Osprey - Elite 152 - The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II.pdf

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Historian, writer and broad-
caster RICHARD DOHERTY
is the author of 18 books
of military or police history.
His books include
Only The
Enemy in Front
(1994), the first
history of the Reconnaissance
Corps to be published since
1947. Chairman of the Irish
Regiments Historical Society,
he is also a Trustee of two
regimental museums:
The Royal Irish Regimental
Museum in Ballymena and
the Museum of The Royal
Irish Fusiliers in Armagh.
CONTENTS
BACKGROUND
• The Bartholomew committee - institution of the Corps, 1941 -
the badge - from infantry to cavalry, 1942
3
TRAINING
&
EQUIPMENT
• Training centres - tactical training - vehicles - versatility-
tables of organization and equipment
4
INTO ACTION: NORTH AFRICA
• Libya: 50 Recce
• Egypt: 44
&
51 Recce at El Alamein
• Tunisia: 56 Recce - 46 Recce - 1 Recce - 4 Recce - 44 Recce
9
ROB CHAPMAN has worked
as an illustrator for a number
of years, initially in children's
books but then specializing
in military history. He has
worked closely with a number
of British regiments and corps
and his paintings are held
in regimental and public
museums, regimental messes
and private collections.
He also teaches part-time
in Further Education. Rob
is married and lives in
Staffordshire, UK.
THE MEDITERRANEAN
• Sicily: 5 Recce
&
56 Recce
• Italy: 5 Recce
&
1st Air-Landing Recce Sqn in Calabria -
44
&
46 Recce at Salerno - the Gustav Line - 56 Recce at
Termoli - 1
&
5 Recce at Anzio - from the Liri Valley to
Lake Trasimene: 4, 44, 46
&
56 Recce - 4 Recce at Forli -
the Gothic Line: 46
&
1 Recce - 44
&
56 Recce at the
Senio river and the Argenta Gap
• Greece: 4
&
46 Recce
16
NORTH-WEST EUROPE
• Normandy: 3
&
61 Recce, 6th Abn Armd Recce-
49, 15
&
53 Recce - rebuilding of 43 Recce - 59 Recce
• Advance to the Seine: 43, 15
&
53 Recce
• The 'great swan' into Belgium: 53, 61
&
3 Recce
• Operation 'Market-Garden': 1st Abn Recce Sqn -
15,43
&
52 Recce
• Winter in the Low Countries: 52
&
49 Recce - 61 Recce
broken up - 3, 15, 43
&
53 Recce - 6th Abn Armd Recce -
the Roer triangle, Maas
&
Waal: 43, 52, 3
&
49 Recce
• Advance to the Rhine: 15, 53, 43
&
52 Recce
• Across the Rhine: 15 Recce, 6th Abn Arrnd Recce, 3
&
43 Recce
• The race to the Baltic: 43, 53, 5, 3, 15, 43, 52 Recce -
6th Abn Armd Recce
24
THE FAR EAST
• Singapore: 18 Recce
• Burma: 2 Recce at Kohima - the advance to Mandalay -
Chindits: 45 Recce in Operation 'Thursday' - the Arakan:
81
&
82 (West Mrican) Recce
51
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
PLATE COMMENTARIES
INDEX
58
59
64
Elite • 152
The British
Reconnaissance Corps
in World War II
Richard Doherty · Illustrated by Rob Chapman
Consultant editor
Martin Windrow
First published in Great Britain in 2007 by Osprey Publishing,
Midland House, West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 OPH, UK
443 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, USA
Email: info@ospreypublishing.com
Dedication
To all who served in the Reconnaissance Corps, and
especially to those who lost their lives in that service.
When 4 Recce was disbanded in Greece in 1945, one
of that unit's soldiers wrote a tribute to his regiment
that may stand for the whole Corps:
Now strike the flag, the panther green and gold,
That for four years has fluttered to the sky
In seven countries; fold the colours now,
They are not needed, fold them, lay them by.
©
2007 Osprey Publishing Ltd.
All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study,
research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be
addressed to the Publishers.
ISBN 978 1 84603 122 9
Editor: Martin Windrow
Page layouts by Ken Vail Graphic Design, Cambridge, UK
Typeset in Helvetica Neue and ITC New Baskerville
Index by Glyn Sutcliffe
Originated by PPS Grasmere, Leeds, UK
Printed in China through World Print Ltd.
07 08 09 10 11
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to the many people who helped with this
book by providing information or photographs. Their
enthusiasm for the Reconnaissance Corps is clear, and
hopefully this book will be worthy of their support and
encouragement.
Artist's Note
Readers may care to note that the original paintings from
which the colour plates in this book were prepared are
available for private sale. All reproduction copyright
whatsoever is retained by the Publishers. All enquiries
should be addressed to:
Rob Chapman,
Old Furnace Cottage,
Greendale,
Oakamoor,
Staffordshre
ST103Ap, UK
The Publishers regret that they can enter into no
correspondence upon this matter.
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
FOR A CATALOGUE OF ALL BOOKS PUBLISHED BY
OSPREY MILITARY AND AVIATION PLEASE CONTACT:
North America:
Osprey Direct
C/o Random House Distribution Centre, 400 Hahn Road, Westminster,
MD 21157, USA
Email: info@ospreydirect.com
All other regions:
Osprey Direct UK
PO Box 140, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 2FA, UK
Email: info@ospreydirect.co.uk
Buy online at
www.ospreypublishing.com
2
THE BRITISH
RECONNAISSANCE
CORPS IN WORLD WAR II
The new Corps was born without
a badge, and it was several
months before a final design
was approved. Among many
suggestions made were several
from the artist Rex Whistler,
who served in 24 Independent
Company of the Corps (formed
from 24 Guards Bde, 1st Division).
Since the aim was to have a badge
that was clearly understandable,
robust and easy to clean,
Whistler's attractive and artistic
designs proved too complicated.
This one, in gold on black enamel,
incorporates a compass, the letter
'R', and a motto:
Via Trita, Via Tute
- 'Beaten (i.e. known) Paths are
Safest.' (National Archives, Kew,
W03214720)
BACKGROUND
ritish experience early in World War II led to many new regiments
and corps being added to the Army List; and it was analysis of
the performance of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in
France in 1940 - by a committee under MajGen Bartholomew - that led
to the creation of the Reconnaissance Corps. Among the committee's
findings was that there were insufficient cavalry regiments to perform
the traditional role of reconnaissance for major formations other than
the armoured divisions. Mter considering several means of providing
reconnaissance for infantry divisions, the final decision was to create
an Infantry Reconnaissance Corps. This new corps - in the event styled
simply the Reconnaissance Corps - was born on 14January 1941 under
Royal Warrant, and the War Office published a Special Army Order
eight days later. (However, several Reconnaissance units are shown as
having come into being on 8 January, with at least one dating its
inception to 1 January in its war diary.)
Initially the Corps adopted infantry nomen-
clature, with all units numbered as battalions, of
which there were to be 12 - one for each operational
army corps; it was considered impractical to provide
one for each division immediately. Most battalions
were created in one of two ways. Some were infantry
battalions converted to the reconnaissance role,
including 4th and 8th Royal Northumberland
Fusiliers, 5th and 6th Loyals (North Lancs), 21st
Royal Fusiliers, 5th Glosters, and 3rd Tower Hamlets
Rifles from the Rifle Brigade. Others were created
from brigade anti-tank companies, many of which
had been re-roled as brigade reconnaissance groups
in the 'higher establishment' divisions - those
intended to deploy with field armies. In the 'lower
establishment' divisions, independent reconnaissance
companies were to be formed for each brigade; some
of these companies would later amalgamate to form
additional units of the Corps.
Mter many submissions for a Corps badge had
been rtjected, the final choice came down to a design
submitted by 56th Bn; created by Tpr George Jones,
a commercial artist in civilian life, this showed an
upwards-pointing spear flanked by two lightning bolts.
With the addition of a scroll reading 'Reconnaissance
Corps' this design was adopted on 29 July 1941,
B
3

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