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Italian Campaign / military record

Aesmodan

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Sorry to annoy everyone, but I have another one of those military records inquiries...

My granddad's full military record is over 1500+ pages!

Phrases of these sort appear often: Taken on Strength (TOS) or Stricken off Strength (SOS):

"3 or 2 CACRU" (Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit)
"CAC X2 List B Sec" (Canadian Armoured Corps)
"Posted to CAC X3 List B Sec"
"Posted to CAC X4 List B Sec 4 Bn"
"CAC (B Sec) X4 List (4 Bn) to 11 CTR"
"CAC X4 List D Sec "A" Sqn TDR evacuation of AFVs" (Tank Delivery Regiment / Armoured Fighting Vehicles)
"CAC "D" X4 (A Sqn TDE) SOS to 11 CAR"
"TOS from X4 List CAC (D) A Sqn TDR"
"Posted to X4 List (5 Bn)"
"SOS to X4 list CAC "D" (5th Bn)"

Thanks to this board, I'm now familiar with the "X-Lists".

I don't know what (XList?) "B Sec" or CAC "A" "B" or "D", or "4th or the 5th Bn" refer to (sometimes they do say CAC "A" Sqn = ("Alpha" squadron, and presume 4th and 5th refer to "battalions" but I can't link these up to any actual units in the orders of battle for Italy / any tank regiments that actually had 4th or 5th reserve battalions?

(Seems awfully vague to say CAC (a vast formation) "A" Sqn or whatever? Strikes me like saying "Canadian Army, Bravo Company", yea but of what regiment?)

My granddad seems to have spent a lot of time on these XLists, but often returned to "11 C.A.T. Reg." (could this mean 11th Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment, perhaps an AT company of the Ontars?), sometimes appears as "11 ATReg" and in at least one place in the record is used as a synonym for "11 CAR" / "11 CTR" (?) May or may not be all synonyms and/or = the Ontario Regiment.

The name changes of the formations for the orders of battle across time are also a pain to track! Any good resources on this short of the war diaries / regimental histories? (good luck getting your hands on them without travel?)

Ultimately, I'm looking to track where he was, when. Thanks for any help with decipherment!

Cheers,
A
 
Sorry to annoy everyone, but I have another one of those military records inquiries...

My granddad's full military record is over 1500+ pages!

Phrases of these sort appear often: Taken on Strength (TOS) or Stricken off Strength (SOS):

"3 or 2 CACRU" (Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit)
"CAC X2 List B Sec" (Canadian Armoured Corps)
"Posted to CAC X3 List B Sec"
"Posted to CAC X4 List B Sec 4 Bn"
"CAC (B Sec) X4 List (4 Bn) to 11 CTR"
"CAC X4 List D Sec "A" Sqn TDR evacuation of AFVs" (Tank Delivery Regiment / Armoured Fighting Vehicles)
"CAC "D" X4 (A Sqn TDE) SOS to 11 CAR"
"TOS from X4 List CAC (D) A Sqn TDR"
"Posted to X4 List (5 Bn)"
"SOS to X4 list CAC "D" (5th Bn)"

Thanks to this board, I'm now familiar with the "X-Lists".

I don't know what (XList?) "B Sec" or CAC "A" "B" or "D", or "4th or the 5th Bn" refer to (sometimes they do say CAC "A" Sqn = ("Alpha" squadron, and presume 4th and 5th refer to "battalions" but I can't link these up to any actual units in the orders of battle for Italy / any tank regiments that actually had 4th or 5th reserve battalions?

(Seems awfully vague to say CAC (a vast formation) "A" Sqn or whatever? Strikes me like saying "Canadian Army, Bravo Company", yea but of what regiment?)

My granddad seems to have spent a lot of time on these XLists, but often returned to "11 C.A.T. Reg." (could this mean 11th Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment, perhaps an AT company of the Ontars?), sometimes appears as "11 ATReg" and in at least one place in the record is used as a synonym for "11 CAR" / "11 CTR" (?) May or may not be all synonyms and/or = the Ontario Regiment.

The name changes of the formations for the orders of battle across time are also a pain to track! Any good resources on this short of the war diaries / regimental histories? (good luck getting your hands on them without travel?)

Ultimately, I'm looking to track where he was, when. Thanks for any help with decipherment!

Cheers,
A

X-2 List "All ranks under sentence of detention, imprisonment or penal servitude" Your grandpappy was a bad boy at one time.

X-3 List "All ranks evacuated on medical grounds behind Regimental Aid Posts" Either wounded or sick enough that he left the unit.

X-4 List "Unposted reinforcements in the theatre of war belonging to the unit or corps" In most cases refers to time at a Canadian Reinforcement Depot.

presume 4th and 5th refer to "battalions" but I can't link these up to any actual units

These likely refer to the battalions in No. 1 Base Reinforcement Group. Initially, No. 1 Base Reinforcement Depot organized with 4 battalions ( bns 1 to 4) was sent to the Mediterranean theatre; later this was increased with a second depot (bns 5 to 8). If a soldier had left an operational unit, such as going to jail or to hospital, it was likely that he would go to a reinforcement depot for retraining (rehabilitation?) before returning to his parent unit or to another unit.

11 C.A.T. Reg

11 Canadian Army Tank Regiment same same as the other variations of name for the Ontario Regiment
 
Me again!

The summary sheet for this record I posted about before mentions "49 months service, 42 months O/S in UK, Sicily, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany in CAC".

Problem is, I can't discern anything after Italy in the record of movements (TOS/SOS).

In fact the record suggests all time spent after June 1944 were spent on Xlists, some of which were in CMF (Central Mediterranean Force...)

He served with the 11th Ontars for much of the Sicily-Italian Campaign, and according to this:

As Blackadder said, when battalions are mentioned it's the reinforcement groups. I just saw that in one place, it mentions "CAC X4 List D Sec 4 Bn". (CAC X4 List, D Sec, 4 Bn").

I guess therefore "CAC (D) 'A' Sqn" is an abbreviation of this. However according to the regimental pamphlet, Alpha Squadron 11th Ontars operated between Nijmegen and Arnhem during the Liberation... Not really a proof, but interesting.

Record states:

CAC (D) 'A' Sqn - 4 mar 44 (?)
x4 list CACTU - 7 Jun 44 (unspecified training)
x3 list - 17 Jul 44 (yet another VD trip to hospital, loled)
x4 5 Bn - 26 Jul 44
1CBRGp - 20 Jul 44
x4 (5bn) CAC D - 21 Jul 44
x4 CAC D (5Bn) - 15 Nov 44
HQ 1 CBRGp - 16 Nov 44 (weird, that)
x4 CACTU - 28 Dec 44 (training to be a "DM (TK) "C") (?)
x4 2 Gen Bn - 3 Mar 45
x9 - 14 Mar 1945
x4 CAC 2 NET D - 6 Apr 45
Evac to UK - 24 Apr 1945
1 Cdn Reception Depot UK - 6 May 1945

Seems a lot of list-jumping. Not sure why the summary of the record would mention he was in Belgium-Holland and not have any clear details on that...

Thanks for any help!
 
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