Very useful site!
I am modelling Tamiya Mk. VII Churchill and looking for the marking options other than "out of the box" for the 3rd Bn, Scots Guards, 6 GTB. Can anybody help with the list of tank names (if such exists)? Preferably for the A and HQ squadrons.
Thanks,
HQ (Named after Scottish Mountains)
CO CAIRNGORM
2 I/C BEN LAWERS
O.I/C H.Q. Tanks BEN MACDHUI
ADJ BEN NEVIS
OP 1 BRAE RIACH
OP 2 BEN LEDI
OP 3 LOCHNAGAR
ACV KINDOM OF FIFE
A Squadron (Scottish Towns)
HQ GREENOCK
HQ PERTH
HQ TROON
HQ CRAIL
ARV OBAN
1 EDINBURGH
1 DUNDEE
1 AYRE
2 LOCHINVAR
2 INVERNESS
2 DUNKELD
3 STIRLING
3 ELGIN
3 KIRKCALDY
4 MONTROSE
4 ST ANDREWS
4 GLASGOW
B Squadron (Scottish Islands)
HQ COLL
HQ TYREE
HQ MULL
HQ TRESHNISH
ARV LEWIS
7 IONA
7 RONA
7 CANNA
8 SKYE
8 UIST
8 BARA
9 JURA
9 ISLAY
9 BUTE
10 STROMA
10 STAFFA
10 ARRAN
C Squadron (Scottish Rivers)
HQ ESK
TWEED
TEVIOT
NITH
ARV TUMMEL
I am just worried how not to fall into mistake taking some of these names for Mk. VII instead of Mk. IV or V as it was in reality.
Is there an inventory (?) or how it is called, which modifications were in use in the specific platoons and squadrons of this unit?
Excuse me if my English isn't good enough.
Thank you,
I don't have an inventory of which vehicles were used in which squadrons or troops. The realiaty is that there were relatively rew MkVII gun tanks in service in North West Europe - most MkVIIs went to the crocodile regiments. From records it would appear that by December 1944 the 6th Guards Tank brigade as a whole only had 12 MkVIIs. If MkVIIs were really this scarce its probably reasonable to assume that the 'senior' members of the regiment would take first pick and so they are more likely to be found within Regimental H.Q. and Squadron H.Q. etc.
The only Scots Guards MkVII I have 'full' details for is:
T173143, BEN NEVIS, Regimental HQ, This had the earlier pattern MkIV style air intakes and no bulges on turret front.
After operation Bluecoat, 30th july 1944, some tanks crews that lost their Churchill mk iv tanks were replaced with the mkvii variant....this is particularly so after the first day of 'Bluecoat' when 11 tanks from 'S'squadron were knocked out at Hill 226, just south of Les Loges in Normandy.
My source of info comes from my Father who was lucky enough to escape with no injuries.
He was in 'Skye' tank, 8 troop,'S' squadron...and I believe the majority of the tanks replaced that day were upgraded to mk vii's.
Eain.
Unfortunately, although the Mark VII had thicker armour, fitting the them with a 75mm gun was a major mistake due to it having an AP capability inferior to that of the 6-pdr - instead of being able (as proven in North Africa and Italy) to knockout Tigers and Panthers at 1000 yards plus, the 75mm gunned tanks sent far too many good men to their untimely deaths. The North Irish Horse, in which I served, used theirs almost exclusively as mobile artillery.