9th Royal Tank Regiment
| 9th Royal Tank Regiment | |
|---|---|
Cap badge of the Royal Tank Regiment.
|
|
| Active | 27 November 1940–1946 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Armoured |
| Role | Heavy Tank Unit |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Otley, West Yorkshire |
| Motto(s) |
Fear Naught Qui s'y frotte, s'y brule (Touch me, and you burn) |
| Anniversaries | Cambrai Day, 20 November |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Nugent Everard, Bart Lt. Col Peter Norman (Berry) VealeMajor James Douglas Haddow Ballantine |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash | .PNG){kind=small} |
Fear Naught
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Nugent Everard, Bart
The 9th Royal Tank Regiment (9 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army active during the Second World War. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It was reformed in late 1940 as a hostilities-only regiment.
The "original" 9th RTR was formed in December 1916 as the 9th Battalion, Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps and was designated I Battalion. The unit served at the Battle of Cambrai where, along with III Corps of the Third British Army, achieved complete surprise and pushed the German forces out of the town.
Through the remainder of the War, the 9th were used to great effect, using the tactics they had learnt at Cambrai. The Battalion were awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palmes as a regimental decoration, an honour that is shared with only three other units in the British Army, all of which are infantry.
The 9th were also awarded the honour of wearing the badge of General Bourgon's French 3rd Division. A replica of the badge was worn on the sleeve of everyone serving in the 9th Battalion, and later by everyone in the 9th RTR. The 9th took their unofficial motto from this badge: "Qui s'y frotte, s'y brule" which translates as "Touch me, and you burn".
Although the exact details are not known, the 9th were disbanded after the war ended.
The road to the 9th's reformation started in May 1940 when the majority of the 3rd Battalion RTR was destroyed near Calais, with only eight men returning to Britain. A number of the reinforcements intended for the 3rd Battalion RTR were hived off to become "a detachment of the 3rd Battalion", a Home Details Unit. Soon after this, in November 1940, the 9th Battalion RTR was created.
Despite forming in November 1940, it was not until mid-1941, when the regiment was based in Otley, that the 9th received the tanks it was to use in its role as a Heavy Tank Unit. The 9th RTR was one of the first units to be equipped with the Churchill. These vehicles were almost identical to those used by the Calgary Regiment of the Canadian Army at Dieppe in 1942.
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Wikipedia