2nd Army Group Royal Artillery was a brigade-sized formation organised by Britain's

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

(RA) during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to command medium and heavy guns. It served in the final stages of the

Tunisian Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The ...

and throughout the Italian Campaign. It reformed in the Territorial Army in the 1950s to command air defence units.

Background

The need for a higher organisational command structure for medium and heavy artillery became apparent during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

and the early part of the Western Desert Campaign. The '

Army Group Royal Artillery An Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA) was a British Commonwealth military formation during the Second World War and shortly thereafter. Generally assigned to Army corps, an AGRA provided the medium and heavy artillery to higher formations within the ...

' (AGRA) concept was developed during Exercise 'Bumper' held in the UK in 1941, organised by the commander of Home Forces, General Alan Brooke (himself a Gunner) with Lt-Gen

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and t ...

as chief umpire. This large anti-invasion exercise tested many of the tactical concepts that would be used by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in the latter stages of the war. The gunnery tacticians developed the AGRAs as powerful artillery brigades, usually comprising three medium regiments and one heavy regiment, which could be rapidly moved about the battlefield, and had the punch to destroy enemy artillery with

counter-battery Counter-battery fire (sometimes called counter-fire) is a battlefield tactic employed to defeat the enemy's indirect fire elements (multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars), including their target acquisition, as well as their command a ...

(CB) fire. AGRAs were provided to field armies at a scale of about one per Army corps.Ellis, ''Normandy'', Appendix IV. AGRAs were improvised until 26 November 1942, when they were officially sanctioned, to consist of a commander (CAGRA) and staff to control non-divisional artillery.Molony, Vol V, p. 451.

World War II

The Headquarters (HQ) of 2nd AGRA was formed at the

Scotch Corner Hotel Scotch most commonly refers to: * Scotch (adjective), a largely obsolescent adjective meaning "of or from Scotland" **Scotch, old-fashioned name for the indigenous languages of the Scottish people: ***Scots language ("Broad Scotch") *** Scottish G ...

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

, on 24 August 1942 from elements of Headquarters RA, First Army.Frederick, p. 965.Royal Artillery Formation Badges at British & Commonwealth Badge Forum.
/ref> It was assigned to First Army for the landings in North Africa (

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

), and first went into action in March 1943, supporting

IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to: France * 9th Army Corps (France) * IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. It was with

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...

by the end of the campaign in May 1943, and then prepared for the Allied invasion of Italy.2 AGRA at RA 1939–45.
/ref> 74th_Medium_Regiment_in_Italy

The make-up of an AGRA during the Italian Campaign was extremely flexible: it could include army field regiments ( 25-pounders), medium regiments ( 4.5-inch or 5.5-inch guns) and heavy regiments ( 7.2-inch howitzers). It might also be augmented with 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) guns loaned by the AA brigades for additional ground support fire. 2nd AGRA landed at

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

in Italy with

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * X ...

soon after the assault landings (

Operation Avalanche Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...

) on 9 September 1943. 12th AA Brigade was responsible for the AA defence of the beachhead, and its HAA guns had also been firing in support of the infantry divisions during the first few days before 2nd AGRA arrived. When the break-out from the beachhead got under way on 18 September, 12th AA Bde provided a Light AA battery to protect 2nd AGRA's medium gun areas around Mango. 2nd AGRA then supported X Corps in its advance to

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and the crossing of the River

Volturno The Volturno (ancient Latin name Volturnus, from ''volvere'', to roll) is a river in south-central Italy. Geography It rises in the Abruzzese central Apennines of Samnium near Castel San Vincenzo (province of Isernia, Molise) and flows southeas ...

. In the advance beyond the Voluturno it was reinforced by 214 (Southsea) Battery from 57th (Wessex) HAA Regiment, to fire in the medium role and the followed the advance in the HAA role. The_British_Army_in_Italy_1943_NA10156

The utility of the 3.7-inch gun for medium artillery work, and the declining threat from the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

'', meant that HAA units were increasingly used in the ground fire role. Despite the confusion in titles, 2nd AA Brigade actually operated as '2nd AGRA (AA)' in the later stages of the campaign.'The History of HQ 12 AA Brigade 1939–1945', TNA file WO 204/7254. In December 1943 2nd AGRA fired in support of 201st Guards Brigade's attack up 'Bare Arse Ridge' on 6 November during the during the Battle of Monte Camino, with the following line-up of guns: * 23rd Field Regiment * 146th (Pembroke & Cardiganshire) Field Regiment * 74th Medium Regiment * 56th Heavy Regiment A_5

It supported

56th (London) Infantry Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. ...

of X Corps during the assault crossing of the

Garigliano The Garigliano () is a river in central Italy. It forms at the confluence of the rivers Gari (also known as the Rapido) and Liri. Garigliano is actually a deformation of "Gari-Lirano" (which in Italian means something like "Gari from the Liri"). ...

in January 1944, with the following units: * 78th (Lowland) Field Regiment * 69th (Caernarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment * 74th Medium Regiment * 140th (5th London) Medium Regiment * 56th Heavy Regiment In February 1944, 2nd AGRA was sent with three field and five medium regiments to support the

New Zealand Corps The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry division of the New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the Second World War. The division was commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant-Ge ...

in operations against

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...

. By late May, 2nd AGRA was supporting X Corps' advance after

Operation Diadem Operation Diadem, also referred to as the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino or, in Canada, the Battle of the Liri Valley, was an offensive operation undertaken by the Allies of World War II (U.S. Fifth Army and British Eighth Army) in May 1944, as p ...

had broken through the German

Winter Line The Winter Line was a series of German and Italian military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt and commanded by Albert Kesselring. The series of three lines was designed to defend a western section of ...

, and in the subsequent pursuit to

Lake Trasimeno Lake Trasimeno ( , also ; it, Lago Trasimeno ; la, Trasumennus; ett, Tarśmina), also referred to as Trasimene ( ) or Thrasimene in English, is a lake in the province of Perugia, in the Umbria region of Italy on the border with Tuscany. Th ...

and advance to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, with the following order of battle: The_British_Army_in_Italy_1944_NA12385

* 5th Medium Regiment * 74th Medium Regiment * 102nd (Pembroke Yeomanry) Medium Regiment * 140th (5th London) Medium Regiment * 56th Heavy Regiment * One battery, 32nd Heavy Regiment It continued with X Corps during

Operation Olive The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of t ...

to breach the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German Defense line, defensive line of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Generalfeldmarschall, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's la ...

in August, and was with

II Polish Corps The Polish II Corps ( pl, Drugi Korpus Wojska Polskiego), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought wit ...

in October. For the Allied

Spring 1945 offensive in Italy The spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final Allied attack during the Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. The attack into the Lombard Plain by the 15th Allied Army Group started on 6 ...

(Operation Grapeshot), 2nd AGRA supported V Corps with five medium regiments (56th Heavy Rgt having been transferred to

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...

in Belgium by that stage.) At the end of the war HQ 2nd AGRA appears to have been redesignated HQ 180th Infantry Brigade in the Central Mediterranean Force.

Postwar

An abortive attempt to reform 2nd AGRA in the Canal Zone of

Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

was made on 9 December 1954 and abandoned on 1 February 1955.Frederick, p. 1053. A new HQ, 'Y' AGRA (AA), began forming at

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

on 21 March 1955 to command anti-aircraft (AA) units of the Territorial Army (TA) in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

. It was designated 2 AGRA (AA) by 15 July, and had the following composition: * 314th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery * 436th (South Lancashire Artillery) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery * 441st Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery * 470th (3rd West Lancashire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery Anti-Aircraft Command had been disbanded on 10 March 1955 and all these regiments were the result of multiple mergers of pre-existing TA regiments.Routledge, p. 439. 2 AGRA (AA) was placed in suspended animation on 1 April 1959 (on the same day that a new 40 AGRA (AA) (TA) was formed at Warrington) and disbanded on 1 January 1962.

Notes

References

* Sir Arthur Bryant, ''The Turn of the Tide, 1939–1943'', London: Collins, 1957. * John Buckley, ''Monty's Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe'', London: Yale University Press, 2013, . * Richard Doherty, ''Hobart's 79th Armoured Division at War: Invention, Innovation and Inspiration'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2011, . * Maj L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol I: ''The Battle of Normandy'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1962/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Maj L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol II: ''The Defeat of Germany'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnda ...

, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, . * Gen Sir William Jackson, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol VI: ''Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I, : June to October 1944'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1987/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Gen Sir William Jackson, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol VI: ''Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I, I: November 1944 to May 1945'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1988/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Brig C.J.C. Molony,''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol V: ''The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and the Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944'', London: HMSO, 1973/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Brig C.J.C. Molony, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol VI: ''Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I: 1st April to 4th June 1944'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1987/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Maj-Gen

I.S.O. Playfair Major-General Ian Stanley Ord Playfair, (10 April 1894 – 21 March 1972) was a British Army officer. Military career Born the son of Colonel F.H.G. Playfair of the Hampshire Regiment and educated at Cheltenham College, Playfair joined the Roya ...

& Brig C.J.C. Molony, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol IV: ''The Destruction of the Axis forces in Africa'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1966/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, {{refend

External sources