Montgomery’s uncharacteristically bold plan to use the Allied airborne reserve to gain a decisive victory before the end of 1944 is too well known to need detailed repetition here. Two American and one British airborne divisions were to seize bridges across the rivers Maas, Waal and Eder Rijn at Grave, Nijmegen and Arnhem respectively (Operation ‘Market’). These bridges were to be held while British XXX Corps advanced along a land corridor to Arnhem and thence into Germany itself, thereby outflanking the northern limits of the Siegfried Line (Operation ‘Garden’). The furthest bridge, at Arnhem, was assigned to British 1st Abn Div; with the bridge taken, 52nd (Lowland) Div – now an air-portable formation – was to be flown into nearby Deelen airfield. Thus two recce units that had so far seen no service in NW Europe would be committed to battle: 1st Abn Recce Squadron and 52 (Lowland) Recce Regiment.

In the familiar story of Arnhem the role of 1st Abn Recce Sqn is less well known. Under command of Maj Freddie Gough, the squadron, equipped with jeeps armed with Vickers K-guns, was to carry out a coup de main strike to seize Arnhem Bridge and hold it until the division’s main body arrived. Gough considered this a misuse of his squadron, and believed that his three troops ought to precede each element of the division as they advanced from the DZs/LZs towards Arnhem, in true Recce fashion: in this way the best approach might be identified. However, Gough was obliged to conform to the flawed divisional plan, and to deploy the squadron as a light strike force. To overcome the tactical drawbacks that he anticipated, Gough asked for twin Vickers mountings for his jeeps, and for three Hamilcar gliders to carry a reinforcing troop of Tetrarch light tanks of 6 Abn Armd Reece; neither request was granted.

Gliders carried the squadron’s heavy equipment while the men parachuted from Dakotas, but their supporting 9 Field Co RE never linked up with them. Once assembled, the jeeps advanced towards their objective, using the standard leap-frogging tactics refined in training. However, No.8 Section drove into an ambush and its men were killed or captured. Following a number of clashes with German troops the remainder of the squadron reached the objective, to find the northern end of Arnhem bridge held by men of 2nd Para Bn and other scattered troops. Gough’s men reinforced Maj Frost’s perimeter; but communications were in disarray due to faulty radios, and the divisional commander, MajGen Urquhart, was unaware that the recce men had reached the bridge.

The presence of two mauled Panzer divisions resting in the immediate area had not been taken into account by the planners, and the Germans were able to bring considerable firepower to bear on the Arnhem/Oosterbeek perimeters. Instead of being relieved speedily, the lightly equipped and supplied Airborne troops were besieged for the next week – and 52nd (Lowland) Div was never committed. With the failure of XXX Corps to reach Arnhem, the order was given for 1st Abn Div to withdraw across the river as best they could. Some of 1st Abn Reece Sqn managed to escape, but many – including Maj Gough – were taken prisoner.

Three other recce regiments had parts to play in ‘Market-Garden’: 15 (Scottish), 43 (Wessex) and 52 (Lowland). For a week 15 Reece protected a vital supply road for the troops at Nijmegen and Arnhem, before deploying as infantry. 43 Reece, with 12th Bn King’s Royal Rifle Corps, provided defence against counter-attacks on XXX Corps’ eastern flank; in one incident, men of 10 Tp intercepted German frogmen placing explosive charges on the bridges at Nijmegen. When 1st Abn Div was ordered to withdraw, troops of 43 Reece helped cover their retreat.

Deprived of its original planned role, 52 Reece arrived in Son, where the regiment came under command of US 101st Abn Div; in their windproof smocks and rimless RAC helmets the recce troopers had an almost German appearance in poor light, but fortunately there were no tragic incidents. Moving to the Grave area, the regiment was soon in action against an enemy counter-attack that broke through the corridor to Arnhem, and two squadrons took part in the operation to restore it. The regiment also had the doubtful distinction of being probably the first reconnaissance unit ever to come under attack from jet aircraft, when Luftwaffe Me 262s strafed and bombed its positions, causing some casualties.