WO 171/867 - 5 Royal Tank Regiment - December 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: 5 Royal Tank Regiment
Month and Year: December 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. C.A. Holliman, DSO MC

Place	Date	Hour	Summary
	1		Ref Maps 1/100,000 BELGIUM & HOLLAND Sheet 4
KINROY	1		No event - Regt Trg.
	2		No event - Regt Trg.
	3	1030	Visit by 30 Corps Comd - Lt. Gen Horrocks otherwise no event. Horrocks, Brian Gwynne "Jorrocks"
	4		No event.
	5		Regt forms into 2 lnf Coys 'B' & 'C' Sqns with a view to holding the line as such during the coming operations to be carried out by 43rd Div.
	6	0800	Regt formed up and moved to new area SITTARD 6867. Route:- MAESEYCK - EELEN - DOUBLE DUTCH BR - BORN - SITTARD.
SITTARD	6	1200	Regt established in new area. RHQ, Recce 'B' and 'C' Sqns grouped in area 681672. 'A' Sqn location N.W. of the town at 681689. The Tks of 'B' & 'C' Sqns being left in A2 Ech.
	7		Inf posns occupied in area TUDDERN 7070 by 'B' & 'C' Sqn plus Recce Tp.
	8-13		No events.
	14	1400	Griff Talk by the CO to all ranks. Subject:- “The present situation on the Western Front and forthcoming ops”.
	15-18		No events.
	19		Regt now placed under Comd 52 (L) Div. 'B' & 'C' Sqns revert to their tks.
	20		Regt reverts to comd 22 Armd Bde. Enemy Aircraft active during night dropping a number of AP Bombs.
	21	1200	Regt less 'A' Sqn moved to LIMBRICHT 6670 - otherwise no event.
LIMBRICHT	22		No event. At night 'A' Sqn was subjected to a hy “Stonk” from enemy guns. Strong suspicions of civilian informants in this area passing infm to the enemy. Casualties:- Cpl Cant Killed, Tpr Gilroy Killed, Tpr Ibbottson - Wounded.
	23-24		No events.
	25		Christmas Day - extra fare was forthcoming.
	26		'B' Sqn placed under comd 1 RB and took up posns in the line at HOLTUM 658738. "A" Sqn had one tp NIEWSTAT 684724. Defensive posns for tks had previously been prepared by “Bull-dozers”.
	27-28		No events.
	29		'B' Sqn relieved by 1 RB and return to LIMBRICHT.
	30-31		No events.

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Source: Joris Nieuwint, The Battlefield Explorer, 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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