Although these obvious fixes had been made in the factory, they hadn’t been fully tested. A list of potential problems, and their potential fixes, had arrived with the tanks, and the mechanics and crews were trying to get to grips with the problems.
8th Armoured Brigade (formerly 6th Cavalry) had taken possession of all the odds and ends of tanks that were still running after the campaign in Iraq. This was allowing them to quicken the pace of mechanisation. It was hoped that by the time the next convoy arrived with another Brigade’s worth of tanks, they would be fully prepared. 5th Cavalry Brigade, still acting in the occupation duties in Palestine, was facing becoming a Motorised Infantry Brigade made up of the Yorkshire Dragoons and Hussars, and the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry. Nobody in the Brigade was happy about this, but an Armoured Division consisted of only two Armoured Brigades, with one Motorised Infantry Brigade.
There was a growing concern about the German invasion of the Soviet Union. If the Nazis managed to reach the Caucasus before winter, there was a threat that they might send a force south, through Iran and threaten the Iraq oil fields, indeed the whole British position in the Middle East. Wavell’s opinion was any such attempt would be unlikely before April 1942, but General Auchinleck, as C-in-C India, whose responsibility Persia came under, wanted to pre-empt the problem. 10th Indian Division was already in Iraq, with 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade Group and newly arrived 8th Division. The Armoured Brigade were armoured in as far as they had a variety of light tanks, armoured cars, and universal carriers. Auchinleck believed that with the addition of 9th Armoured Brigade and some other forces, it would be a strong enough force to push up towards Tehran. The Soviets were keen on keeping the route from the Middle East open to receive Lend Lease material from America. They too were keen to make sure that Iran wouldn’t be a problem.
A joint request from Britain and the Soviet Union to expel all Germans from Iran had been delivered in July, and another was likely to be sent in a few days. General ‘Jumbo’ Wilson had been informed that 9th Armoured Brigade would be called upon to take part in an action in Iran. Wilson’s concern that the three Regiments wouldn’t yet be fully operational in their new tanks was considered, but Auchinleck was relying on their availability. The Indian Army had been reinforcing Iraq, so that the two Indian Divisions and 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade Group were available to take Tehran. 6th Indian Division was currently preparing to be sent to the Basra area, they were due to arrive in September.
While Iran was Auchinleck’s operational area, Wavell was concerned that once again forces under his command, not least the RAF, would be caught up in yet another operation. The numbers of vehicles that would be needed to support the forces moving from Iraq into Iran would have to come from the reserve that Wavell was trying to build up. The RAF’s expansion in Malta and in the Middle East was fragile. Wavell and Air Marshall Tedder were more concerned about being able to finish off Tripoli. Having to put more aircraft into Iraq to support an incursion into Iran would again mean that instead of strengthening their position, the RAF would be over extended. London had made it clear that they wanted Iran to be made safe, and so Wavell authorised those forces needed to the command of General Edward Quinan, who would have overall command of the project, with Major-General Bill Slim commanding the land forces.
WS8 had also brought enough Valiant I Infantry Tanks to bring 7th Armoured Division back up to full strength. Once they had been checked over in the Delta workshops, the were loaded onto Royal Navy A Lighters and sailed in convoy along the coast and delivered over the beach at Marsa al Berga. This was where the 7th Armoured Division’s workshops had moving to from Bardia and Tobruk. The advance of the British forces to Beurat meant that Bardia was far too far in the rear to be able to support the Division. All the tanks which had been disabled for one reason or another had been gathered there to be fixed up or cannibalised. It was 250 miles from the front line, and since no one wanted the tanks still running, to have to make a 500 mile round trip for servicing, the Light Aid Detachments of both 7th Armoured and 22nd Armoured opened workshops in Sirte to provide the tanks at the front a much closer base to have routine maintenance. The replacement tanks were carried on tank transporters to Sirte, where they were united with their crews.
The next convoy, WS9A, that had arrived in July, had enough Valiant I* Cruiser tanks to equip 1st Armoured Brigade. The men of 1st Armoured Brigade had been employed in various tasks. Some had been training the Greeks in using and maintaining armoured vehicles, if the Italian tankettes could be considered as such. Others had been sent up to 7th and 22nd Armoured Divisions or become familiar with the Valiant tanks that they would be equipped with. The Valiant I* was quite a different beast from the A13MkII they had been used to. The training they were doing would soon see them ready to match up again with 22nd Armoured Brigade, to re-establish 2nd Armoured Division. 3rd Indian Motor Brigade were being brought back up to full strength, and 22nd Armoured Brigade were due to receive the next lot of Valiant I* Cruisers, due to arrive on WS9B in August. By the end of August 2nd and 7th Armoured Divisions would be at full strength. The men of 7th Tank Brigade had largely been used as replacements for casualties in 4th, 7th and 22nd Armoured Brigades.
Wavell’s requests for reinforcements were starting to build up. The 50th (Northumberland) Division had arrived in June on Convoy WS8, and had been acclimatising and getting used to desert existence. The 9th (Highland) Division, who had been acting as line of communication troop in the Canal Zone had hoped that they would be relieved of this role and move up to the front to get into action. General Wavell didn’t want to go through a process of three Brigades having to exchange with another three Brigades, with all the problems associated. 50th (Northumberland) Division had proven itself at the Battle of Arras, and had been brought up to strength having come back from Dunkirk. Wavell wanted O’Connor to have the 50th Division join 7th Armoured, and 6th Infantry Division as XIII Corps.
9th Australian Division would be replaced by 50th Division, allowing General Blamey to create an Australian Corps of three Divisions. 6th and 7th Australian Divisions were keeping the Vichy French in Syria honest. 6th Division were still recovering from their escapades in Greece, and 7th Division training and equipment levels were reaching completeness. The situation with the growing Japanese numbers in Vichy IndoChina was of deep concern to the Australian Government in Canberra. Wavell was waiting for word that at least one of the Australian Divisions would go to support 8th Australian Division already in Malaya. Both the 6th and 9th Divisions had been reduced by their efforts up until now, the 7th Division was as yet unbloodied. If Wavell was given the choice, he’d argue that he be allowed to keep 7th Division. This would give the men of 6th and 9th Divisions the chance for some home leave, and save reinforcement drafts to travel to the Middle East, only to return again.
The 10th Armoured Division (formerly 1st Cavalry Division) had received enough tanks in June to fully equip one of its Brigades. 9th Armoured Brigade (formerly 4th Cavalry) had been chosen to receive these. The 1st Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) had taken possession of the first Lend Lease American tanks, Light Tank M3, which had been named for General Stuart of the American Civil War. The South Wiltshire and Warwick Yeomanry Regiments had the first 120 A15MkII Cruiser Mark VI shipped overseas. The discovery of the problem with the external mounting of the air cleaners had now been fixed and work had been done to sort out some of the problems with the cooling fan chain and the oil pumps, hence they were known as Mark IIs. Although these obvious fixes had been made in the factory, they hadn’t been fully tested. A list of potential problems, and their potential fixes, had arrived with the tanks, and the mechanics and crews were trying to get to grips with the problems.
8th Armoured Brigade (formerly 6th Cavalry) had taken possession of all the odds and ends of tanks that were still running after the campaign in Iraq. This was allowing them to quicken the pace of mechanisation. It was hoped that by the time the next convoy arrived with another Brigade’s worth of tanks, they would be fully prepared. 5th Cavalry Brigade, still acting in the occupation duties in Palestine, was facing becoming a Motorised Infantry Brigade made up of the Yorkshire Dragoons and Hussars, and the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry. Nobody in the Brigade was happy about this, but an Armoured Division consisted of only two Armoured Brigades, with one Motorised Infantry Brigade.
There was a growing concern about the German invasion of the Soviet Union. If the Nazis managed to reach the Caucasus before winter, there was a threat that they might send a force south, through Iran and threaten the Iraq oil fields, indeed the whole British position in the Middle East. Wavell’s opinion was any such attempt would be unlikely before April 1942, but General Auchinleck, as C-in-C India, whose responsibility Persia came under, wanted to pre-empt the problem. 10th Indian Division was already in Iraq, with 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade Group and newly arrived 8th Division. The Armoured Brigade were armoured in as far as they had a variety of light tanks, armoured cars, and universal carriers. Auchinleck believed that with the addition of 9th Armoured Brigade and some other forces, it would be a strong enough force to push up towards Tehran. The Soviets were keen on keeping the route from the Middle East open to receive Lend Lease material from America. They too were keen to make sure that Iran wouldn’t be a problem.
A joint request from Britain and the Soviet Union to expel all Germans from Iran had been delivered in July, and another was likely to be sent in a few days. General ‘Jumbo’ Wilson had been informed that 9th Armoured Brigade would be called upon to take part in an action in Iran. Wilson’s concern that the three Regiments wouldn’t yet be fully operational in their new tanks was considered, but Auchinleck was relying on their availability. The Indian Army had been reinforcing Iraq, so that the two Indian Divisions and 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade Group were available to take Tehran. 6th Indian Division was currently preparing to be sent to the Basra area, they were due to arrive in September.
While Iran was Auchinleck’s operational area, Wavell was concerned that once again forces under his command, not least the RAF, would be caught up in yet another operation. The numbers of vehicles that would be needed to support the forces moving from Iraq into Iran would have to come from the reserve that Wavell was trying to build up. The RAF’s expansion in Malta and in the Middle East was fragile. Wavell and Air Marshall Tedder were more concerned about being able to finish off Tripoli. Having to put more aircraft into Iraq to support an incursion into Iran would again mean that instead of strengthening their position, the RAF would be over extended. London had made it clear that they wanted Iran to be made safe, and so Wavell authorised those forces needed to the command of General Edward Quinan, who would have overall command of the project, with Major-General Bill Slim commanding the land forces.
WS8 had also brought enough Valiant I Infantry Tanks to bring 7th Armoured Division back up to full strength. Once they had been checked over in the Delta workshops, the were loaded onto Royal Navy A Lighters and sailed in convoy along the coast and delivered over the beach at Marsa al Berga. This was where the 7th Armoured Division’s workshops had moving to from Bardia and Tobruk. The advance of the British forces to Beurat meant that Bardia was far too far in the rear to be able to support the Division. All the tanks which had been disabled for one reason or another had been gathered there to be fixed up or cannibalised. It was 250 miles from the front line, and since no one wanted the tanks still running, to have to make a 500 mile round trip for servicing, the Light Aid Detachments of both 7th Armoured and 22nd Armoured opened workshops in Sirte to provide the tanks at the front a much closer base to have routine maintenance. The replacement tanks were carried on tank transporters to Sirte, where they were united with their crews.
The next convoy, WS9A, that had arrived in July, had enough Valiant I* Cruiser tanks to equip 1st Armoured Brigade. The men of 1st Armoured Brigade had been employed in various tasks. Some had been training the Greeks in using and maintaining armoured vehicles, if the Italian tankettes could be considered as such. Others had been sent up to 7th and 22nd Armoured Divisions or become familiar with the Valiant tanks that they would be equipped with. The Valiant I* was quite a different beast from the A13MkII they had been used to. The training they were doing would soon see them ready to match up again with 22nd Armoured Brigade, to re-establish 2nd Armoured Division. 3rd Indian Motor Brigade were being brought back up to full strength, and 22nd Armoured Brigade were due to receive the next lot of Valiant I* Cruisers, due to arrive on WS9B in August. By the end of August 2nd and 7th Armoured Divisions would be at full strength. The men of 7th Tank Brigade had largely been used as replacements for casualties in 4th, 7th and 22nd Armoured Brigades.
Speaking of whom, there is Churchill who demands action from his generals at the same time he sends the forces they've been building up elsewhere. 😀
late to the party on tanks in malaya but
I remember reading one issue was tank terror - so much so that when they heaard IJA units on bycidles with no tires they thought it was tanks and fled
Tank / infantry co-operstion trsing sldo mean helping the infantry to understand the limitations of tanks so should greatly help with that
I remember reading one issue was tank terror - so much so that when they heaard IJA units on bycidles with no tires they thought it was tanks and fled
Tank / infantry co-operstion trsing sldo mean helping the infantry to understand the limitations of tanks so should greatly help with that
There was a lot of Green troops and following Slim River where 2 Brigades got virtually wiped out before lunch time (much of it in column of march) by a very well executed IJA tank attack who can blame them
I've always quite liked Quinan, he seemed to do a decent job when thrown urgent problems in the Middle East (Iraq, Syria and then Iran) but his reward was to get shunted out to the North West Frontier Army until he medically retired. Given he didn't appear to do much wrong while in 10th Army it does appear to be a personality clash with Alanbrooke rather than any actual military reason.
It's a minor thing, but if Slim does get sent to the Far East after this it would be nice if Quinan could go along as well instead of being sent to the backwaters.
"I've sent you two extra soldiers, four boxes of ammunition and a tin of Bully Beef. Why haven't you attacked yet"?
However one of the soldiers & two boxes of ammunition have been sent help our allies and the Bully Beef has been dispatched to the Soviets. I demand "Action this day"!
The most important man in Britain's war effort due to his ability to tell Churchill No.
