British Reconnaissance Units
of World War II

Part 2: Regimental TO&Es (CD)

by Michael Taylor

Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment Type B

Regimental HQ, with:

    1 command Sherman
    HQ Squadron, with:
      HQ Troop, with: 1 staff half track (Div. Sigs.)
      AA Troop, with: 1 Crusader AA tank
      Recce Troop, with: 1 recon Daimler scout car
      Intercommunication Troop, with: 1 Humber scout car *
      Close Support Troop, with: 1 CS Sherman (105)
      Headquarters & Admin Troop, with:
        1 Sherman ARV
        1 medium truck, petrol and ammo

      Admin Troop, with:
        1 jeep
        1 light stores truck
        1 half track medic
        1 half track fitters
        1 support stand

    3 Saber Squadrons, each with:
      1 command Sherman
      1 Sherman
      2 recon Stuart M3 or M5
      1 medium ammo truck
      1 medium petrol truck
      1 medium stores truck
      1 support stand

Notes:

1. An alternative to the Armoured Recce Regiment given in Armoured Division 1944, ARMIES pp152-154, for Italy.

2. At regimental level the Crusader AA Marks II and III with the twin Oerlikon cannon (not Polsten, I believe) would be the most likely vehicles, the AA Mk. I with the single 40mm Bofors being used in limited numbers in certain LAA Regiments. The twin 20mm vehicles also had a coaxial Browning MG for close ground defence. As I do not know the barrel length I would not argue with the assessment in ComPost I, p.6, that the US 20L105 is the nearest equivalent.

In fact these regimental level AA Troops were soon disbanded when it was apparent that the Luftwaffe was not a significant threat in NWE and it would be unlikely that they were in general service after about the end of August 1944. The tanks were converted to other uses, one of which was to provide vehicles for artillery regimental and battery commanders.

3. There was, of course, no such thing as a "CS Troop" at regimental level but there seems no other way to represent the two 105mm CS Shermans at each Squadron HQ. CD gives the 105 a ROF of only I and so the option of placing this tank more accurately at each squadron headquarters but reducing its fire capability is not open unless one uses a halved "to hit" chance, which does not quite come to the same thing. Any other suggestions?

4. The ARV represents the three vehicles of this type in the regiment, one at each squadron headquarters, and in addition the 6 wheel breakdown tractor and two stores lorries of the REME LAD attached to this and the armoured regiment type of unit.

5. The medic provost on represents a casualty collection capability at each squadron in addition to that at HQ squadron.

6. The 'fitters" were the regiment's own mechanics, responsible for the light repair of vehicles, radios, and weapons, and is an additional resource to the attached REME LAD. This vehicle represents one half track in each squadron and two with an additional light truck in HQ squadron. This level of provision was typical in a tracked armor unit where repair and maintenance problems were significantly more complex than in a largely wheeled unit. In earlier establishments there was a lesser provision as the armoured vehicles were lighter and less complex, so they "disappear" into the general supply vehicles in wargames terms.

7. The half tracks used by the British were chiefly the International M5, M9, and M14, nearly all converted to the personnel role although some M14s were converted to load carrying and command versions.

8. The Stuarts could be any of the M3A1, M3A3, or M5. If modeling 4th Hussars in Italy, all Stuarts are without turrets and class as "recce Stuarts".

9. On morale, Experienced 8 and Veteran 7 as suggested in the tables seems about right, although I query the justification for Morale 9 with the Guards.

10. Intercommunication Troop vehicles marked with a "*" may fire in the Close Fire Phase only.

Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment

(armoured regiment type)

Regimental HQ, with: 1 command Cromwell IV or VII

    HQ Squadron , with:
      HQ Troop, with: 1 staff half track (Div. Sigs.)
      AA Troop, with: 1 Crusader AA tank
      Recce Troop, with: 2 recon Stuart M3 or M5
      Intercommunications Troop, with: 1 Daimler scout.*
      Admin Troop, with:
        1 medium petrol truck
        1 medium ammo truck
        1 jeep
        1 half track medic
        1 half track fitters
        2 medium stores trucks
        1 support stand

    3 Saber Squadrons, each with:

      1 command Cromwell CS VI or VIII (bg)
      3 Cromwell IV or VII later:
      1 command Cromwell CS VI or VIII (bg)
      2 Cromwell IV or VII
      1 Challenger
      1 medium petrol truck
      2 medium ammo trucks
      1 medium stores truck
      1 support stand

Notes:

1. An alternative to the Armoured Recce Regiment given in Armoured Division 1944, ARMIES pp 152-154, with particular reference to recce units in North West Europe.

2. Note the significant increase in admin vehicles. More tanks with bigger guns and higher fuel consumption necessitates more ammo and petrol lorries, but it is not clear why the general supplies requirement should have so significantly increased at regimental headquarters.

3. As it is in this case possible to limit the fire effectiveness of the weapon I have suggested putting a Cromwell CS as the SHQ tank in order to more accurately reflect the actual make up of the squadrons. This scheme has the additional advantage of accentuating the essential difference between this type of unit and a standard armoured regiment with Shermans. (The same organization can be adopted for regiments in 22nd Armoured Brigade of 7th Armoured Division, but with a Sherman Firefly in place of the Challenger)

4, The Challenger should only appear in scenarios after the middle of August 1944.

5. ARMIES pp 154 lists one of the Cromwells as a "recon vehicle. It is certainly the case that in training in the UK tank crews were practiced in dismounted patrolling, but I have no record of this happening in operations in NWE.

6. Morale as per the book seems about right, except for the same comment about the Guards as above.

7. Intercommunication Troop vehicles marked with a * may fire in the Close Fire Phase only.

Armoured Car Regiment, 1940

Regimental HQ, with:

    1 command armoured car
    1 light (8cwt) liaison truck
    1 medium (30cwt) signals truck (R. Sigs.)
    1 medium personnel truck
    1 medium stores truck
    1 medium ammo, petrol & baggage truck
    1 patrol motor cycle messenger stand
    3 support stands

3 Squadrons, each with:

    1 command armoured car
    1 recon annoured car
    1 medium (30cwt) petrol, ammo & supplies truck

Notes:

1. An alternative to the organization given in ARMIES pp 144 145. For 12th Lancers in the BEF all armoured cars would be Morris CS9, for 11th Hussars in Egypt, Morris CS9 command cars and Rolls Royce troop cars.

2. In addition I would just make the point that these units were, in all theaters at this time, a corps or Army asset, not divisional.

3. Veteran 9 seems rather generous for the 1940 armoured division as a whole, given the state of equipment and training at the time and that some regiments had only recently mechanized. For the armoured car units in particular I would suggest Experienced 9.

Armoured Car Regiment, 1941

Regimental HQ, with: 1 command a car.

    HQ Squadron, with:
      Intercommunication Troop, with: 1 scout car*
      Admin. Troop, with:
        1 medium truck (petrol and ammo)
        1 medium general supply truck

    3 Squadrons, each with:

      1 command armoured car
      2 recon armoured cars
      1 medium truck (petrol, ammo & 2 supplies)

Notes:

1. A slight variation to the organizations given in Armoured Division 1942 and 1943, ARMIES PP 148 149 and 150 151.

2. 1 have avoided any reference to specific vehicle types in this organization on the grounds that there was such a range of types that appeared at different times in the only active theater, North Africa. I would refer readers to the outline history section above for an indication of what was available.

3. In active theaters of operations I suggest the armoured car units are classed as Veteran.

4. Intercommunication Troop vehicles marked with a * may fire in Close Fire Phase Only.

Armoured Car Regiment, 1944

Regimental HQ, with: 1 command Staghound II

    HQ Squadron, with:
      AA Troop, with: 1 AA armoured car
      Intercommunication Troop, with: 1 Humber scout car*
      Admin. Troop, with:
        1 light general stores truck.
        1 light medic truck
        1 medium truck (petrol & ammo)
        1 medium general stores truck

      Attached:

        1 medium signals stores truck (Div. Sigs.)
        1 medium breakdown lorry, 6 wheel (REME LAD)

    4 Squadrons, each with:

      1 command Staghound II
      2 Daimler II
      2 recon Daimler scouts

      Heavy Troop, with:

        1 MC GMC(75) (bg) or 1 AEC Mk. 1H (bg)
        Support Troop, with:
          1 recon infantry stand
          White scout car

        Admin Troop, with:
          1 light stores truck
          1 medium truck (2 ammo, 1 petrol, 3 stores)

Notes:

1. A slight variation on the unit given in Armoured Division 1944, ARMIES pp152 154.

2. The AA armoured car could have been either the Humber with quad Besa or the Staghound with twin .50's. Dropped soon after D-Day and almost certainly not seen after the end of July 1944.

3. The REME LAD lorry is added here in order to give the unit some integral recovery capacity. Normally this small attached sub unit can be subsumed into the units' own recovery capacity, as with the ARVs in armoured regiments.

4. The Heavy and infantry Support Troops should be added in spring 1943 and the fourth squadron a year later, spring 1944.

5. 1 have opted herefor reflecting the actual squadron organization by decentralizing the CS capability but reducing the ROF to I as above in the armoured recce units, and for the same reasons. Even if gamers concentrate all four stands into a single battery of four models on occasions, by keeping the ROF at 1 the CS effectiveness of the unit will not be significantly increased and so open to abuse by players using gamesmanship.

6 To model the 11th Hussars organization, simply add I Humber scout car to RHQ and each SHQ, delete 1 Dingo from each squadron and use a Dingo for the Intercomm Troop if you bother to model it. To simulate splitting up the Support Troop (something that the Kings Dragoon Guards also seem to have done) I suggest you delete the Troop altogether as a separate entity but allow each armoured (but not scout) car in the squadrons to deploy a single figure patrol stand. The car should be able to fire and move without penalty while the patrol stand is dismounted and any hits on the patrol are not transferred to the car

7. Note also that scout cars in 11th Hussars squadrons were armed with twin Vickers K guns and at least a proportion of the armoured cars (say one in each CD squadron?) had single Vickers K-pintle mounted on the turret roofs. As with the Airborne, I suggest these are classed as MMG to represent their very high rate of fire.

8. To model the Inns of Court Regiment simply make one of the Daimler armoured cars in each squadron a SOD and field it with the armoured rather than the scout car They spent most of their time in support of 11th Armoured Division.

9. Morale as per ARMIES seems about right.

10. Intercommunication Troop vehicles marked with a "*" may fire in the Close Fire Phase only.

British Reconnaissance Units of World War II Part 2: Armoured Divisional Formations

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