WO 171/846 - 15-19 The King Royal Hussars - September 1944

Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1. and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages will be prepared in manuscript.	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Army Form C.2118
	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Unit: 15th/19th Hussars
Month and Year: September 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Lt Col A.D. Taylor, MC.

Place	Date	Hour	Summary	Reference
Holland	27		Regt still in area ST. ANTHONIS. 'C' Sqn were ordered to remain in previous posn covering East and South East entrances. 'A' Sqn were allowed to stand down for the day to maintain their vehs. 'B' Sqn and patrols of recce were ordered to push carefully down towards the rd junc 7336 and the Monestary of LACTARIA 7335 where a considerable force of enemy was reported, and investigate the situation in this area. Before the had moved very far down this road they came under heavy fire from the South and South West and South East and it was apparent that the enemy was in greater strength than on the previous evening.Whilst engaging enemy gun posns to the West in square 7236 Capt. RHW Ellis, 2nd in comd of the Sqn unfortunately received a direct hit by an enemy mortar bomb in his tk and was killed. A tk of 1st Tp became ditched close to the rd junc 7336 and proved exceedingly difficult to pull out, under fire as it was from 3 sides. Most of the rest of the day really became an operation to try to extricate this tk with the help of smoke fired by 151 Fd Regt RA. Other tks proved unable to pull it out and a numb,er of tracks became broken. 3rd Tp 'C' Sqn - Lt JHB Blackett, was sent fwd to assist 'B' Sqn by protecting their Eastern flank. Unfortunately Lt. Blackett's tk was shortly afterwards hit and burnt out by a shot from an enemy Tiger tk in the area LACTARIA and he and the whole of his crew seriously burnt. The Challenger tk of this Tp was also hit through the engine and damaged but none of its crew were hurt. Lt. M. Jennings then moved fwd down the road towards this enemy tk with his Challenger and it is thought succeeded in knocking it out at long range, a very creditable performance. The Sqn was withdrawn late in the afternoon but the ditched tk had to be left.

Source: Jeroen Koppes, TracesOfWar.com, transcribing: Mia Litjens.

Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. Locations are calculated, so might not be in the correct place. For historical research, always check the originals.

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