British/Canadian Recce Regiments (infantry division) - tactical guide?

[Michael Dorosh]

I've not yet seen a lot of information online (or in books) about how an infantry divisional recce regiment "did business" in NW Europe. Can anyone suggest some good references. I just recently got in touch with a couple of veterans of the 8th Recce Regiment (2nd Cdn Inf Div) and I think I have a copy of Military Illustrated that discusses armoured car units (which were corps level recce). Can anyone suggest anything else?

[cyrano01]

Only The Enemy In Front

is sub-titled 'The Recce Corps at War 1940-1946' so it is a history of the corps as a whole but it certainly discusses the activities of some of the recce regiments of various infantry divisions.

I have a copy and it is a while since I last read it but my recollection is that there is not much formal discussion of methods and tactics per se. There are, however, many descriptions of actions if you fancy a little 'Tactical Snippeting.' There is also the biography which might give some more pointers.

As to how these regiments went about their business the last chapter of the book suggests that however they did it that business may not have been reconnaisance all that often. It gives post-war studies as indicating that recce regiments spent their time as follows:

'Recce 12%, Protection 9%, Acting As Infantry 34%, Miscellaneous & Concentrated 45%'

These figures are themselves acknowledged as a quote from This Band Of Brothers but have the feel about them of those British Operational Research type studies that John Salt mines so efficiently.

[Michael Dorosh]

Great stuff, thanks. From the little bit I've read of the 8th Recce, they acted as infantry their first couple of weeks in Normandy; seems consistent with the British examples you cite.

[JonS]

Is there nothing in the AHQ or CMHQ reports? It seems to me like the kind of thing they would have, though it's likely to be buried, rather than out on its own as an explicitly titled report.

[Michael Dorosh]

Originally posted by JonS:

Is there nothing in the AHQ or CMHQ reports? It seems to me like the kind of thing they would have, though it's likely to be buried, rather than out on its own as an explicitly titled report.

I've fished through several of the CMHQ reports, and while there are some good bits I've extracted on equipment, they are not mentioned often with regards to role. The official histories are even more sparse with regards to their actual deeds.

Funny, I am finding the best source of info on small unit tactics are the award documentations - I have a CD with every single award citation for the entire war for the whole army, and it is providing bios of some officers (particularly the DSO writeups) and examples of typical recce missions.

[JonS]

Clever.