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| A
Short History of The Kangaroos |
| Part
II: The Regiment |
| WITH
THE viability of the 'Unfrocked' Priests limited by battle attrition and
maintenance issues, a suitable supplement had to be found. It was realized
that there were in excess of 500 Canadian-manufactured Ram tanks in storage
in England; the Ram, being a predecessor to the U.S. Sherman, had been
designated obsolete for general armoured corps use, due to design limitations
imposed during the manufacturing process. |
| The
Canadian Ram, manufactured by Montreal Locomotive Works 1942-1943, was
a unique Canadian design based upon the chassis and powerplant of the American
M-3 medium tank. Designed originally for the obsolete British 2 pdr gun,
it was later adapted for the much better 6 pdr, but was incapable of taking
the 75mm QF gun such as was retrofitted to the Churchill. As a result,
the Ram was replaced in combat units by the Sherman V, and used from then
on for training purposes only. |
Ram
II
(Click to enlarge)
|
| There was no
question about converting Shermans to APCs, as the battlefield attrition
rate amongst those had put severe strain on the replacement pipelines as
it was, but the Rams were another story. Here was a tank which would have
been only marginally successful in its original role as a cruiser tank,
but which, divested of its turret and inadequate main armament, was light,
agile and with a comparatively low profile. |
| Hence,
the decision was taken to convert the Rams to Kangaroos forthwith. This
was undertaken immediately at the depot in England, and the vehicles prepared
for shipment to the continent. Modifications included removal of the turret
and main armament, locating a standard No.19 wireless set on the left sponson
behind the co-driver/gunner, and cleaning up the interior of the hull to
accomodate a section of infantry. |
Kangaroo
(Click to enlarge)
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| The first Ram
Kangaroos were delivered to the Squadron at Pierreville, near Rouen, France,
on 1 October 1944. |
| At the same
time, discussions had been taking place at the higher echelons about expanding
the personnel carrier squadron. At this point, the squadron was authorized
four troops of 16 carriers each, along with 3 to 5 assigned to headquarters. |
24 October 1944
marks the official birth of the Regiment as an independent entity. On that
day, an official communication was received which indicated that
...By authority
of the GOC 1st Canadian Army, 19 October 1944, the 1st Canadian Armoured
Personnel Carrier Squadron ceased to exist as a separate entity and became
a squadron of the newly-created 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier
Regiment. The Regiment to be commanded by Lieut. Col. Gordon M. Churchill,
formerly 25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment (Elgin Regiment) and
10 Canadian Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse) with Major F.K. Bingham
Sherbrooke Fusiliers and 1st Hussars as Second-in-Command. Regimental Headquarters
to be at 83 van Ryswick St., Antwerp.
|
| Lt. Col. Churchill
was truly the right man for the job. A Sergeant-machinegunner in WW1, Churchill
knew the face of war. With the new regimental status, he was now able to
indent for the thousand-and-one things which the previous squadron had
depended on others for. At the same time, Col. Churchill set about creating
the trappings of a unique identity for this already unique unit. |
| Amongst
the first on the list was proper unit identity. Thus was born the classic
'Kangaroo' cap badge. As a mother kangaroo protects and transports her
young within her pouch, so too did the Canadian Kangaroos for the infantry.
The Regimental motto was decreed as ARMATOS FUNDIT, loosely translated
as "Bearing Armed Men'. It was incorporated into a scroll on the bottom
of the badge. Shoulder titles for the new regiment were manufactured locally,
orange letters (representing Holland) "ARMD CARRIER REGT Canada" embroidered
on a black felt backing. The 1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment had
come of age. |
Cap
Badge
(Click to enlarge)
|
| At this time,
the Regiment also came under command of 31 Brigade of the famous British
79th Armoured Division. Previously, the association of the original squadron
with the British had been long and successful, and the whole concept of
specialized armour fit perfectly within the infrastructure of the "Funnies"
of this valourous assault division. |
| Accordingly,
the Canadians of 1CACR were authorized the wearing of the 79th 'Bullshead'
flash, and the same was painted on their vehicles, along with the unit
designation "157" in white on a green-and-blue square. On 1 November 1944,
RHQ moved formally to Tilburg, Holland, the 'birthplace' of the Regiment.
Luckily, deteriorating weather conditions - which were to lead to the worst
winter in Europe in 50 years - permitted the new CO to concentrate on building
the new organization. |
79th AD
|
| To quote Ken
Ramsden, in THE CANADIAN KANGAROOS IN WW2: |
...Developing
a strong unit with high performance standards was not an easy task. With
a suddenly assembled strength of 268 all ranks, no regimental home in Canada,
no regimental traditions, and a group of newly-arrived officers, NCOs and
troopers, it was a challenge of considerable proportion.
|
Unit ID
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| Fortunately,
all progressed smoothly. The new faces were integrated quickly, and through
labourious indents and some good, old-fashioned scrounging (for which
the Canadians in Europe were famous), the Regiment was brought quickly
to a state of battle readiness. At this point the combat strength of the
Regiment was 106 carriers, and it was contemplated increasing the two existing
squadrons to four, but this move was held in abeyance indefinitely, due
to the logistical difficulties. By now, 1CACR also had a sister regiment
in the 79th Armoured Division, the British 49th Armoured Personnel Carrier
Regiment (also equipped with Ram Kangaroos), and it was determined that,
between the two, the assault requirements of 21st Army Group would be satisfied. |
| Towards the
end of December, Col. Churchill has also finally won the battle to have
1CACR formally known as the '1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment', dropping
the word 'Personnel'. This was significant, as elements within the Canadian
command infrastructure had long campaigned to make 1CACR a part of the
Service Corps, due to its transport function; the men of the Regiment were
vociferously opposed to this categorization, as in combat they were exposed
daily to the same hazards as were the infantry and armoured corps. |
| The Regiment
was back in action in January 1945, and stayed in the thick of things until
the end of the war. 'A' and 'B' Squadrons functioned pretty much independently
from the crossing of the Rhine until the official Cease Fire order on 5
May 1945, causing no end of headaches to the administrative staff attempting
to keep up with the lads. However, both squadrons rendered yeoman service
to many British and Canadian infantry formations through this final victory
campaign. For a complete list of units lifted by the Kangaroos in battle,
please click HERE. |
| And then suddenly,
it was all over. The guns were silent, for the first time in six long years. |
|
Proceed
to Part III
Back
to Part I
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