103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

14th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment
103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, RA
14th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment ; 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, RA
	Cap badge of the Royal Artillery
Active	4 July 1940–10 August 1943
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Role	Infantry; Anti-Tank artillery
Size	Battalion ; Regiment
Motto(s)	RA mottoes:; Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt ("Where Right And Glory Lead"; in Latin fas implies "sacred duty"); Ubique (Everywhere)

Last updated January 17, 2023

The 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (103rd A/T Rgt) was a short-lived unit of the British Army during World War II. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1940, it transferred to the Royal Artillery in late 1942 after serving for two years defending the coast of Norfolk. During 1943 it was broken up to provide independent air-landing batteries for 6th Airborne Division.

14th Battalion, South Staffordshires

The unit was originally formed on 4 July 1940 at Lichfield as 14th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment .^[1] On 30 September it joined 213th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), which was being organised by No 13 Infantry Training Group as a static defence formation in East Anglia, first under II Corps and then 18th Infantry Division. It was charged with defending the Norfolk coast against invasion. The brigade became part of Norfolk County Division when that formation became operational in II Corps on 24 December 1940. Norfolk County Division was redesignated 76th Infantry Division on 17 November 1941, but it remained a second-line (lower establishment) formation.^[2]^[3]

103rd Anti-Tank Regiment

At the end of 1942 14th South Staffords was selected to be retrained in the anti-tank (A/T) role. It left 213Th Bde on 8 December^[2] and on 22 December 1942 it transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA) as 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, comprising Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) and 189, 190 and 191 A/T Batteries.^[1]^[4]^[5] By this stage of the war the standard armament of an A/T unit was the 6-pounder gun, but the 17-pounder had just started to appear.^[6]

103rd A/T Regiment was first assigned to the GHQ Reserve, then in February 1943 it was transferred to Western Command, in which it served as an independent regiment with its own Light Aid Detachment of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.^[7]^[8]

Disbandment

Between 1 and 9 July 1943, at Marlborough Barracks, Bulford Camp, 189 and 190 A/T Btys were converted into 3 and 4 Airlanding A/T Btys respectively, while 191 Bty was broken up to make up deficiencies among the other two.^[4]^[9] RHQ was then due to disband on 30 July, and this was actually carried out on 10 August 1943.^[1]^[4]^[5]

3 and 4 Airlanding A/T Btys joined 6th Airborne Division on 9 July 1943^[10] and served with it in the Normandy campaign as independent batteries. A new 2nd Airlanding Anti-Tank Regiment was formed in February 1945 to command these batteries for the Rhine crossing (Operation Varsity).^[9]^[11]

Notes

1 2 3 Frederick, p. 311.
1 2 Joslen, pp. 114, 376.
↑ Collier, Maps 17 & 20.
1 2 3 Frederick, pp. 914, 928.
1 2 Farndale, Annex M.
↑ Farndale, p. 192.
↑ Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 22 November 1942, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, files WO 212/8 and WO 33/1962.
↑ Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 18 February 1943, TNA files WO 212/9 and WO 33/1987.
1 2 Frederick, p. 930.
↑ Joslen, pp. 106–7.
↑ "3 Airlanding A/T Bty at Paradata (Webarchive)". Archived from the original on 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2017-04-07.

Related Research Articles

30th (Surrey) Searchlight Regiment was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army from 1924 until 1961. During World War II it served in The Blitz and later in the Tunisian and Italian Campaigns, while detachments from the regiment served in the Far East and were captured at the Fall of Singapore.

The 30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army from 1936 until 1955, which defended Tyneside and Sunderland during the Second World War.

The 59th (Warwickshire) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of the Territorial Army (TA), part of the British Army, and was raised in Birmingham in 1938 just before the Second World War. It later served as a light anti-aircraft gun unit and continued in the postwar TA.

The 71st Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA), which was raised just before the outbreak of World War II and served as part of Anti-Aircraft Command during and after the war.

72nd (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) raised just before the outbreak of World War II, which served as part of Anti-Aircraft Command during and after the war.

The 93rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was an air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery (RA) during World War II. Elements of the regiment landed with special equipment on D-Day, and served in the Normandy campaign. The regiment went on to defend Belgian cities against V-1 flying bombs and participated in the assault crossing of the Rhine.

The 76th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was a British Army air defence unit during World War II. It was engaged during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz, defending Royal Air Force airfields and the towns of southern England.

175th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of the British Army formed during World War II. It served in defence of the vital naval and air base at Gibraltar.

131st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery formed during World War II. It was organised as the first 'Mixed' regiment in which women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service were integrated into the unit's personnel, though it later reverted to an all-male organisation. It defended the United Kingdom against aerial attack for two years.

The 128th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. The regiment was formed in March 1942 from the short-lived 87th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery, which had only been raised in the previous year as part of the rapid expansion of Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences. It served in AA Command until near the end of the war, when it was converted into an infantry battalion for garrison duties in North West Europe.

The 103rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was an air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment in 1940, it transferred to the Royal Artillery in 1941. It served in Northern England and Northern Ireland but saw no active service. Shortly before D Day, it was broken up to reinforce other units that fought in the campaign in North West Europe.

The 50th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was an air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. After serving with Anti-Aircraft Command in the defence of the UK, it trained to take part in the Allied invasion of Normandy. However, shortly before D Day, it was broken up to reinforce other units that fought in the ensuring campaign.

The 62nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was an air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. After serving with Anti-Aircraft Command during and after the Blitz, it trained to take part in the Allied invasion of Normandy. However, shortly before D Day, it was broken up to reinforce other units that fought in the ensuing campaign.

The 104th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was an air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1940, it transferred to the Royal Artillery in late 1941. It served in the Middle East and Italy until it was disbanded for infantry reinforcements in 1944.

The 173rd Field Regiment was a unit of Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) during World War II. Originally formed to man beach defence batteries, it was later converted to field artillery. It served in Home Forces and supplied trained gunners to the fighting fronts, but saw no active service. It was disbanded after the war.

The 174th Field Regiment was a unit of Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) during the Second World War. Originally formed to man beach defence batteries, it was later converted to field artillery. It served in Home Forces and supplied trained gunners to the fighting fronts, but saw no active service. It was disbanded in 1943.

The 175th Field Regiment was a unit of Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) during World War II. Originally formed to man beach defence batteries, it was later converted to field artillery. It served in Home Forces and supplied trained gunners to the fighting fronts, but saw no active service. It was disbanded after the war.

The 177th Field Regiment was a unit of Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) during World War II. Originally formed to man beach defence batteries, it was later converted to field artillery. It served in Home Forces in the London defences, but saw no active service. It was converted to reform a unit of the Regular Army in 1944.

The 182nd Field Regiment was a unit of the Royal Artillery, formed by the British Army during World War II. First raised in 1940 as infantry of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, which served in the Battle of France, it was converted to the field artillery role in 1942, serving as a reserve unit in Home Defence. It was disbanded before the end of the war.

The 180th Field Regiment was a unit of the Royal Artillery, formed by the British Army during World War II. First raised in 1940 as infantry of the North Staffordshire Regiment, it was converted to the field artillery role in 1942, serving as a reserve unit in Home Defence. It was disbanded before the end of the war.

References

Collier, Basil (2004). The Defense of the United Kingdom. London: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-055-6. OCLC 499176250.
Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN 1-85753-080-2.
J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3.
J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.

External sources

Paradata

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Frederick311-1] 1 2 3 Frederick, p. 311.

[Joslen114-2] 1 2 Joslen, pp. 114, 376.

[3] Collier, Maps 17 & 20.

[Frederick914-4] 1 2 3 Frederick, pp. 914, 928.

[FarnM-5] 1 2 Farndale, Annex M.

[6] Farndale, p. 192.

[7] Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 22 November 1942, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, files WO 212/8 and WO 33/1962.

[8] Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 18 February 1943, TNA files WO 212/9 and WO 33/1987.

[Frederick930-9] 1 2 Frederick, p. 930.

[Joslen106-10] Joslen, pp. 106–7.

[11] "3 Airlanding A/T Bty at Paradata (Webarchive)". Archived from the original on 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2017-04-07.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]