British Motor Battalion (WWII)
The Motor Battalion was a rare beast in the British Army in NW Europe. It was an organic armoured infantry battalion integral to Armoured Brigades, both those in Armoured Divisions and in Type A Independent Armoured Brigades.
It was fully mechanized in tracked lightly-armoured vehicles so that it could keep up with the tanks. It had considerable integral support capability, but it was short on infantry. In an Armoured Division only 1 of its 4 infantry battalions was a Motor Battalion, the other 3 were standard Infantry Battalions with trucks for long distance movement.
Formations
These were the Motor Battalions deployed in NWE '44 to '45
Motor Battalion | Parent Unit | Serial Number |
Main Tank Type |
1st Grenadier Guards | Guards Armoured Division | Sherman |
|
1st Rifle Brigade | 7th Armoured Division | Cromwell |
|
8th Rifle Brigade | 11th Armoured Division | Sherman |
|
2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps | 4th Armoured Brigade | Sherman |
|
12th Kings Royal Rifle Corps | 8th Armoured Brigade | DD Sherman (for D-Day) |
|
Polish 10th Dragoons | 1st Polish Armoured Division | Sherman |
|
Canadian Lake Superior Regiment | 4th Canadian Armoured Division | Sherman |
|
The Westminster Regiment (Motor) | 5th Canadian Armoured Division (mainly fought in Italy, in NWE from March '45) |
Sherman |
|
1st Czechoslovak Motor Battalion | 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group | Cromwell |
Therefore only 8 motor battalions compared out of over 100 normal infantry battalions in the British Army in NWE.
Main Tank Type, refers to the predominant type of tank in the Parent Formation. British and Polish Armoured Divisions had an Armoured Recce Regt, equipped with Cromwells and Challengers later in the campaign. The Cromwell equipped formations also had Sherman Fireflys.
Motor Battalion TO&E
At a one stand to one platoon scale a Motor Battalion would consist of the following:
- Battalion HQ - Half-track and jeep
- Administration Platoon - 3 x 3t Truck, 1 x 15cwt Truck
- Signal Corps Platoon - 1 x 15cwt Truck
- Light Aid Detachment (REME) - Half-track or 15cwt Truck
- A Motor Company
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Scout Platoon - 2 x universal carrier
- B Motor Company
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Scout Platoon - 2 x universal carrier
- C Motor Company
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Platoon - Half-track, Infantry platoon
- Scout Platoon - 2 x universal carrier
- Support Company
- AT Platoon - 6pdr ATG and Loyd Carrier
- AT Platoon - 6pdr ATG and Loyd Carrier
- AT Platoon - 6pdr ATG and Loyd Carrier
- MG Platoon - Vickers MMG and Carrier
- MG Platoon - Vickers MMG and Carrier
- 3" Mortar Unit - 3" Mortar and Carrier [this is an amalgamation of the 2 x 3" mortars in each company HQ]
- Variants
- Canadians added platoon of RAM Badger flame tanks in '45
- Canadians may have used C15TA Armoured trucks from late '44, or not see TMP
- The Czechs only had two companies (and only two-thirds of the Support Company) until January 1945, when the missing third was added during the Siege of Dunkirk.
The combat units in summary were:
- Bttn HQ (half-track and jeep)
- 9 x infantry platoons in half-tracks (M3 Whites)
- 3 x 6pdr ATG with carriers
- 2 x Vickers MMG in carriers (these could be fired from the carrier)
- 1 x 3" Mortar with carrier
- 6 x Carriers. Likely to include some Wasp flamethrower carriers from late '44 onwards.
Tactical Markings
Within an Armoured Division the Motor Battalion was the 4th Regiment of the first Brigade, this meant a red square with a white 54 was the Serial Number. Green tactical marks could be use to identify the companies of the battalion.
White stars seem to have been quite common on the sides of half-tracks, but far from universal.
References
FoW British Tank Markings in Normandy and discussion