13 (The Honourable Artillery Company) Regiment Royal Horse Artillery: G Battery  Battery - H Battery - I Battery-Sextons

Unit No.

20 September 1944: Regiment moved in to Holland as far as Heeze and Zomeren (Brabant). Very akward country for gun posns, open ground is soft and marshay and the wooded parts are liable to contain snipers.

21 September 1944: Going to Geldrop (Brabant), regimental position here.

22 September 1944: Forward to Helmond, I Battery remained in Geldrop, G and H moved forward, late afternoon doubled back to Zomeren to go through Inf Bde next day who had bridged the canal between Zomeren and Asten.

23 September 1944: Mopping up between Asten and Deurne (Brabant), hard laborious work, plenty of enemy shelling, particulary around Asten.

25 September 1944: Forward to clear and take up positions along road Milheeze-Oploo. section from H Battery fired a salvo into Germany at 18.27hrs and were thus the first Royal Horse Artillery Regiment to do and the first regiment in the Corps to do so.

26 September 1944: Guns in Oploo (Brabant) area , isolated and subjected to shelling, 2 casualties, moved to Div CL north of Rips (Brabant).

1 October 1944: Regt still in action West op Oploo.

2-6 October 1944: 7 US Armd Div commenced op from Oploo to Overloon, RA 11 Armd Div in Sp, fired a fair number of concs at call in sp of them.

Troughout this period the Regt Svy Party was deployed on the CRA's orders, in a flash spotting and sound bearing role. It was not the first time they had done this as it is the CRA's practice to use his Svy party in this way or at least to use them as a counter Battery Office. All shellreps go direct to them and from them to the CBO thus relieving the Adjt and his comns of much traffic. The Svy party also keep their own CB board, which had been found invaluable both as a guide and a supplement to the OPs, it has also in conjunction  with the Air OP, permanently attached to us by the CRA, who is sent at once to look at any intersection found by thr Svy party, enabled the Regt at times to make a speedy and effective reply to such things as Nebelwerfers and SP guns which are often too nimble for the necessarily slower work of the CB organisation. Moved to Oploo area where most of the Corps Arty is deployed. 7 US armd Div has moved to another sector and its place taken by 3 Br Inf Div and as part of the Corps Arty we now sp them in addition to our own divisional role.

11 October 1944: An uneventful day, but at about 22.00hrs, the enemy, doing some HF or CB landed several slavos on I Battery posn and a few strays around RHQ, as a result of which I Battery lost one killed and 10 wounded, one round landing on top of a bivouac, where these men were sleeping.

12 October 1944: Fired a fire plane in sp of 3 Br Div attack on Overloon (300rpg). OP orders received for Div op to clear area Venray to Amerika and Horst once 3 Br Div have taken Venray, Regt remains under comd CRA in sp 29 arm bde, one officer and 10 ORs to Brussels for 48hrs leave.

14 October 1944: Orders for likely move to area Sambeeksche, north of Overloon, 16.30hrs orders received for new area. Recce parties out and survey done, mostly in the dark.

15 October 1944: Move at first light to new area recced and prepared yesterday evening. Ready by 08.00hrs with 150rpg dumped. 18.00hrs G Battery moved to De Rips area to Sp 29 Armd Bde, with DFs etc in limited op across the canal. CO rejoins the Tac Bde at urgent request of the Bde Comd. Regt remains under cmd CRA. Op probalby starts tomorrow with slight change from orignal plan , Bde Axis now runs east from De Rips towards Venray and then south, further 150rpg dumped.

16 October 1944:  Barrage in support of 3 Br Div lasting 170mins 300rpg no rest, H Hr 07.00-10.00hr, on completon of barrage moved to Regt area at De Rips to sp 29 armd Bde which is still less the 2 F & F Yeomanry and plus the 3 Mons. FOOs normal for G and H Batteries, plus two and a BC from 146 Med Regt. BBC travels with RHQ netted to us and to his own Regiment.

17 October 1944: Avd continued to Weversloo (Limburg) area. Batteries moved to area west of Merselo. Bad weather and very bad going, 5 tanks bogged, road almost impassable which caused worries over amn supply, all Ok however.

18 October 1944: Adv  Regt continued to Heide and Volen (Limburg). Regt moved to main road area some 2-3000 yards south of previous posn. State of roads and tracks so bad that only way of getting to new posn was by going back to to Deurne and then due east along the main Deurne-Venray road, a circuit of some 10 miles. Though a comparatively small increase in range was obtained by this move, it had to be done first ot ensure that the Regiment was albe to move further forward to sp any subsequent adv by the armour and secindly to ensure that supplies could be maintained. Move accomplished without hitch.

19 October 1944: Bde consolidated at Volen, Schiede and Leunen (Limburg). Bde moved to Heide, Regt moved to Weversloo.

20 October 1944: A static period, smaal patrols first two days, none there after, FOOs established OPs in church towers, etc. Much shelling by both sides, weather poor. Rest parties send to Helmond.

6 November 1944: Regt on being relieved by 86 Fd Regiment moved to De Rips to rest, first time out of action since 27 August.

10 November 1944: Rest ends, return to Meerselo, amn expenditure limited to 20rpg per day plus 9 rpg for CB ordered by higher fmns.

20 November 1944: General re-shuffle prior to proposed op along Deurne-Amerika rly to Horst and thence to the Maas. Inf Bde moved over the rly.

22 November 1944: Large fire plan laid on 230rpg dumped, Regt fired 10rpg on initial cones at H.Hr. Nothing else fired at all throughout the op. Enemy withdrawn, everyone bogged down.

27 November 1944: Regt to Gemert area to rest, new gun areas recced.

29 November 1944: Regt moves to Melderslo in sp of 159 Inf Bde. repsy for arty sp shared with 151 Fd regt week and week about, guns both Regt remain in action throughout on call to controlling 151s turn now.