Silly question time again, but in this orbat under 22 armoured brigade, minefield task force, does that 44 mean 44th recce?
Reme - not technically as they were part and parcel of the 44th Home Counties Division BUT were attached to the 11th Hussars of 7th Armoured for mine clearing at El Alamein- after the battle the 44th Div was broken up and 44th Recce then joined th 7th Armoured - I believe - but I wasn't there either . Cheers
44 Recce January 1941: Formed mainly from 7th Battalion The West Kents 8th January 1941 – Renamed 44th Reconnaissance Battalion 6th June 1942 – Renamed 44th Reconnaissance Regiment 1st January 1944 – Renamed 44th Reconnaissance Regiment RAC December 1945: Disbanded in Trieste, senior NCO's became part of the 4th Hussars and ended up stationed on the Morgan Line The Reconnaissance Regiment for the 44th Infantry Division from it's formation till 7th March 1943, then with the 56th Division. Fought at El Alamein with the 44th Division and then with the 56th Division in Tunisia, at the Salerno landing and to the end of the campaign in Italy. Cheers Paul
Silly question time again, but in this orbat under 22 armoured brigade, minefield task force, does that 44 mean 44th recce? Yes and no. Sources seem to vary a bit. That unit is often seen called the '44th Divisional Reconnaissance Carrier Regiment', though I've seen doubts cast over whether that was an official designation, and it was formed for mine clearing ahead of 7th Armoured Brigade. It is often equated with with 44 Recce but that may overlook the contribution of others. 'Only The Enemy In Front' suggests that 44 Recce's carriers were combined into one squadron and men and carriers from 132 and 151 Brigades formed another two squadrons. However a couple of paragraphs later it talks of the regiment having absorbed all its division's carriers which is possibly contradictory unless 151 Brigade was a typo for 131 (151 Brigade were in 50th Division). After El Alamein 44th Division was disbanded but 44 Recce were reprieved spent a period in Egypt before joining up with 56th Division in Gaza.
Paul there is quite a gap between El Alamein in Oct '42 - and Mar '43 when they joined 56th for Envidaville- which was 56th's first battle in Africa- I believe that 44th Home counties Div was disbanded shortly after El Alamein as Monty was fed up with their performance - saving only the Queens bde - it would appear from the ORBAT that 44th recce joined with not the Greys as shown but 11th Hussars with the Greys in the other bde with 2nd Derby Yeo as recce for that bde, and not in "PIP" Roberts mine clearing unit attached to his bde of 1st and 5th Tanks and the RB's Cheers
44 Recce January 1941: Formed mainly from 7th Battalion The West Kents I keep seeing that being repeated but the only source I've seen for it is 'This Band Of Brothers', plus references on one or two memorials. Two consistent articles in the Reconnaissance Journal suggest that 44 Recce was actually formed from the anti-tank companies of the three infantry brigades (131, 132, 133) of the 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division, and that is the version favoured by Doherty in 'Only The Enemy In Front'. The 7th West Kents were in 36th Infantry Brigade until 1944. 31st August 1945: Disbanded in Trieste I think that is a little premature. The 4th Hussars took over the recce role for the 56th in October 1945 and there is a photo of the officers of 44 Recce taken on 1st November 1945 in the Recce Journal. My Dad wasn't transferred out until after that date, being one of the batch transferred to 1st Derbyshire Yeomanry. So the regiment was certainly being wound down at the end of 1945 but survived in name at least until 1946. G.
Here is a summary history for 44th Recce Battalion (later Regiment) during its service in North Africa: 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division – 8 January 1941 to 24 November 1942 The battalion was raised from the anti-tank companies of the 44th Infantry Division with ‘A’ Squadron formed from the Buffs and Queen’s of the 131st Brigade, ‘B’ Squadron from the Queen’s and Royal West Kents of the 132nd Brigade and ‘C’ Squadron from the Royal Sussex of the 133rd Brigade. It trained with the division until it sailed from Scotland with the division in May 1942. It moved to Egypt by way of South Africa and arrived in Egypt in late July 1942. 44th Division then concentrated between Cairo and Alexandria and regiment acclimatised for two weeks. During that time, it was found that the regiment’s Humber LRCs and motorcycles were unsuitable for the desert. The division moved to the Alamein line on August 14th in reserve behind the 2nd New Zealand Division. The regiment was placed under the command of the 7th Armoured Division with Bren Carriers, lorries and the Humber LRCs. The 7th Armoured split the regiment to serve under the command of the battalions and regiments of the 4th Light Armoured Brigade. The assault troops and carriers were assigned to the motor battalions while the LRCs were assigned to the cavalry regiments. The regiment was in action on August 30th during the Alam el Halfa battle through September 4th, when it concentrated with the 44th Division. A week later it joined the 22nd Armoured Brigade of the 7th Armoured Division and for two weeks guarded front line positions near Himeimat. It was then withdrawn into reserve and the LRCs were sent to guard the rear areas. It was re-titled as the 44th Division Reconnaissance Carrier Regiment and reorganized with all the regiment’s carriers in one strong squadron and two additional squadrons made up of men and machines of the 132nd and the 151st Infantry Brigades. The regiment was given the task of clearing minefields in the upcoming Alamein offensive and included Royal Engineers in its organization. It trained in the new role through October 1942, when six Scorpion mine-clearing tanks were added. On October 23rd it went into action under the 7th Armoured Division as its minefield clearance force and included all the carriers of the 7th Armoured Division and the 4th Field Squadron, RE as well. When the 7th Armoured Division halted in its advance, the regiment was pulled back into reserve at Deir el Rayil, where it remained until November 2nd. The regiment then advanced under the 44th Division from Himeimat for seventy miles after which the 44th Division was withdrawn. The regiment moved back to Qassasin in the Delta and the 44th Infantry Division was broken up on November 24th. GHQ Troops, Middle East Force – 24 November 1942 to 8 March 1943 The regiment remained under command of GHQ Troops and reorganized with Marmon-Herrington Armoured Cars replacing the Humber LRCs. It moved to the Citadel in Cairo in January 1943 to guard GHQ. This task ended in February and the regiment moved to Gaza at that time, where it was designated to join the 56th Infantry Division. It officially came under command on March 8th, 1943 on arrival in Iraq. 56th (London) Infantry Division 8 March 1943 to 16 February 1944 The 56th Division remained in Iraq until March 24th and then began to move westward to join the 8th Army advancing on Tunisia. It left Palestine on March 28th, Egypt on April 4th and Libya on April 19th in its overland move across North Africa. It finally reached Enfidaville on April 24th just after the town fell. The regiment fought in Tunisia with the division until the end of May 13th. It moved back to Tripoli in June 1943 to prepare for Italy with the 56th Infantry Division. The regiment landed at Salerno with the division on September 8th, 1943 with ‘C’ Squadron under the 167th Brigade and RHQ and ‘B’ Squadron with the 169th Brigade. The rest arrived in the follow-up and the regiment recced the beachhead. It moved to the division’s right flank on the 10th and was employed as infantry during the German counter-attack. The squadrons were then placed under the brigades of the division for the breakout from Salerno. When the division reached Monte Camino, the regiment served as a porter unit for the division from November 28th. The porter battalion also included a company of the 6th Cheshire Regiment M-G, troops from 100th Light AA and 67th Anti-Tank Regiments and defence platoons from each brigade and divisional HQ. The regiment became the core of Hicksforce with two companies of the 6th Cheshire Regiment, a battery of 67th Anti-Tank Regiment and 56th Division’s Defence Platoon on January 8th. Hicksforce took over the coastal sector of the Garigliano River and operated there for a week. The regiment prepared to cross the Garigliano on January 18th on the front between the 5th and 56th Divisions. The regiment then deployed with ‘C’ Squadron on the left of the San Salvatito feature, ‘A’ Squadron continuing the line across the road and ‘B’ Squadron in reserve. ‘B’ Squadron took Massa Vezza on January 19th-20th. The regiment was relieved on January 27th and moved back to Montanaro to reorganize on a jeep, carrier and White Scout Car basis. The plans were changed and the regiment returned to the line north of the Garigliano on February 1st and relieved the 8th Royal Fusiliers at Lorenzo. It was relieved there by No. 40 Royal Marine Commando on the 12th and withdrew. When the 56th Division moved to the Anzio Bridgehead the regiment remained behind on the main front leaving the division on February 16th.
Thanks all, thats very helpful. Dad was with REME attached to 4th Field Rgt. RA at this time as part of the minefield task force, and was I just researching what was happening in his immediate area, looks like I'll have some more books to add to my reading list.
44 Recce was disbanded towards thé end of December 1945 at Trieste following a march past taken by Major-General J Y Whitfield CB DSO OBE commanding 56 (London) Division. Gyles Longley
Could you help me of you have any detailed information, other that what I have been given. Sherwood Foresters 1st Battalion arrived Egypt 5th Jan 1941 quartered at Mena, near Cairo. Split up and attached to the 14th New Zealand Brigade for desert warfare training and C Company to the School of Camouflage.
