79th (Lowland) Field Regiment was a Royal Artillery (RA) unit of Britain's part-time Territorial Army (TA) during World War II.

It served in Home Forces for most of the war, undergoing training in mountain warfare and air-portable operations before eventually going into action at sea level in the Battle of the Scheldt.

It continued to be part of 52nd (Lowland) Division and had the following organisation:[2][3][5][6] In 1924 the RFA was subsumed into the Royal Artillery (RA), and the word 'Field' was inserted into the titles of its brigades and batteries.

Partial mechanisation was carried out from 1927, but the guns retained iron-tyred wheels until pneumatic tyres began to be introduced just before World War II.

When the bulk of the division returned from the abortive attempt to form a Second British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, it was assigned to II Corps in the mobile reserve around London, where 79th (L) Fd Rgt rejoined it on 1 July.

[13][14][15] One of the lessons learned from the Battle of France was that the two-battery organisation did not work: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions.

[13][17] This training reached high intensity after Major-General Neil Ritchie took command of the division in September, following his return from Eighth Army in the Western Desert.

[18][19] Although the training was genuine, the division also played a significant role in Allied deception plans, such as Operation Tindall, designed to convince the German high command that a mythical 'Fourth Army' under General Sir Andrew Thorne was gathering in Scotland to invade Occupied Norway.

Under a directive issued next day by Field Marshal Montgomery, it was assigned to First Canadian Army for the operations to clear the Scheldt Estuary and bring the vital Port of Antwerp into use for the Allies.

Early on 26 October the division carried out an amphibious assault across the western Scheldt to outflank the German defence line on the Beveland Canal (Operation Vitality II).

Troops of 157th Bde and 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade fought their way over a narrow causeway with massive artillery support and secured a precarious bridgehead.

Meanwhile, on 1 November a seaborne assault had been carried out on the west end of Walcheren Island, and 52nd (L) Division's 155th Bde had landed at Flushing on the south shore (Operation Infatuate I) behind artillery support 'on a vast scale' from across the Scheldt.

[29][30] 52nd (L) Division remained under Canadian command, holding the line south of the River Waal, until 4 December, when it moved east to join British Second Army.

On 9 March after a stiff fight it cleared the Haus Loo fort at Alpen, one of the last German outposts west of the Rhine.

The infantry set off across the river in amphibious vehicles at 02.00 on 24 March, and made rapid progress inland to link up with the airborne troops who landed during the morning (Operation Varsity).

[41] Lt-Gen Brian Horrocks, commanding XXX Corps, considered that at this stage of the war, 52nd (L) Division was one of the best in Second Army because it still retained a number of the original personnel (which was a consequence of its late arrival in the theatre).

[42][43][44] After VE Day the units of 21st Army Group were engaged in occupation duties, disarming German troops and administering the British Zone of Allied-occupied Germany.