Editing Long Range Desert Group (section)

==Formation==
Before the war, Major [[Ralph Alger Bagnold|Ralph Bagnold]] learned how to maintain and operate vehicles, how to navigate, and how to communicate in the desert. On 23 June 1940 he met General [[Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell|Archibald Wavell]], the commander of [[Middle East Command]] in [[Alexandria]] and explained his concept for a group of men intended to undertake long-range reconnaissance patrols to gather intelligence behind the Italian lines in [[Libya]].<ref name=has34/>
General Wavell was familiar with desert warfare, having been a liaison officer with the [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]] during the [[First World War]],<ref>{{cite web|access-date=18 May 2010|publisher=Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, [[King's College London]]|title=Wavell|url=http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/frames/fulldesc?inst_id=21&coll_id=227|archive-date=25 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225080141/http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/frames/fulldesc?inst_id=21&coll_id=227|url-status=dead}}</ref> and he understood and endorsed Bagnold's suggested concept. Wavell assisted in equipping the force.<ref name=has34>Haskew 2007, p.34</ref>

[[File:Two lrdg patrols meet5.jpg|thumb|alt=six vehicles, each with a number of men on board; the one closest is overloaded with equipment|'Y' and 'R' Patrol Chevrolets meet in the desert, mid-1942. Note the amount of equipment carried on the nearest 'R' Patrol trucks]]

The unit, initially known as the ''No.1 Long Range Patrol Unit'' (LRP), was founded on 3 July 1940.<ref name=has34/> Bagnold wanted men who were energetic, innovative, self-reliant, physically and mentally tough, and able to live and fight in seclusion in the Libyan desert.<ref name=db316>Doyle and Bennett 2002, p.316</ref> Bagnold felt that [[New Zealand]] farmers would possess these attributes and was given permission to approach the [[2nd New Zealand Division]] for volunteers; over half the division volunteered.<ref name=db316/> Two officers and 85 [[Other ranks (UK)|other ranks]] including 18 administrative and technical personnel were eventually selected, coming mostly from the [[Divisional Cavalry Regiment (New Zealand)|Divisional Cavalry Regiment]] and the [[27th Machine-Gun Battalion (New Zealand)|27th Machine-Gun Battalion]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=24 May 2010|publisher=[[New Zealand Electronic text centre]]|title=Long Range Desert Group|url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-1Doc-c15.html}}</ref> Once the men had been recruited, they started training in desert survival techniques and desert driving and navigation, with additional training in radio communications and demolitions.<ref name=has34/>

The LRP could initially form only three units, known as patrols,{{#tag:ref|'Patrol' was capitalised when referring to a specific unit (for example, 'Y' Patrol) within the LRP and LRDG.<ref>O'Carroll 2000, p.3</ref> |group=nb}} but a doubling of strength allowed the addition of a new Heavy Section.<ref name="Jenlist12">Jenner and List 1999, pp.8–9, 12</ref> In November 1940, the name of the LRP was changed to the "Long Range Desert Group" (LRDG),<ref name=mo16/> and the New Zealanders were joined by volunteers from British and [[Southern Rhodesia]]n regiments.<ref>Molinari 2007, pp.16–17</ref> The British volunteers, who came mostly from the [[Brigade of Guards]] and [[Yeomanry]] regiments, were incorporated into their own patrols.<ref name=db316/> The original patrol unit consisted of two officers and 28 other ranks, equipped with a [[Canadian Military Pattern truck|Canadian Military Pattern (CMP)]] [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] 15 [[hundredweight|Imperial hundredweight]] (cwt) truck and ten [[Chevrolet]] 30 cwt trucks. In March 1941 new types of trucks were issued and the patrol units were split into half-patrols of one officer and 15–18 men in five or six vehicles.<ref name="Jenlist12"/> Each patrol incorporated a [[medic|medical orderly]], a [[navigator]], a [[radio operator]] and a [[Auto mechanic|vehicle mechanic]], each of whom manned a truck equipped for their role.<ref name=db317>Doyle and Bennett 2002, p.317</ref>