52nd (Manchester) Field Regiment was a Royal Artillery (RA) unit of Britain's part-time Territorial Army (TA) during World War II. It was descended from the Manchester Artillery, first formed in the City of Manchester in 1860. It served in the Battle of France, at the end of which its personnel were evacuated from Dunkirk. It was then sent to the Middle East where it joined 8th Indian Division and fought with this division in the Italian Campaign. It was reformed in the postwar TA, and its successor unit continues as a battery in the present day Army Reserve
Origin
The Manchester Artillery was formed as part of the Volunteer Force in 1860. By the outbreak of World War I it was a 'brigade' of the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) in the East Lancashire Division of the Territorial Force. During World War I it served with the division (later the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division) in Egypt before being broken up in 1917. Its second line unit fought with the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division on the Western Front 1917–18. It reformed after the war, becoming the 52nd (Manchester) Brigade, RFA, when the TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1921, with the following organisation:Frederick, pp. 489, 515.Army List, various dates.Litchfield, pp. 116–8.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 35–41.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 67–74. Brigade Headquarters at Hyde Road, Ardwick, Manchester 205, 206, 207 (East Lancashire) Batteries 208 (East Lancashire) Battery (Howitzer)
The brigade was once again part of 42nd (EL) Divisional Artillery. In 1924 the RFA was subsumed into the Royal Artillery (RA), and the word 'Field' was inserted into the titles of its brigades and batteries.War Office, Titles & Designations, 1927. In 1938 the RA modernised its nomenclature and a lieutenant-colonel's command was designated a 'regiment' rather than a 'brigade'; this applied to TA field brigades from 1 November 1938. The TA was doubled in size after the Munich Crisis, and most regiments formed duplicates. Part of the reorganisation was that field regiments changed from four six-gun batteries to an establishment of two batteries, each of three four-gun troops. For the Manchester Artillery this resulted in the following organisation from 25 May 1939:Frederick, p. 528.Sainsbury, pp. 17–20; Appendix 2.
52nd (Manchester) Field Regiment Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) at Hyde Road, Manchester 205 (East Lancashire) Field Bty 206 (East Lancashire) Field Bty
110th Field Regiment RHQ at Gorton 207 (East Lancashire) Field Bty 208 (East Lancashire) Field Bty
The Manchester Artillery mobilised on 1 September 1939, just before the outbreak of war, as part of 42nd (EL) Infantry Division, but from 27 September the newly formed 66th Infantry Division took over the duplicate units including 110th Fd Rgt.Western Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.Farndale, Years of Defeat, p. 21.Joslen, p. 68.Joslen, p. 97.
World War II
On the outbreak of war 52nd Fd Rgt commanded by Lt-Col E.T. Turner was still equipped with 18-pounder guns and 4.5-inch howitzers from World War I, but while it was training at Haltwhistle in Northumberland it received its first five 18/25-pounders for trial. This stop-gap equipment consisted of the new 25-pounder gun mounted on an 18-pdr carriage with pneumatic tyres. On 22 January 1940 the regiment moved to Newbury, Berkshire, and on 14 March a Regular Army officer, Lt-Col F.C.F. Cleeve, took command. In April 42nd (EL) Division began crossing to France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), and 52nd Fd Rgt arrived on 14 April, fully equipped with 18/25-pdrs.Sainsbury, pp. 19–20.Ellis, France & Flanders, Chapter II.
Battle of France 52nd Field Rgt was stationed at Lomme, east of Lille, by 25 April 1940. When the German offensive began on 10 May, the BEF advanced into Belgium under Plan D, and by 15 May its leading divisions were in place on the River Dyle. 42nd (EL) Division was to move up to positions further back on the River Escaut in France, so on 16 May 52nd Fd Rgt's advance parties left Lomme for Blandain, west of Tournai. The regiment moved to Cappelle-en-Pévèle next day and by 18 May RHQ was established in a farm at Auchy-lez-Orchies, 205 Bty at Coutiches, south of Orchies with an observation post (OP) at Râches, and 206 Bty nearby at Le Molinel, with an OP at Marchiennes, north-east of Douai. But the Wehrmacht's breakthrough in the Ardennes threatened the BEF's flank, and it had to retreat again. On 19 May 205 Bty moved independently to join 138 Bde of 46th Division at Thumeries and took up anti-tank (A/T) positions spread along of the River Scarpe. 206 Battery remained in position, except F Trp, which took up similar A/T positions along the canal at Saint-Amand-les-Eaux. By 21 May the whole BEF was back on the Escaut.Ellis, France & Flanders, Chapter III.Ellis, France & Flanders, Chapter IV.Farndale, Years of Defeat, p. 40.
As the Germans thrust behind the BEF, 42nd (EL) Division found itself south of Lille and facing east. By 26 May. RHQ was controlling a group consisting of 206 Bty (13 guns) and 2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (16 guns), with the latter falling back to Mont des Cats; 205 Bty was detached to 2nd Division. On that day the decision was made to evacuate the BEF through Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo). By 28 May Mont des Cats was held by an assorted force of artillery and engineers from 44th (Home Counties) Division, together with some scattered infantry and the remnants of 2nd RHA (two guns) and 52nd (Manchester) Fd Rgt. This rearguard held its position until the rest of 44th (HC) Division had withdrawn to Dunkirk. 42nd Divisional Artillery including 52nd Fd Rgt was evacuated on 30 May, but 205 Bty was still fighting with 2nd Division and did not get away until 2 June.Ellis, France & Flanders, Chapter XIII.Ellis, France & Flanders, Chapter XIV.Farndale, Years of Defeat, pp. 69, 77, 83.
Home defence
Units returning from France were rapidly reinforced, re-equipped with whatever was available, and deployed for home defence. 52nd Field Rgt assembled at Darlington, County Durham, and then moved to Haydon Bridge in Northumberland where it carried out infantry training. In August, while it was at Hexham, eight World War I French M1897 75mm field guns arrived from the US under Lend-Lease. The regiment next moved to Bedale in North Yorkshire then, when 42nd (EL) Division went south to join IV Corps in September, it was at Lambourn and then Hampstead Norreys in Berkshire. By now it had received eight 4.5-inch howitzers.Collier, Map 17.Farndale, Years of Defeat, p. 102. It continued training, and eventually was fully equipped with Mk II 25-pounders. One of the lessons learned from the Battle of France was that the two-battery organisation did not work: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions. As a result, they were reorganised into three 8-gun batteries, but it was not until late 1940 that the RA had enough trained battery staffs to carry out the reorganisation.Farndale, pp. 99.–100 52nd Field Rgt accordingly formed 'R' Bty, and this was numbered as 437 Fd Bty by 29 March 1941. At this time the regiment was stationed at Yoxford in Suffolk when 42nd (EL) Division was serving in XI Corps.
In the autumn of 1941 it was decided to convert 42nd (EL) Division into an armoured division. 52nd (Manchester) and 53rd (Bolton) Fd Rgts left on 20 October, and joined 76th Infantry Division on 18 November 1941 when that was formed from the Norfolk County Division. The division remained defending Norfolk as part of II Corps.Joslen, p. 99.Collier, Map 20. During 1942 large reinforcements were sent from the UK to Middle East Forces, and 52nd Fd Rgt was chosen to join them. It left 76th Division on 23 August 1942 and together with its signal section of the Royal Corps of Signals it came under War Office control preparatory to embarkation.Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 14 August 1942, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, files WO 212/7 and WO 33/1927.
Middle East
The regiment landed in Egypt and moved on to Iraq, arriving on 18 January 1943, when it came under the command of 8th Indian Division (along with 53rd (Bolton) Fd Rgt).Joslen, p. 504. The division was in Tenth Army, forming part of Paiforce defending the vital oilfields of Iraq and Persia and the line of communications with the Soviet Union.Joslen, p. 489.Playfair, Vol III, Appendix 6. By the spring of 1943 the victories in North Africa and on the Eastern Front had removed the threat to the oilfields, and troops could be released from Paiforce for other theatres. 8th Indian Division moved to Ninth Army in Syria with 52nd Fd Rgt arriving on 6 May 1943.
8th Indian Division was then selected for the forthcoming Italian Campaign. 52nd Field Rgt arrived back in Egypt on 15 September and then embarked with the division for Italy on 18 September.
Italy 8th Indian Division began disembarking at Brindisi on 23 September, where 52nd Fd Rgt arrived next day.Molony, Vol V, pp. 345–6, 433. The division joined V Corps, which was leading Eight Army's advance up the east coast of Italy. Operations were slowed by rain and mud, but on the night of 1/2 November 8 Indian Division began attacking across the River Trigno, part of the Barbara Line. 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles fought its way up the wooded spurs against the German 3rd Parachute Regiment, and the following night 3rd Bn 8th Punjab Regiment crossed the river to add its weight. On the night of 3/4 November the two battalions attacked Tufillo, 'taking in their stride a German counter-attack which was blown to pieces by the divisional artillery'. There was confused fighting in the dark amongst burning scrub, and by morning the two battalions were pinned down under heavy fire. The Germans were however being forced to thin out their defences, and the paratroopers withdrew, allowing the whole of 8th Indian Division to advance.Molony, Vol V, pp. 454–6, 459–61.
Mozzagrogna The Germans took up another delaying position, the Bernhardt Line, behind the River Sangro. Eighth Army closed up to the river on 9 November and prepared to assault the position. 78th Division developed a bridgehead, and on 27 November, after the flooded river had fallen, 8th Indian Division took Mozzagrogna on the escarpment beyond. A German counter-attack recaptured the village early on 28 November, but a fresh attack by 1st Bn 12th Frontier Force Regiment, accompanied by all the divisional and corps artillery, finally captured it by 01.30 on 29 November. The following night 1st Bn 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles and 1/12th FFR captured the dominating ground beyond Mozzagrogna, completing the rupture of the Bernhardt Line.Molony, Vol V, pp. 481–2, 485–90, Maps 28–9. The division continued to advance with short, powerfully supported attacks against stubborn resistance, where artillery ammunition supply became the limiting factor. Winter weather brought an end to operations in late December.Molony, Vol V, pp. 505–6.
Monte Cassino