70th Infantry Brigade War Diary September 1941.
The Brigade HQ staff remained the same as for the previous month.
1st September 1941
An all-night exercise was held by 10th DLI to practise night patrols and dawn attack, in the area HAWICK HILL, near VATNSENDI Wireless Telegraphy Station.
3rd September 1941
An inter-Battalion exercise between 1st Tyneside Scottish and 11th DLI was held in the area of the VATNSENDI Wireless Telegraphy Station. 11th DLI (less one Company) was in defence and occupied positions on VATNSENDI, SCAPEGOAT and BARE HILLS. 1st Tyneside Scottish took the part of a Battalion landing by parachute and succeeded in capturing VATNSENDI HILL and the Wireless Telegraphy Station.
The object of the exercise was to study the tactics of the airborne troops and methods of countering them. Many lessons were learnt.
4th September 1941
A mountain warfare exercise was held at Kleifervatn by 10th DLI and was attended by the Brigade Commander. Two Companies of the 10th DLI were supposed to have landed by seaplane on the lake and one Company, with the Reconnaissance Platoon, formed the Advance Guard of a Mobile Column sent out to isolate the invaders in the area of the lake and secure CANADA PASS. This was the first occasion that this Battalion had attempted an exercise of this type of warfare and many useful points were brought out.
Another mountain warfare exercise was carried out by 1st Tyneside Scottish on the same day in the area North East of the lake, which is surrounded by mountainous country, very suitable for such exercises.
During this and the following weeks, Platoon efficiency competitions were held by 11th DLI and 1st Tyneside Scottish. The former unit’s competition was for one Platoon of each Company, plus the Reconnaissance Platoon, while 1st Tyneside Scottish had all Platoons taking part in their competition. This form of training was most beneficial as the men entered keenly into the competitive spirit.
One feature that was brought out during this was that the shooting with rifle and Bren Gun was by no means as accurate as it should have been. It is hoped to take steps to improve this in subsequent training.
10th September 1941
143rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery held a Field Firing demonstration at Kleifervatn to practise the use of the “Clock Code” method of directing artillery fire. This was repeated on 12th September so that as many Officers as possible from 70th Infantry Brigade could attend.
16th September 1941
A Brigade T.E.W.T. (Tactical Exercise Without Troops) for Officers on mountain warfare to be held at Kleifervatn under the direction of the Brigade Commander, assisted by Lt Col Ware M.C. and Major K.T. Roper, Brigade Major, had to be abandoned owing to heavy driving rain.
17th September 1941
Force Exercise No 9 for Battalion Intelligence Sections was held in the SELVATN area near the GEITHALS – Pingvellir road from 08:30 to 16:00 hours. Nine unit Sections took part and the exercise was in the form of a competition on the lines of the exercise being held last April. 1st Tyneside Scottish provided detachments firing 2” and 3” mortar and the excellence of their shooting was noticed. 143rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery also took the part of the enemy and over 100 rounds of high explosive and smoke were fired from their 25pdr guns.
The exercise was designed to test the powers of observation of members of the Sections and the working of Intelligence Officers in the field. In spite of almost continuous rain and poor visibility, which made observation difficult, the exercise was completed without a hitch.
18th September 1941
The Brigade Commander attended the G.O.Cs. conference at Force HQ. During this week the Brigadier and the Brigade Major made reconnaissances and prepared for an inter-Brigade exercise to be held during the next week. The weather was poor during the whole of this week and rain fell every day.
19th September 1941
The G.O.C. held a conference at the Recreation Hut, LAUGAVEGUR, Reykjavik on the Force Intelligence Exercise. In spite of adverse weather the results had been very satisfactory. Units of 70th Infantry Brigade had done much better than in the previous exercise held in April and, although no results were published, it was learnt unofficially that 1st Tyneside Scottish had been first in the order of marking and 11th DLI third. Nine Battalions had taken part.
20th September 1941
The Operation Order was issued dealing with the defence of South-West Sector while 70th Infantry Brigade was outside the Sector during the exercise. A copy was attached to the War Diary as Appendix A.
This document detailed the identity and strength of the units defending each Sub-Sector as follows:-
Reykjavik Sub-Sector – one Rifle Company and “R” Company of 1sr TS with a Platoon each on Harbour Defences, Grotta Defences and Laugarnes Defences, with the remainder manning the static M.M.Gs.
MIDDLE Sub-Sector - one Rifle Company and “R” Company of 10th DLI with a Platoon on Howitzer Hill and the main body defending the aerodrome, the remainder manning the static M.M.G. posts.
Hafnafjordur Sub-Sector - one Rifle Company and “R” Company of 11th DLI with a Platoon each on Harbour Defences and at Slingsby Hill, and a Section each on the Hvaleyri Defences, Cloisters Camp and Gardar Camp, with the remainder manning the static M.M.G. posts.
VESTMANN – one Platoon of 10th DLI.
An Officer of at least the rank of Captain to be in command of each of the Sub-Sectors.
1st/9th Manchesters continued to be responsible for M.M.G. support at MOLE – reference 207087 and FIELD reference 209081.
Command of the South-West Sector as a whole was to be by Major C.M.L. McCoy of 10th DLI.
Overall – despite the small numbers - the overriding instruction continued to be that positions would be held to the last man and the last round. HQ continued to be at YORK HOUSE.
21st September 1941
Over the weekend representatives of Brigade HQ and the units made reconnaissances of their assembly areas for the beginning of the forthcoming inter-Brigade exercise. 11th DLI, who were to be given the task of advancing along mountain passes in the region of Mt ESJA, made reconnaissances of the route which was to be followed. One Officer and one man did not return from one of these journeys.
22nd September 1941
11th DLI sent out search parties to look for the missing men without success. In the evening search parties were organised from the Brigade to set out the next day and cover the whole area of Mt ESJA and surrounding mountains, and a broadcast was made over the civil radio in case any isolated farm was sheltering the missing men.
23rd September 1941
The organised search began soon after dawn with parties from Brigade HQ and all three Battalions, the last named being given large areas to cover. At 11:00 hours the missing men were found in an isolated farm in an exhausted condition. They had been in the open in gales and rain for two nights and nearly two days without any food, but could give no clear account of their movements. Medical attention was given to them and they were taken to No 30 General Hospital at Helgafell.
Two of the search parties were told by an Icelandic farmer that an aeroplane had crashed on Mt ESJA and burst into flames. They eventually found the wreckage, which was that of a Hurricane, and brought back the body of the pilot.
Meanwhile, most of the remaining search parties could not be recalled and it was not until late that evening that they had returned to their Camps. The weather had been poor all day, low cloud, mist and rain, all combining to reduce the visibility.
24th September 1941
Force Exercise No 10 had been postponed from the previous day owing to bad weather, but movement to the assembly areas for the beginning of the exercise started at 05:00 hours.
70th Infantry Brigade column moved to the area of LAXAR BAY in Hvalfjordur where units debussed to await “zero hour”. This force, known as “Blue Force” was supposed to have landed in Hvalfjordur and was to advance on, and capture, Reykjavik.
Blue Force Operation Order was attached to the War Diary as Appendix B as follows:-
The exercise order was very comprehensive and simulated a sizeable landing force – represented by 70th Infantry Brigade, with supporting Field Artillery, Medium Machine Guns, Field Ambulance, Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Engineers and close ground support and fighter aircraft – attempting to capture the capital. This involved two columns and a reserve force – each of a Battalion with supporting arms and services.
X Light Anti-Aircraft Battery was expected to provide both point and mobile cover.
Coastal Defence guns were deemed to have been put out of action with their crews occupying defence positions. Limited intelligence was available on the defending forces.
Regular sorties by the RAF were planned for reconnaissance purposes.
Provision was made for emergency rations, blankets, ammunition reserves and medical cover – including an Advanced Dressing Station and Ambulance Car Posts. Water was planned to be chlorinated or boiled if it could not be tested. This was clearly a very substantial exercise involving the Brigade’s full allocation of transport and the presence of the Light Aid Detachment.
The weather was still very bad and the wind and rain would have made it impossible for 11th DLI to fulfil their difficult task of advancing over mountain passes without several men being lost.
A message was received at 09:30 hours from Force HQ calling off the exercise but it was not until 17:00 hours that the last vehicle was back in Camp. Several minor breakdowns occurred on the outwards and return journeys and the Brigade Light Aid Detachment was kept busy dealing with these and with vehicles that were stuck in the mud.
25th September 1941
It was announced that the inter-Brigade exercise would be held as soon after the weekend as weather would permit.
26th September 1941
Brigadier P. Kirkup D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C., T.D. took over command of Iceland ( C) Force on the departure of Major General H.O. Curtis C.B., D.S.O., O.B.E. for the U.K. on leave. Brigadier Kirkup was appointed to the local rank of Major General for the period of this command.
Lt Col C.D. Marley D.S.O., M.B.E., T.D. assumed command of 70th Infantry Brigade and Major F. Hall commanded 10th DLI for this period.
30th September 1941
It had been decided to hold the inter-Brigade exercise on October 1st and a reconnaissance made by the officiating Brigade Commander and Brigade Major had shown that the proposed task for 11th DLI would be almost impossible owing to weather conditions, conditions of roads, and the swollen state of the rivers. Accordingly a conference was held at Brigade HQ of all unit and Sub-unit Commanders in Blue Force to issue the amended Operation Orders and give the latest information about debussing and concentration areas. The weather shoed only slight improvement and the return of heavy rain and a gale later in the day caused the exercise to be cancelled by Force HQ at 23:15 hours.
For the last fortnight of the month there had been rain every day, very often for most of the day. The weather, the inter-Brigade exercise which was twice postponed and then finally cancelled, and the return of 3 ½ Companies in the Brigade from tents to hutted Camps all made opportunities for training very limited.
The administrative position was as follows:-
ACCOMMODATION
The major problem during September was the difficulty of obtaining huts for men under canvas. During the whole of the month 2 ½ Companies 10th DLI and one Company 1st TS were accommodated in tents on the aerodrome, and at Craven Camp and Howitzer Hill, Fossvogur and Balbo’s Camps. All these, except those on the aerodrome, were moved back into existing hutted Camps on September 26th and 27th.
Fifteen huts authorised for the Aerodrome Company were still unobtainable by the end of the month. Heavy gales and rainstorms during the whole of the last week of September made conditions in these Camps very severe. Electric lighting was installed at Slingsby Camp. The only Camp without electricity was now Hvaleyri and arrangements were well in hand to complete this.
WORKING PARTIES
These, totalling 18 Officers, 72 NCOs and 700 men were supplied from the Brigade (plus 1st/9th Manchesters) for REYKJAVIK aerodrome during the fortnight 6th – 20th September.
LEAVE
Two more leave trips to the UK were despatched during the month, bringing the total to 54 Officers and 1140 Other Ranks since April 1st.
FUEL
The winter scale of fuel allowances came into force on September 1st, totalling 15lbs of fuel per man per day.
AMENITIES
Beer for canteens continued to be extremely scarce and the average supply during the month was one bottle per man per week of English beer.
Two deliveries of mail only were received at fortnightly intervals.
To contact the author by e-mail with any queries, or to send information - click here.
