WO 171/460 - 11 Armoured Division Signals - December 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: 11 Armd Div Signals
Month and Year: December 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. J.L. Harrison

Place	Date	Summary	Reference
KASTENRAAI	1	New freq list 'C' came into effect 0100A hrs and netting done by wavemeter. Further lines req by CA and Inns of Court, notified that Civil Affairs now a priority subscriber. Subs taken from all ranks for R.Signals War Memorial.
	2	OC 1 Sqn started planning trg programme. It was decided to take wireless dets from Amb and RASC Coys to Main & Rear Div respectively. All lines OK, and dets continued building. Some re-routeing was necessary where trees had been cut down for a landing strip.
	3	CW links to Corps first opened for approx 8 hrs daily for trg purposes. News received of the posting to the unit of Lt. Yates-Smith vice Lt. Nuttall.
	4	Trg of Amb and RASC nets with detuned aerial commenced. OC C Tp visited Inns of Court to assist in the line programme for their prospective take-over from 8 RB. German 10-line UC lent to Inns of Court.
	5	CO visited CSO and attended conference at Main 2nd Army on the provision of Cdn 52 Sets. Nine are to be provided in the Div and three Cdn 9 Sets are to be surrendered. OC 4 Sqn visited 21 Army Gp to plan the line in YPRES area for the Bde trg. Div line diagram produced and CSO promised a line from 29 Armd Bde in their new area to HQ 8 Corps.
	6	Arrangements made to provide one HP ACV det with Cipher personell to accompany 4 Sqn to YPRES and provide WT link to 8 Corps. Reeling-in of unused lines commenced in Div area. Inns of Court took over from 8 RB and were lent two extra telephones. Notification received of posting of Maj Townsend to SHAEF.
	7	CRASC visited CO ref a suggestion that the op of RASC comns should be carried out by Dvr Ops, RASC; general agreement was reached that this was not a praticable answer. CO discussed this on a visit to Corps, and also the replacement of Maj Townsend. OC 2 Sqn formed a maint det for his own lines. OC 4 Sqn returned from BRUSSELS, having arranged some new lines in new area.
	8	HP ACV det despatched to 4 Sqn to accompany Bde Adv party. Two Sjts from 4 Sqn posted, one to J Tp and one to Inns of Court, to fill vacancies. Reeling-in of unused line continued. Lateral comns arranged for 15(S) Div on a Bde to Bde, Bn to Bn basis.
	9	CO visited Inns of Court to arrange to provide them with some lines and to lend them a 10-line UC while they were occupying their present area. CO also arranged to produce twelve 38 Sets for use with Mortar teams. Adv party 29 Armd Bde left for YPRES.
	10	C Tp out laying extra comns for Inns of Court. News received that Div would come on to wireless silence w.e.f. 20 Dec 44.
	11	Traces of all lines in area being produced ready for eventual hand-over.
	12	Posting order received for Maj Townsend. GOC agreed that he could not leave the Div until a replacement could be arranged. OC 2 Sqn carried out test for superposing speech ccts for CPOs on battery lines.	Appx 'A'
	13	News received that Sjt Miles of J Tp has been awarded the M.M. for gallantry at ASTEN Br on 20 Sept 44. Test cables from the underground route from Corps were brought in for trial. OC 3 Sqn submitted a request for half-tracks in place of gin palaces in Fd Sqns.
	14	OC 1 Sqn carried out tests with newly received tk communicators which appeared satisfactory and four were sent to the Inf Bns for further tests. Lt Yates-Smith arrived on posting from 50 N Div Sigs and was posted as 21C A Tp. Lt Nuttall was posted as Assistant Offr O Tp. News received that Div would move on 17th to cover the area MAESEYCH - ROERMOND. 29 Armd Bde closed HQ at BAKEL and re-opened at VLAMERTINGHE 2200 hrs. As yet no line working to 29 Bde from Corps.
	15	Recce parties sent to new Div area. CO met CSO and discussed the use of underground cable in the new area. 4 Armd Bde to come under comd 161200A and new freq allotment distributed to incl this Bde. Line traces were handed to 3 Brit Div Sigs as their Div was to take over the present Div area. Line to 29 Armd Bde at VLAMERTINGHE through. Permission granted to permit this unit to replace Maj Townsend.	Appx 'B'
	16	CO carried out recce in new area. C Tp det started line laying there, and Sig Office TEV was despatched to new HQ location. Lines in present area were taken over by 3 Br Div.
ELL	17	Maj Townsend departed, as Lt Col, to SHAEF. Auth received to promote Capt Gartside to Major to take over No 2 Sqn. CO decided that Maj Dalrymple would take over No.1 Sqn and assume 21G, and that Capt Street should take over Adjt. Div HQ moved at 1230 hrs, under wireless silence, to ELL M.R. K645931 and arrived at 1530 hrs.
	18	Offr exchange in unit came into effect. Cable Tp continued laying line in Div area. Advice reived that Div would not leave the area befor Xmas. CO was visited by C R Sigs 52 L Div. This fmn will be taking over our area.
	19	Increase in line laying continued. Instrs were received for the allotment of leave to UK and vacancies were allotted to Sqns. In view of enemy ops further south it became likely that the Div would not be relieved as early as originally planned.
	20	Wireless silence came into effect and was maintained except for Op tfc on C Mortar Offrs net but OC 2 Sqn arranged to lay line to his Ops as soon as possible. Owing to various unit moves more lines were necessary.	Appx 'C'
	21	Line laying contd. Amid scenes of mixed hilarity and gloom the CO drew by lot the roster of Offrs leave to UK. Notification received of the departure of 29 Armd Bde from their trg area.
	22	CSO visited Main Div. Auth received to promote Lt Mott to Captain to take over A Tp. Plans completed for Xmas dinner, and all ORs from Main and Rear Sigs to have dinner at Rear Div if tactical position allowed.
	23	CO decided that Lt Robinson should take over F Tp vice Capt Mott. Wireless silence was lifted as an enemy patrol had obtained the identification of the Div. Normal test calls on Corps links to be carried out as previously. Jeep cable det loaned to Inns of Court to assist with line laying in their area.
	24	OC 2 Sqn took Lt Robinson to see CO 151 Fd Regt.
	25	Social arrangements went very successfully. ORs dinner 1330 hrs. Performance by Div Concert Party at 1800 hrs was followed by Smoker at 2030 hrs.
	26	Line work continued. Capt Mott took over A Tp. Lt Robinson took over F Tp.
	27		Appx 'D'
	28	Authority recieved to appoint Maj Dalrymple 21C vice Maj Townsend. Wireless test carried out by night between HQ 4 Armd Bde and the left Fwd Bn of 159 Inf Bde to ensure comns in case 4 Armd Bde took over the whole front. Sigs Sec Offr sent out to identify interference experience by a coy position on the river opposite ROERMOND.
	29	Sigs Sec Offr reported radius of interference 2 - 3,000 yds from ROERMOND on by day and night but normally interrupting comns at night only. Probably caused bu High voltage Dynamo Generator.
	30	Eight Ops W&L and one Dvr Mech posted from the unit for eventual service in the Far East. Two hrs working per day started on the Div Comd Wt net.

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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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