Cab 11/12s in old archives

[Tony Wheeler]

As promised I've dug up some cab 12 portee pics I saved a while back, and I've even managed to locate the source again! It's an official account of NZ portee crews in action at Sidi Rezegh on 23/11/41, entitled "Guns against Tanks", with accompanying photographs. I've posted the link rather than the photos, as I found it to be a "must read". As well as describing in detail the various tactics employed when fighting tanks "en portee", it's a remarkable story of courage under fire against overwhelming odds, which I think you'll agree makes for compelling reading.

It also attests to the effectiveness of these highly mobile fighting vehicles in the hands of determined and skilful crews, even against massed tank attack. Despite constantly moving position in order to confuse enemy gunners, the two surviving portees of L Troop fired almost 700 rounds in 3 hours, accounting for an estimated 24 enemy tanks, as well as numerous M/T attempting to alight infantry and deploy mortars. In company with a battery of 25pdrs firing over open sights, their actions held the enemy at bay until nightfall, enabling the battalion to disengage and retire with "surprisingly few casualties" and rejoin their brigade. Reporting on this action, Brigadier Barrowclough wrote: ‘It will be appreciated that this small force had been hotly attacked by an enemy column which had already proved itself strong enough to defeat and overthrow the whole of the 5th South African Brigade Group."

In a similar engagement at Sidi Rezegh two days earlier, a troop of British portees fought off an attack by 60 enemy tanks. For his actions on that day, which included fighting the last remaining 2pdr on a burning portee until fatally shot, troop commander 2nd Lt. George Ward Gunn was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. His citation concludes: "But for his very gallant action the enemy tanks would undoubtedly have overrun the position."

As suggested, given the role these vehicles and their crews played, you'd think they'd rate more than the occasional background appearance in official photographs.

Relevant links are:

Guns against Tanks: http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/schol...-t1-g1-t1.html

George Ward Gunn VC, details and citation: http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-d...0GEORGE%20WARD

I do have a few other cab 12 portee pics which I'll post in due course. After that I'll move on to my favourite CMP variant - the magnificent cab 12 FAT! I'd like to revive this highly worthwhile thread - if nothing else, it will help me organize my gigabytes of randomly saved images!