Following its disastrous retreat across France in 1940, the British Army formed a reconnaissance corps to gather vital tactical intelligence for infantry units. With most of its vehicles and equipment abandoned on the Continent, the “Recce Corps” turned to the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car (LRC), an agile and speedy vehicle that first served in North Africa and Italy and continued across France and Germany. The versatile Mk. III, which went into production in late 1941, was the definitive variant and featured a four-wheel drive chassis that gave it true off-road capability. While the car was well suited to its recon and guard duties, its light armor made it vulnerable to large-caliber fire. By 1943, frontline units began favoring more heavily armored cars, but the LRC continued serving in various roles until war’s end- and remains the vehicle most closely associated with the Reconnaissance Corps’ storied history.
this article first appeared in world war II magazine
