9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2005 - Page 0087
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
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REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) 85 The Gurkha Lorried Brigade Recently the Gurkha Museum received a short letter notify- ing them that The Gurkha Lorried Brigade Association was winding down and holding no more reunions. It’s magnificent cross kukris silver centrepiece bearing the insignia of all the units who fought with the Brigade was bequeathed to the muse- um in perpetuity. This sad, rather poignant notification marks the end of one of the most formidable fighting formations of the Second World War. By midsummer of 1944 when the Gurkha Lorried Brigade arrived the Allied advance up Italy had bogged down in the end- less succession of rivers and ridges of the Apennine hills. The Germans, masters of defence, had turned this favourable defensive terrain into a formidable barrier. No amount of armour, artillery or air attack was going to shift them ,only skilled infantry attack would bit by bit prise them out of their defences. The Gurkha Lorried Brigade, itselfsomething ofa misnomer, as it saw remarkably little of it’s lorries, was based on three Gurkha Infantry Battalions;2/6th Gurkhas, 2/8th Gurkhas, 2/1 Oth Gurkhas.At various times it was supported by armour in the shape of The Queens Bays, 4th Queen’s Own Hussars, 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers, 10th Royal Hussars, l4th/20th King, s Hussars and The Royal Tank Regiment as well as Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers and supporting services from the Indian Army. Their flrst big battle soon after arrival was the assault on San Marino on top of the Passano ridge in front of which ran the swiftly flowing Fossa del Valle river. This was defended by the formidable 26th Panzer Grenadier Division, a crack German division which had carefully prepared the rocky terrain for defence. The three Gurkha battalions were given the task of making the breakthrough into the German position. Preceded by an artillery barrage of some 700 guns 8th and 10th Gurkhas headed the advance supported by the 75mm tank guns of the Bays and the 10th Hussars. The Germans reacted violently with a counter barrage and the attack ran into converging flre from mutually supporting Spandau machine gun positions. Nothing dismayed, the sturdy hillmen went in with kukri and tommy gun winkling out German positions until the 8th Gurkhas had gained the “‘ ridge line closely followed by the 1 0th. One Gurkha killed six Germans in a Spandau nest whilst others cap- tured two German tanks coming up in support with their hatch- es unwisely left open. By dawn Passano ridge was in Allied hands. Now started the grim race to support the Gurkha gains with tanks and 17 pounder anti-tank guns before the inevitable German counter attack got under way.Anticipating this the Germans heavily shelled the temporary bridges carrying the supporting armour destroying them and wreaking havoc on the congested armour and sappers. In the nick of time The Queens Bays found an alternative route over the river arriving on Passano ridge with it’s embattled Gurkhas just as the German armour heavy counter attack was developing. Together they staved off the attack for long enough for a number of formidable l7 pounder anti tank guns to be brought up the addition of which, decided the day. It had been a close run thing. Secure on Passano ridge the Gurkhas looked out to the heavily fortified Ripabianca ridge which was to be their next objective. At l800hours after a terrific artillery bombardment the 6th and 8th Gurkhas surged up the smoke covered hillside catching the Germans still dazed and unable to counter this rush of hillmen. German reinforcements hurrying to plug the gap were equally roughly handled leaving the Gurkhas masters of the field. Feeling that the Gurkha success presaged a general break- through troops of two divisions were rushed into the attack. The Germans were far from beaten and in a devastating riposte mauled the attacking British armour with well sited anti tank guns; the Bays losing thirty tanks alone. The Gurkhas were needed again to prise open the German defence at it’s key posi- tion of SanArcangelo ridge. Attacking at 0300 hours 8th and 10th Gurkhas attacked the heavily fortified ridge suffering appalling casualties; one 10th Gurkha company of a hundred plus was reduced to ten men standing. 6th Gurkhas moved up and the whole Brigade supported by 10th Hussars smashed through the ridge line and on to the historic Rubicon ; the Germans, licking their wounds, fell back before them. Now the advance had reached the Eastern foothills of the Apennines and it’s seemingly endless series of razor backed ridges. Here on the Monte Chicco ridge the Germans planned to stop any Allied breakthrough to the Northern plains. This had to be an infantry battle; there were no roads and the rock strewn slopes denied the use of tanks. At 2200 hours 6th Gurkhas crossed the start line and were soon involved in savage fighting. However by dawn they were on Monte Chicco but being assaulted on all sides. The battle into which 8th and 10th Gurkhas were now drawn raged in intensity all day until under cover of darkness the Germans withdrew. Probing forward 8th Gurkhas found an undefended crossing over the important Ronco river; pulling in 6th and 10th to support them they crashed through the final Apennine hill defences and out into the Northern plains. Out in the plain a different but no less deadly form of fighting developed. The Germans far from beaten and now supported by the Luftwaffe used the raised flood banks of the lateral rivers to build formidable defences. Protected by belts ofwire and mines and covered in defilade by Spandaus these were tough nuts to crack. Nothing daunted The Gurkha Lorried Brigade equipped with flamethrowers tunnelled into the banks of the Senio flood bank and literallyburned out the defenders but at the heavy cost of three hundred men in so doing. The Brigade were now equipped with Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers and 10th Gurkhas having burst through the Sillaro river line theypressed on Northwards. The advance pushing on outpaced German reserves desperately trying to reach Medicina, a road centre fifteen miles East of the key city of Bologna. As dusk fell the tanks of the l4th/20th King’s f’ Hussars and the Kagaroos of 6th Gurkhas reached the town and immediately launched an attack. The Germans fever- ishly trying to orgaruse It’s defence were caught on the hop Despite desperate attempts to stem this armoured charge and it’s accompanying kukri wielding infantry the tough German paratroopers gave best and were hustled out of the town. Medicina cleared in this exemplary manner the Brigade pushed on to the Gaiana, the next major river obstacle. To defend this river the Germans had brought in the elite Fourth Parachute Division. An initial attack by 6th Gurkhas was repulsed. The arrival of the Second New Zealand Division with several scores to settle from Crete enabled a properly coordinated attack to be mounted. After a massive preliminarybombardment Kiwis and Gurkhas swept across the river and canal system despite desper- ate resistance from the German paratroopers .However the mas- sive assault spearheaded by The Gurkha Lorried Brigade proved unstoppable. The enemy so tenacious for so long, was broken; a hole punched through their defences through which poured Kiwis and Gurkhas heading North for Padua and Trieste. |
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