9th ARMOURED INFANTRY BATTALION

6TH ARMORED DIVISION

 

ARMORED CONVERSION TRAINING WEEKEND

 

This year has seen the group completely re-role from its main Airborne impression to Armored Infantry, a role every one in the group has worked hard to achieve and at no small cost.

 

With all the basic Infantry kit now sourced this group can, if required, re-role to any Infantry unit in the WWII American Army.  For this year, to fit in with its role at the “Prelude to D-Day” event in May and the follow on “War on the line” event at the Watercress Railway later in June, the unit chosen is 9th Armored Infantry Battalion of the 6th Armored Division, a unit that played an important part in the Operation Fortitude deception plan in the build up to Normandy and thereafter the break out from the beaches in July 1944.  For the two events, we needed a unit that was involved in the Normandy training, but went in not on the 6th June but a little latter so we could after the Prelude event deploy it south to the Watercress Line to carry on its story as it moved to Southampton and the docks for deployment to Normandy.

 

As with all units we portray, much research has gone into the Battalion we are representing and the Division in which it served.  The insignia as we learnt means a lot to those that wore it for real and to that end all members of the group have done their very best to source original examples.  Although we as a group have no Armor and only soft skinned Jeeps and Dodges, an Armored Infantry unit was very diverse in its vehicle allocation so still an authentic portrayal of the unit can be done and great pride in the wearing of the insignia has been fostered in the group.

 

The mixture of insignia and distinctive colours of several arms incorporated in the Armored Force symbolize integrity and esprit. It is an interlocked ornament, found in Nordic monuments, composed of three torques: red for Artillery; blue for Infantry; and yellow for Cavalry. The symbols represent the characteristics of Armored Divisions: the tank track, mobility and armor protection; the cannon, fire power; and the red bolt of lightning, shock action.

 

To re-role is more than just changing of a unit patch, it’s a complete change of mindset and of tactics used at a public display, and to that end the group undertook a training weekend and attended a few minor events as elements of 9th Armored Infantry Battalion.

 

Below is a series of Pictures taken by renowned War Correspondent NICK HALLING.

 

Troops from the 9th AIB arrive in the Village of COAM to undertake sub unit training: