World War Two - Part 2
El Agheila, Msus, Tobruk, Bir Gubi 1941-1942
By 18 February 1941 The King's Dragoon Guards, with some anti-aircraft gunners and four R A F armoured cars, were the only British troops west of Agedabia, the 7th Armoured Division having retired to Cairo for a well-deserved rest and refit. The KDG came under command of 1st Australian Corps when on the 20th the 17th Australian Infantry Brigade arrived at Agedabia, much to the relief of the KDG. 'C' Squadron was forward at El Agheila, and on the 20th Lieutenant Williams engaged three enemy armoured cars, a motorcycle combination and a truck with an anti-tank gun. Williams had been told that Lieutenant Weaver's troop was coming to his assistance, so when he was returning along the coast road and saw a stationary armoured car blocking the road, he merely sounded his horn. The car moved off to one side and as they drew near, Williams saw that it had eight wheels and a German cross on the side of its turret. In passing there was a sharp exchange of fire at point blank range, a bedroll from Williams's car was knocked off, but no other damage was recorded by either side. This was the first British contact with the newly arrived German Afrika Korps.
Over the following days the Messerschmitt 1105 stepped up their low-level attacks. On 22 February Lieutenant Kellie was wounded, later dying, while Major Lindsay, Sergeant Foster and Trooper Findlay were all sighted wounded. On the 24th the enemy occupiied Agheila Fort, knocking out an armoured car and capturing Lance Corporal Allen and Trooper White. Trooper Close, who was badly wounded, pretended to be dead. The enemy party, which included two heavy and five light tanks as well as armoured cars, towed away the damaged Marmon Harrington, and then Close was picked up by his troop leader as the enemy retired. On the 27th 'C' Squadron was heavily attacked by some Messerschmitt, losing three armoured cars and three trucks, with Captain Delmege and nine other men being wounded. On 1 March Lieutenant Howard and Corporal Short of 'A' Squadron were surprised and captured by an enemy patrol when they dismounted and climbed a hill to get better observation. Throughtout the rest of February and March patrol activity, brushes with the enemy on the ground and in the air, became a daily routine. On 29 March one of Lieutenant Taylor's armoured cars was hit in an action in the Wadi Faregh with two German eight-wheelers. The crew evacuated the damaged car and ran towards Taylor, with the Germans chasing and only 200 yards away. Taylor turned back and picked up the crew, but Trooper Roberts was hit by a shell as he was pulled aboard and another shell blew off Lance Corporal Hullah. Taylor was awarded an MC for his brave action. On 31 March Lieutenants Budden and Whetherly reported a concentration of 200 enemy tanks moving eastwards, and on 1 April the KDG were ordered to withdraw as it was clear that an enemy offensive was being launched against the weakly held British positions.
During the next few days the KDG withdrew through Agedabia to Antelat and then to Sceleidema, where the regiment found considerable panic and confusion in what had been the rear areas. Msus was reached on 4 April and Mechili on the 5th, then Derna, arriving in Tobruk on the night of 7/8 April. During the retreat Corporal Cedars died of wounds received from a Messerschmitt attack, when nine other men were wounded. In Tobruk the KDG came under command of 9th Australian Division and were concentrated on the Lysander aerodrome. By 10 April Rommel, who had outrun his supplies, was closing up on the town and the Stuka raids began in earnest. There was such a shortage of infantry within the perimeter that the KDG formed a dismounted 'B' Squadron of 150 men under Captain Selby, who held a section of the line near the Fig Tree. Lieutenant Williams was appointed liaison officer to the Australian Division, and on reporting to divisional headquarters in the caves on the escarpment, saw two men sitting at a table without any badges of rank. Saluting Williams said, 'L.O. from the K.D.G., sir.' A very Australian voice came back, 'K.D.G., what mob are they?' Williams, glaring over his spectacles, replied, 'The King's Dragoon Guards, sir, formed in 1685, many years before Captain Cook set sail for Australia!' This story only came to light when Colonel Lloyd, one of the two men and GSO1, told other KDG officer months later, and revealed that the other man had been General Morshead, the Australian general commanding the garrison.
On 30 April and 1st May Rommel launched his last major attack on the perimeter, making a salient two miles deep and two miles wide. The attack was eventually held, mainly due to the accurate shooting of the gunners. 'B' Squadron in the perimeter suffered casulaties, but held their line. Rommel now turned his attention to Egypt, and the Tobruk garrison setttled down to the siege. A reinforced 'C' Squadron, with all the armoured cars, the dismounted 'B' Squadron and two troops from 'A' Sqn manning light tanks, all under Major Drabble, remained in Tobruk, while the remainder with RHQ were withdrawn by sea to the Delta for re-equipment.
The two light tank troops, under Lieutenants Budden and Fraser, were just west of Fort Pilastrino, and the dismounted squadron was moved north of the escapment and astride the road to Derna, where it stayed. 'C' Squadron remained on the Lysander Aerodrome in anti-parachute role, with troops on the Gubi and Satellite Aerodromes. In May some captured German and Italian tanks were dug into the perimeter and 'C' Squadron was called upon to man six of them. There were two daily patrols, to the Derna road and to the El Adem road in the south, where the Italians had built some wooden observation towers, in one of which Lieutenant Weaver was killed in October.
The KDG got on extremely well with the offhand and generous Australians. Sergeant Hall, reporting to an Australian battalion HQ, asked a private soldier for his colonel. The Australian, putting his hand to his mouth, yelled, 'Oi, Bill!' and a head and shoulders with a crown and a pip immediately appeared. Sergeant Hall was shaken. The men lived in dugouts in the sand, under constant bombing and shellfire, with all supplies very scarce, except for food always generously shared out by the Australians. A regular bathe in the sea was appreciated.
The dismounted squadron, holding some 3,000 yards of perimeter, was so stretched that every man had to be on guard every night, with the only reliefs coming from the echelon. At the end of May Captain Palmer relieved Selby, giving the latter a rest, and during this time a successful raid was carried out on the enemy, killing a number and creating the impression that the perimeter was more strongly held than it was. Palmer was awarded the Military Cross and Sergeant Berryman the Military Medal for their part in this raid.
In June 1941 Operation Battleaxe was launched from Egypt to relieve Tobruk, starting on the 15th. the besieged garrison waited expectantly for news, but by the 19th it was clear that Rommel had been too strong and the attack had been a failure. Disappointment was inevitable but the two daily patrols and the manning of the dug-in tanks continued. the dismounted squadron was evacuated back to Egypt in July and at the same time the 9th Australian Division was relieved by the British 70th Division. By the beginning of November preparations were being made for a break-out by the garrison to coincide with an offensive from Egypt. 'C' Squadron, carrying Sappers to lift the mines, was to lead the 4th Royal Tanks and the infantry in an assault on the strongly held German positions to the south east of the perimeter, and then exploit towards El Duda ridge. Just before the breakout, the KDG held a church parade and were treated to a pacifist sermon from the padre. As soon as the last hymn had been sung, Major Lindsay roared, 'King's Dragoon Guards. . . Attention! In spite of the sermon you have just heard, you will go out against the enemy and smite him hip and thigh!'
At dawn on 18 November 1941 the advance across the frontier began, and before first light on the 21st 'C' Squadron led the break out of Tobruk through the perimeter under cover of a heavy artillery barrage, the noise and smoke concealing their movement for a time, before 'all hell broke loose'. The Sappers jumped off the Marmon Harringtons and started lifting booby-trapped teller and S mines as well as Italian box mines; 4th Royal Tanks went through the gaps and the Black Watch charged the dug-in enemy. 1,100 German prisoners were captured; the KDG lost thirteen out of fifteen armoured cars, but with only one fatal casualty, Trooper Dean. Lindsay led the squadron in a Dingo, receiving a direct hit on the side where he was sitting and wounding him severely in the ear. Several other KDG were wounded, and QMS Swinburne and his driver, going out to recover some of the damaged cars, were killed by a German Spandau post which suddenly came to life after it had been passed. 'C' Squadron was then withdrawn to the Lysander Aerodrome, where the fitters managed to recover and repair seven of the knocked out and mined armoured cars, so that by the afternoon of the 22nd, when the squadron was called forward again, there were five active troops available.
The Eighth Army was having a difficult time. Auchinleck had taken over personal command and the Tobruk garrison was ordered to make redoubled efforts to capture the El Duda ridge. on 24 November the KDG sent out probing patrols, when Lieutenant Franks, with another car commanded by Corporal Muir, disappeared and were presumed captured. Shortly afterwards Lieutenant Beames was severely wounded and his driver and operator killed. Lieutenant Gardener of the RTR saw what was happenign, brought up his tank, dismounted and rescued Beames, who, sadly, died of his wounds before he could be got to medical help. Gardener was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry.
On 27 November, after very heavy fighting by the tanks and infantry, contact was established with the New Zealanders of Eighth Army on Belhamed Ridge, thus forming a corridor into Tobruk. The KDG was given the task of policing this corridor and bringing into Tobruk the whole of the New Zealand Division and HQ13 Corps, through a series of minefields. During this operation Lieutenant Windle was slightly wounded, but was drowned when the ship evacuating him was bombed. Over the next few days there was a lull in the battle, and on 1st December 'C' Squadron contacted the 11th Hussars and 12th Lancers of 7th Armoured Division, while Major Lindsay was able to speak on the wireless to RHQ and Colonel McCorquodale. Lieutenant Franks was found in the German hospital at El Adem, but died two days later. The rest of his troop had been taken prisoner. On 15th December 'C' Squadron was withdrawn to Cairo for leave and re-equipment. On arrival they were greeted with the news that Lieutenant Wendle had been awarded the MC, and Sergeants John, Lodge and Battersby the MM.
The rest of the King's Dragoon Guards, on being evacuated from Tobruk, arrived at Abbassia in May 1941, where they remained without equipment for three months, until on 1 September they were ordered back to the desert and took over forty-five armoured cars of the 11th Hussars. By 15 September patrols were being sent out from Bir Kenayis along the frontier wire, and on the 30th contact was made with a German patrol of five armoured cars, two of which were Marmon Harringtons, presumably captured during the retreat. Major Drabble and Lieutenant Chrystal were wounded when they were examining a gap in the frontier wire on foot, and their armoured car, following, exploded a mine.
The 11th Hussars relieved the KDG on 6 November. The regiment withdrew to Bir Diqnash, where it was re-equipped with their new Marmon Harringtons, in time for the offensive which started on 18 November. The KDG led the 4th Armoured Brigade, comprising the 8th Hussars and the 3rd and 5th Royal Tanks. By 22 November the brigade reached Sidi Rezegh Aerodrome and was heavily engaged with the German panzer divisions, suffering serious casualties both of tanks and men. The KDG protected the rear and gave exact information about enemy movements. On 24 November Rommel gathered together his panzers and, moving south from Sidi Rezegh, made a dash for the Egyptian frontier, and the British lines of communication. While the infantry was left to hold on to Sidi Rezegh, 7th Armoured Division was sent after Rommel, the armoured cars providing a screen behind which the tanks could gather. By the 26th the threat was countered and contact was re-established with the New Zealanders on Belhamed. By the 27th Rommel was withdrawing, the KDG constantly providing information about the movements of the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions and the Italian Ariete Armoured Division. Over this period Lieutenant Lillingston, Lance Corporal Hughes, and Trooper Smith and Hamilton were killed. On 30 November 'A' Squadron was attacked by Stuka dive bombers, who inflicted some damage and wounded Trooper King.
During the first days of December Rommel concentrated his force between Sidi Rezegh and Bir Gubi. On the afternoon of the 3rd Sergeant Ashbrooke of 'B' Squadron, with Corporal Redfearn in a second armoured car, captured two Italian M13 tanks and one light tank. On 4 December the infantry attacked Bir Gubi, while the KDG patrolled on the south and north flanks. 'B' Squadron under Major Rydon captured an Italian tank with its crew, and 'A' Squadron under Major Hellyer took thirty-five Italians prisoner and then discovered a large petrol dump containing 50,000 gallons. They managed to destroy 10,000 gallons before being chased off by eleven enemy tanks. To complete the day, Lance Corporal Fining of 'A' Squadron shot down a Messerschmitt 110 with a captured Italian Breda mounted on his armoured car. The following day 'A' Squadron managed to destroy another 12,000 gallons of enemy petrol, but Captain Heywood and three of his men from the REME Light Aid Detachment were captured when trying to recover a damaged Marmon Harrington. Lieutenant Maxwell managed to free 700 British and New Zealand prisoners of war, capturing their escort and thereby winning a Military Cross. On the 7th 'A' Squadron captured thirty Italians and sixteen Germans.
With Bir Gubi secured, the regiment extended its patrols from Bir Gubi to Bir Hacheim, and on 9 December Lance Corporal Robinson of 'B' Squadron towed a grounded Tomahawk fighter with its pilot fifty miles across the desert back to the echelon. On the 9th the Royal Dragoons arrived from Syria to relieve the KDG, which was drawn into reserve under the 22nd Guards Brigade, but continued to patrol with one squadron west of Bir Hacheim. On the 13th Lieutenant Collie's third car raced forward picking up most of the crews. Collie and Trooper Carr were captured.
By 18 December KDG patrols were south of Mechili and on the 20th an advance of sixty miles was made to Charruba, where 200 Italians were captured. RHQ was heavily dive-bombed by forty Stukas, when Captain Collie, Lance Corporal Butler and Trooper Theobald were wounded. On the 23rd the KDG were ordered to take El Abiar and Benghazi, and on the 24th 'A' Squadron entered Benghazi from the east, just before a patrol from the Royals entered from the south. The KDG occupied and patrolled the town until relieved by 4th Indian Division on the 26th, when the regiment move to Ghemines on the road between Benghazi and Agedabia. An order to move back to the Delta was cancelled owing to lack of petrol and enemy activity, and the regiment moved west of Msus, with 'A' and 'B' Squadrons driving twenty-five miles to the east of Agedabia. The first days of 1942 were fairly quiet, until on 9 January Lieutenant Maxwell destroyed two enemy lorries, capturing three prisoners.
On the same day a supply column from the echelon ran into a minefield in the Wadi Faregh, where it was attacked by a German armoured car; Lieutenant Hall was severely wounded and the lorry crews taken prisoner. However, the Germans left two men with Hall, who died of his wounds. Lieutenant Ward and eleven men were taken prisoner. On the 17th 'A' Squadron destroyed a German wireless lorry, killing one man and taking three prisoner. On 21 January the regiment learnt it was to return to Cairo, but no sooner had the order been issued than it was countermanded and the KDG found themselves escorting a convoy from Msus to Benghazi. Rommel was now on the move again, and the KDG were reduced, by sheer wear and tear, to one composite squadron of nineteen Marmon Harringtons and three Morris armoured cars.
Having moved back to Tobruk, the composite squadron went on 28 January to Giovanni Berta, coming under 30 Corps and the 4th Indian Division. During this period some Libyan Arabs came under command and one of their officers, a White Russian, Major Peniakoff, insisted on attaching himself to the KDG. He was later to achieve fame as the leader of 'Popski's Private Army'. Lieutenant Budden and four men were captured out on reconnaissance by four German armoured cars, but were later freed when the Germans were put to flight by three armoured cars of the 12th Lancers. At 1700 hours on 6 February Eighth Army ordered the KDG to return to the Delta for rest and refitting, and by 1730 hours the regiment was on the move, arriving at Abbassia on the 10th, where 'C' Squadron was reunited with the rest of the Regiment.
The Queen's Bays had sailed from the Clyde, arriving at Cape Town on 30 October 1941, where they enjoyed South African hospitality until 4 November, when the convoy sailed. Reaching Suez on the 25th, the Bays disembarked and moved to a bleak camp at Amriya, ten miles west of Alexandria, where they prepared their twenty-five Crusaders, seventeen Honeys and six close support tanks for the desert. By 20 December 1st Armoured Division, including the Bays, had arrived at the frontier wire and were grouped for the next ten days south of Tobruk. On 30 December the division moved forward to Bir Hacheim, staying for four days, then advancing to cut off Rommel at Agedabia. Before the Bays could arrive the Germans had retired to El Agheila.
Rommel now showed his extraordinary capacity for recovery. On 21 January 1942 he struck at the forward troops at El Agheila, consisting of the 201 Guards Brigade and the 1st Support Group. The 1st Armoured Division and the 4th Indian Division were too far back to give effective support, because of difficulties of supply. Michael Halsted in his diary remembered 22 January: 'Woke up at 7.25 to hear "Anyone awake? We've got to move at 8.30!" My word, we didn't half shift. The Germans have broken out with two columns of tanks, 30 and 40, and out Support Group have had to withdraw. Now we are halted south of Saunnu waiting. This game is full of surprises.' That night the 'B' Echelon was attacked, but the enemy were beaten off and thirty Italians made prisoner. Two of 'A' Squadron's tanks were hit when milling about the Saunnu-Antelat-Msus area on 23 January. Halsted's diary gives the flavour of the day:
Shelling on our right and a lot of smoke. Coming up we could see Jerry on the far ridge. Can see one Mark VI blazing and another pulling out. Hope chaps OK. Many lorries burning near us. Suddenly we have to move. George's tank won't start. Sgt Smith goes up in his tank and Cpl Work gets George's tank out OK. Then Cpl Smith's won't go, and rather under the nose of Jerry we have to tow him back.
On the 24th the Bays took up a blocking position across the Antelat-Msus track, with 'C' Squadron on the right, 'A' on the left and 'B' in reserve. 'C' was soon in action and had one tank hit, but destroyed an anti-tank gun and took some German prisoners. 'B' meanwhile knocked out a German Mark IV tank. Halsted noted: 'I spot a truck and some men on the far ridge. I suspect a trap so go up very carefully. They all tumble out with their hands up. I shout "Italiano?" One replied "Nien, Deutches." We get them back OK. Luckily Bradley remembers loot. We each get a Parabellum automatic. He gets binoculars and a short bayonet. We had forgotten to disarm them!" The 25th saw a small column in trouble, and 'C' Squadron under Major Streeter was sent to its assistance, coming into action and destroying several anti-tank guns and vehicles. Lieutenant Frankau was badley wounded, however, and Trooper Rowney was later awarded the Military Medal for pulling him out of his tank under heavy fire. Corporal Minks and two men were killed, and Captain Patchett was reported missing, later confirmed as having been captured. While 'B' and 'C' Squadrons withdrew, 'A' remained as rearguard but found itself under heavy pressure when a German anti-tank gun got round to the rear of the squadron and a column of German tanks attacked from the front. Major Barclay's tank was hit and set on fire, Sergeant Harvey had to abandon his tank because of an electrical failure, and Lieutenant Glynn's tank was also hit, Glynn himself being killed. the survivors from all three tanks hid in some camel scrub, waiting for the battle to pass them by, and after two days behind the enemy lines they were able to make their way to 4th Indian Division at Benghazi.
The Bays fought a confused rearguard action all the 25th, described by Colonel Draffen as 'disorganised into three columns', until they fell back to the track running east from Msus to Mechili. Halsted described the confusion:
Horrible jumble of guns and transport streaming away with us. No orders so kept on trying to shoot whatever appeared. Some guns went down for a few minutes and then we saw the German tanks coming on and on at us from two sides. Horrible as their shelling kept getting on to us, and out little guns just coulds't reach them at all.
At 11 a.m. 'B' Squadron counter-attacked near 'The Bog', checking the German advance and inflicting casualties, but losing Major Blackett and Lieutenant Fleming as prisoners, and Sergeant Rutherford and a number of men killed. the brigade was then ordered to retire on Charruba. 'Finally our dear old tank [Halsted's] blew up the ghost into Charruba, Stephen's tank with ten chaps of us on board fell over a sharp drop onto the Colonel's tank below. No one was hurt, but we had to leave his tank too.'
The 'Msus Stakes', as the scramble back became known, finished at Charruba where the brigade was reorganised into a single composite regiment, with the 9th Lancers commanding and finding two squadrons. The third composite squadron, made up of the remnants of the Bays and 10th Hussars, consisted of a Bays Squadron Headquarters under Major Streeter with two Bays troops totalling nine tanks, seven of which were Honeys. Major Sykes was crushed between a tank and scout car and had to be evacuated, but during the 26th some more Honeys arrived, and a third troop was formed under Lieutenant Halsted. Sergeant Cockwill and Trooper Harris also rejoined, being rescued by some South African armoured cars capturing their escort. Lieutenant Colonel Draffen formed a tank salvaging party, which by 1 February was at Mechili, having recovered six cruiser tanks and blown up two cruisers and six Honeys. The regiment's losses had been eight tanks knocked-out, twenty-nine lost through various failures. The 'Left Out of Battle' party under Major Dance reached Mechili on 29 January, where it was joined by Major Barclay, Sergeant Harvey and six men, after their time behind the enemy lines. By 2 February the Bays were near El Adem, being re-equipped with tanks from 22nd Armoured Brigade. By 5 February the regiment was ready for action again.
The Cauldron, Knightsbridge, Bir Hacheim, Gazala, El Alamein Line, Alam el Halfa 1942
The Queen's Bays now had one squadron equipped with Crusaders and two with Honeys, all old tanks with holes plugged from former battles. On 6 February 1942 the Bays moved astride the Trigh Capuzzo at Dahar El Aslagh, staying for ten days, then moving a few miles west to Sidi Muftah to guard the minefield between Alem Hamza and Bie Hacheim. There was little enemy ground activity, but SQMS Malcolmson was killed in a combined Stuka and ME 109 attack on the 'B' Echelon. The Bays were relieved on 21 April by 44th RTR, moving to the south of Tobruk, where they were inspected by the Duke of Gloucester on 1st May. New tanks began to arrive, including some Grants and reconditioned Crusaders. on 24 May the 2nd Armoured Brigade moved forward to a position on the Trigh Capuzzo five miles east of Knightsbridge, as Rommel was expected to attack. The regiment now had twenty-eight Crusaders , twelve Grants and six Honeys.
On 25 and 26 May Rommel moved south around Bir Hacheim, and on the 27th the 2nd Armoured Brigade was ordered to take the enemt in flank. 'B' Squadron was soon in action, the three tanks of Lieutenant Sherbrooke's troop being knocked out and several men killed, so Captain Baker, under cover of smoke, went in a scout car to rescue the survivors. Halsted remembered, 'Then - the enemy in sight, four to five thousand yards to our right front. They appeared as a black mass of moving and stationary vehicles. Apparently they were two united columns being joined by some more.' Colonel Draffen ordered 'C' Squadron with its Grants to engage frontally. They opened fire at 3,000 yards, but soon closed up to 1,500 yards, shooting to great effect; then the two Crusader squadrons charged in from the right flank, led by 'A' Squadron under Viscount Knebworth. Colonel Draffen and the adjutant were standing on the back of their Crusader, going here, there and everywhere, encouraging everyone. As the tanks swept over the German positions, infantry and gunners came out with their hands up, and the Rifle Brigade following collected up 250 prisoners of the 90th Light Division. They found fifteen guns destroyed by the Bays.
Halsted described his part:
Jerry opens up on us now, and the anti-tank shells whip past us with sharp cracks. They keep so low that their flight can be seen by the swirl of sand just below the projectile. Very uncomfortable feeling that one may come inside at anytime. A very satisfying target in front of us. Gun firing well and the line rolling slowly on to the Jerry line. Then - a terrific crash and a cloud of smoke inside the tank and driver Wilson reels sideways. An anti-tank shell has come through the front. I nipped out of the top. Loader Mounsey came out of the side door, then a shell landed and made a nasty mess of him. I turned for morphinefor Bradley who was out behind the tank but that was the last thing I did. I felt a great blow on the face, and fell to the ground.
For this action Colonel Draffen was awarded the DSO, Major Streeter and Lieutenant Cummings the MC, and Sergeant Bunn the DCM. 'C' Squadron had lost two Grants, with Sergeant Norfolk, Corporal Gristock and Trooper Mounsey killed, and Lieutenants Radice and Halsted wounded. The two other squadrons lost three Crusaders with Corporals Ellis and Emery killed, and Lieutenant Anthony, Sergeant McGuiness and Trooper Rowney wounded.
On 28 May the Bays moved to Aslagh, where at 5.30 a.m. on the 29th they woke to find a concentration of enemy vehicles within 1,500 yards of their leaguer. 'C' Squadron attacked frontally with 'A' coming in from the flank, and within an hour three anti-tank guns, several lorries and thirty-five prisoners from the 90th Light had been taken. Almost at once 2nd Armoured Brigade was attacked by more than a hundred German Tanks. Viscount Knebworth's tank was knocked out and all morning the Germans came on, first from one direction, then from another. The battle continued until early evening, when a sandstorm reduced visibility. The Bays were left still holding their position, having eliminated ten German tanks for the loss of five of their own. Captain Baker, commanding 'B' Squadron, was killed and Corporal Waterhouse badly wounded, together with other casualties. The 30th saw the Bays in reserve, although Sergeant Fox was killed by a stray anti-tank shell and the echelon was dive-bombed by Stukas, with the loss of some lorries.
The Afrika Korps was now pulling back, leaving a strong rearguard on Bir El Aslagh. The Bays took over the surviving tanks of the 9th Lancers and 10th Hussars and became the only armoured unit left in the brigade. The regiment remained quietly in position until 2 June, but the general situation had taken a turn for the worse, with the 150th Brigade Box at Sidi Muftah being overrun and the 1st Army Tank Brigade destroyed. the Bays moved to Eluet El Tamar to cover the gap, where they stayed until 5 June. They were then ordered to stop a German advance from Bir El Harmet, and at once two Crusaders were hit, with Trooper Foster killed and others wounded. On 6 June a squadron of the 8th Hussars came under command and 'A' and 'B' Squadrons were merged under Major Weld, while Lord Knebworth went back to organise another squadron from recovered tanks. The Bays were told to go to the rescue of 22nd Armoured Brigade at the Knightsbridge Box, but they were unable to get round owing to enemy armour hull down on top of the escarpment, which was too steep to climb. They remained hull down engaging the enemy as best they could, and taking some prisoners who walked into their overnight leaguer. But the Germans had, that day overwhelmed the 10th Indian Infantry Brigade as well as four regiments of artillery, and the Battle of the Cauldron had been lost.
During 7, 8 and 9 June the Germans intensified their pressure against Knightsbridge Box, but were beaten off by shellfire. The Bays were now left with a strength of eleven Grants, ten Crusaders and one Honey, while the attached 8th Hussars had six Grants and one Honey. On 10 June they moved south, being joined by lord Knebworth with a re-formed squadron of Crusaders. That night the gallant Free French had evacuated the Bir Hacheim Box, and on the 11th Colonel Draffen was ordered to take the Bays north, ending the day at Nadurat El Ghescheuasc, halted, facing the German armour. At first light on 12 June the Bays were in action against twenty-five tanks and more anti-tank guns to the south, with another forty to fifty tanks moving around their left flank. Major Streeter's tank was knocked out and Lieutenant Dean was wounded. By 3.30 p.m. heavy attacks were lauched against the Bays and against 4th Armoured Brigade to their right, resulting in a fighting withdrawal under constant attack at close quarters.
On the 13th the Bays were relieved by Valentines of the 32nd Army Tank Brigade and withdrew for food and replenishment; but by 2 p.m. they were off again to the succour of the Scots Guards Box on the Maabus ridge, north of Knightsbridge. As they came into position Sergeant Gramson's tank was hit, killing him and Corporal Work. As evening drew on the forward companies of the Scots Guard were overrun, Lord Knebworth's tank was hit and his operator wounded. At 3.30 a.m. on 14 June the eleven remaining tanks, two Grants and nine Crusaders, started for the Acroma Gap, the Knightsbridge Box having been evacuated. Here the Bays awaited the inevitable German attack, and it was not long in coming. At 10 a.m. forty-one panzers attacked but were driven off, the Bays losing one Crusader, leaving them with ten tanks. At 3 p.m. the Germans came on again, driving in the infantry and Valentines posted on either side, so that the Bays found themselves faced by seventy enemy tanks and with their flanks wide open. Supported by the 11th RHA and the 1st Rifle Brigade this small force held firm until evening, when it was forced to withdraw slightly, losing Major Weld's and two other tanks in the process. Here the remaining seven tanks and seven surviving guns of the 11th RHA held on until dark. That day the echelon was dive-bombed by Stukas, killing Lieutenant Pollock, Sergeant Clare and Corporal Kinsella. At midnight the exhausted Bays withdrew through the Acroma Gap, Colonel Draffen and Major Barclay being seen sitting, sound asleep, on the back of Barclay's Crusader, the colonel's tank having broken down. The Battle of Gazala was over.
Nineteen days of fighting resulted in the award of the Military Cross to Captains Crosbie Dawson and Tatham Warter and the medical officer, Captain Lewis. Sergeant Harris, Trooper Davidson and Emery, as well as Sergeant Edwards of the attached 9th Lancers, were awarded the Military Medal.
The King's Dragoon Guards had remained at rest in the Delta during January to March 1942. On 19 March 'C' Squadron departed once more for the Western Desert, to be followed nine days later by the rest of the regiment. The KDG came under command of 7th Armoured Division and moved to the south east of Bir El Gubi. The armoured car screen at this time was posted on the line Gazala-Rotonda Segnali-Garet El Asida, while the infantry positions stretched along the minefields between Gazala and Bir Hacheim. On 1 May 1942 the KDG took over from the 12th Lancers, patrolling extensively in hot and unpleasant conditions against alert and better-equipped Germans. Throughout May the armoured car patrols played hide and seek with the enemy, relying on their desert knowledge and skill to outwit them. The Luftwaffe continued its attentions, twelve Messerschmitt 110s strafing 'A' Squadron for forty minutes without a break, destroying ten vehicles, and mortally wounding Corporal Stocks and SSM Acres. Two planes were destroyed, and a third came so low that it bent the wireless aerial on Captian Hellyer's armoured car.
Rommel opened the Battle of Gazala on 25 and 26 May, moving south of Bir Hacheim and over running the 7th Motor Brigade. The KDG were ordered to fall back on Bir El Gubi, being attacked several times en route by their own aircraft and suffering casualties as a result. Armoured car regiments operated far in advance of the main body, making identification difficult, and so were frequently attacked by friendly as well as enemy aircraft. As the Battle of Gazala unfolded, the KDG patrolled between Bir El Gubi and Bir Hacheim, having frequent clashes with the enemy and his supply columns. On 30 May 'C' Squadron, commanded by Major Palmer, was detached to 4th Armoured Brigade north of Knightsbridge. On arrival Major Palmer was ordered to move south of Bir Hacheim and engage enemy transport. On 1 June a number of German trucks and some infantry were captured. Lieutenant Richardson's troop then came on some German tanks with their crews sunning themselves. Sergeant Fletcher's car, mounted with a captured 47 mm gun, scored a direct hit, setting one tank on fire. The remainder quickly withdrew a short distance, barring the way to any further excursions. On 3 June 'C' Squadron rejoined 4th Armoured Brigade, encountering on their way two German tanks which knocked out Sergeant Battersby's armoured car, killing Trooper Britten.
Rommel had now turned his attention to the Free French at Bir Hacheim, which held out until 10 June. Following its capture the Afrika Korps advanced on 12 June towards Acroma and El Adem, pushing back the British armour and inflicting heavy casualties. On the night of 15/16 June the Allied armour wended its way through the minefields to Tobruk, led by Major Palmer and 'C' Squadron, then on through the perimeter wire to the Bardia road. On the 16th 4th Armoured Brigade, which still had sixty tanks, moved towards Sidi Rezegh and Belhamed, again led by 'C' Squadron. On the 17th Lieutenant Batt's troop encountered the leading tanks of 21st Panzer Division, which soon overran Sidi Rezegh, engaging the tanks of 4th Armoured Brigade while 'C' Squadron patrolled both flanks of the battle. Sergeant Battersby's troop, becoming mixed up with the German tanks, calmly moved parallel with them, reporting all the time. It was a day of retreat, only lightened by the squadron coming across the Eighth Army's abandoned ration dump at Belhamed and heaping every car and vehicle with crates of tinned milk, bacon and fruit.
The KDG spent 18 to 21 June patrolling between the Egyptian frontier and Bir El Gubi, while Rommel launched his assault on Tobruk. 'C' Squadron then withdrew with the rest of 4th Armoured Brigade to the desert south of Mersa Matruh, where on 24 June it was ordered back to Alexandria to re-equip with new armoured cars. The Tank Delivery Regiment was eventually found near Amriya outside Alexandria, where new cars were drawn, and 'C' Squadron was joined by the rest of the regiment on 30 June.
At the end of May 1942 the rest of The King's Dragoon Guards were under command of 7th Motor Brigade, patrolling to the south of the Free French at Bir Hacheim. On 1 June the regiment moved to the west, where Lieutenant R Whetherly captured nine German lorries with fifteen prisoners, while 'A' Squadron in an attack by Italian aircraft lost three lorries. On the 2nd 'A' lost three Marmon Harrington armoured cars on a new German minefield near Rotonda Segnali; Lieutenant J Delmege was thrown from his turret and had to be evacuated, and Sergeant Leslie received injuries from which he later died. While the battle raged to the north, the KDG had a quiet time - apart from the attentions of the Luftwaffe. 'A' Squadron lost two lorries and an armoured car on 12 June. By the 13th the regiment was back in the Bir El Gubi area and was able to rescue odd parties of the Free French escaping after the fall of Bir Hacheim, including a tall Senegalese who consumed immediately a complete 7lb tin of marmalade. Sergeant Cranfield of 'A' Captured two half-tracks and a staff-car, with six Germans.
From 15 June to the 23rd the KDG continued to patrol in support of 7th Motor Brigade, generally covering the southern flank. On the 17th regimental headquarters was heavily attacked from the air, at a cost of seven trucks, a staff car and an armoured car, with another armoured car badly damaged. Fortunately no one was hurt. 'A' and 'B' Squadrons were also strafed, losing vehicles. On the 18th Lieutenant Colonel McCorquodale moved to a new job and Lieutenant Colonel Kidston of the 12th Lancers arrived to take over command; at the same time Major Luck returned to the Delta, Captain A. Delmege taking over 'B' Squadron. The 19th saw more air attacks, RHQ losing two more trucks and 'A' losing an armoured car to an anti-tank gun. However, the technical adjutant arrived from the Delta with eight Daimler armoured cars, which provided to be a great improvement on the Marmon Harringtons. On the 21st RHQ was again visited by the Luftwaffe, losing the ambulance, the MO's staff car and a water truck, and Colonel Kidston was slightly wounded. News now came through of the fall of Tobruk and the regiment moved north to pick up any survivors, but without success. Throughout the 23rd to the 26th the KDG retired back through the frontier wire to a position to the south of New Zealanders holding Mersa Matruh. On 29 June the regiment was ordered back to the Delta to refit, leaving all its remaining armoured cars with 'A' Squadron, who came under command of the Royals. They, in turn, had retired back by 30 June to the Alamein line. On 5 July 'A' rejoined the rest of the regiment.
The Queen's Bays had made their way back to Mersa Matruh by 16 June, where they rested for a few days before going to Amriya. They were expecting a period of rest, but on the 24th they were told to return to Fuka to be re-equipped for immediate action, a squadron at a time, as the situation was so serious. by the evening of the 25th the Bays were at Fuka, 120 miles to the west, and on the 26th half of 'B' Squadron was given Honeys and put with a squadron of the 4th Hussars under Major Lord Knebworth, while the other half and one troop of 'A' was similarly equipped under Major Weld. RHQ and 'C' , which was to be attached to the 3rd County of London Yeomanry, were given scout cars and Grants; the balance of 'A' was sent back to the Delta under Captain Harman. On the 27th the Bays' Honeys moved forward and at last light briefly engaged an enemy column at Abu Batta, losing two tanks with Lieutenant Taylor and Sergeant Mordue killed. There was confused fighting on 28 and 29 June, with more withdrawals as the Germans took Matruh. On the 30th the Bays made a successful attack on an enemy column of 3,000 vehicles, until a covering force of twenty-three panzer IIIs and IVs came forward, knocking out Lieutenant Sherbrooke's tank and capturing him and his crew. By now the Bays were far to the west, and the night was spent breaking through the enemy leaguers, without a shot being fired by either side, until at 8.30 a.m. on 1 July a point a few miles west of El Alamein was reached after having covered fifty-four miles.
'C' Squadron, detached with the CLY, were breakfasting near El Daba on 30 June when four Italian motorcyclists, followed by a staff car and a general's caravan, then a long column of tanks neatly dressed two by two, appeared 1,500 yards away. Within minutes 'C' had knocked out at least seven tanks and the CLY had accounted for another six, by which time the Italians had fled. On 1 July 'C' was sent forward onto the Alamein position to engage a column of enemy tanks attacking an Indian infantry brigade, when they knocked out two tanks without loss to themselves. On 2, 3 and 4 July the squadron was in action on the Ruweisat ridge, stopping German attacks against the El Alamein defences. On 5 July the squadron handed over its three remaining Grants and two Honeys, having during the week destroyed twenty enemy tanks, as well as several guns and lorries, for the loss of three un-recovered Grants.
During this period Knebworth's composite squadron of Bays and 4th Hussars was on the Miteiriya ridge, also stopping the German attacks. On 2 and 3 July four Honeys had been lost, and by the 5th the squadron was down to one Crusader and three Honeys, three tanks commanded by Bays and one by a 4th Hussar. Sergeant Barker described the day:
Away we went, Lord Knebworth leading, just his tank and our troop. As we approached the Wadi, we kept our machine guns in action. The German infantry was bewildered at our attack and gave themselves up in their tens; my tank had around it 60 to 100 prisoners with their hands in the air. Then in front of me I saw my officers tank burst into flames and the crew abandon; then Lord Knebworth reversed towards it to give them protection; his tank was also knocked out and became a raging furnace as the crew abandoned it.
Sergeant Barker then charged forward with the sole remaining Honey and silenced the anti-tank gun which had caused the damage, giving covering fire to the two dismounted crews. Sadley, Knebworth was mortally wounded by a rifle bullet on his way back. Sergeant Barker continues:
Near a stone cairn, we dug his grave. I emptied his pockets. He had everything a soldier should carry and generally doesn't. Then, wrapping him in a blanket, we laid him to rest. There was no clergyman or officer, but just four men who respected him. We commended him to God; then gave him his last salute. He was a splendid soldier and a good man.
On 16 July 'C' Squadron of the Bays was back in the line with reconditioned Grants, and on the 24th regimental headquarters and 'A' Squadron joined 'C' south of the Ruweisat ridge, while 'B' stayed in the Delta at Khatatba. The Bays covered the withdrawal from an abortive attack by the Australians on the Miteiriya ridge on 27 July. 'C' Squadron returned to the Delta at the beginning of August, RHQ and 'A' Squadron took over positions at the south of the Alamein position near Himeimat. At this time Lieutenant General Montgomery took over command of the Eighth Army and made it clear to all ranks that there would be no further withdrawals. On 14 August RHQ returned to Khatatba, where 169 reinforcements had arrived, and at the end of August Colonel Draffen departed on promotion and Major Barclay took over command. In the meantime Major Dance, commanding the detached 'A' Squadron, had gone sick and had been replaced by Captain Tatham Warter.
On 31 August Rommel made his move to the south of the Alamein position againt the Alam el Halfa ridge, where Montgomery had placed 16 medium, 240 field and 200 anti-tank guns, as well as 400 tanks, and 100 infantry anti-tank guns. 'A' Squadron had taken up a forward concealed position east of the Ragil depression, awaiting the German advance. As the leading Mark IIIs appeared, followed by Mark IVs, the Bays opened fire at the range of 900 yards, many of their 2-pounder shells being seen bouncing harmlessly off the German armour. But they did halt the advance, giving themselves time to fall back behind Alam el Halfa, drawing the Germans on to the main defences while the Bays retired to the reverse slope. During 1 September the battle raged in front, and by the 3rd, 'We went to inspect the damage. In front of the British positions was a graveyard of Nazi tanks. It was encouraging sight'. 'A' Squadron, after battle, joined the rest of the regiment at Khatatba, where on 10 September the first of the new sherman tanks arrived. By the end of September 'B' and 'C' Squadrons were equipped with Shermans, and 'A' had Crusaders mounted with 6-pounder guns. On 20 October Colonel Barclay attended a lecture at Amriya, where General Montgomery explained his battle plan, which on his return that evening the Colonel passed on to all the officers. After dark on 21 October the Bays moved forward to their battle positions.
RHQ and 'B' Squadron of The King's Dragoon Guards at Amriya in the Delta were re-equipped by 12 July. Lieutenant Colonel Kidston had been appointed to command his own regiment, the 12th Lancers, and Lieutenant Colonel Hermon of the Royals took over command of the KDG, Majors Drabble and Whetherly going to staff appointments. Major Crossley became second in command and Captain Hellyer took over 'A' Squadron on its return. RHQ and 'B' Squadron moved back on 13 July to cover an area in front of the Alameim position along the Deir Alinda, to be joined on 21 July by 'A' and 'C' Squadrons, and extending their partols to cover the Himeimat area for a time. Patrolling continued through July and August under very trying conditions of heat, dust and flies, until Rommel made his bid against the Alam el Halfa position. The KDG, like the Bays, had sensed a marked change in the atmosphere with the arrival of Montgomery, but, to start with, as 'old desert hands' they were not enthusiastic about being told how to do things by a newcomer from England. Alam el Halfa and Alamein were to change that. As the Afrika Korps advanced on 31 August, 7th Armoured Division fell back towards Alam el Halfa, with the KDG observing the German movements from the flanks. Rommel did as Montgomery wanted him to do and attacked the Alam el Hafla ridge, while the KDG watched the RAF pound the enemy columns around Deir Ragil. By 3 September Rommel was withdrawing, defeated, leaving much of his armour wrecked on the battlefield. The KDG followed up the German retreat, and by the evening were in contact with the enemy, who had halted in the Dier Munassib, leaving behind them the wrecks of thirty-nine tanks and numerous other vehicles. On 10 September 1942 the KDG were withdrawn to the Delta for rest.
