WO 171/414 - 3 Infantry Division RA - October 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: HQRA 3 Br Inf Div
Month and Year: October 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Brig. G.G. Mears, MC

Place	Date	Summary	Reference
HELMOND	1	HQRA moved to HEUMEN 693356, 9 km south of NIJMEGEN, 7 and 76 Fd Regts in action 710545 and 711537 North of R MAAS.33 Fd Regt in action 678470 South of R. MAAS. 3e Br Inf Div less 9 Br Inf Bde under Comd 1 Airborne Corps. 9 Br Inf Bde with 33 Fd Regt under comd direct comd of 8 Corps. 2 Btys of 86 Fd Regt in direct sp 3 Br Inf Div.	Appx "A" (i)
HEUMEN	2	Div Arty supported 325 (US) Glider Inf Regt (82 US Airborne Div) in attack to secure line RIETHORST 7450 - MIDDELAAR 7448. Objective reached on left but enemy held right stubbornly. Good shooting with air and ground observation. OP to flank occupied by 33 Fd Regt at ST AGATHA 7347 most effectively. First round fired into Germany by E Tp 76 Fd Regt.	Appx "A" (ii)
	3	Relief of 325 (US) Glider Inf Regt by 185 Inf Bde sp of RA 3 Br Inf Div. 8 Br Inf Bde remained in reserve behind of 185 Inf Bde. One bty 33 Fd Regt reained in direct sp 9 Br Inf Bde in clearing up ara around OEFFELT 7646. 3 Br Inf Div reverted to comd of 8 Corps.	Appx "A" (iii)
	4	Opportunity targets and hostile btys and mortars engaged throughout day.	Appx "A" (iv)
	5	25 Fd Regt came under comd RA 3 Br Inf Div, going into action 722552. One Me 262 jet propelled and one Me 109 aircraft shot down by 92 LAA Regt.
	6	Counter Mortar Organisation formed. Maj JIL Syddall appointed CMO. Two Me 109 Aircraft shot down by LAA Regt. Syddall, J.I.L.
	6-8	Opportunity targets engaged by day with limited scale of amn.
	8-9	Relief of 3 Br Inf Div on FEICHSWALD front by 43 Inf Div.
WANROIJ	9	Div Arty moved South of R MAAS. Regts in action but silent in sp of 11 Arm Div in area of St ANTHONIS 7 Fd Regt (sp 3 Mons) 729356, 76 Fd Regt (sp 1 Hereford) 720365, 25 Fd Regt (sp 4 KSLI) 739378, 33 Fd Regt unchanged in sp 9 Br Inf Bde. 146/91 (SP) A Tk Bty come under Comd. HQRA moved to WANROIJ 6741. Counter mortar OPs only deployed with each Bn sp.
	11	33 Fd Regt moved to area 730354.	Appx 'A' (v)
	12	Tac HQRA established at OPLOO 708352, Op Aintree - 3 Br Inf Div to capture (i) OVERLOON by 8 Br Inf Bde, and (ii) VENRAIJ by 9 Br Inf Bde. 185 Inf Bde in reserve and 6 Gds Tk Bde (sp by 25 Fd Regt) under comd. Div Arty in sp with Arty 11 Arm Div, 15 (S) Div and units of 8 AGRA. Red smoke was Bns	Appx 'A' (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix)
	13	Op Aintree continued. 9 Inf Bde operating towards VENRAIJ from west and NW and 185 Inf Bde from east and NE. 33 Fd Regt sp 9 Br Inf Bde with call on 11 Arm Div Arty and 63 Med Regt and 7 Fd Regt sp 185 Inf Bde with call on 76 Fd Regt and 61 Med Regt. 25 Fd Regt moved to 749329 and remained in sp 6 Gds Tk Bde. 76 Fd Regt moved to 743343.	Appx 'A' (x)
	14	Op Aintree continued. 8 Br Inf Bde maintained firm base in OVERLOON with role of clearing to rly. 9 Br and 185 Inf Bdes continued adv on VENRAIJ and reached fwd edge of wood 750280 and 770296 - 777307	Appx 'A' (xi)
	15	Op by 159 Inf Bde of 11 Arm Div to clear area bounded by VIERLINGSBEEK - OVERLOON rd south along rly to 800318 thence west to 773305 to secure left flank of 3 Br Inf Div. Div Arty sp 11 Arm Div by firing barrage. Op was succesful . 7 Fd Regt moved to 747321.	Appx 'A' (xii)
	16	Adv on VENRAIJ continued,- 185Inf Bde by BRABANDER 7727 and east of VENRAY, and 8 Br Inf Bde by BEEK 7528. Div Arty with arty of 11 Arm Div, 15 (S) Div and units of 8 AGRA sp advance by barrage and concs. MOLENBEEK crossed with great difficulty and counter waterlogged. VENRAIJ entered by 1 Suffolk. One tp 2 AA SL bty under comd to provide artificial moonlight. Main HQRA joined Tac HQ at OPLOO. Maj JEH WISE MC RA relieved Maj V D'O HARMAR as BMRA. O'Harmar, V.D. Wise, James Edward Harter	Appx 'A' (xiii)(xiv)
	17	3 Br Inf Div consolidate VENRAIJ and surrounding area as far east as convent of ST SERVATIUS 7827. Op by 11 Arm Div to west of 3 Br Inf Div to secure South and SW of VENRAIJ. 144/91 A Tk Bty came under comd.	Appx 'A' (xv)(xvi)(xvii)(xviii)(xix)
	18	Enemy continued strengthen defences on both sides of R MAAS	Appx 'A' (xx)(xxi)
	19	Responsibility for holding general line from incl VENRAIJ to incl CUIJK taken over by 3 Br Inf Div with 8 Br Inf Bde right centred on VENRAIJ , 9 Br Inf Bde east of OVERLOON, 185 Inf Bde in reserve. 2 HCRGp protecting left flank from incl VIERLINGSBEEK to incl CUIJK with in sp one bty 25 Regt and two btys 91 A Tk regt. 76 Fd Regt moved to KLEINDORP area 748279. 2 AA SL Bty reverted from under comd.
	20	Vigorous HF policy pursued night and dayfrom today until end of month within amn limitation of 30 rpg per day.	Appx 'A' (xxii)
	21	12/25 Bty of 25 Fd Regt in sp 2 HCR GP moved to 720396. A Tp 474 (ind) SL Bty under comd until 27 oct.	Appx 'A' (xxiii)(xxii)(xvii)(xxiv)
OPLOO	27	Strongly sp enemy attack against 7 US Armd Div in area MEIJEL - HELENAVEEN recaptured LIESSEL
	29	25 Fd Regt leave area on coming under comd 15 (S) Div in DEURNE area. Capt R.C. Bagl RA appointed SCRA vice Capt EH Kimpton RA admitted to hospital Bagl, R.C. Kimpton, E.H.	Appx 'A' (xxvi)(xxvii)

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Source: Jeroen Koppes, TracesOfWar.com, transcribing: Theo Vervoort.

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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