Hello All!!
Thinking about doing an Operation Market Garden diorama. However, I cannot find any information on whether XXX Corps had any M10 Achilles present during the operation or if it was just firefly and other sherman variants.
Thank you!
XXX Corps armour were equipped with Shermans including firefly variants. Their reconnaisance were wheeled scout cars. THe armoured elements were the 5th Guards Brigade and the lead was 2nd Armoured Battalion and 3rd Battalion Irish guards.
Churchill Tanks were operated by 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards and were part of the 6th (independent) Armoured Brigade supporting 3rd Infantry Division VIII Corps. Also Cromwell tanks of the 2nd (Armoured Recon.) Btn. Welsh Guards. No M10’s were ever issued.
Guards Armoured Division had 3” and 17 Pdr M10s in the Royal Artillery 21st Anti Tank Regiment.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060019642
This is footage of them in France from the IWM site
I was concentrating on the lead elements of the 5th Armoured.
The 21st saw night action at Nijmegen supporting the 82nd hunting some german SPG’s. Other Market garden actions at the Meuse-Escaut Canal, Lommeland & Malden.
Yes there were some 3" 17 pounder M10 tanks in XXX corps you will have to dig up the TO&E of the 21st Anti-Tank Batallion, RA.
This link is for a great site covering Market Garden.
http://www.ww2marketgarden.com/marketgardenorderofbattle.html
Here is a page on the Anti Tank regiments in British Army units of WWII. By 1944, the AT Regt. in an armoured division would have 2 batteries of towed 17 Pdr s and two batteries of M10 SP guns. The 17 Pdr Achilles M10 variant was likely distributed like the Firefly Sherman.