4 CLY Sharpshooters - That cap badge.

[lettman]

Many thanks for your very valuable summaries, gentlemen.

[Voltigeur]

Just to give one more push about this subject,here is a photograph of a member of the 4th CLY badge worn in wartime.
Photo of Lt.Bill Cotton.




Villers-Bocage - the legend

On 13th June 1944 the 4th County of London Yeomanry Sharpshooters (4CLY) took part in their best known action of the Second World War.

The story, as handed down, tells of a German Tiger tank commander – Michael Wittmann – taking on and decimating a British advance single handed. Some of the more colourful accounts credit him with knocking out a regiment of tanks and a battalion of infantry, returning after losing his first tank in order to continue the destruction. Even more measured accounts credit him personally with the destruction of over twenty tanks and two dozen other armoured vehicles.

Wittmann became a folk hero, and was honoured with a promotion and the award of ‘Oak Leaves’ to compliment his Knight’s Cross, Germany’s highest award.

However the story was not quite as it seemed. A number of German war photographers visited the site of the battle in the following days and recorded a uniquely detailed record of the battle. This, when compared to first-hand accounts given by British and German combatants (including Wittmann himself), demonstrate a much fuller sequence of events.


A week after the Normandy Landings a column of 7th Armoured Division, with 4 CLY leading, was sent through a gap in the German lines to cut off their forward troops.
4CLY’s lead squadron of British tanks passed through Villers-Bocage and were deploying on the hill beyond when ‘all hell broke loose’.

Tiger tanks were reported north and south of the main Caen road, cutting off the advance. Back towards Villers, one of the Tigers set about the light vehicles of the accompanying infantry, before heading into the town, taking out three of the four headquarters tanks. Only when it turned onto the high street did the Tiger run into more robust opposition, whereupon it beat a hasty retreat. Reports imply that the Tiger was immobilised, probably by a 6-pdr anti-tank gun of the infantry.
The two sides were locked in stalemate for a couple of hours as the troops on the hill tried to get back to the town.

With German reinforcements arriving their position became untenable and they were forced to try to escape or surrender.
Following their success, the Germans pressed on into Villers to try to force the British out. But at this point their operation began to unravel.
Due to the composed action of the remaining two squadrons of Sharpshooter tanks and a battalion supporting infantry, eight Tiger tanks were knocked out for the loss of no further British tanks.
Though the British did quit the town after the day’s fighting, they only withdrew a couple of miles to a strongly held ‘brigade box’.

From there 7th Armoured held off successive attacks, losing only one tank, whilst destroying 20 German panzers and inflicting an estimated 800 casualties.
Villers-Bocage is one of the Regiment’s many battle honours.
As a result of their actions in the battle a number of medals were awarded including Military Crosses for Lieutenants ‘Bill’ Cotton and Kalman Berelowitz, plus a Croix de Guerre for Captain Pat Dyas.


Whilst Wittman did indeed intervene in the advance, cutting of the lead squadron of the Sharpshooter’s tanks and knocking out the Regimental headquarters, the conventional accounts ignore some significant points.

Importantly, he did not act alone – his detachment comprised five or six Tiger tanks. Wittmann went on a personal foray into the town whilst the rest of his unit covered the dispersed lead squadron. He did, indeed, knock out a number of scantily armoured personnel carriers, before knocking out the RHQ troop and supporting Artillery OP tanks. Nonetheless, argument continues as to whether leaving the rest of his command and taking his tank into a built up environment was prudent.

Clearly, the Sharpshooters lost a squadron of tanks and around eighty personnel, mostly PoWs. However, it could be countered that the understrength Tiger unit lost the equivalent of a squadron. Whereas the Sharpshooter’s had reformed to full strength within a fortnight, the Tigers were not replaced for the rest of the campaign.

http://www.ksymuseum.org.uk/

[lettman]

That's great -- many thanks. What backing does Lt Cotton have on his badge?

[PeterA]

I would suggest that Lt Bill Cotton is in fact wearing a 4 CLY collar badge on his beret.

This was a known practice.

Whilst there is a dearth of genuine 4 CLY full size cap badges in the market, and they command a high price, the collar badge is relatively easy to acquire at modest cost.

Peter

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by lettman

That's great -- many thanks. What backing does Lt Cotton have on his badge?

lettman,this probaly the answer you are looking for.
Jo

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...hlight=backing

[lettman]

Cotton's badge certainly looks like a collar dog, but the backing seems to be a small single piece of cloth.

[Alan O]

Opinions on this one please. It's not one of the usual cast fakes sold on ebay a few years ago.

It does have the angular corner of the left hand corner of the "4" and the right hand end has the vertical end that are not seen on the common fakes.

[Luke H]

Alan

Your badge has the pock marked receiver on the right rifle identical to PeterA’s in post #23. The loops on his badge are rather distinctive.

As to authenticity, it’s a step up from the common eBay copies but alas the ever present perils of cast badges. Personally if I were looking for an undoubtedly genuine officer’s example I would go for Keith’s marvellous badge in post #26.

Luke

[Alan O]

I think it's ORs rather than officers. I beleive the officers would have bought the quality Gaunt ones.

As the regt was a 1937 'duplicate' I suspect that the WD would not have authorised a bespoke badge but would have expected them to wear the normal CLY one. The regt clealry disagreed with wearing a badge with the 3 on hence the locally produced ones.

[Luke H]

It’s clearly cast from the Gaunt die as evident by the messy middle ‘S’ also found on all the antecedents.

The back of your badge is die cast rather than there being any reverse stamp detailing so clearly an officer’s badge was used.

PeterA noted the pock mark is positioned exactly where CLY would’ve attached.

So an officer’s badge someone has removed the CLY from, had a cast made, attached a 4 and then sold to ORs?

You may well be correct with your theory around the authorisation and this may explain the W&H Sheffield made badge which I’ve always felt is somewhat of an oddity even for Yeomanry.

[Alan O]

Sold or issued to them by the regimental funds?. The cast could have come from a 3rd OR's badge if they only used the front impression.

[Luke H]

Who knows. The shape of the ‘4’ I like but until one like this turns up with provenance I’d have my doubts.

It has the same reverse concave shape as Keith’s around the circlet with higher edges and lower centre. Same depressions to the crown too. If no back was cast I’d expect it to be flush and flat. I’m 99% sure the officer’s badge has been used.

[rac1944]

Can I throw these in for comment. I've no experience of (D) the stamped 4 collars - cornflake specials or something right?
John

[Keith Blakeman]

Nice collection. I have those one piece collars in silver, Denzil Mortimer’s pair, I also have them blackened so probably die stamped rather than cast OSD’s. The badge top centre looks to be theatre cast hence the size variation.

I love 3rd CLY badges.

[Keith Blakeman]

I had these arrive only yesterday.