Independent Machinegun Battalions

[horsa]

I’ve been researching the 1st Battalion Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (MG) since they are one of the units that used T-16 Carriers during the war. What makes things difficult is the unit was broken up as needed for various tasks and many of the details of their history would be associated with the units they fought with as the war went on and not collectively like a regular line infantry or airborne unit.

Looking at Normandy, they were made up of four companies with A, B and C being Vickers MG units and D being 4.2” mortars. All four companies utilized carriers. D-Coy was further split into two groups each made up of two platoons. Numbers 13 and 14 Platoon landed on D-Day with the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, drove up to Banville as it was getting dark. Number 13 Platoon set up to support the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and Number 14 Platoon set up to support the Canadian Scottish Regiment. Number 12 and 15 Platoons were to support the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade. They also arrived on D-Day but didn’t disembark until D+2 for some reason. Not like there was any urgency being an invasion and sitting on an LST filled with 4.2” mortar bombs. The Platoons in the three MG Companies were each tasked to support individual Battalions of each Brigade. They all landed on D-Day.

The entire Battalion transitioned to carriers in the summer of 1943. The Battalion wartime diary only states “carriers” throughout as a generic reference to vehicles they trained on and used. Probably initially would have been traditional universal carriers but it’s also possible they had been assigned some of the first T-16s available since they were being completely refitted as a support battalion for the invasion. If they didn’t start with T-16s, when did they get them? The only specific photograph I’ve found todate of a T-16 with the Cameron Highlanders is from Operation Switchback in early October 1944. It shows one of the mortar platoon T-16s loading into a Buffalo. The T-16 can be identified as being part of the mortar platoon by its angle iron rail bolted down the length of the hull to facilitate easier loading and unloading of bombs and equipment. If they didn’t land with T-16s at Normandy, where would they have picked them up as they moved inland? It is also unlikely they would have been given a new type of vehicle to learn how to drive and maintain while on the move fighting with 3rd Canadian Division. And if the mortar company had T-16 carriers, would the other three companies have used the same type carriers to make resupply of parts easier if needed, or would it not make a difference since they went different directions by battle plan design almost from the start?