Supporting an Armoured Division in the Field
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Drivers in the R.A.S.C. Lead a Strenuous Life and on Occasions are Called Upon to Man the Guns
S0 far in this war little publicity has been given to the work of Divisional R.A,S.C., or " Second Line," as it is sometimes referred to, and yet the method by which an armoured division is supported administratively forms an interesting story of the land operations.
The personnel of the R.A.S.C. of an armoured division is an integral part of it, taking its place as divisional troops. It consists of headquarters R.A.S.C. and three companies, a divisional troops armoured brigade and an infantry brigade company making a complement of 48 officers and 1,400 men.
The work of the Divisional R.A.S.C. is essentially load-carrying, and its organization enables,it to maintain the armoured division in ammunition. petrol, oil and food at a distance from a forward base which varies, accord-, ing to circumstances, up to a maximum of 50 miles for short periods. At the same time, its lorries carry the infantry ofthe division to enable it to reach ground seized by the armour.
To maintain an armoured division. the "Second Line" has a pay-load, in round figures, of 1,000 tons. This is normally divided into the following commodities:—Ammunition, 600 tons; petrol and oil, 300 tons; food, 80 tons; and the balance in small stores, in which mail is included.
Such a pay-load enables the men of an armoured division to move 50 miles, fire all their ammunition' and enjoy a breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. This is provided that a•forward base be maintained within 30 to 40 miles of the division, from which its R.A,S.0 can get its supplies.
Careful Judgment Needed It would, however, be most unusual to find all types of ammunition expended at the same time, or to move 50 miles every day. An infinite number of possibilities present themselves during the course of an armoured division " replenishment," which call foi careful judgment on the part of the divisional commander's administrative staff before it decides upon a maintenance plan to be carried out by the R.A.S.C. It will be apparent that the major task which lies before " Second Line"
is the provision of ammunition and petrol at the right time and place: From the administrative angle this is a battle-winning factor.
Ammunition ig normally supplied through forward ammunition points, which may comprise 20, or even 30, trucks, according to the administrative situation. Each brigade in a division is served by an ammunition point which is, itself, in wireless communication with the main holding of ammunition trucks in the R.A.S.C. companies, which may, possibly, be 25 or 30 miles away, according to the length of the lines of communication from the foremost bas.-:
The drivers at these ammunition points work hard; they are required to unload their vehicles into gun-battery or Tank-squadron lorries, and may even be called upon to work the guns. On returning to base, they have to reload ; in fact,. it may be said that their life is spent on their lorries.
A driver, assisted whenever possible by a second driver, may cover 40 to 60 miles and handle 9 tons of ammunition over a period of 12 hours. He may, too, be called upon at any moment of the day or night to repeat this performance.
Attack from the Air Life at an ammunition point is not without excitement, because, in cloudy weather, the Germans like to " strop " the roads with their air arm and they are fond of shelling " lying-up " areas at night. However, all this is readily, accepted when. it is realized that every round of ammunition brought up increases the enemy's discomfiture.
A recent .action at VWers Bocage found our armour in the village supported by an R.H.A. Regiment. The ammunition point was brought up to within 200 yards of the guns. For two days the enemy made repeated attempts to cut the road leading to the village, and ammunition vehicles had to be escorted forward. At the same time the officer and men at the ammunition point, armed and equipped to take their place when fighting becomes necessary to the continuance of their job, were called upon continuously to stand-to and be ready lo deal with enemy infantry in their area.
The maintenance of ration supplies, perhaps unromantic in comparison, is always interesting and often difficult. In brief, "Second Line" draws food in bulk from the advanced base. The " bulk" is broken up, according to unit requirements, and the rations arecarried forward.
At the beginning of a campaign, such as that in 'Normandy, the limitation of shipping tonnage makes it • impossible to handle fresh supplies immediately, so that various ration " packs" are used until fresh meat, bread, vegetables, etc., can begot through.
Regarding petrol and oil, supply demands Lre erratic, NVhereas everyone eats three meals a day, even when not actively engaged with the enemy, petrol may be required in great quantities one day and in only "small quantities on another.
To move an armoured division 50 miles requires some 53,000 gallons of petrol. A change in Tank strength or in the type of engine used means a corresponding change in the amount of petrol that has to be carried by the R.A.S.C., whilst the distance covered by the division during the course of operations determines the number of times it is necessary to bring petrol forward to units.
Bringing Up the Troops Then there is the troop-carrying company of the R.A.S.C., which is responsible for transporting the infantry brigade of the armoured division. The work calls for close co-operation with the infantry, because there must be a drill for embussing when the brigade has to move. This drill is carried out by organizing the R.A.S.C. company so that a platoon of 24 vehicles lifts an infantry division and a section of six machines lifts an infantry company.
These platoons are held a short distance in the rear under their O.C. company, which sends them forward to previously reconnoitred embussing points as required by the brigade commander. In Normandy, debussing often takes place in contact with the enemy.