Talk:Northamptonshire Yeomanry

2nd Northants in WW2 - Superior Formations and Equipment

Does anyone have reliable info on the formations to which this regiment was assigned during the war? Also what role did in serve in these formations?

According to www.ordersofbattle.com/Units/UnitSuperiors?UniX=4193, the unit was assigned as follows: 1. 03-Sep-1939 - 20-Apr-1943 20 Armd Bde 2. 10-Jan-1943 - 25-Mar-1943 79 Armd Div 3. 25-Mar-1943 - 17-Aug-1944 11 Armd Div as Divisional RAC Regt (as per Joslen)

Besides the disagreement in his sources as to when the unit left 20 Armd Bde, the site owner notes that Bellis says that the unit remained with 11 Armd Div to the end of the war (whereas the article says it disbanded).

As part of 20 Armd Bde, I presume the regt was equipped with Cruiser tanks (likely to have been Shermans by 1943). In Normandy, it was principally equipped with Cromwell tanks. But what about the intervening period? According to www.ordersofbattle.com/Units/UnitHistory?UniX=3274, the Recce Regt in 11 Armd Div (which would have had armoured cars) was replaced by a (tank-equipped) Armd Recce Regt in July 1943 (exact date not specified).

As no other divisional RAC regt is listed for the Division for period 2 mentioned above, this implies that the 2nd Northants changed from Sherman? tanks to Armoured Cars then to Cromwell & Stuart tanks within a six month period! That's a lot of training!

Perhaps not much help

• Bellis, Malcolm A. (1994). Regiments of the British Army 1939–1945 (Armour & Infantry). London: Military Press International. ISBN 0-85420-999-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), page 18

20 Amd Bde, 9/39 - 1/43

79 Amd Div, 1/43 - 3/43

11 Amd Div, 3/43 - 8/45 (in NW Europe from 6/44)

• Joslen says

20 Amd Bde, 3/9/39 - 20/4/43 (page 27) 20 Amd Bde HQ was disbanded 30/4/43

79 Amd Div, 10/1/43 - 25/3/43 as Divisional Troops, RAC (page 30) 162 RAC left on 10/1/43

11 Amd Div, 25/3/43 - 17/8/44 as Divisional Troops, RAC (page 166) Division in NW Europe from 13/6/44

No other mention.

• Forty, George (1998). British Army Handbook 1939–1945. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-1403-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), Appendix 4, page 347, says the regiment was 11 Amd Div Divisional Troops to 17/8/44
• Mileham, Patrick (1994). The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition. Edinburgh: Canongate Academic. ISBN 1-898410-36-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), page 102, says

"The 2nd Regiment was disbanded in August 1944 and the members drafted to other regiments"

Hamish59 (talk) 21:14, 28 January 2015 (UTC)