107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps ( King ' s Own ) ( 107 RAC ) was a tank regiment of the British Army ' s Royal Armoured Corps during World War II . Origin . 107th Regiment RAC was formed on 1 November 1941 by the conversion to the armoured role of 5th Battalion of the King ' s Own Royal Regiment ( Lancaster ) , a Territorial Army infantry battalion . In common with other infantry units transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps , all personnel would have continued to wear their King ' s Own cap badge on the black beret of the RAC . In this instance , however , the brass cap badges of the KORR were plated white metal , chrome or silver by the REME . 5th King ' s Own had been serving in 126th Infantry Brigade of 42nd ( East Lancashire ) Infantry Division , when they were redesignated 11th Armoured Brigade ( later 11th Tank Brigade ) and 42nd Armoured Division respectively . Based in Yorkshire ( mainly at Keighley and later Leyburn ) the regiment trained on Valentine tank s throughout 1942 and early 1943 . Training . In January 1943 11th Tank Brigade was attached to 77th Infantry ( Reserve ) Division and given the role of holding and training reinforcements . Consequently , 107 RAC became an advanced training regiment , taking in men who had completed individual training at the training regiments , forming them into crews with responsibility for their own tanks , and instructing them in troop and finally squadron tactics . The regiment moved to Otley , re - equipped with Churchill tank s and trained its crews ( about 24 at a time ) on the nearby moors . Disbandment and Re - creation . In Autumn 1943 the decision was made disband 11th Tank Brigade , without it ever having seen active service , and on 8 September 107 RAC was ordered to disperse . Most of the regiment ' s personnel were transferred to other RAC regiments , and disbandment was completed on 31 December . A ' token party ' of three officers and 47 other ranks from 107 RAC was sent to 151st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps – which had also been converted from a battalion of the King ' s Own . 151 RAC formed part of 34th Tank Brigade , based at Folkestone in Kent , and also equipped with Churchills . On 30 December 1943 151 RAC formally disbanded in order to adopt the number of 107 RAC – thus perpetuating the link with 5th Bn King ' s Own , a permanent ' first line ' Territorial battalion as opposed to the ' hostilities - only ' 10th Bn that had become 151 RAC . Normandy . At the beginning of July 1944 , 107 RAC embarked at Gosport for Normandy with 34th Tank Brigade As an independent brigade under 21st Army Group , it could be assigned to support any infantry division that required the assistance of tanks , its regiments usually split up to form brigade groups with the infantry . 107 RAC went into action on 15 July during Operation Greenline , part of the Second Battle of the Odon designed to pin German forces so that they could not interfere with the planned breakout from the Normandy beachhead . The regiment supported 15th ( Scottish ) Division in a night attack towards Evreux . 107 RAC ' s War Diary records that ' the attack from the inf . point of view was a complete success ' , but complains that the regiment ' s tanks were blinded by the ' excellent ' smoke laid down by the artillery and infantry , and were late withdrawing the following day . The regiment had lost six tanks , with six men killed , seven wounded , and one missing . On 22 July 107 RAC supported troops of 53rd ( Welsh ) Division in a raid , and then went to support 59th ( Staffordshire ) Division in case of counter - attack . On 7 August 107 RAC moved up in support of infantry of 59th Division who had established a bridgehead across the River Orne . A Squadron managed to ford the river , followed by C Sqn . The Germans put in a vigorous counter - attack and some of the British infantry withdrew , leaving 107 ' s two forward squadrons exposed to attacks by Tiger and Panther tank s . Despite heavy casualties , the bridgehead was held , but 107 ' s shattered squadrons had to be reformed as a single composite squadron until the regiment could be withdrawn from the line on 19 August . Out of the line to reorganise , the regiment received the whole of C Sqn of 153 RAC , which was being broken up to provide replacements . This became a new C Sqn for 107 RAC . By early September , the regiment was sufficiently reorganised to take part in Operation Astonia , the attack on Le Havre . On 11 September . 107 RAC attacked in support of 147 Brigade of 49th ( West Riding ) Division , attacking the high ground on the North East side of the port . The tanks picked their way through lanes cut through the minefields by flail tanks and went on to assist the infantry in mopping up machine gun positions and ( with some Churchill Crocodile flamethrowers under command ) to clear buildings . The following day , 107 RAC ' s tanks took up hull - down positions on the high ground and gave fire support to the infantry advance on the town , which fell later that day . Clarkeforce . 107 RAC was back in the line in early October , supporting small - scale infantry operations and standing ready to counter - attack if called upon . On 18 October it became part of ' Clarkeforce ' , a mobile column commanded by Brigadier W . S . Clarke of 34th Tank Bde . As part of operations on the Belgian – Dutch border to clear the approaches to the port of Antwerp , 49 Division was to attack towards Loenhout , and then unleash Clarkeforce to exploit the breakthrough and move up the main road to Wuustwezel ( Operation Rebound ) . Clarkeforce was launched at 16 . 00 on 20 October . The Churchills of 107 RAC ' s C Sqn carried D Company of 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment , and the regiment had a troop of Achilles self - propelled 17 - pounders from 248 Battery , 62nd Anti - Tank Regiment , Royal Artillery , and a troop of Churchill Crocodile flamethrowing tanks of the 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in support . Progress was not fast : the column was restricted to one tank ' s width , and the M3 Stuart ( ' Honey ' ) light tanks of 107 ' s Reconnaissance Troop were held up by the bad tank going , but the leading squadrons moved on in the approaching darkness to allow C Sqn and the infantry to clear Wuustwezel , taking some prisoners . ' The night was pitch dark , it was raining , and there was no moon ' , and the Recce Trp scouting ahead were held up by a roadblock of trees , which were cleared by the leading Churchills . After a short rest , the regiment moved on at 0800 the following morning towards Nieuwmoer . By now the Recce Trp had run out of fuel , and the advance was led by A Sqn of 49 ( West Riding ) Reconnaissance Regiment RAC . When they came across a bridge that had been blown , the tanks had to fan out to the flanks in search of alternative crossings , and with no cover they were engaged over the flat country by German Self - Propelled guns . The advance had to be covered by smoke . Once clearance of the village was well in hand , the Recce Trp came up and pushed on carelessly into a wood occupied by German troops and SP guns . Four Honeys were knocked out , bring the regiment ' s casualties to eight tanks in the day . On 22 October the advance continued towards Esschen , 107 RAC engaging enemy infantry and SP guns . The regiment ' s A Echelon vehicles , following behind , were ambushed and further casualties received . For the next day ' s advance the Leicesters were relieved by two companies from 7th Bn Duke of Wellington ' s Regiment , who attacked Schanker successfully with C Sqn ' s Churchills on 24 October . After a day ' s pause for planning , Clarkeforce was launched for a second time on 26 October for Operation Thruster towards Roosendaal . Clarkeforce pushed on towards Brembosch , losing four tanks and an SP gun from 245 Bty , 62nd A / Tk Regt . The following day , 107 RAC supported the Leicesters in an attack along the Brembosch – Wouwse Hil road , and reached Oostlaar by nightfall . At first light , while replenishing their tanks , C Sqn came under fire , lost some vehicles and had to withdraw under smoke and covering fire , but at 0815 the regiment was ready to support an attack by 11th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers and cut the Wouw – Bergen - op - Zoom road , despite enemy SP guns . The advances were masked by smoke and covered by the remaining Achilles . The last day of Operation Thruster saw 107 RAC positioned to support an attack by 146th Infantry Brigade and 9th Royal Tank Regiment . The regiment was withdrawn to Wouwe on 31 October to reorganise . Netherlands . After a period of maintenance , 107 RAC was temporarily attached to 31st Tank Brigade ( part of 79th Armoured Division , equipped with specialist armour ) and on 3 December went into action at Blerick in support of 15th Scottish Division in XII Corps . This well - planned and executed Corps attack on this heavily defended suburb of the Dutch town of Venlo ( Operation Guildlford ) , was accompanied by strong artillery and Typhoon support , preceded by flail tanks to breach minefields , bridge - laying AVRE s to cross an anti - tank ditch , and with a well - executed cover plan that misled the enemy as to the direction from which the attack would come . The objectives were achieved with remarkably few casualties . Although due to return to 34 Tank Bde at the end of December , 107 RAC was suddenly moved to the Ardennes sector where it came under the command of 6th Airborne Division to take part in Second British Army ' s counter - attack against the Northern edge of the ' Bulge ' created by the German Ardennes Offensive . 6th Airborne Division and its supporting tanks , attacking on 3 January in atrocious weather , had a very hard fight with the Germans in Bure , which changed hands several times in the next few days . Germany . 107 RAC reverted to the command of 34th Armoured Brigade ( as 34 Tank Brigade had been redesignated ) , for Operation Veritable , the British attack on the Siegfried Line in the Reichswald . Each of the regiment ' s squadrons was assigned to a different brigade of 51st ( Highland ) Division : A Sqn to 154 Brigade , B Sqn to 153 Brigade and C Sqn to 152 Brigade , supported by AVREs and flails to cross the anti - tank obstacles . Progress was slow in the close terrain , mud , and obstacles . Although 153 Brigade cleared the German anchor position in the Kiekberg Woods and got across the Gennep road on 9 February , the acting commanding officer of 1st Bn Gordon Highlanders ( Major Martin Lindsay ) was scathing about the support he received from B Sqn , which he described as ' The windiest and wettest imaginable ' . Daily attacks continued until 21 February when 51st Highland took Goch . 107 RAC continued to support the Highlanders in their advance to the Rhine . 34th Armoured Bde was attached to XII Corps for the assault on the Rhine in March 1945 , but 107 RAC saw little activity . In April it crossed the Rhine and took up occupation duties , with B Sqn attached to Second British Army as part of the GHQ guard . The regiment ended the war in Europe clearing battlefields and administering camps for displaced persons and released prisoners of war . Disbandment . 107 RAC was disbanded at the end of World War II in 1945 . 5th Battalion King ' s Own was reconstituted in 1947 and bore the honorary distinction ( on its colours and appointments ) of the badge of the Royal Armoured Corps with the dates ' 1944 – 45 ' and a scroll carrying the words ' North - West Europe ' , to commemorate its career as 107 RAC .