Browsing by Author "McGowan, Victoria"

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    The Development of the 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment in Normandy and the Scheldt
    (2019-04-17) McGowan, Victoria; Bercuson, David Jay; Bercuson, David Jay; Marshall, David B.; Terriff, Terry; Stapleton, Timothy J.
    The 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment was created in 1939 to provide field reconnaissance for 3rd Canadian Infantry Division in the Second World War. Despite being present at a number of significant engagements, it has been overlooked by historians. Many assumptions have been made about armoured reconnaissance, including a belief that reconnaissance regiments were mostly or entirely support units, rather than combat units. This study aims to show that the 7th played an important role in the combat operations of 3rd Division in Northwest Europe. Building on the well-established histories of combat units in 3rd Division and First Canadian Army, it shows that the 7th developed new doctrine and filled a gap in operations between armour and infantry. On this basis, this study suggests that a closer review is needed of reconnaissance regiments to understand their full impact on the outcomes of First Canadian Army operations in Europe.