Reconnaissance Corps

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The Reconnaissance Corps was a short-lived corps of the British Army. It was formed from Infantry Brigade Reconnaissance Groups on 1 August 1941. All the Brigade reconnaissance groups of each infantry Corps were formed into reconnaissance battalions, each usually bearing the number of its relevant Division. For example, the 43rd Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps (based on the 5th Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment) was the divisional reconnaissance battalion of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.^[1] Initially, coming from infantry units, reconnaissance units used the infantry designations of battalions, companies and platoons. However from June 1942 the Corps changed to the cavalry descriptions of regiments, squadrons and troops.^[2]

It became part of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1944, still maintaining its own cap badge with two lightning strikes supporting an upright spear. With the end of the war, this number of reconnaissance units was not needed and the Corps was disbanded in August 1946. Reconnaissance duties reverted to Regular armoured units of the Royal Armoured Corps.

[edit] Organisation and equipment

Reconnaissance Regiments were organised into a headquarters squadron (including anti-tank, signals and mortar troops) and three reconnaissance (or "recce") squadrons. Each recce squadron comprised three scout troops and an assault troop. Scout troops were equipped with Light Reconnaissance Cars (LRCs) such as the Humber and with Bren carriers. The assault troop comprised lorried infantry and were called up when enemy resistance needed to be overcome. Later in the war better armoured cars such as the Humber Scout Car and Deerhound/Staghound augmented the LRCs in scout troops.^[3]

[edit] Footnotes

^ Mills, T.F. Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth 5th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment page. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
^ Mills, Land Forces of Britain Reconnaissance Corps page. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
^ A British Soldier Remembers The Logistics of a Recce Regiment (organisation and vehicles pages).

[edit] References

Richard Doherty and Rob Chapman (2007), The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II, Osprey Books. ISBN-10: 1846031222
A British Soldier Remembers: A history of 56th Reconnaissance Regiment and personal reminiscences of a member of that unit throughout campaigns in North Africa and Italy.