1939 The Second World War WWII
Artillery and Empire: The Sussex Yeomanry in the Second World War
The ‘Anschluss’ (the political union of Austria with Germany) had taken place in March 1938. Czechoslovakia's German-speaking Sudetenland region was then occupied in October of the same year, with the remainder of Bohemia and Moravia becoming a ‘puppet’ state of the Nazi regime six months later. Lithuania also relinquished Memel to Germany in March 1939.
Despite the agreements previously made with Britain and France during 1938 that there would be no further territorial expansion by Germany, the Polish regions of Pomerania, Poznan and Silesia were invaded by Nazi forces on the 1st September 1939, under the pretence of them requiring direct and uninterrupted access to the legitimate German territory of East Prussia.
Britain and France demanded Germany’s immediate withdrawal from Poland, and when this wasn’t met, they declared war on 3rd September 1939.
When the Territorial Force reformed in 1920, of the 54 yeomanry regiments in existence, only the senior 14 were retained in a ‘cavalry’ role, becoming armoured-car reconnaissance regiments. The vast majority of the remainder became artillery field formations (who still used horses to pull the guns).
Additionally, 14 of the Yeomanry regiments being re-rolled to the Royal Field Artillery would merge into geographically adjacent artillery ‘brigades.’ During 1922, the Surrey Yeomanry merged with Sussex Yeomanry to become the 98th (Sussex & Surrey Yeomanry (Queen Mary’s)) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (TA).
Headquartered in Clapham, it consisted of 3 batteries of 18-pounder guns and an additional howitzer battery. 389 Battery was in Brighton, with a detachment in Lewes, 390 Battery was in Chichester, with a detachment in Horsham. Both 391 and 392 Battery were located in Clapham, with a detachment in Guildford.
By the outbreak of World War 2 in September 1939, the British Army was fully mechanised, no longer requiring horses to support its wartime operations. Once war was declared, the 98th Brigade was split into two, two-battery regiments to provide greater flexibility.
389 Battery and 390 Battery becoming 144th (Sussex and Surrey Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery and 391 Battery and 392 Battery continuing as 98th (Sussex and Surrey Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. A third unit, 74th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery, would form from a cadre provided by 144th Field Regiment during January 1940.
98th (Sussex and Surrey Yeomanry, QMR) Royal Artillery
Upon mobilisation, the regiment mustered at Worthing before deploying to the French-Belgium border with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in late September 1939.
On May 10, 1940, following the anticipated German invasion of the Low Countries, the regiment advanced into Belgium to establish defensive positions along the Dyle River near Wavre with its World War I-era 18-pounder guns. After the BEF was outflanked by German panzer formations, the 98th withdrew to Dunkirk, destroying its vehicles and disabling its guns en route to prevent capture by the enemy.
Evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk at the end of May, the now understrength and poorly equipped regiment became a ’Home Force’ asset of Southern Command in the Portsmouth and Havant area during December 1940. A third battery, 421 Bty, was formed in January 1941.
Re-equipped with new 25 Pounder guns in April 1941, it served as the depot regiment at the Royal School of Artillery, Larkhill, from August to November 1941. In May 1942, it was instructed to prepare for overseas deployment and, in August, embarked for Egypt, travelling the ‘long way round’ via South Africa.
Once in Egypt, it joined the 10th Armoured Division at Kabrit, participating in the 2nd Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. Early in 1943, the regiment relocated from Cairo to Alexandria and was re-equipped with the M7 Priest, an American 105mm howitzer mounted on the chassis of the M3 tank.
The regiment took part in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and provided fire support for operations to capture the Primosole Bridge across the Simeto River.
By September 1943, it was fighting its way up the Adriatic coast of Italy as part of the 8th Army, its guns supporting operations to secure the Trigno River and the Sangro defensive line.
Redeployed to Italy's west coast in late 1943, the regiment faced perhaps its most intense fighting of the war during the spring of 1944, with its guns supporting the Allied offensive against the ‘Gustav’ defensive line, the crossing of the Garigliano River, Monte d’Argento, Minturno Ridge, Rapido River, and at Monte Cassino. Heavy, incessant rain and the resulting mud added an unwanted dimension to the fighting.
Once Monte Cassino was secured in May 1944, the regiment moved north to support the capture of the ‘Hitler’ defensive line. Rome was occupied in June 1944, and although the Italian campaign continued, the landings in Normandy became the primary theatre of operation.
In March 1945, the 98th joined the 2nd Army and was deployed to the Lubeck area of Germany as part of the Allied occupation forces until June 1946, although demobilisation had started in October 1945.
144th (Sussex and Surrey Yeomanry, QMR) Royal Artillery
Unlike her sister regiment (98th) that went to France with the BEF, the 144th stayed in the United Kingdom as a formation of Home Forces within Southern Command until November 1940 when it deployed to Sudan via Egypt, as part of the 5th (Indian) Division.
Assigned to ‘Gazelle Force’ during January 1941, they moved into Eritrea, an Italian East African colony since 1890. During the battle for the strategically important road and railway crossroad town of Keren, 390 Bty was charged by 250 men of the locally recruited Amhara Cavalry on the 24th January 1941, the last cavalry charge ever made against the British Army.
The guns of the 144th, conventional, towed 25-pounders also supported the British and Indian troops during the fighting at Amba Alagi. In June 1941, the regiment returned to Egypt and in September deployed into the Western Desert (Libya) against Rommel’s Afrika Korps as part of the 70th Infantry Division.
It would take part in the Siege of Tobruk, the Breakout from Tobruk, and Sidi Rezegh. In January 1942, the regiment joined the 4th Indian Division, continuing in Libya until May 1942 when it deployed to Habbaniya in central Iraq, via Syria, joining 10th Army.
A third battery, 552 Battery was added to the regiment whilst in Iraq. In October 1943 the regiment returned to Egypt, becoming the depot regiment for the Middle East School of Artillery at Almaza near Alexandria.
In March 1944, as part of the 31st Indian Division, the regiment deployed to Baalbek in Lebanon. (With the fall of France in 1940, Lebanon and Syria came under the control of Vichy France, until the British occupied the region in July of 1941). The 144th would stay in Lebanon on policing and public order duties until September 1945, when the 144th returned to England via Almaza, Egypt.
74th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery
Formed from a 64-man cadre provided by the 144th, 74th Medium Regiment, formed in Brighton in January 1940 as a two Battery regiment (A Bty and B Bty) and was part of the Corps artillery assets of XII Corps.
The regiment stayed in the UK until December 1942 when it deployed to Algeria with 1st Army on Operation Torch.
Their guns, the BL 5.5 inch, supported the fighting at Bou Arada and the push into Tunisia during January 1943.
In September 1943 they participated in the Invasion of Sicily and the fighting in Italy, supporting Allied operations at San Angelo, the Volturno River, Monte Camino, Monte Cassino, Lake Trasimeno, Largano and Senio River.
The regiment disbanded in Italy during December 1945.