War Diary of J Battery, Royal Horse Artillery 1944

War Diaries of J Battery, Royal Horse Artillery

1944

Home	1939	1940	1941 and 1942
	1943	1945

January to November 1944

Missing

December 1944 "J" Bty. RHA. 3rd Regiment R.H.A. Commanding Officer: Lt-Col J.A. NORMAN, D.S.O., RHA.
Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
MANESTRATT	1 Dec		The Battery is still at MANESTRATT. Our O.Ps have been relieved by 5 R.H.A. and we are standing down. 1/7 Queens have been disbanded and 2 Devons have taken their place
			Amn. Exp. Nil.
MANESTRATT	2 -5 Dec		These were four very quiet days during which no firing was done, The Battery is still standing down
NEEROETEREN	6 Dec		After a quiet morning the Battery moved to a leaguer area NEEROETEREN.
NEEROETEREN	7 Dec		Recce parties went to SITTARD and spend the night there.
LEIJENBROEK	8 Dec		A wet day. The Battery moved of at 1030hrsm and went south, crossed the MAAS at BERG and came into action at LEIJENBROEK. "J" Battery relieved a Batteru of 55 Fld. Regt. (Guards Armd Div). TAC HQ was established with Bn HQ 2 Devons at OVERHOVEN. Capt. Smith occupied O.P, in the tower of KASTEEL MILLEN. Shooting was confirmed to registration
LEIJENBROEK	9 Dec		The guns has difficulty in getting into this position, particularly "C" Troop, This morning, therefore, work was begun on the improvement of the approaches to the gun positions
			Capt. Smith was relieved by Lt. Foster at the Battery O.P.. A certain amount of observed shooting was done - largely registrations and harassing of enemy diggings. We also took part in two Mike targets on enemy mortars, one south of SUSTERN and one south-west of HAVERT. Amn. exp, 80.
LEIJENBROEK	10 Dec		The C.R.A. visited the Battery this morning. We engaged M and ? targets during the afternoon but there is little of interest to report, Amn.exp. 170
LEIJENBROEK	11 Dec		Another fairly quite day, with little observed shooting on suspected O.P. Amn. exp. 150. Lt Holmes has been posted to "M" Bty
LEIJENBROEK	12 Dec		The Battery was engaged on M targets throughout the day.
			Work still continues on the improvement of the gun positions. Amn/ exp. 166.
LEIJENBROEK	13 Dec		A very quiet day with nothing to report. Amn. exp. 21.
LEIJENBROEK	14 Dec		A Corps counter-battery programme was organised today to cover all know hostile batteries on the Corps front. Otherwise little firing was done. Amn. exp. 198.
LEIJENBROEK	15 Dec		Lt. Griffiths took over the O.P. today. We fire two retaliations targets today in replay to enemy shelling of the MILLEN - OVERHOVEN areas. A quiet day. Amn. exp. 101
LEIJENBROEK	16 Dec		Lt. Griffiths occupied the Battery O.P. again today. The morning was occupied with a counter-battery programme. We joined in Uncle targets on ISENBRUCH and KONINGBOSCH and "C" Troop engaged an enemy occupied house west of NIEUWSTADT.
			Two more retaliation targets were engaged and the O.P. registered two houses believed to be occupied by the enemy. Lt. Brown too over the O.P,.in the afternoon. Amn. exp. 100.
LEIJENBROEK	17 Dec		From 0300 to 0530 hrs we stood to, ready to engage a short fire plan in support of a fighting patrol sent out by 1/5 Queens, but no fire was asked for. Using "C" Troop Lt. Brown engaged a house and enemy diggings. A Q target was also fired on an 88mm, north-east of SCHALBRUCHT . The Battery took part in five M targets on hostile batteries. Lt. Anson took over the O.P. at 1600hrs. Amn. exp. 276
LEIJENBROEK	18 Dec		A very quiet day with no shooting. Capt. Stokes relieved Lt. Anson at 1700hrs. The Battery moved to EINIGHAUSEN at last light. Amn. exp. NIL.
			MAJOR. S. BAYLEY AWARDED M.C.
EINGHAUSEN	19 Dec		Capt. Stokes fired two Q targets - one behind an enemy smoke screen and on an area of small arms fire. The Battery took part in M, U and V targets on enemy guns.
			Amn. Exp. 104.
EINIGHAUSEN	20 Dec		DF tasks were engaged during the night. Capt. Stokes fires a retaliation target this morning and also harassed a working party and an area of enemy movement. U & V targets were fired on enemy guns. Amn. Exp, 253.
EINIGHAUSEN	21 Dec		Quite a busy day. Mortars were engaged near HONGEN, tracked moverment at ANN DEN POPELAAR, and an hostile battery north of SUSTEREN. Lt J.M.L Brittain R.A. has joined the battery as "C" Troop Leader, The Padre - Rev. G.R. Charlesworth is staying with the Battery for one week. Amn, exp. 140.
EINIGHAUSEN	22 Dec		Two targets were engaged near HONGEN - a mortar and a working party. We also took part in two V targets, and then the Battery indulged in a little retaliation for enemy shelling on our immediate front. Amn. exp, 226.
EINIGHAUEN	23 Dec		The Battery took part in V targes on SAEFFELEN and KONINGSBOSCH and in bombards on hostile guns and mortars. Otherwise a quiet day, Amn. exp, 126.
EINIGHAUSEN	24 Dec		The day passed with a little miscellaneous shooting including a V target on SUSTEREN. Lt. Quilter was evacuated sick. Amn, exp. 192.
EINIGHAUSEN	25 Dec		This was a very quiet day, the only shooting being one V target. "D" Troop and half of headquarters were off duty and had their Christmas diner today. The B.C. attended both Troop dinners and contributed to the festivities by singing two songs. Amn. exp. 38.
EINIGHAUSEN	26 Dec		"D" Troop and the other half of BHQ. are off duty today. Firing was again limited to one V target. Amn. exp. 21
EINIGHAUSEN	27 Dec		This was another quiet day. 2 Devons were relieved by 9 DLI and moved back to rest. The O.Ps and TAC HQ returned to the gun area. The Battery joined in two counter-battery bombards, but apart from that there is nothing to report. Amn. exp, 22.
EINIGHAUSEN	28 Dec		We engaged an U target on SPAAMSCHJUISEEN, a V target south east of KONINGSBOSCH and a Q target north of HEILDER. Otherwise it was quiet again. Capt. J.W. Dowdeswell M.C. R.A. has joined the Battery as Battery Captain. Amn. exp 76.
EINIGHAUSEN	29 Dec		There was a light fall of snow overnight. A number of M and V targets were engaged during the day. The targets were mainly enemy guns. Amn. exp. 96.
EINIGHAUSEN	30 Dec		The Battery was visited by the C.R.A. this morning. The days was a quiet one on the whole. Amn. exp. 26
EINIGHAUSEN	31 Dec		Capt. Lawrence has been posted to Div HQ as SCRA.
			We fired two V and one U targets during the day. Then from 1900hrs onwards we were standing to in support of two fighting patrols one from 9 DLI and one from 1/5 Queens. We fired in support of the latter at approximately 2000hrs and in support of 9 DLI at 2045hrs.
			Later in the evening we fired an U target on trench systems and finally closed the old year and brought in the new one with a V target on SCHALBRUCHT at midnight. Amn/ exp. 265.

Home	1939	1940	1941 and 1942
	1943	1945

Previous Year

Next Year