1st Airlanding Light Regiment

75 mm Howitzer and gun crew shooting in support of the British 5th Infantry Division, November 1943.

The regiment left England for North Africa on 16 May 1943, arriving at Oran in Algeria on 26 May. The 1st Airborne Division as a whole did not take part in the Allied invasion of Sicily. However, the 1st Parachute and 1st Airlanding brigades took part in brigade sized operations, Ladbroke and Fustian, without any artillery support from the regiment.[5] While in Sicily Lieutenant-Colonel Crawfurd, the Division's Commander Royal Artillery (DCRA), was killed. He was replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel McLeod and the second in command, Major W. F. K "Sheriff" Thompson, was given command of the regiment.[11]

In September 1943, they were involved in Operation Slapstick, part of the Allied invasion of Italy. The division in North Africa boarded the ships of the Royal Navy's 12th Cruiser Squadron at Bizerta on 8 September 1943.[12][13] At 15:00 on 9 September, the flotilla reached the port of Taranto on the heel of Italy. The landings were unopposed and the troops were soon disembarked.[13][14]

In Italy the regiment not only supported the 1st Airborne Division, but also fired in support of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division at Campobasso.[11] The 1st Airborne Division was withdrawn back to England, leaving the regiment behind. In October they supported the British 5th Infantry Division at Rionero and then Isernia in November. After this, they supported the 2nd New Zealand Division during three unsuccessful attacks on Orsogna. Next they fired in support of the independent 2nd Parachute Brigade and the British 78th Infantry Division from mid-December 1943 to January 1944, at Casoli, Gessopalena and Roccascalegna. The regiment was then withdrawn and sent to rejoin the 1st Airborne Division in Boston, England.[11]

In England the regiment trained for operations in North-West Europe under the supervision of I Airborne Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Frederick Arthur Montague Browning. Although they were not scheduled to take part in the Normandy landings, Operation Wastage was a contingency plan drawn up whereby all of the 1st Airborne Division would be parachuted in to support any of the five invasion beaches if delays were experienced.[15][nb 2]

In early September the regiment prepared for Operation Comet during which the 1st Airborne Division's three brigades were to land in the Netherlands and capture three river crossings. The first of these was the bridge over the River Waal at Nijmegen, the second the bridge over the River Maas at Grave and finally the bridge over the River Rhine at Arnhem.[19] Planning for Comet was well advanced when, on 10 September, the mission was cancelled. Instead, a new operation was proposed with the same objectives as Comet but to be carried out by three divisions of the First Allied Airborne Army.[20]

Landings by the First Allied Airborne Army's three divisions began in the Netherlands on 17 September 1944. Although the allocation of aircraft for each division was roughly similar, the U.S. 101st Airborne Division, under Major General Maxwell D. Taylor, landing at Nijmegen would use only one lift. The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, under Major General James M. Gavin, at Grave required two lifts while the British 1st Airborne Division, under Major-General Roy Urquhart, at Arnhem would need three lifts. Whereas the two American divisions delivered at least three-quarters of their infantry in their first lift, the 1st Airborne's similar drop used only half its capacity for infantry and the remainder to deliver vehicles and artillery.[21]

Map of the Arnhem area showing the planned drop and landing zones.

The 1st Airborne Division had the required airlift capacity to deliver all three parachute brigades with their glider-borne anti-tank weapons or two of the parachute brigades and the airlanding brigade on day one. Instead however, the vast majority of the division's vehicles and heavy equipment, plus the 1st Parachute Brigade, most of the 1st Airlanding Brigade and divisional troops were to be on the first lift, with the rest to follow over the next two days.[21] Following the first lift, the airlanding brigade would remain at the landing grounds to defend them for the following day's lifts, while the parachute brigade set out alone to capture the bridges and ferry crossing on the River Rhine.[22]

On 17 September 1944, the first day of the operation, fifty-seven gliders carried the regimental headquarters and the 1st and 3rd batteries to Arnhem.[23] The 2nd Battery and the remaining men of the regimental headquarters were on the second day's lift.[24]

With only three of the regiment's men travelling in the gliders, the two pilots stayed with the guns as drivers and to provide local protection, until the rest of the regiment assembled.[25] Immediately after landing the 3rd Battery set up their gun line to the east of landing zone 'Z'.[26] Meanwhile, the 1st Battery set up between the 3rd and the village of Wolfheze. Both were on call to support the 1st Parachute Brigade in their advance to the bridges, and the 1st Airlanding Brigade defending the landing zones.[27]

In the morning of the second day, 19 September, in order to support the paratroopers in Arnhem, the guns had to move to a new position beside the church in Oosterbeek. The batteries were set up on the slight high ground that existed to the north-east and north-west of the church.[28] At the Arnhem road bridge, the 2nd Parachute Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Frost, and some supporting units, were under attack by the reconnaissance battalion of the 9th SS Panzer Division, which was attempting to force a crossing. The regiment's guns were called into action and caused significant damage to the un-armoured vehicles, armoured cars and half-tracks.[29] Later they targeted German mortars firing at the 1st Parachute Battalion trying to fight through to the bridge in Arnhem.[30] Their guns were also called upon to break up German attacks on the landing zones, still defended by the 1st Airlanding Brigade, which were in danger of being overrun.[31] When the thirty-three gliders of the 2nd Battery that were on the second lift, arrived from around 15:00, one of their guns was damaged on landing and had to be left behind.[32] By that afternoon, the attempt to fight through to the 2nd Parachute Battalion at the Arnhem bridge had failed and the remnants of four battalions involved started arriving at the regiment's position.[33]

75 mm gun and crew at Oosterbeek, 20 September 1944.

On 20 September the division had been forced into a perimeter around Oosterbeek. The regiment was provided with local protection by five flights of the Glider Pilot Regiment.[nb 3] A group made up from the remnants of the 1st Parachute Brigade known as Lonsdale Force was to their right. While on the left was 'D' Company, 1st Battalion, Border Regiment.[35] All that morning the Germans using tanks, self propelled artillery and infantry attempted to break through the British line and reach the regiment's guns from the east.[36]

On 21 September, the fifth day of the operation, the Germans again attacked from the east and got within 300 yards (270 m) of the guns. Engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, infantry support was requested and the guns were firing at point blank range.[37] German artillery attacked the gun line killing and wounding a number of men.[38] Amongst the wounded was the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson.[39] One of the men defending the guns was Major Robert Cain who was part of Lonsdale force. Cain was wounded disabling a Tiger tank, after which he brought one of the regiment's guns forward to finish it off. Cain was later awarded the Victoria Cross, for this and other actions during the battle.[40] By the end of the days fighting the regiment's stock of ammunition was running out.[41]

By 22 September, XXX Corps had advanced close enough to Arnhem for their artillery to participate in the battle.[42] But it was the 1st Airlanding Regiment's guns that broke up a German attack on the glider pilots positions just after 07:00 that morning.[43] The following days took on the same pattern until the night of 25/26 September, when the remnants of the 1st Airborne Division were withdrawn south of the River Rhine. The gunners fired their remaining ammunition and then disabled the guns, so they could not be used by the Germans.[44] Of the regiment's 372 men who went to Arnhem, 136 were evacuated, 200 were reported missing and thirty-eight were killed.[45][46]

After Arnhem the regiment and division was brought back up to strength, but the war ended before they were ready for further operations. Then in May 1945, the 1st Airborne Division was sent to Norway to disarm and repatriate the German occupation army. Code named Operation Doomsday for their part the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment were sent to Stavanger. In June some men left to join the 53rd (Worcester Yeomanry) Airlanding Light Regiment, part of the 6th Airborne Division. The rest of the regiment returned to England in August and was disbanded on 1 December 1945.[3]