War Diaries For 21 Field Squadron, 621 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 1943

War Diaries of 21 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers

1943

(Summary of key events)

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January 1943 Commanding Officer: Major H R Carr
Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
	1		Mine clearing
	2		Mine lifting continued
	3		Working party of 240 men from Queens arrive on TAMET LG to fill in furrows under RE supervision. Work discontinued at midday due to bad dust conditions.
	4		As above
	5		As above
	6		Sqn area machine gunned in the afternoon by 6 Macchis with Messerschmitt escort.
	8		Work completed
	9		Tidy up. CE 8^th Army visited.
	10		“Make & mend” day.
	11		Moved to R(X)9956
	12		CRE conference for coming battle. Sqn under command 22 Armd Bde on 13 Jan.
	13		Waiting for 22 Armd Bde to give RV
	14		Sqn moved to (R)X8172. 2TP under 12 Lancers 3TP, 3 dets, 1RB, 5RTR, 4CLY
	16		Bde moves forward across Wadi Zem Zem to area rS25.05
	17		Bde moves forward to Wadi Sofeggin rS08.47
	19		3TP clears road Zliten – Bir Dofan of mines.
	20		3TP moves to main road 5km E of Zliten filling in road craters and making deviations.
	25-30		Working No’s on Spanish Mole (think this could possibly be Tripoli harbour)

Troops walk up the field using eye and prodding to locate mines. When a mine was discovered a sapper was detached to see if it was part of a belt, and he was then sent off on his own to lift the whole belt.

464 Teller

432 “S” mines.

February 1943 Commanding Officer: Major H R Carr
Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
	3		Unit gets polished for PM visit. Check parade held.
	4		Parade held in Tripoli for PM
	6		Sea Wall Tripoli completed
	9		Moved 07:15 to (Q)P.4567 south of Zuara
	10		Maintain road Sabratha - Pisida
	11		Maintain road Sabratha - Pisida
	14		Moved to Si Tui at first light
	15		Leaguered 18:00 at (Q)0.7481. Clearing mines – track Si Tui to Ben Gardan. All clear by 16 – 2 sappers wounded and evacuated.
	18		Moved at 15:00 to Ben Gardan.
	28		07:30 left for Medenine, arrived 11:00, leaguered E.7082 400 Hawkins mines laid in front of Queen’s FDL’s. Three compressors to blast FDL’s

March 1943 - Missing

Appendix To War Diary For March 1943

Attached are given full reports of the part played by 1 and XX troops, 21^st Field Squadron, R.E., during the attck on the “Horseshoe” feature feature(Pt xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) on the night of 16^th March 1943 by Gde Bde.

Before the attack it was believed that this position was a lightly held out-post of the MARETH line and preparations were made accordingly, but it was proved in fact to be a portion of the main defences, heavily wired and mined, (A.Tk and A. Pers.) and strongly defended by 47 and 361 Panzer Grenadier Regts.

Although parties of Guardsmen reached 3 out of 4 of their objectives, it was found impossible to “mop up” or get up supporting vehicles. Very fierce and xxxx fighting took place all over the feature and heavy casualties were inflicted on both sides before xxx Bde withdrew.

Major Carr

C.O. 21^st Field Squadron, R.E.

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April 1942 - Missing

Strength of Unit: 6 Officers & 216 O.Rs. (1 Tp still det.) Work continued on clearing mines off XXXX L.G Spr Bannister killed lifting Tellermine. Official notification received of the immediate award of M.C. to Lieut. P. Deavin and M.M. L/Sgt. G Blackley.

Mine lifting continued and main portion of L.G. clear by evening. Div Cmd visited Sqn. HQ. during the afternoon. Working party of X40 men from 1\5 & 1\6 Queens arrived on XXXX L.G. to fill in furrows under RE supervision. Work discontinued at midday due to bad dust conditions.

Working party arrived again, but only completed half a day’s work due to dust.

Work continued in furrow filling under RE supervision. Remainder of sappers concentrated on looking for mines in the rough xxxx round the xxxx of the L.G. Spr. Gunn slightly wounded by “S” mine.

Another day’s work on furrows by working party. A/OC left to visit CRE and 1 Tp. Still on detachment with 4 Lt. Armd Bde. Sqn area machine-gunned in the afternoon by 6 Macchis with Mesherschmitt xxxx. Spr. Morgan wounded.

Inf working party continued on L.G. A/OC returned to Sqn. HQ. 2 Tp provided small detachment to deal with “thermos” bombs in 131 Inf Bde area.

Work completed on L.G. by Inf. 7 men returned from hospital.

Sqn tidied up round L.G., wiring in and marking as minefields all areas of scrub not detected.

CE Eight Army visited unit on his way to 7 Armd Div.

“Make and mend” day.

Moved to xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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161\162

21^st Field Squadron, R.E.

2 April 1943

May to July 1942 - Missing

By the end of August 1943, 21 Field Park Squadron RE, had been re-designated as 621 Field Park Squadron, RE.

War Diaries of 621 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers

1943

(Summary of key events)

August 1943 - Missing

September 1943 Commanding Officer:
Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
	16		Embarked LST367 in Tripoli Harbour
	17		LST
	18		LST
	19		Disembarked near mouth of R Tusciano at 14:30 after some difficulty with sandbank. No sign of enemy opposition.
	22		Orders received for impending attack. 7AD to follow up 46 Div through Cava pass.
	23		Div attack started at 03:00
	26		Very wet night
	27		Spent night on roadside at Mercarello
	28		06:00 Breakfast in Salerno . Moved up to Cava pass. Built 70’ DS Bailey south of Scafati, started 11:45, completed 17:35. Enemy driven out of Scafati.
	30		Leaguer moved to Pompei. Maintenance party left on bridge.

October 1943 Commanding Officer:
Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
	2		An RE recce of one White with Sgt Armes accompanied by 11 Hussars into Marigliano. The White was shot up and the 11 Hussars White, just behind it, was hit and brewed up. All crews bailed out. The White was abandoned in the middle of the road but Spr Spiers went back and got it under cover of some houses. Owing to his courage and initiative the White was recovered intact.
Volturno	13		2 & 3 TPs ordered up. Very difficult bank and sites but sufficient preparation made to raft by 22:30 hours. Rafting commenced at 00:30, finished 04:45, 4 six pounder guns, 4 jeeps and ammunition ferried over. One arty concentration. One boat holed, both ferrying wires cut and Spr Molyneux of 3TP wounded.
	16		Ferrying of carriers commenced but river too shallow to ferry and too deep to ford. Only got one over with difficulty. Several jeeps again ferried across.
	18		3TP on making proper job of ford completed by 12:00 – all tanks safely across.
	20		3TP complete ferrying of CLY – 56 tanks in all. 3TP on clearing up river of assault boats, rafts ect.
	21		Repair road craters and demolished bridges NW of Brezza. 3TP took over at 18:30, the way was through by 02:00
	24		Recce parties for CLY & 1/6 Queens provided by 3TP.
	27		Moved from Grazzinise to Villa Liturno on exchange of front between 7AD and 46 Div. 2TP & HQ in houses in town. 1TP & 3TP preferred to move out of town into the fields outside as the town is the usual Italian dirty condition. Time to be spent in resting, kit inspections ect. Water point installed by 3TP in Villa Liturno.
	28		Outings arranged to Santa Maria
	29		“Make & mend”
	30		3TP moved up under command of 131 Bde.
	31		3TP remained under comd. An unlucky shell near a recce White killed L/Sgt Armes and Spr Hilden. Following wounded; Spr Spiers, Spr Cain, Spr McCririe.

November 1943 Commanding Officer:
Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
942727	2		Via Appia
	17		Moved into billets at Castellamare. Fairly clean and dry but not mush comfort.
	24		Visit to Pompei. Interest waned after the paintings in the brothels had been seen.

December 1943 Commanding Officer: Major M.L. Crosthwait
Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
	11		3TP climbed Vesuvius
	17		Moved by road and rail from Castellamare to Casoria
	18		Transit camp Casoria
	19		Transit camp Casoria
	20		Marched Casoria to Naples . Embarked HMT Boissevain at Naples . Sailed 17:00.
	21		On board ship. Little food for troops. Voyage will be short on rations.
	23		Docked Oran
	24		Oran
	25		Oran . Rum issue.
	26		Left Oran.

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