21st Tank Brigade

21st Tank Brigade Narrative

Page Four

By the time the FOGLIA was reached 26 PANZER DIVISION had come up opposite our neighbours on the LEFT, but it was strong rearguards of 1 PARA DIVISION and 278 DIVISION that slowed down our advance past CATTOLICA. 1 PARA DIVISION had lost heavily, many having been taken prisoner by the POLES when 1 CANADIAN DIVISION cut off their retreat at CATTOLICA. The arrival of 162 TURCOMAN DIVISION enabled the enemy to make a stand on the line of the RIVER MARANO.
When the assault on the RIMINI features commenced the enemy had the remnants of 1 PARA DIVISION and 162 DIVISION on the flat ground near the coast. 98 DIVISION had arrived to hold the SAN LORENZO feature, and were strengthened by the arrival of 29 PANZER GRENADIER DIVISION, which came in between 98 DIVISION and 26 PANZER DIVISION. The latter, still opposite our neighbours on the LEFT, had the greater part of 20 GAF DIVISION under command and units of this assisted in the defence of the SAN FORTUNATO feature.
For the latter phase of the battle the enemy had a number of TIGERS, SPs and Mark IV’s which were used well for individual defensive tasks. They caused considerable trouble for our tanks, although their numbers were far from large. Several PANTHER turrets in the neighbourhood of RIMINI airfield were also the cause of many casualties. There were many fixed defences in this area, some of them solid concrete structures, which had been built as part of the coastal defences put up in the past year or two to guard against a possible sea landing in the RIMINI area. Our attack came in behind some of these defences which were close to the beach, but those further inland could be turned to deal with the threat from the SOUTH and they were used by the enemy to good effect.
(c) The grouping in 1 CANADIAN DIVISION was as follows:
    CANADIAN INFANTRY BRIGADE
    12 R TKS (Comd Lt-Col H.H. van STRAUBENZEE, DSO).
    48 HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA - ‘A’ Sqn.
    HASTINGS & PRINCE EDWARD REGIMENT (HPER) - ‘B’ Sqn.
    ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT (RCR)- ‘C’ Sqn
    2 CANADIAN INFANTRY BRIGADE
    145 RAC (Comd Lt-Col E.V. STRICKLAND, DSO, MM).
    SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA - ‘A’ Sqn.
    PRINCESS PATRICIA CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY (PPCLI) - ‘B’ Sqn.
    LOYAL EDMONTON REGIMENT (LER) - ‘C’ Sqn
    3 CANADIAN INFANTRY BRIGADE
    48 R Tks (Comd E.H. TINKER).
    ROYAL 22nd REGIMENT (R22eR) - ‘A’ Sqn.
    CARLETON & YORK REGIMENT (CYR) - ‘B’ Sqn.
    WEST NOVA SCOTIA REGIMENT (WNSR)- ‘C’ Sqn

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