The 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment (NF) was a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

of the

Reconnaissance Corps The Reconnaissance Corps, or simply Recce Corps, was a corps of the British Army, formed during the Second World War whose units provided reconnaissance for infantry divisions. It was formed from infantry brigade reconnaissance groups on 14 Janu ...

, which was itself part of the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...

, raised by the

British Army during the Second World War At the start of 1939, the British Army was, as it traditionally always had been, a small volunteer professional army. At the beginning of the Second World War on 1 September 1939, the British Army was small in comparison with those of its ene ...

. It was originally raised as the 8th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, formed as a 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate unit of the 4th Battalion, just before the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

as a motorcycle

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

and served as such in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...

in May 1940. It was converted to a

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

unit in April 1941 and fought in North-West Europe from June 1944 until May 1945 when the war in Europe ended. In July 1946, over a year since the end of the war in Europe, the regiment was placed in suspended animation, formally reconstituted on 1 January 1947 and immediately disbanded.

History

Formation

By 1939 it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out and, as a direct result of the

German invasion of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law ** ...

on 15 March, the doubling of the Territorial Army (TA) was authorised, with each unit and formation forming a duplicate. Consequently, the 8th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was formed as a duplicate of the 4th Battalion on 18 June 1939 organized as a motorcycle battalion.

Second World War

On 2 October 1939, the

was assigned to the 23rd (Northumbrian) Division. The division was sent to France on 22 April 1940, on labour and training duties, without any of its artillery or the bulk of its signals and administration units. On 20 May 1940, the division suffered heavy casualties trying to delay the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

advance at

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of ...

and had to be evacuated at Dunkirk. On its return to the United Kingdom the 23rd Division was disbanded due to the heavy losses it had suffered and the two infantry brigades were sent to other divisions. After Dunkirk, the battalion left the 23rd Division on 29 June 1940. It was under command of

Home Forces A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

until November 1940 when it joined the 3rd Infantry Division, a

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

formation, as a motorcycle battalion. The battalion was one of only two Territorial Army units in the division, the other being 76th (Highland) Field Regiment,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. On 30 April 1941 it was transferred to the

and redesignated as 3rd Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps; then on 6 June 1942 as 3rd Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps (NF); and finally on 1 January 1944 it was transferred to the

as 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment (NF). It remained part of the 3rd Infantry Division until August 1945. The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H13110

The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H13110

The 3rd Infantry Division remained in the United Kingdom, training for many years until it landed on

Sword Beach Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord. The Allied invasion of German-occupied Fr ...

on 6 June 1944

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

and fought through the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

(

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Bourguébus Ridge, Mont Pinçon), the Netherlands ( The Nederrijn) and later the invasion of Germany the (

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

and the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

), ending the war in

Bremen Bremen ( Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state cons ...

. By the end of the war the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment had lost 90

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...

and other ranks killed in action.

Post-war

The regiment was placed in suspended animation in July 1946. The Territorial Army was disbanded at the end of the Second World War but this was a formality. TA units were reactivated on 1 January 1947, though no personnel were assigned until commanding officers and permanent staff had been appointed in March and April 1947. The 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, converted to infantry with its former title (8th Battalion) and immediately disbanded.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{cite book , last = Westlake , first = Ray , year = 1986 , title = The Territorial Battalions, A Pictorial History, 1859–1985 , publisher = Spellmount , location = Tunbridge Wells Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946 Royal Armoured Corps Regiments of the British Army Regiments of the British Army in World War II