9 Veterans
The battalion’s final operations operations in October and November 1944 are almost forgotten today. This chapter analyses why and how these actions were fought and the impact on the men in the battalion, and reviews how the battalion had changed since the campaign in France four years earlier.
Battalion and Brigade War Diary sources are as for previous chapter. The 46th Division diary for November is WO 170/0461. WO 170/5068, the 5th Foresters War Diary for January 1945 carried two accounts of the Cosina operations, one written by the battalion, the other from Eighth Army News, Monday 27 November 1944. Foresters’ personal accounts are from the Nottinghamshire Archives and IWM Sound Archive. Peter Moore’s autobiography (2002) has information on the actions of 2/5th Leicesters and on officers joining that battalion from 14th Foresters. Secondary sources are also as previously, but are very limited. Hart (1999) includes DLI actions at this time, but otherwise there is virtually no coverage of these operations. Even Barclay’s regimental history dismisses the 5th Battalions actions post-Gemmano in two paragraphs!
Notes
p. 173 In addition to the rifle companies there were a further 191 men (including seven officers) in the Support Company (Carrier, Mortar, Pioneer and Anti-Tank platoons); 96 men (including four officers) in HQ Company (providing signals, intelligence, administrative and transport functions); and 58 men (including four officers) in the Battalion HQ. The total, at 845 men of all ranks, was substantially higher than at the start of the war, making allowance for casualties and sickness in the number of effectives available for battle.
p. 173 The tactical problems arising from the reduction in companies are explained in Schofield, ‘Report on Gothic Line', p. 17.
pp. 173-74 WO 170/1477, 14th SF WD, gives a complete list of the individuals drafted to different regiments. The near-mutiny in the DLI is attested to by Kenneth Lovell, a DLI officer, in IWM Tape #13251, Reel 19.
p. 174 WO 170/947555 46th Recce WD; WO 170/1439 9th Manchesters WD; WO 170/0868 142nd Regt RAC WD; WO 170/956 71 Field Rgt RA WD; WO 170/979 172 Field Fgt RA WD; all September 1944.
pp. 176-180 The description of the fighting at Cesena is drawn from war diaries of the units engaged, there are no explicit personal accounts of the action.
p. 178 The Queen’s Bays were formerly in 1st Armoured Division, one of the units that had suffered huge casualties attacking the Coriano Ridge.
p. 179 The M10 tank destroyer was based upon a Sherman chassis, with a high velocity 3-inch AT gun instead of the Sherman’s 75mm gun but lighter armour. It was designed to combat enemy tanks rather than support infantry. The MG platoon is described as ‘tracked’ in the WD, indicating it was mounted on Universal Carriers.
p. 180 The 4,375 shells fired by the 70th Field Regiment on 17 October was the fifth highest daily total between August and November. The total for October overall was 40,105 (1,671 per gun).
p. 181 Schofield ‘Recollections of an Infantryman’, p. 120.
p. 182 Johnny Wright, in On Active Service, p. 121 says that he was told to ‘lose’ the three AT guns when the battalion moved to Greece in December. He dropped them off in the DLI lines. Harold Mellors’ manuscript diary entry for 9 September 1944 records the break-up of the Anti-Tank platoon.
pp. 182-83 Activities of the Intelligence Section from Beardsall, IWM tape #13853, and Newham, IWM tape #13124, Reel 10.
p. 183 Reg Carson’s MC citation is WO 372/14/465. For the capability of different radio sets, see Louis Meulstee, ‘Wireless for the Warrior’, website < http://www.wftw.nl/wireless18.html> and < http://www.wftw.nl/wireless38–2.html > [accessed 4 May 2022].
p. 185 Bill Warwick, in OAS, p. 221. The identity of the platoon officer is not revealed, but Warwick served in D Company. The number of soldiers AWOL is from Richard Doherty, Eighth Army in Italy 1943–45: The Long Hard Slog (Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 2007) p. 179. For the overall morale of the battalion in late 1944 see John Henry Booth IWM Tape #13231, Reel 2;, Samuel Gordon Smith, IWM Tape #13562Reel 4; Bennett, IWM tape #13230, Reel 5; Markham IWM Tape #13561, Reel 13; Lowe, IWM tape #15589, Reels 3–4; Plowright, IWM tape #15590, Reel 12; Harrington, IWM tape #18484, Reel 5.
p. 186 Major General Cyril Weir was the only non-British officer to lead a British Division during the war.
p. 189 Seibert IWM tape, #18485, Reel 10; Reynolds IWM tape, #13563, Reel 4. Seibert however says that the batman killed was Clifford Tunster. All four men are buried in Meldola War Cemetery.
p. 190 According to the Leicestershire Regiment website, https://royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/entity/127883–walker-godfrey-frederick-mc, Walker transferred in 1943, this is not born out by WO 170/1477, 14th SF WD, which shows him serving with the Foresters up until September 1944. Walker later won the MC for actions in Greece.
p. 190-191 Fugna action from Binch, More Sherwood Forester Memories, p. 215; Harold Harrington, IWM Tape #18484, Reel 5; Newham, IWM tape #13124, Reel 10. Newham ended up in a Field Hospital, not as a result of injuries suffered in the bombardment but because he was diagnosed with the highly contagious skin disease impetigo by the medical staff at the CCS.
p. 191 German counterattack described in WO 170/461, 46 Div WD, Intelligence Report 77, 24/11/1944.
p. 192 WO 373/11/418, Welchman DSO Citation, gazetted 10 May 1945; WO 373/11/448, Lord MC Citation, gazetted 10 May 1945, WO 373/14/709, Littlewood MM Citation, gazetted 13 December 1945.
p. 192 Casualties from WO 170/1476 5th SF war diary and WO 170/5068 5th SF WD, January 1945 ‘Cantoniera Nov 21st 1944. The Attack on the Cosina’. Enemy battle casualties are uncertain but including those at Strocca an officer, an NCO, and 32 other ranks had been taken prisoner.
p. 193 Blore, in OAS, p. 233; Reynolds IWM tape, #13563 Reel 4. Tulloch, in OAS, p. 188, also mentions the incident but says it was the driver who was killed. Neither stretcher bearer is named by Blore or others, but the second death seems likely to be 21-year-old Lance-Corporal Joseph Maude, from Grangetown in Sunderland, who was reported KIA on 24 November and had a DLI service number. He is buried in Meldola War cemetery. The neighbouring grave, the entry for which in the CWGC database does not record any next of kin, is that of Private Christopher McNicholl who died on 22 November.