World War Two - Part 5
1943-1944
Salerno Naples Garigliano Abruzzi Advance to Perugia
Early on 24 September 1943 The King's Dragoon Guards in their two LST's unshackled their vehicles as the craft ran in towards the beach. As they arrived, the great bow doors opened and the KDG drove out at speed. They had arrived at Salerno, to be the Armoured car regiment for the British 10 Corps, part of the Fifth Army, coming under immediate command of 23rd Armoured Brigade. On the 26th the KDG moved out of the assembly area, driving through Salerno and Maiori to Ravello, then on the 28th advancing north across the mountains from Maiori. Lieutenant Phillips of 'A' Squadron found a bridge across the river Sarno intact, although strongly held by the enemy. He managed to get onto it but was driven off by heavy fire. He then kept it under observation until the arrival of 131 Brigade, who captured the bridge intact; and he himself finished the day at Scafati. Another 'A' Squadron patrol encountered stiff opposition at a second bridge, with heavy fighting taking place, but the Germans managed to blow the main bridge over the Sarno before retiring. 'B' Squadron advanced on the left nearer the sea, reporting Castel-mare and Gragano clear of the enemy, but they reached the line of the Sarno to find all the bridges blown and the Germans in strength on the far bank of the river. 'B' Squadron lost Trooper Rowell, badly wounded and later dying, to a sniper.
On the 29th the right hand troop of 'B' Squadron spotted a German eight-wheeled armoured car. They opened fire on it, but the trigger mechanism jammed on the leading car and the German hit the Humber, killing Cpl.'s Crowther and Tullock and wounding Cpl. Evince. Lt. Napp of 'B' Squadron eventually managed to find a way through many demolition's and considerable German resistance, and by evening was established with the Scots Greys to the west of Torre Annunziata. The 30th saw little progress in the built up country which, combined with widespread demolition, made it impossible for the armoured cars to get off the roads. The Sqn support troops, consisting of sections of KDG acting as infantry and carried in an armoured White scout car, proved their value getting forward where the cars could not go and providing protection for the vehicles in the close country.
On 1 October the Scots Greys with some American infantry found that the Germans had retired. Two troops of KDG 'A' Sqn immediately moved forward, advancing rapidly through Torre Del Greco, Resina and Portici, and by 9.30 am were in the centre of Naples. From Torre Annunziata to Naples the rest of the regiment, following behind, was feted by cheering crowds, who showered the vehicles with fruit and flowers. While 'A' Sqn enjoyed the honour of being the first into Naples, 'B' moved east and north of the city, capturing a German staff car and its officer occupants, and hitting a lorry. Lt. Cassels, after being held up by trees felled across the road, which were cleared by the Royal Engineers, managed to work his way forward to La Rotunda on the northern outskirts of the city, where he was stopped by the extensive demolition, and the KDG soon learned that any advance in Italy was dependent on the speed of the Engineers in laying Bailey bridges, clearing obstacles, and lifting mines.
'C' Squadron and the echelon landed at Salerno on 3 October, joining the regiment on the 5th. Progress was severely hampered by the bad weather and the repeated obstacles of blown bridges and roads, with the American infantry advancing in front of the armoured cars. By the 6th the line of the River Volturno was reached and found to be strongly held by the enemy. Lt. Smith of 'C' Sqn was sent to reconnoiter the mouth of the Volturno as a possible crossing point. Having carried out a successful patrol, Smith while turning in a Dingo scout car, ran over a mine and was killed. Troopers Mason and Murfitt were also wounded, Mason's wound proving fatal. On 8 October the KDG were withdrawn in foul weather to the outskirts of Naples, where the regiment installed itself under cover in the local lunatic asylum. Over the next few days they cleaned up and explored Naples.
During the period of rest Major Lindsay, aided by Lt. Richardson, busied himself collecting horses. His idea was to form an operational troop for patrols in the country too difficult for armoured cars. With the blessing of 10 Corps who gave Carte Blanche to requisition whatever animals and equipment he approved, he went to work with a will and after impressing the Chief of Police into service he soon managed to round up eight horses of a somewhat mixed variety. One, requisitioned from the Duchess of Aosta had subsequently to be returned on the grounds that it was 'an expensive and protected animal'. This order had originated from an extremely elevated source and had been preceded by a buzzing of political telegrams between Algiers, Washington and London. As though to add relish to the episode, no objection was ever raised to the keeping of two horses taken from the King's stable. By good luck Major Lindsay managed to find Sgt. Read then a gunner in an AA Battery and had him transferred back to the regiment as Honorary Staff-Sgt Farrier. The troop was taken over for training by Captain Hellyer, who had under him Cpl. Kent formerly a remount rider in the 7th Hussars and a few old cavalry men who were glad to be among horses again. ( Another version reads). On 1st October 'A' Sqn KDG from the 23rd armoured Brigade entered Naples where George Clarke had a strange experience '' I served in the KDG's in the 7th Armoured Division-Desert Rats-in the Western Desert from 1941 to sometime in 43. Then near Tripoli when I transferred to the RAF regiment. While guarding Naples airport, I got into conversation with a man in uniform looking out to sea in a rather forlorn manner-in a Napoleonic stance. He told me that there were some horses nearby and being ex-cavalry he took me to see them. Some days later I found my old regiment the KDG quartered in the local lunatic asylum opposite the airport and I told Major Lindsay of my meeting with the man, whom I found out later was the Chief of Police for Naples. Major Lindsay lost no time in going to HQ to requisition some of the horses and subsequently formed a horse troop, which proved useful in bad weather and rugged terrain. I remember Major Lindsay then came to see me and said he was more than grateful for my help. ( George Clarke KDG 1939-1942)
On 26 October the KDG moved to the east of Capua, the Volturno having been forced earlier, and over the next few days pushed slowly forward through difficult country. Trooper Leach was wounded on a mine on the 27th and on the 31st Lt. Richardson took out the first of many mounted horse patrols through the mountains. That day news came through that Major Delmege had been awarded the Military Cross. By the first week of November patrols were slowly moving forward to the line of the River Garigliano and RHQ was situated at Roccamonfina, but the deteriorating weather and constant demolition's made it an infantry war. In terrible conditions and against the most determined opposition, 201 Guards Brigade seized Monte Camino, a bare mountain fort in front of Cassino and a part of the German winter line. On 10 November, the War Diary records, 'We are now to be responsible for a part of the line'; and so started a miserable winter of infantry work for the KDG.
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Captain Maxwell took the first party of fifty dismounted men into the line, patrolling forward through the mine-infested ground as far as the Garigliano river. One patrol found itself in a minefield, when trooper Gillow was killed on an 'S' mine, with Sgt. Mercer and Cpl. Jeeps wounded. The rain never seemed to let up day or night. The regiment was then ordered to take over the Daimler armoured cars of the 11th Hussars, who were returning to England, and this was eventually accomplished after 'C' Sqn. had extracted itself from mud which held the squadron in its grip for two days. 'C' Sqn. then relieved 'A' Sqn. losing trooper Stevens on a mine, and had a number of contacts with German parties, who knowing the location of their mines, patrolled aggressively at night. Lieutenant Mann remembered:
As night fell we manned the slit trenches, and I heard the sound of much rustling below the bank of the road. The noise was too far away to fire at with any chance of hitting anything, and as it could only have been a cow, we should given away our positions. At midnight we went to contact our neighbours, the London Irish, in a farm about 100 yards to our flank; the position was deserted, with blankets and kit strewn around.
A local farmer informed the KDG that a party of thirty Germans had occupied the farm and had stolen most of his cattle, as well as capturing the entire London Irish post.
On 22nd November 'B' Sqn. took over a new part of the line near the mouth of the Garigliano opposite Minturno, patrolling down to the blown bridges over the river. On the night of the 3 December Corporal Ingleby of 'A' Sqn. had an encounter with a German patrol, capturing four Germans of the 94th Infantry Division. There were further skirmishes on the 11th and 14th, and Sgt.'s Walsh and Bevan were wounded when one of their own mines exploded, Walsh later dying. The regiment was relieved by the 6th Grenadier Guards on the night of the 17th, and withdrew to rest in the village Zuni. There Christmas was spent, with a regimental church service and the men wearing for the first time their recently issued medal ribbons of the Africa Star. News came through that Major Robin Whetherly, KDG, on attachment to the partisans in Yugoslavia, had been killed. On 4 January 1944 a move was made to Albanova, south of the Volturno, where Major Crossley rejoined the regiment as 2nd in Command, Major Lindsay taking over 'C' Sqn.
On 7 January 'A' Sqn. went back into the line around San Carlo on the Garigliano, followed by 'C'. One evening Lt.Mann posted all the guards and returned to SHQ to study the maps. We sat round a table eating our bully beef and biscuits and drinking our huge mugs of sweet tea. Mick (Lindsay) suddenly looked up, 'What size boots do you take, Micky?' I admitted to size 12. 'What monsters! I shall send you to look for mines tomorrow morning, your feet will find them!' ( During the course of that patrol) I carefully prodded the ground , and I had not gone five yards before my stick struck something hard, and, sure enough, I uncovered a mine. We had walked through a mine field without stepping on one! We cleared a path, marking it with boulders. There was not a man who could not tell of such hairbreadth escapes.
On the night of the 17th 'C' Sqn. and the guns carried out a 'Chinese attack' to create a diversion as 46th and 56th Divisions crossed the Garigliano. 'A' and 'B' Sqn's. were then put into the line to plug a gap of six kilometers south of Monte Camino, where they, in turn, put in a 'Chinese attack' on the 28th, bringing upon themselves a barrage of heavy mortar fire. Captain Howes, an attached South African officer, and Lt. Armstrong were killed by a booby-trapped Teller mine.
On 1 February a strong party of 'B' Sqn. crossed the Garigliano, taking over from a company of the KOYLI who had been ambushed. Lt. Cassels found the positions very exposed, both to the weather and the enemy. A patrol under Lt. Mann captured two prisoners and a German patrol attempted to snatch a prisoner from 'A' Sqn. on the other side of the river. The German officer in command stabbed to death an Italian in cold blood and was himself shot at three yards' range by Cpl. Smith and captured. The slit trenches were filled with water; Lt. Mann wrote,' We lay soaked to the skin, our wet clothes clinging to us, and we could not stop our limbs shaking. By now I was completely lousy and flea ridden, and the itching and cold discomfort added to the gloom.' The cold was so intense that at dawn a number if men had to carried down from the aptly named Monte Purgatorio. On the 3rd Lt. Bloomfield of 'A' Sqn. crossed the river to find that the enemy had retreated some 1,500 yards. He contacted a patrol from 'B' and then reinforced them until the Leicesters came up to relieve the KDG.
The regiment was then moved to cover the area in front of a ridge, San Ambrogio, where the Rivers Gari and Liri converged to the west of Cassino. The men were situated in small isolated posts around ruined houses, only approachable by night. The troops were so thin on the ground that every man was on duty in slit trenches every night, often up to his waist in water in teeming rain, and having to keep under cover during daylight. All post were mortared and shelled contiguously, and the German patrols were exceptionally daring and active-one night killing or capturing an entire post of the neighbouring Leicesters. On the 8th February Sgt. Macdonald was killed by a mortar bomb which fell at his feet. The 15th saw the bombing of the monastery, as the New Zealanders and 4th Indian Division attacked Cassino town, with the men having a grandstand view. On the 20th Trooper Richards was killed by a mine, and 'B' brought in a prisoner wounded on one of their own mines on the 23rd. The most dangerous post covered 'The Two Bridges', a stone bridge and a Bailey, on the lateral road used to supply the troops to the flank. The Germans constantly tried to destroy these bridges, and on the 24th 'B' Squadron had a spirited fight with a German patrol that had got onto them at last light. On the 26th an enemy patrol was seen off by 'C' Squadron, but as a result the 'C' Squadron post was so heavily shelled that it had to be evacuated. The following night another enemy patrol stumbled into the British mines, leaving plentiful signs of blood and numerous weapons to be found next morning, but no bodies. On the 28th lieutenant Clay drove off yet another German party. Captain Maxwell was severely wounded in the legs on an 'S' mine on 5 March. At last, on 13 March, the KDG were relieved by the 44th Recce Regiment, after nearly ten weeks continuously in the line as infantry. The adjutant's comment in the War Diary summed up the regiment's feelings: 'Apart from the exceedingly hard work which our present infantry work imposes on officers and men, they are getting very fed up with it, doing a job for which they aren't trained, and which completely disorganized us as an armoured car regiment. So far from being a temporary stopgap, we seem to be more permanent than the infantry themselves.'
The King's Dragoon Guards were now required to form a fourth squadron, 'D', to bring themselves into line with a new establishment. Officers and Senior NCOs were taken from the existing squadrons, with Major Crossley commanding until the return of Major Delmege from a course. The adjutant, Captain Chrystal; the troop leaders were Lieutenants Batt, Macartney, Napper, Woozley and Mann, sixty-three reinforcements forming the bulk of the troopers. The new squadron trained at Sarno, six miles east of Vesuvius, arriving on 23 March in the middle of an eruption which showered the area with lava dust to a depth of feet. A month later the regiment was on the move again, complete with its fourth squadron. Taking over positions from the Polish 12th Podolski Lancers in the Abruzzi mountains in the area of the Sangro on 24 March. The squadrons were widely separated, holding a long front; with 'A' at Montazzoli, 'B' at Pescopennataro, 'C' at Colle di Mezzo, and 'D' at Castiglione, with RHQ and the echelon at Agnone.
In this mountainous country what few roads existed were mostly obstructed either by blown bridges or demolition's or booby-trapped trees. The regiment held an extended front against the entire German 114th Jager Division while Allied strength was being built up around Cassino. During this period the KDG by aggressive patrolling led to the Germans to think they were opposed by the entire 18th British Infantry Division (which was not in Italy). 'B' Squadron at Pescopennataro sent forward patrols to the Sangro, and across it by foot and mule to the village of Pizzoferato, where the Italian guerrillas, under the leadership of Beniamino, had held out against four German efforts to capture the Village. 'B' then patrolled forward two miles to Gamberale, which was still held by the enemy. On 3 May Sergeant Baldwin of 'A' Squadron killed a German in a patrol skirmish, and on the 7th two partisans were wounded operating west of Gamberale. It was then decided to capture Gamberale, but the Germans forestalled the attempt by withdrawing to the line of mountains behind Palena Station. Gamberale was occupied by the partisans, with 'C' Squadron patrolling as far as Palena Station. On 13 May Major Crossley, with Sergeant Vince and Troopers Ware and Wilkinson, arrived simultaneously at the top of a mountain with a German patrol. Both sides decided that discretion was the better part of valour and beat a hasty retreat, but Ware and Wilkinson, off to a flank and unaware of this, calmly occupied the mountain OP and remained in observation until the next day.
The squadrons now engaged in long-distance patrols, supported by mules carrying rations and equipment and remaining out for several days at a time. On 17 May Colonel Hermon heard that he had been promoted, and Major Palmer went to the North Irish Horse. Command of the regiment was taken over by Lieutenant Colonel Crossley. Many Polish deserters came in over this period to 'D' Squadron. On the 22nd Lieutenant Weinholt lost a foot when a wandering cat set off a trip-wired mine. Over May and June the horse troop provided each squadron with useful mounted assistance. The Germans heavily shelled the regiment's positions on 25 May, killing Trooper Owen and wounding Sergeant Robinson and Corporal Dunham. Lieutenant Mann ambushed a patrol of the Household Cavalry Regiment which had gone 'spare', luckily with no damaged done, and it was sent on its way 'in words that were unambiguous if hardly Parliamentary'. Lieutenant George cut the wire around an enemy position, killing some of the sunbathing occupants before withdrawing; and on the 29th Sergeant Poynton killed three Germans, Lieutenant Moffatt killed one in another patrol encounter, and the regiment lost its first prisoner when Corporal Soames was wounded on a Teller mine.
Throughout the early part of June the patrolling continued, prisoners being taken and casualties inflicted on the enemy. Sergeant Forbes took a prisoner and killed a German at Castel di Sangro. On 3 June, however, Lieutenant Miller's entire patrol was ambushed, with Lieutenant Musselwhite, Troopers Aubrey and Ward being wounded and captured, together with seven others. Only Corporals McDonald and Fieldhouse got away. On the 6th a patrol ran into a minefield at Rocca Cinquemiglia, Sergeant Robinson and three men being killed; and on the 9th Trooper Pargeter stepped on an 'S' mine, which wounded him and Sergeant Baldwin and killed Sergeant Baker. This run of misfortune ended on 10 June with the news of the Allied progress at Cassino, and the regiment resumed its armoured car role, starting off to catch up with the advancing Fifth Army and arriving ten miles west of Rome on 12 June.
The Queen's Bays disembarked at Naples on 27 May 1944, moving to a transit camp at Afragola and thence Matera, about thirty-five miles from Bari, where they remained training, as a part of 1st Armoured Division, until the beginning of August 1944.
On 14 May 1944 The King's Dragoon Guards reached Narni, moving on twenty-seven miles on the 16th to Todi. Throughout the move forward, from the utter destruction around Cassino to the outskirts of Rome and then as they advanced rapidly north, the men had been greatly encouraged to see the vast quantity of German equipment destroyed by the RAF and in the battles of the Liri valley. There were vehicles by the hundred, with Tiger and Panther tanks strewn alongside the roads. On 17 May the regiment was in action again: Lieutenant Bloomfield of 'A' Squadron surprised a party of German engineers about to blow up a bridge, and then had a battle with some tanks at Migliano. 'C' Squadron on the main road to Perugia met a self-propelled gun which hit the leading Dingo, killing the driver and wounding the commander. The troop leader then reversed his Daimler armoured car into a ditch, where it had to be abandoned. The Germans later towed the car away and set it on fire.
By the 18th the enemy had stabilized his line and the regiment advanced only two miles. The 19th saw 'D' Squadron in the lead; Lieutenant Mitchell on the left made some progress, but stirred up a hornets' nest of opposition; on the right, Lieutenants Woozley and Thompson advanced along parallel roads to within a mile of Perugia. Thompson, faced with the last two miles along a dead straight road with no cover, had almost reached a T-junction when a machine gun opened up on the leading Dingo. This reversed behind Thompsons' armoured car, and as he traversed his turret to engage the gun, the doors of a barn opened and a 75 mm anti-tank gun inside his the Daimler, killing the driver and setting the car on fire. Thompson and his gunner both baled out badly burned.
On 20 June Lieutenant Napper of 'D' Squadron entered Perugia, the Germans having abandoned it the previous night, to an ecstatic welcome from the inhabitants. Lieutenant Woozley advanced to the Tiber, where he found all the bridges blown, but picked up six Panzer Grenadiers and an Austrian deserter from the Luftwaffe as prisoners. 'B' Squadron with support sections from 'A' and 'D' occupied Monte Giogo overlooking the Tiber three miles north of Perugia, and here Colonel Crossley was severely wounded by a burst of Spandau Fire while visiting the position. Major Lindsay took over command of the regiment. The Germans continually shelled this exposed position, wounding Captain Richardson and Lieutenants Fargher and Cundall (Fargher died of his wounds), and killing Sergeant Page, Corporals Jickells and Abbots, and Trooper Riddelough, and wounding four other men.
'D' Squadron on the right continued active patrolling, but was unable to advance further as the enemy held Monte Croce in strength, dominating the area. 'A' Squadron on the left had more success, reaching Agello twelve miles to the west of Perugai and on the 24th capturing a 75 mm gun intact at Monte Melino, together with seven prisoners, but losing Trooper Bailey killed. 'A' made such good progress that the whole regiment was moved around to operate to the west of Perugia.
On the 29th Lieutenant Munro of 'C' entered Magione, shooting up the German defenders, who scattered in all directions, two being run down. Sergeant Innes of 'A', entering a house, burst into a room and surprised a small party of the enemy who were demanding wine and women, killing the lot. Another patrol captured five Germans and a 105 mm gun. By 30 June the northern end of Lake Trasimere had been reached, and Magione was found to be clear.
Lieutenants Munro again excelled himself, charging a Spandau post, killing four Germans and capturing nine Panzer Grenadiers; for his bravery he received an immediate award of the Military Cross. Lieutenants Curtis also captured five prisoners and made good progress. On 2 July the enemy withdrew and the KDG advanced slowly, with great help from the Engineers, who cleared extensive demolition's and mines. On 3 July 'D' Squadron, seven miles to the north of Magione, had a hard battle around the village of Preggio. Lieutenant Mann came to a massive crater where the road had been blown down the mountainside, and caught and killed the two men of a Spandau team, but came under heavy fire from Monte Muro. A battalion of Gurkhas put in a flanking attack under cover of fire from the armoured cars and cleared Muro. With the road repaired by the Engineers, Mann supported by Lieutenant Woozley advanced towards the River Niccone on the way to Umbertide, with Woozley occupying Preggio. Both troops came under intense artillery, mortar and machine gun fire, and Mann found his troop in the middle of a German company position. Both troops fired at numerous targets, Lieutenant Courage came up, giving excellent support from the gun battery, but little progress could be made owing to mines and the strength of the opposition. A 105 mm shell landed in front of Woozley's Daimler, shredding every tyre and riddling the storage bins and bedding. One prisoner and three deserters were taken, and next day eleven dead Germans were found around the position. On the following day foot patrols reached the Niccone, after finding countless mines and demolition's.
The regiment went into rest on 5 July at Castel Rigone. Major Chrystal, while clearing a path for his men to bathe in Lake Trasimene, trod on an 'S' mine and was killed; Montgomery had said that he was the finest troop leader in the British Army. 'D' Squadron was back in action on the 10th, and on the 13th a dismounted patrol found itself trapped in the middle of a German company position. The patrol managed to withdraw, but Corporal Myers was wounded and taken prisoner. The remainder of the Regiment in rest until 16 July. By this time, and until the regiment left Italy in December 1944, The King's Dragoon Guards had been longer in continuous action during the war than any other unit in the British Army, and since landing at Salerno had sustained heavier casualties than any other unit in the Royal Armoured Corps.
