Photos WW2 British & Commonwealth Forces

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Not a "Katyusha" but rather a No. 4 / Mk. 2 "Z Battery" mobile anti-aircraft rocket launcher of the Royal Artillery, circa 1941.
"Z Batteries" launched 3" / 76mm air-defence rockets.
Initially they were single or double mounts but evolved into the mobile 36 rail, multiple ripple-firing launcher pictured here.
They were used with modest success during the Battle of Britain and were later developed into the curiously named "Land Mattress" surface-to-surface rocket launcher which was used in NW Europe towards the end of the war.
(IWM)

 

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Captain Gerald C. S. Montanaro of 101st Troop, Special Service Brigade, leads one of his men during Combined Ops training in the presence of the HM King George VI at Inverary, Scotland, 9th October 1941.
Interestingly and unusually, Captain Montanaro is actually armed with a long-barrelled P08 Luger complete with drum magazine!
The soldier behind him is armed with an M1928 Thompson...also with a drum magazine.
(IWM)

 

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Evacuation from Dunkirk. "Operation Dynamo", May/June 1940.

 

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iconic photograph is of the gun crew of a 6 pdr ironically named Gallipoli II, within the Oosterbeek Perimeter, engaging a German tank at a range of 80 yards. The only man with his face toward the AFPU camera is unidentified. The rest of the gun crew (L-R) are LCpl R. Eccles, Pvt G. 'Taffy' Barr and Pvt Joe Cunnington (No. 26 Anti-Tank Platoon, 1st Bn, Borders Regt (Airlanding)). The target, a PzKpfw B2 (f), was knocked out of action.

 

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8 July 1944, Sgt Christie photographed ‘67’, a Sherman I Hybrid from 4 Troop, B Squadron, 144 RAC, 33rd Armoured Brigade, during Operation Charnwood.

 

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OTD in 1944. Men from 1 King's Own Scottish Borderers, some of the first troops entering Caen

Carpiquet airfield, France. Mine-detection team and RAF Regiment anti-aircraft crew and Bofors gun

 

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Saint-Contest, France. Lancashire Fusiliers advancing cautiously through a cornfield

 

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Second day of Operation Charnwood, to capture Caen

 

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THE INVASION OF SICILY JULY 1943.
A Sherman tank comes ashore from a landing ship, 10 July 1943.
Creator: Chetwyn (Lt), No. 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit.
Source: © IWM NA 4263

 

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On 10 July 1942, Near El Alamein, Egypt, Australian 26th Brigade captured Tel el Eisa ridge and South African troops captured Tel el Makh Khad. Elements of the German 15th Panzer Division counterattacked the Australian positions in the afternoon without success. Meanwhile, New Zealand troops overran and destroyed the German 621 Radio Interception Company, thereby depriving Erwin Rommel of an essential means of gathering important intelligence on British 8th Army movements. El Alamein was, without exaggeration the last stand for the Allies in North Africa. The town of El Alamein was also favorable for Rommel’s battle strategy which consisted of attacking the enemy from the rear. Interestingly enough Rommel was very well respected
El Alamein is located 150 miles west of the city of Cairo. In 1942 the Allies had many troubles in Europe. Germany had launched its attack on Russia codenamed – Operation Barbarossa and succeeded in pushing the Russian troops back, the German U-boats were one of the biggest advantages the Axis had over the Allies in the Battle of the Atlantic and it seemed like Western Europe was fully in Nazi Germany’s grip. This was one of the main reasons why North Africa was so important for the Allies, if they had lost Africa they would lose one of the last ways to get supplies, the only alternative would have been South Africa and that was not only a much longer route but also much more dangerous because of the harsh weather conditions. Not to mention the psychological effect it would have had if they were to lose the Suez, control of the Suez would have also given the Germans almost unlimited access to the oil reserves of the Middle East.
The first Battle of El Alamein occurred between 1-27 July 1942. It was part of the Western Desert Campaign of World War II was fought between the British Eighth Army led by General Claude Auchinleck and the Axis forces consisting of German and Italian units of Panzerarmee Afrika (Panzer Army Africa) led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The battle would result in a tactical stalemate but strategic Allied victory in that it halted the final advance by the Axis powers into El Alamein, Egypt. This battle would set the stage for the 2nd and more decisive Battle of El Alamein.

 

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This Matilda II of the 44th RTR naturally attracted some attention from the local children as it halted in their village of Findon, Sussex, whilst its crew consulted their maps during an exercise to hunt down "enemy" paratroops.
The Matilda's engine deck is open...so maybe it need a little "attention"?!
Note also that the Matilda is fitted with both front and rear fender extensions...something not often seen in the field.
March 4th, 1941.
(IWM)

 

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Mechanised artillery, developed between 1929-1935.
A Vickers Light Dragon artillery tractor hauls an 18-pdr field gun and limber of 46th Field Battery, Royal Artillery, Pirbright Camp, Surrey.
The "Light" Dragon was one of several Marks of artillery tractor which ultimately morphed into the Universal Carrier.
Some went to France with the BEF where they towed 18 / 25 pounders fitted with pnuematic-tyred carriages and limbers which were more durable when towed over rough ground.
(IWM)

 

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Sergeant-Majors / Warrant-Officers were and are the backbone of the British Army...feared and respected in equal measure!
This very characterful portrait is of one Sergeant-Major "Daddy" Andrews of 106th Provost Company, Royal Military Police, in characteristic pose, East Grinstead, 16th August 1941.
Sarn't-Major Andrews was a 25 year career soldier as his ribbons attest.
There's a scene in the classic 1950s movie "Dunkirk" in which one of the men asks the Corporal what the Sarn't-Major's name is.
The Corporal replies, "They've all got the same name...haven't they?!"
I'm sure any serving or ex-soldier will "get" that!
(IWM)

 

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PREPARATIONS FOR THE D-DAY LANDINGS, JUNE 1944.
A tankman of the 13/18th Royal Hussars feeding a kitten mascot with milk on the armour of his Sherman tank.
Photograph taken during a movement of the regiment from Petworth to Gosport to take place in the marshalling areas ahead of the D-Day Landings, 2 June 1944.
Creator: Mapham, James (Sgt) (Photographer).
Source: © IWM H 38990

 

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THE ALLIED CAMPAIGN IN NORTH-WEST EUROPE, 6 JUNE 1944 - 7 MAY 1945.
The Battle for Normandy: Sherman tanks of British 30th Corps passing through Bayeaux, liberated by the British 50th Infantry on 7 - 8 June 1944.
Creator: Laing (Sgt), No. 5 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit.
Source: © IWM B 5685

 

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Three different types of Road Grader plus a couple of Bulldozers (Crawler Tractors)
1 - a powered Road Grader at work on the fair weather road at El Alamein - this road leads from the top of the ridge to the main road - October 1942
2 - a land-levelling grader towed by a Caterpillar tractor of the Eighth Army working on the runways from which RAAF Squadrons will operate in Agnone, Sicily - 1943
3 - a Chalmers HD7 bulldozer from 8 Mechanical Equipment Company, Royal Australian Engineers towing a 12-foot drawer grader (6 miles from Bulolo on theWau-Labu Road, New Guinea) - January 1946

 

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A nicley composed shot of a well-concealed Bren gunner and his assistant during exercises at 53rd Division's Battle School near Sevenoaks in Kent, 20th July 1942.
(IWM)

 

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During the invasion alert of 1940, concrete anti-tank obstacles were hastily built along various British beaches which were deemed to be vulnerable to potential landings.
Many of these are still there today, including some concrete "cubes" along a stretch of coastline near my home (see supplementary image)
The obstacles came in various shapes and sizes...cubes...pyramidal etc.
The images below were taken soon after the war by LIFE photographer Frank Scherschel, though the exact location is not noted.
They are original colour-transparencies but alas the colour has faded over the years, but at least they give the impression of how it was.

 

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Standard-Beaverettes were stop-gap armoured reconnaissance cars rapidly designed and built in the aftermath of Dunkirk when the BEF had abandoned almost all of its modern equipment.
They were built by the Standard Motor Company and were based upon the chassis of one of their existing civilian motor-cars.
Some 2800 of the various Marks were built.
They were lightly armoured and usually armed with either a Bren gun or .303 Vickers guns or sometimes a Boys A/T rifle.
Command vehicles were fitted for radio.
They were used by some Army units, such as the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, Royal Armoured Corps, as pictured here in June of 1940...but also the RAF Regiment and of course the Home Guard.
(IWM)