National Archives catalogue number WO 169/10556.
Abbreviations
|
2 i/c A/C A/Tk Bn C of E Coy CRE Div DZ GOC I MT NTR OC Pdr RC RE Sqn Squdn WT |
Second-in-Command Aircraft Anti-Tank Battalion Church of England Company Commander Royal Engineers Divisional Drop Zone General Officer Commanding Intelligence Intelligence Officer Motor Transport Nothing to Report Officer Commanding Other Ranks Pounder Roman Catholic Royal Engineers Squadron Squadron Wireless Telegraphy |
Month and year: July 1943
1st July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Nothing to Report.
2nd July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
No.1 Troop left again today for recce training on the demolished bridges in the Enfidaville Area.
3rd July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
No.2 Troop started at 0700 hours in the morning on a march to Sousse. The intention was to bathe and return in M.T. Sousse was reached at 1300 hours, the day was exceptionally hot and there was a hot dry wind blowing from inland; the march was not, therefore, a great success. Lt. Cormie had to bed down afterwards suffering from heat exhaustion and a number of the troop were in the same condition. In the evening the I.O. went to see some experiments made by the CRE on gun demolitions; Two hayricks were used on a 75 m.m. Italian field gun; they were placed on the barrel; one near the muzzle and one over the breech. The one near the muzzle cut a clean slit through the bore, the one near the breech cut almost to the bore and flattened the bore lining so that no shell could be inserted. ¼ lb. of P.H.E. was also used on the traversing gear handle next to the recoil buffer; the traversing gear seized up and a hole was made in the recoil gear, which allowed the oil to leak out. No.1 Troop returned in the evening.
4th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
A Brigade Church Parade was held at 156 Bn. to-day, all denominations other than R.C. attended. It was very hot, especially as the Squadron had to march to 156 Bn and back. One section of No.2 Troop accompanied 10 Bn. on a short scheme in the evening, there was no R.E. task allotted.
5th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
The troops prepared for the Brigade scheme to-day; the O.C. and I.O. who were to be umpires attended an umpires conference at Bde H.Q. in the evening. A new time table was brought into use as from to-day reveille at 0515 hours 1st. Parade at 0630 hours followed by training until 1230 hrs. 2nd. Parade 1745 hrs, followed by training until 1930 hrs. The change was made in order to utilise the coolest part of the day for work.
6th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
The non-jumping Brigade scheme started to-day in the Fondouk area. The Battalions were opposing each other and each had a troop under command. 10 Bn were more on the defensive than 156 Bn. and consequently No.2 Troop had more work to do than No.1 Troop, there being no prepared defences. Bridges were prepared for demolition and one Hawkins minefield laid containing about 80 mines.
7th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
The scheme ended to-day at 1100 hours and the Squadron returned to camp. The sappers still need plenty of practice in W/T procedure.
8th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Both troops rested to-day. There was a film show "A Yank at Eton" shown in the 156th Bn. lines in the evening.
9th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Training to-day was mainly recreational; No.2 Troop did W/T revision. Lt. Blair-Leighton arrived having been posted from 1000 Docks Maintenance Coy.
10th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
60 Everest carriers and new jumping clothing arrived to-day. The O.C. went on a recce with a view to initiating a Squdn scheme in the Enfidaville area. He returned in the evening for a conference at Bde. H.Q.
11th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Nothing to report.
12th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Both troops went down to the beach near Sousse for a three day rest camp. The Squdn was "Standing by" and no leave into towns was allowed. The Quartermaster sprained his ankle on his second jump in an initial parachute course and had to postpone his remaining jumps.
13th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Nothing to report.
14th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Nothing to report.
15th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
The troops returned in the afternoon and went to an E.N.S.A. Show at 156 Bn in the evening. The I.O. and Lt. Wiehe set out to Souk-el-Arba in the morning to collect mines for a training mine field.
16th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Troops continued resting and recreational training today.
17th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
The A/Tk battery sent a Sgt. Instructor to the Sqn in the morning with two 6 pdr guns. Both troops had instructions in their gun drill and general characteristics. The I.O. and Lt. Wiehe returned in the evening with 90 mines and some more German bangalore torpedoes. In the evening the Sqn beat HQ Coy 156 Bn. at football. At 22.00 hrs Lt. Cormie, Lt. Temple and 3 O.R's who had never done a night jump, accompanied Lt. Blair-Leighton on his initial parachuting course night jump. The a/c used was a C.47 and everyone completed the jumps successfully. The operational instructions for exercise JERBOA 1 arrived today. 2/Lt. Thomas and 2/Lt. Evans arrived today having been posted to this unit.
18th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Nothing to report.
19th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Sqn HQ and No.1 Troop prepared for exercise Jerboa 1 today. No.1 Troop left at 14.30 hrs for 156 Bn with whom they moved to the landing strip. Sqn HQ consisting of O.C., 2 i/c, I.O., 2 Orderlies and 3 WT operators with No.38 sets and the I NCO, went to Bde HQ at 20.30 hrs and proceeded with them to the landing strip; they reached the strip after dark at approx 22.30 hrs, were immediately met and led to their aircraft by a Sgt of the Aircrew, and then had tea. Take off was between 23.30 and 23.45 hrs. Sqn HQ had only one container which held the 38 sets, two O.R's were sent to the strip ahead of the rest to bomb this up. The dropping was very bad, very few personnel were dropped on their correct D.Z's and some were dropped up to 18 miles out. Some troops were dropped over landing strip and one man was shot at by a sentry guarding the aircraft on the ground. He was not seriously hurt. The scheme was designed to exercise H.Q's in control and despite the difficult conditions control was very quickly established and maintained. All sapper tasks were accomplished successfully, they consisted mainly of mining roads and making blocks in defiles in order to disrupt enemy communications. Sqn HQ had little to do, the troop being under command of the Bn. No.1 Troop lost six containers through premature dropping, but were carrying weapons and explosive on the man and so were able to carry on.
20th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
The scheme ended at the end of the morning, and the troops returned to camp by M.T.
21st July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
The Sqn marched down to Bde HQ in the morning and was inspected by the G.O.C. He gave a short talk on what had been accomplished in Sicily and promised that 4 Parachute Bde would be used on the next operation. This promise was received very enthusiastically by all concerned. In the evening there was a "post mortem" on Jerboa 1 at Bde HQ, all officers of No.1 Troop and Sqn HQ attended. The Brigadier said he was very pleased with the way the Brigade reorganized after the bad and inaccurate dropping.
22nd July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
No.2 Troop prepared for Jerboa II and left in the afternoon to accompany 10th Bn to the landing strip. They dropped at approx 03.00 hrs. The drop was not very accurate but was not nearly as bad as in Jerboa I. No.1 troop had two casualties on the D.Z. 2/Lt. Thomas with a sprained foot and one O.R. slightly concussed. No.2 Troop carried out their tasks which included blowing a water main. They were very exhausted by the end of the scheme as they were marching in smocks airborne which proved unsuitable in the great heat.
23rd July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Jerboa II ended at midday and No.2 troop returned to camp.
24th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
No.2 troop rested and No.1 troop set out a practice minefield for training the infantry.
25th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
There was a C. of E. and R.C. church parade this morning otherwise N.T.R.
26th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
Two companies of 156 Bn had instruction in traversing a minefield by the walking stick method this morning. Ten "walking sticks" or probes had been made out of aluminium tubing salvaged from German crashed aircraft, they proved very successful and the infantry were quite confident in their use. In the afternoon both troops left to camp in the mountains near ZAGHOUAN. They were to train in mountain climbing.
27th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
156 Bn HQ Coy were instructed by Lt. I.C. Millar and the I.O. on the practice minefield this morning. The O.C. left to visit the troops at Zaghouan.
28th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
One officer and nine O.R's were detailed for a conversion drop from an Albemarle aircraft today, but unfortunately the wind was so strong that jumping was postponed. "A" Coy of 156 Bn was instructed on the practice minefield this morning, this completed the Bn.
29th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
19 O.R's and 2 officers left this morning for a refresher drop from a C.47, the wind was again too strong and only one man jumped. He was in a different aircraft to the remaining twenty men and took off before cancellation arrived at the landing strip. The troops arrived back in the evening and about twenty men went to a concert at 156 Bn. The everest carriers tested by the troop, proved very satisfactory indeed.
30th July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
No.2 Troop left for a bridge recce scheme and two days in Tunis.
31st July 1943
Place: Kairouan Area
The O.C. attended a conference at Div H.Q. in the morning, otherwise nothing to report.
