WO 171/846 - 15-19 The King Royal Hussars - July 1944

Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1. and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages will be prepared in manuscript.	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Army Form C.2118
	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Unit: 15th/19th Hussars
Month and Year: July 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Lt Col A.D. Taylor, MC.

Place	Date	Hour	Summary	Reference
U.K.	1		APPENDIX ‘Z’: 'A' & 'B' Sqns had been at FRITTON BRIDGING CAMP since June 26th doing amphibious tk trg. The D.D. Sherman is an ordinary Sherman tk to which is added a screen which can be raised so that it forms a canvas box around the tk. This increases the volume of the tk in the water and makes it float. The screen is raised by compressed air tubes and held up by iron struts. The compressed air is supplied to the tubes by compressed air bottles on the front of the tk. The tk is driven in the water by two propellors, which are themselves driven off the final drive to the sprockets, so that the tracks to go round when the propellors do, and as soon as the tk touches land the tracks take over. These propellors can be raised so that when the tk is on land they do not get damaged. The tk is steered by a lateral movement imparted to the propellors by one of the two tillers. The Comd has one on the outside of the tk and the driver another in his compartment. There were enough D.D. Shermans for each Sqn to have 19, and these stood in a long concrete camouflaged tk park for the first day or two. Instructors had handed over the tks to the drivers from the Regt, explained the theory of the tk to crews, and allowed them to practice inflating screens in the tk park. Soon tks went into the lake and instructors at first comd them. Later the crew comds from the Regt took over. The drill for testing propellors and for raising screens was always done before entering the water. In the water there were various means of steering. The Comd could stand on top and steer with his tiller. Or he could stand on top and give instructions over the I.C. to the driver who would use his own tiller. The driver could use his long periscope or the Comd could look through his periscope and give commands on the I.C. to the driver who steers with his tiller. As the trg went on, Tps trained together practising Tp launchings, drives and landings, and later on Sqns practised as Sqns.

Source: Jeroen Koppes, TracesOfWar.com, transcribing: Hans Houterman.

Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. Locations are calculated, so might not be in the correct place. For historical research, always check the originals.

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