Page Thirty-nine

The infantry bridgehead firmly established, it was imperative to pass tanks across the LAMONE to support and exploit, but this did NOT prove possible until the night of 12/13 Dec, owing to the lack of an adequate bridge. An attempt was made by the bridge laying troop, HQ 21 TANK BRIGADE, in co-operation with 2 FIELD COMPANY RCE to lay a “BROWN” Bridge, but the maximum span of 160 ft was found to be slightly too short for the available crossing site, and the BAILEY had perforce to be laid in the orthodox fashion, a much longer operation. The important point was what the original plan had been modified. 12 R TKS would continue to support 1 CANADIAN INFANTRY DIVISION over and beyond the LAMONE. “C” Squadron 12 R TKS managed to cross the LAMONE on night 12/13 and two troops moved down the WEST banks supporting 48 HIGHLANDERS in the area 4326, 4135. “A” Squadron, after carrying out a diversionary shoot on targets on RCD front (11 Dec), stood to at noon on the following day prepared to crossed the river and support to 3 BRIGADE in an expansion of the bridgehead to the SOUTH-WEST.

These days (10 - 12 Dec) were remarkable chiefly for the indirect shooting on the part of squadrons of 12 R TKS and 48 R TKS employing an air OP. On the morning of 11 Dec a troop of “C” Squadron 48 R TKS registered two bridges with the assistance of an air OP and subsequently each tank harassed the bridges with 100 rounds of high explosive. 12 R TKS similarly shelled steeple OPs in BAGNACAVALLO using air OP observed 95 mm. One further deployment was the use of RADAR to plot positions of roving SP guns which were then engaged indirect by troops of 48 R TKS previously registered on the known routes used by the enemy SP. This development owed much to the fortuitous proximity of Tac HQ 48 R TKS to a RADAR detachment.

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