The Third Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment and the Greek Campaign, April 1941

LIVERPOOL AN RTR STRONGHOLD

Captain (Retd) Dean Hutton

Liverpool has a long history of involvement with the British Military of all three Services and particularly the Royal Tank Regiment. Liverpool and Merseyside has always been the main recruiting area for 1 RTR and remains a major recruiting area for the Royal Tank Regiment. Some recent events have cemented the relationship between us.

ROYAL TANK REGIMENT SOLDIERS HONOURED BY THE CITY OF LIVERPOOL

On the 13th December 2020 Troops from four Salisbury Plain Regiments were among those given the Freedom of the City of Liverpool for their work on Covid-19 testing, including Soldiers from the Royal Tank Regiment worked on the project and each Member was presented with a Commemorative Coin for their efforts.

2,000 troops were included on the project. They've carried out 200,000 rapid Covid tests in that time, testing about a third of the population.

As a thank you for their hard work, the Units were awarded highest civic honour possible - the FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF LIVERPOOL. Brigadier Joe Fossey received the honour from the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Anna Rothery

A scroll was handed to the Commander of the programme - Brigadier Joe Fossey which Read:

"At the height of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020, The Associated Regiments of the British Army led by 8 Engineer Brigade on behalf of Standing Joint Command (United Kingdom) were assigned to support the City of Liverpool in its fight against the pandemic in co-ordinating and providing mass testing across the city. The city acknowledges the fantastic contribution of all personnel in such difficult and unprecedented times and thanks them all for their outstanding leadership."

The testing programme in Liverpool is credited with helping to bring down the Covid-19 infection rate locally from a peak of 680 cases per 100,000 people to under 100 within just six weeks.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Anna Rothery said: It was also a deciding factor in helping the area move from Tier 3 to Tier 2 following the lockdown.

"We are bestowing the highest civic honour on the Regiments involved in the testing pilot because of the huge contribution they have made to our communities during their time here. "The City of Liverpool has a long and deeprooted association with the Armed Forces, and we are tremendously proud of the contribution made by service personnel, both here and abroad, to communities that need their support."

Brigadier Joe Fossey says it's come as a bit of a shock:

"We're very touched and it's evidence of just how warm the recognition has been throughout our time. The soldiers are thinking 'we weren't expecting that'!

"I think if your measure of success of any pilot programme is in how you can quickly test, adjust, and then deliver in different cities and different ways, I think then this has been enormously successful. This is just the start of the asymptomatic testing journey and we're mighty proud to have been involved at the start.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Major General Sir Lawrence New CB, CBE, CCMI

Tim Strickland’s biography of his Father is that of an ex 4 RTR Trooper who commanded three British armoured Regiments in World War Two and later a Bedouin Armed Car Regiment in the Jordanian Army. He rose from penniless hardship to great military distinction.

His is the extraordinary tale of a man who gained a Regular Commission in the Indian Army from Sandhurst but resigned soon afterwards. After a series of intriguing adventures, he then enlisted as a private soldier in the Royal Tank Corps. In May 1940, he played a major part in the counterattack at Arras, where two British infantry tank battalions held up the German advance for three days, enabling the success of the Dunkirk evacuation - and perhaps saving Britain from ultimate defeat in the process.

Strick's outstanding success as a Troop Sergeant in France saw him immediately (re-) commissioned, and his rise to high command was then swift. He commanded the North Irish Horse in Tunisia in 1943, and then in its greatest battle - breaking the Hitler Line in Italy in 1944. He served in seven Regiments and had four Regimental commands. This book focuses on his experience during World War II, drawing out the unique qualities required of leaders in close-combat battle, the particular demands of armoured infantry cooperation, and how an individual can make a success of such a rapid rise through the ranks during wartime.

This fine story of adventure and achievement is brought alive by Strick's remarkable correspondence – he wrote home to his family every second or third day throughout the war, except when action was too fierce to write - supplemented by the recollections of his comrades and years of archival research. More than a portrait of a gifted and morally courageous man, this biography also offers an insight into the arts of command and tactical control, and the difficulties of a family life fragmented by war.

For members and ex-members of the Regiment there will be the additional satisfaction of seeing the Arras Counter-Attack battle and subsequent fighting withdrawal to the coast being given the attention it has long deserved. It can be pre-ordered from Casemate publishing

www.casematepublishing.co.uk/strick. html

THE THIRD BATTALION, ROYAL TANK REGIMENT AND THE GREEK CAMPAIGN, APRIL 1941

Lt Col PJW Macro RTR

Following on from my article in last year’s Tank describing the involvement of The Third Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment (3RTR) in the defence of Calais 1940, this narrative will look at the 1941 Campaign in Greece. Again I will focus on 3RTR rather than the strategic picture or the other units.

The war diary for the period has survived, but is sparse in detail, certainly inaccurate in places, and has the hallmarks of being reconstructed in retrospect. The Tank Museum holds copies of a number of narrative reports by those involved1 which include one almost certainly written by Lieutenant Colonel Keller. I have drawn on these and also the reminiscences of the officers and soldiers of the Third quoted in William Moore’s Panzer Bait and Patrick Delaforce’s Taming the Panzers, as well as the archives of the Imperial War Museum.

On 24 February 1941, at El-Qassasin, Egypt, 3RTR received the order to mobilise. They also reported the death of 27 year old 7882953 Serjeant Alfred Graver. There are no further details of his death but he had been married to Constance, although the marriage was childless. The Regiment received administrative instructions on 25, 26 and 27 February 1941. On 27 February 1 Armd. Bde left El-Qassasin and 3RTR were ordered under control of 1 Armd Div. On 28 February, lists of deficiencies were drawn up and surplus vehicles returned to R.V.S. Abbassia. These new orders were not a complete surprise to the Regiment. Back in late January, 3RTR had handed over 28 new Cruiser Mk. IVA tanks to 5 RTR and received 28 old Mk IIA’s in replacement. No reasons had been given at the time for the exchange and this caused considerable resentment amongst the crews. The Third had also been returned from “Charing Cross” (near Marsa Matruh, 240 km west of Alexandria) to El-Qassasin and chopped from 3 Armd Bde back to 1 Armd Bde. Finally kit issues had been made of warm temperate clothing. Given the strategic situation and the previous declarations made by Britain, the troops, by now, already had a pretty good idea that they were bound for Greece.

The Third moved to Alexandria in early March 1941. B echelon moved by road, overnighting at Mena, while the Battalion tanks were entrained on two separate trains at Tel-el-Kebir station. A Rear Party remained to clear up the camp area reporting some disorganisation due to torrential rains and flooding of the camp area. At Alexandria, once detraining was completed, tanks were dispersed around two separate areas of the dockyard. Tank crews bivouacked by their tanks and fed themselves from rations issued daily. In due course 3RTR’s tanks were loaded onto the SS Clan Macaulay (HQ and C Sqn) and the SS Senegalese Prince (A and B Sqns).

SS Clan Macaulay (Later sunk near Malta)

The crews then bivouacked on the decks, cooking for themselves on tank cookers. Brens and Besas were mounted as AA guns. The Third’s transport was also loaded onto the ships which departed from Alexandria 6 March and arrived in Piraeus 8 March with convoy AG2. The remainder of the Third embarked on the AA Cruiser HMS Bonaventure which sailed in company with the cruisers York and Gloucester with convoy AG4 overnight 9 – 10 March 1941.

HMS Bonaventure. (Sunk by an Italian submarine off Crete 31 March 1941). Credit IWM.

The Third disembarked, under the eyes of the German consul, and went into camp at Glyphada approximately 7 miles East of Athens. The tanks were unloaded in Piraeus on the morning of 12 March 1941. The regimental transport was unloaded first and moved straight out to Glyphada. Tanks were unloaded and bivouacked in the dock area until midnight 13 – 14 March 1941. The Battalion then moved by Troops through Piraeus to camp area at Glyphada. The tanks were dispersed in squadron areas and the troops bivouacked. It was reported to be very cold and rained. Some of the waiting time was occupied by naming tanks. Bob Crisp’s troop in C Squadron became “Cool”, “Calm” and Collected”. For tank crews there was the opportunity to slip into Athens to sample the nightlife. This was not the case for B Echelon, which was under the command of Major R.N. Wilson left Glyphada in rain and snow that night. With this road party was Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant, newly promoted Staff Serjeant Bill Close. The route given was Athens – Thebes – Leveda – Lamia – Larissa – Kozani – Amyntaion. In atrocious conditions the column speed was around 8 mph. The column halted on the night 14 – 15 March a mile south of Levedia in 4-6 inches of snow with nowhere to get off the road. In the morning the route for B Echelon was changed to the coast road via Thermopylae to avoid the snowbound Lamia Pass. The Echelon spent the night at Lamia before arriving just south of Amyntaion on the evening of 16th March.

Meanwhile the tank crews were having an equally miserable move by train, still in two packets, with HQ and B Squadron tanks about 12-18 hours ahead of A and C Squadrons. Bob Crisp noted that there was just one carriage at the head of the line of flats for officers and the SNCOs attached to squadron headquarters. Trooper Fred Dale of 3 Troop, A Squadron stated;

“We had no chains so we had to bolt planks to the wooden floors. There were no carriages for the crews so we had to make bivveys on the back of the tank flats. By this time the blizzards were howling down from the mountains.”

Trooper Jim Caswell of “B” Squadron described the journey; “The train thundered along night and day, through tunnels and round passes. We stopped occasionally mainly to take on water, then we dashed to the engine to get some boiling water to brew some tea, to swill the bully beef and biscuits down. The train driver, at first a little puzzled, became quite cooperative as time went on. We eventually arrived at Amyntaion station, unloaded the tanks and drove them to an olive grove and covered them with local greenery.” A and C Squadrons arrived at Amyntaion on 18 March 1941 and took up their areas on the ridge two miles south of the town with HQ and B Squadrons. Tank crews dug in and bivouacked, feeding by tank cookers. Regimental HQ was positioned in a house near the station. Everything was camouflaged carefully and crews tried to keep civilians away from the tanks. The weather was very cold with snow and rain. During the period 19 to 22 March 1941 the Third’s Squadrons made extensive recces of the area north of the Veve Pass and Monastir Gap up to the Yugoslav frontier. All routes, paths and villages were explored. The countryside was noted as being very suitable for A10 tanks, if complete reliance could be placed on the tracks, which unfortunately were old and needed replacement badly. The locals were very friendly but the country was very hilly. On 4 April 1941 all the Third’s Squadrons entrained at Amyntaion for a move to Plati and then on to the area south of the Bulgarian frontier. However, the following day the move was cancelled. The Squadrons detrained again and moved back to their previous locations, except that A Squadron stayed on the ridge south of Amyntaion. The Greek campaign, codenamed ‘Operation Marita’ by the Germans, commenced at dawn on 6 April 1941, when the Germans simultaneously attacked Greece through Bulgaria and Yugoslavia in a pincer movement designed to encircle the Greek troops fighting the Italians on the Albanian front. As the German armies were already in Bulgaria the Luftwaffe began an intensive bombardment of Belgrade and Athens. XL Panzer Corps pushed across the Bulgarian frontier into Yugoslavia. At the same time XVIII Mountain Corps also entered Yugoslavia and Greece from Bulgaria and advanced westward through the Struma Valley, while XXX Corps advanced from Bulgaria into eastern Greece. Luftwaffe bombers led by Hans-Joachim 'Hajo' Herrmann attacked shipping in Piraeus. SS Clan Fraser was in port unloading arms and 200 tons of TNT. At 0315 hours she was hit and destroyed when the TNT exploded. During the day the whole of 3RTR’s B Echelon moved to an area one mile north of Komanos. Due to heavy rain the area was made impassable and a recce was carried out for an alternative area. The CO also ordered Lt Eeley and the scout car troop up to the Yugoslav frontier with orders to get in touch with any Yugoslav troops. If necessary, the troop was to enter Yugoslavia in order to obtain information. This troop went right through to Monastir and on to Skopje where contact was made with light elements of the German advance.

By the evening of 8 April 1941 the German 73rd Infantry Division (XL Panzer Corps, Lt General Georg Stumme) captured Prilep, severing an important rail line between Belgrade and Thessaloniki and isolating Yugoslavia from its allies. A Squadron of 3RTR moved to the Sotei ridge. They took up positions covering the main Kozani to Florina road and the southern edge of Veve Pass. On the evening of 9 April 1941, XL Panzer Corps deployed forces north of Monastir, in preparation for an attack towards Florina. This position threatened to encircle the Greeks in Albania and the British “W” Force in the area of Florina, Edessa and Katerini. While weak security detachments covered the rear against a surprise attack from central Yugoslavia, elements of the 9th Panzer Division drove westward to link up with the Italians at the Albanian border. Meanwhile, despite many delays along the mountain roads, an armoured advance guard dispatched toward Thessaloniki had succeeded in entering the city that morning. By the morning of 10 April, XL Panzer Corps had finished its preparations for the continuation of the offensive and advanced in the direction of Kozani. The 5th Panzer Division, advancing from Skopje encountered a Greek division tasked with defending Monastir Gap, rapidly defeating the defenders. First contact with Allied troops was made north of Vevi at 11:00 on 10 April.

On 10 April 1941 A Squadron was detached from the Third to come under command of 4th Hussars, and moved to the area of Proasteion Ridge, 1 mile south of Ptolmais. On the morning of 11 April 1941 scout cars of the Third, possibly pulling back from their earlier trip into Yugoslavia, contacted the enemy on the

Action at Ptolmais 13th April 1941.

Florina plain heading for the Amyntaion Gap south of Monastir. German SS troops seized Vevi on 11 April, but were stopped at the Klidi Pass just south of town. During the next day, the SS Regiment reconnoitred the Allied positions and at dusk launched a frontal attack against the pass. That morning it was decided the Gap was to be abandoned on 12/13 and the withdrawal was to be covered from a position on the Sotei ridge. At 1430 hours C Squadron was ordered to the Pantaleemon area to counter the threat of an enemy tank advance from Kelle. The going was very heavy, eight miles of ploughed vineyards, and the weather, snow and sleet didn’t help. Six tanks broke tracks and one had a cracked distributor. These had to be abandoned due to the lack of spares. They were destroyed after the machine guns and breach blocks had been removed. Bob Crisp describes; “Seven dense columns of black smoke spread their message of gloom over the Macedonian countryside that evening as the tanks burned in a series of violent detonations caused by exploding ammunition.” That evening, Crisp’s Number 9 Troop of Cool, Calm and Collected was the only C Squadron troop still intact. The Squadron took up positions to cover the southern exit of the pass. Meanwhile, A Squadron moved to the area south of Veve Pass to prevent an advance along the northern edge of the lake. At 2340, orders were received for B(2) Echelon to move to the area of Grevena. The night was reported as being very cold. At 0045 on the morning 12 April 1941, B(2) Echelon moved to Grevena. At dawn the threat from Kelle was announced as a false alarm and C Squadron moved back from Pantaleemon area to cover the line from Amyntaion to Vegora. Meanwhile 5 and 6 Troops of B Squadron were ordered to assist the withdrawal of artillery from Xynon to Neron. The artillery was not located but assistance was given to the Rangers and Australian troops. Orders were received to send B(1) Echelon to high ground south of the Alaiakhmon River line. C Squadron moved to the area east of B Squadron on the Amyntaion Ridge. German infantry attempting to close onto the ridge were prevented from coming closer than 500 yards by machine gun fire from B and C Squadrons. They remained on guard overnight to prevent infiltration by enemy infantry patrols but none were seen. It was another clear night with a moon but very cold. Bob Crisp describes the tension of waiting in the dark, knowing only enemy were to the front;

“We stared boggle-eyed from the turrets, peopling the night with creeping forms which slithered towards us through the bushes, every shrub was alive and alien; the silence rustled with malevolence”.

At daylight on 13 April 1941, Easter Sunday, the enemy could be seen conducting a recce down the Veve Pass towards 3RTR’s positions. However, his progress was difficult owing to road blocks and demolitions in the Pass. At about 0730 hours two enemy AFVs appeared but retired soon after. From around 0900 hours an enemy infantry attack developed from Xynon - Neron. The Germans opened fire on the Ridge with light artillery which initially caused no damage but subsequently one tank received two direct hits.

At around 1000 hours B and C Squadrons were ordered to retire through A Squadron (and the 4th Hussars) at Ptolmais. By 1300 hours C Squadron reformed at Komanos with four tanks (the remainder were

Shows Bob Crisp’s tank beneath the tree, covering the bridge over the RIVER VENETIKOS, before its fort was constructed. The officer in the peaked cap is believed to be Capt Plews. The broken track can be seen in the right foreground.

abandoned mainly due to track trouble; this included the tank “Collected” commanded, it is believed, by Bob Crisp’s troop corporal) while B reformed at Ponteokome with six tanks. Enemy forces then approached, and while shelling started on the right flank, the Germans initially approached 4th Hussars and Maj Simpson’s A Squadron straight down the road with motorcyclists and a couple of tanks. These were all claimed as knocked out by No 1 Troop, A Squadron, commanded by Lt Denis Bartlett who won the MC for this action. Enemy AFVs took the track to Ardessa on the left flank so No.2 Troop was sent to support 4th Hussars. However, the Germans still managed to outflank on the left (West). At approximately 1730 hours enemy tanks got within 400 yards of A Squadron’s position; the whole squadron opened fire from hull down positions and assisted by a battery of antitank guns of the Northumberland Hussars and one 25 pdr of 2 RHA, firing over open sights, inflicted considerable casualties. The tanks of the 4th Hussars withdrew under cover of a smoke screen from A Squadron HQ tanks assisted by C Squadron’s remaining smoke mortar tank. The German tanks withdrew as it began to get dark. At around 1930 hours, 3RTR was ordered to withdraw to a line South of the River Aliakman. Three B Squadron tanks were left as road blocks in Kozani. Between midnight and 0400 hours on 14 April 1941 crews began to arrive at B(1) Echelon and were fed. The 3RTR rearguard spent the night getting in three tanks which had to be towed. By daylight the rearguard reached a wooden bridge some 70 yards in length, with light handrails. The tanks were about the width of the bridge. The first tank across stripped the handrail. It was a very tricky piece of driving as the slightest mistake meant the tank plunging into the river 30 feet below. Some six tanks got safely across, thanks to the skill of the drivers. Bob Crisp at this stage was riding on the rear decks of a B Squadron tank, having been unhorsed from “Cool” when the fuel pump had broken the previous evening. Without spares, the A-10 had been destroyed. The rearguard was out of touch with Brigade and the CO, who was with it, did not know of a ford a mile or so downstream by which the rest of the Brigade had crossed.

From here on, the retreat degenerated into the confusion and chaos typical of such events, especially when conducted without air cover. By nightfall 15 April 3RTR, now down to about ten tanks, was across the River Venetikos and the bridge was mined for blowing. It was here that Bob Crisp lost his second tank. Originally detailed to cover the bridge over the river, as he was moving it into position the A-10 threw a track. With the aid of Capt Plews, the regimental RAOC officer, the crew were able to winch the disabled machine under a tree where it could cover the bridge. The crew then built a fort of timber around the tank. Fortunately, before the Germans appeared, the CO relented and Crisp and his crew were recovered by truck to rejoin 3RTR. Wednesday 16 April 1941 was a cold drizzling day of low cloud; this was welcome in that flying conditions were poor. At 1400 hours 3RTR marched. Bob Crisp had managed to persuade A Squadron Leader that he should take over an A Squadron tank and trailed at the rear of the column. The road was in poor condition and only metalled in stretches. Rain made it difficult for anything but tracks to move. Bombing attacks were frequent and the pace was very slow. By dark only ten miles had been covered. At midnight a long halt took place owing to the Rangers, next in front of 3RTR, being stopped by a bad patch in the road. Everyone went to sleep. In the small hours of the morning of Thursday 17 April 1941, with the majority of the column fast asleep, OC 3RTR and 4H walked to the front to discover the problem. They found the blockage had cleared while the crews were sleeping and the road was clear ahead. After