Anyone know who the rEgiment came to be? I have been reading quite a bit about No.11 Hopkinson Military Mission (Phantom) lately and post Dunkirk reports from this unit seem to be recommending a formation of a unit that seems to fit that of the Recce Regiment. I was wondering if this is the start of the Regiments history? Cheers Andy
Andy here is a brief account of how Recce came into being. Following the disaster in France, the traditional Recce units of the divisions, the divisional cavalry regiments, were snapped up by the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) to form new Armoured Divisions. The need for reconnaissance units within divisions was clearly recognized by the Bartholomew Committee, formed by General Sir John Dill, Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), to study the lessons learned from the recent campaign in Flanders and make recommendations. Interim units were formed. These units were formed from re-rolled infantry battalions and anti-tank units, as well as from new formations. The Bartholomew report makes clear that, "The unit should itself be a tank unit and should belong to the RAC. The RAC is, however, fully occupied with the expansion of armoured formations which will also absorb, at any rate for the present, all tank production. Moreover, these reconnaissance units will usually operate under the general cover of armoured divisions. It is considered therefore that it should be an infantry unit suitably organized to carry out protective reconnaissance, the armoured element consisting of carriers and scout-cars and the un-armoured of motor-cyclists." (Bartholomew Committee: PRO WO106/1741 from Doherty, Richard Only the Enemy in Front, London, 1994, p. 3) On 14 January 1941, His Majesty King George VI signed a Royal Warrant authorizing the formation of the Reconnaissance Corp that was then published in a Special Army Order, eight days later. In June 1942, cavalry nomenclature was adopted for the Reconnaissance Corps so the original Battalions became Regiments, Companies became Squadrons, and Platoons became Troops. In most cases, the regimental number generally indicates the divisional assignment; i.e. 3rd Recce Regiment would be assigned to the 3rd Division. Doherty notes, "exceptions were to be found as the war progressed." (Doherty, p. 4)[FONT="][/FONT] The Reconnaissance Corps was formed at Winston Churchill's request, along with the Parachute Regiment, the Glider pilot Regiment and the Special Air Service. The Reconnaissance Corps came into being on 1st January 1941 in response to recommendations made in the light of the Battle of France. The Corps responsibility would be to obtain "vital tactical information in battle for infantry divisions". Cheers Paul
Cheers Paul. Sounds like the reports I read maybe be connected to the Bartholomew Committee. If I can dig them out I'll post them up for you.
