LRDG Half Patrol

When war broke out, Bagnold convinced General Archibald Wavell, the commander of the Middle East Command, to let him form a scouting force that would operate in the deep desert. He found a wealth of volunteers in the New Zealand Division who were bored out of their minds sitting around with nothing to do except drill.

Bagnold selected about 90 of the volunteers and organised them into the Long Range Patrol (LRP). However, the unit was quickly expanded and renamed the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). They were equipped with specially modified Ford and Chevorlet trucks, each fitted with a sun dial compass for desert navigation.

The new patrols included Guards, Rhodesian, and British units organised into two squadrons. The LRDG also received a Heavy Section, which experimented with transporting heavy equipment, such as a 25 pdr artillery piece and light
tanks, into the deep desert. While these weapons gave their opponents great concern, the logistics of maintaining them was too great a challenge and the project was eventually abandoned in 1942.