East African Field Artillery - Development and Deployment
Independent East African field batteries began forming in 1942 for attachment to infantry brigades. The 1st East Africa Light Battery had mobilised in September 1939 and as the 53rd (East Africa) Light Battery, E.A.A. served in the East African campaign. Additional independent East African field batteries began forming in 1941 for attachment to infantry brigades.
In 1942, these batteries were regimented. A regimental headquarters, the 1st, was formed to take command of the two batteries deployed in Madagascar. A third battery was added in December 1942. The H.Q. 2nd (E.A.) Field Regiment formed on 1st August 1942 to take command of a further three batteries. The Regimental Headquarters, 162nd (E.A.) Field Regiment, R.A. formed in Ceylon to take command of two field batteries then in Ceylon, serving with the 21st (E.A.) Infantry Brigade. The Regiment was later redesignated to become the 303rd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A.
At the end of 1942, Wavell had suggested the use of African Troops in Burma and elsewhere in South-East Asia. He thought that East African troops, being mechanised, could be sent to Ceylon to release British and Indian troops for operations in Burma. With War Office approval, in February 1943 plans were made to send a West African division (the 81st) to India and to bring the East African 21st Brigade in Ceylon up to the strength of a division (the 11th East African), by the despatch of divisional units and additional infantry brigades as soon as they were ready.
The Divisional Headquarters, 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division formed on 15th February 1943 but it was not until 17th May that the H.Q. assumed full control of the brigades and units allotted to it (except for the 21st (E.A.) Infantry Brigade then serving in Ceylon). Until May 1943, the Staff was attached to H.Q. Central Area, East Africa Command for training and formation. The Divisional Commander, Major-General C.C. Fowkes, was appointed on 20th April 1943.[1]
The organisation of the 11th Division followed that of a standard British infantry division of the late 1942-early 1943 period. The organic artillery component, the “divisional artillery”, was organised under an artillery commander with a small headquarters (H.Q. Divisional R.A.) and consisted of:
- three field regiments equipped with 25-pounder field guns,
- an anti-tank regiment equipped with 2-pounder, later 6-pounder anti-tank guns,
- a light anti-aircraft battery equipped with the 40mm Bofors gun.
The regiments were:
- 301st (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. at the time serving in Madagascar,
- 302nd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. training at Gilgil, Kenya,
- 303rd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. then in Ceylon.
In addition, there were:
- 304th (E.A.) Anti-Tank Regiment, E.A.A. (re-designated from the 305th (E.A.) Anti-Tank Regiment, E.A.A. in October 1943),
- 305th (E.A.) L.A.A. Regiment, E.A.A. (re-designated from the 304th (E.A.) L.A.A. Regiment, E.A.A. in October 1943).
By the time that the 11th Division began moving from Ceylon to Burma at the end of 1943, the organisation of the British and Indian infantry divisions facing the Japanese had changed. Experience in Burma had shown the difficulty of moving motorised artillery prices across varied and difficult terrain. At times, given the often-poor roads and tracks, supplying large numbers of motor vehicles with fuel was a major headache. By this stage of the war in Burma it had also been realised that the likelihood of meeting Japanese tanks was very low. The Japanese air force had been attritted or deployed elsewhere, thus reducing the need for organic anti-aircraft defences – in fact as the 14th Army advanced into Burma, its headquarters and rear communications were protected by anti-aircraft regiments outside of the divisions, commanded at Corps and Army level.
With this experience in mind, when preparing for operations in Burma, in February 1944 the 11th Division adapted the organisation, equipment and role of the Divisional Artillery, based on the changes being implemented to infantry divisions within the 14th Army. The intended organisation and equipment of the Divisional Artillery was:
- 301st (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. three normal 25-pounder batteries
- 302nd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. ‘experimental’ with two Jeep-towed 25-pounder batteries and one 3-inch mortar battery (sixteen mortars); possibility of 3.7-inch howitzers later replacing the 25-pounders
- 303rd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. two Jeep-towed 3.7-inch howitzer batteries and one 3-inch mortar battery
- 304th (E.A.) L.A.A./Atk Regt. E.A.A. two batteries with 40mm Bofors with twelve guns each; two batteries with twelve 6-pounder anti-tank guns each.[2]
Both the 302nd and 303rd Regiments were equipped with 25-pounders and trained with these while in Ceylon.
Things did not go according to plan however. The 301st Regiment lost most of its personnel en route from Kenya to Ceylon when the ship carrying the Regiment was sunk by a Japanese submarine on 12th February 1944. Its place with the divisional artillery of the 11th Division was taken by the 306th Regiment, which left Naivasha, Kenya to join the Division on 3rd September 1944. Meanwhile, the Headquarters of the unfortunate 301st (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. was redesignated to become the H.Q. 309th (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. on 1st June 1944.[3]
Having arrived in India from Ceylon, the Division then moved to the XXXIII Indian Corps area in North East India in July 1944. It took with it forty-eight 25-pounders (for two field regiments) and twenty-six 6-pounder anti-tank guns (two anti-tank batteries plus two of the twelve required for a third battery to be formed by reorganisation of the 304th Regiment, the anti-aircraft role being deemed unnecessary). The war diary does not mention 3.7-inch howitzers but the issue of these to the 303rd Regiment is confirmed by that unit’s war diary.
The 302nd Regiment travelled to India and went into camp at Dohazari, near Chittagong, on arrival. The Regiment’s guns arrived there on 21st June 1944. These appear to have been 25-pounders and the Regiment appears to have taken these guns with it when it moved to Karching (Kaching), near Palel, at the end of July 1944. It moved out down the Palel-Tamu road on 7th August. The Regiment was equipped with 25-pounders when it was converted into a holding unit in July 1945.
The 303rd Regiment handed in its 25-pounders and limbers before embarking for India. The men disembarked at Chittagong on 27th June and the next day moved to Dohazari. The Regiment moved to the Imphal area between 2nd and 9th August, the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division now part of the XXXIII Indian Corps. Upon arrival at Kaching, near Palel, on 10th August, the Regiment was surprised to learn that it would now be equipped with the 3.7-inch howitzer. The Regiment settled into camp at Kaching and the vehicles and guns arrived in stages; sixteen 3.7-inch howitzers arriving on 11th August and the remaining eight on 16th August. These guns were taken into action in the Kabaw Valley However, the Regiment continued to be designated a field regiment until January 1945. The howitzers of one troop of the 53rd Battery were airdropped at Khampat, near Yazagyo, with five guns being dropped from Dakotas on 6th and 7th October; the personnel arriving by road. After being withdrawn from the Kabaw Valley in December 1944, at Bokajan, near Dimapur, on 14th January 1945, the title of the Regiment was amended and it became the 303rd (E.A.) Light Regiment, E.A.A., with effect from 1st January.
As far as deployment of the 3-inch mortar is concerned, whilst in Ceylon, the 58th and 60th Batteries (303rd and 302nd Regiments respectively) did train with the 3-inch mortar. After arrival in India, however, problems were found with the Division’s 3-inch mortars and prior to the start of the Kabaw Valley operation, almost half were refused for active service. Those which were available were issued to the support companies of the infantry battalions. The problem was subsequently rectified such that on 26th August 1944, the 304th Regiment was re-organised as an anti-tank/mortar regiment with three batteries, being re-designated as the 304th (E.A.) Anti-Tank/Mortar Regiment, E.A.A. on 3rd September. It was in this guise that in October 1944, the Regiment entered Burma, participating in the 11th Division’s successful advance down the Kabaw Valley. Withdrawn to India after the conclusion of the operation, on 2nd February 1945 the Regiment reverted to the war establishment of an anti-tank regiment becoming known once again as the 304th (E.A.) Anti-Tank Regiment, E.A.A.
The 305th Regiment, made somewhat redundant by the changes to the 11th Division organisation, remained in Kenya where on 1st March 1944 it converted to become a regiment of field artillery; the 308th (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A.
To replace the lost 301st Regiment, the 306th (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. travelled from Kenya to India in September 1944, arriving at Calcutta on 20th September. It moved to Dimapur, arriving on 28th September, where it undertook infantry training. It moved to Kakching (Kaching), near Palel, on 6th October. It seems that ‘quads’ were allocated to the Regiment as artillery tractors: on 9th October there were twenty-three quads at Dimapur and seven with the Regiment at Kaching. On 13th October, information was received that guns for the Regiment had arrived at Dimapur; these were taken on the following day (these are assumed to be 25-pounders). The Regiment subsequently moved to Bishenpur where it remained throughout the Kabaw Valley operations.
In 1945, the effect of the repatriation of long service British and African personnel meant that there was sufficient manpower for only one regiment out of the 302nd and 303rd to be able to return to operations. It was decided to retain the 303rd Regiment and to post surplus personnel from the 302nd to make up the required numbers in the 303rd. On 19th July 1945, the 55th (E.A.) Field Battery became part of the 303rd Regiment, being exchanged with the 58th Battery, which became a light battery of the 302nd Regiment. The 302nd was now a holding unit for men awaiting shipping to return to Africa, and others who were surplus and awaiting posting to other units of the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division. The 303rd Regiment was redesignated as a field regiment, equipped with 25-pounder guns taken on from the 302nd Regiment on 23rd July and the 303rd Regiment’s 3.7-inch howitzers were despatched to the ordnance depot two days later. The 303rd and 306th Field Regiments remained with the Division. Those personnel of these regiments remaining in India left for East Africa in January and April 1946 respectively.
Additional regiments were formed and retained in Kenya. The main role of these units was training and to provide replacements for the artillery units deployed overseas. These were, in addition to the 308th (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A.:
- 308th (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A.
- 309th (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A.
- 310th (E.A.) Light Regiment, E.A.A.
- 311th (E.A.) Anti-Tank Regiment, E.A.A.
Most were disbanded during 1945, the remainder the following year.
09 June 2025