Alan Jolly
| Sir Alan Jolly | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1910 |
| Died | 1977 |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1931-1969 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Royal Tank Regiment |
| Commands held |
144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps 4th Royal Tank Regiment 5th Division 1st Division Far East Land Forces |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order |
General Sir Alan Jolly GCB CBE DSO (1910–1977) was a senior officer of the British Army of the 20th century. Notably he served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces.
Jolly joined the British Army and was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps in 1931. He served on the North West Frontier in India from 1936 to 1937.
During World War II he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (144 RAC, previously the 8th East Lancashire Regiment) on 10 April 1944 and led it throughout the campaign in North-West Europe 1944–45. The regiment landed in Normandy on 14 June 1944 and first went into action during Operation Pomegranate, supporting an infantry attack on Noyers. The advance was badly hampered by minefields (both Allied and German), and 144 RAC had many tanks disabled by 'friendly' mines. This seriously reduced the force that could be used. The Official History records that 'Noyers was attacked again and again' for two days, but the garrison held out, except around the station and Point 126, which was taken at bayonet point by 'A' Company of the 2/6th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, serving as part of 177th Brigade of the 59th (Staffordshire) Division, following 'A' Squadron 144 RAC. Casualties to 144 RAC had been heavy and after the battle Jolly wrote a detailed report to highlight the tactical lessons learned. He became regarded as a good tactician, and infantry commanders bowed to his tactical judgement when planning joint operations.
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