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The IV Princess Louise Dragoon Guards was formed at Ottawa by amalgamation of 4th Hussars Of Canada and The Princess Louise Dragoon Guards in 1936 . In 1941 they became an armoured regiment. During this period they were known as the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion (4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards). They returned to infantry status in 1944 and regained their old name. They were disbanded in 1965 . The regiment's lineage can be traced back to Ottawa in 1870 as a member of Canada's militia. The regiment's (combined) battle honours include South Africa in the early 1900's and the First World War. In 1936 the shotgun-marriage of the 4th Hussars and the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards saw the creation of the 4th PLDG which was re-tasked as an armoured regiment in 1941 and designated as the 4th Reconnaissance Regiment of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division which was then training in the United Kingdom. The regiment's personnel were a combination of men serving with existing infantry regiments and reinforcements from Canada. "A" Squadron was part of the follow-up formations during the Sicily landings of July,1943 and took up its role as the division's recce unit during the occupation of the island. Though the remainder of the regiment also landed during this period, "A" Sqn. was the only one fully equipped with "Fox" and "Otter" armoured cars in time to participate in the fight. The 4PLDG, or "Plugs" as they were nicknamed were at the sharp end for virtually all of the Sicily fighting and with the rest of the 1st Division landed on the Italian peninsula in early September of 1943. As the point unit for the division's advance, 4 PLDG often operated behind enemy lines using the weapons and eating the rations of the German soldiers they were able to ambush and kill. In a country with the rugged terrain of Italy and with archaic maps, 4 PLDG truly was the eyes and ears of the division: determining the condition of roads and bridges and maintaining contact with the retreating enemy. At Miglionico, A-Squadron worked its way undetected into the enemy's rear and launched an attack from a rail tunnel that resulted in a large number of casualties among the German paratroops and destroyed several vehicles. It was this mobility and aggressive spirit that caused British Army General Leese to refer the unit as "the best reconissaince unit in the 8th army". On another occasion, the War Office cited the regiment for its decisive flanking movement at Ravenna, which forced the Germans to abandon the town. The regiment was re-tasked as infantry in July of 1944 and made part of the 12th Infantry Brigade of the 5th Armoured Division. The re-task to infantry was largely resented by officers and men alike who apparently held a "wake" for the death of their armoured mounts. A makeshift cross fashioned during the service read "R.I.P 4 PLDG - Stabbed In The Back". The decision came as a result of 8th Army commanders noting that the 5th Armoured Division's advance had been slowed by a shortage of infantry personneland that the existing brigade, the 11th was overextended. Having distinguished themselves in a number of actions as dismounted assault troops, the 4PLDG were a sound choice, as much as their personnel resisted the change. Fighting their first battle as infantry, 4PLDG moved forward to launch an attack on the well-defended heights of Monte Peloso, known as Point 253 in military circles. As they crossed a series of cultivated fields at the feature's base the unit interdicted a battalion of German paratroops forming for their own attack. The Plugs tore into the startled Germans and inflicted casualties sufficient to warrant the use of a bulldozer to deal with the enemy dead. During the fight the regiment saw its two assault companies decimated; only fifteen troops made it to the top of the position. The battle cost the 4th PLDG 35 dead and 129 wounded but it established their reputation as a first-class fighting unit with, or without, its vehicles. Interstingly, the 4PLDG retained the black beret of the armoured and stubbornly referred to its sub-units as "squadrons" instead of "companies"; the traditional infantry designation. On a humorous note, members of the unit were once urged by General Simonds (1st Inf. Division) to beat a U.S. Army unit into the Sicilian village of Enna and thus take credit for its capture. A mixed bag of NCO's and troopers mounted their armoured cars and headed for the town only to be halted by a demolished culvert. The soldiers commandeered a mule and continued the race arriving just ahead of the U.S. Army who were entering the village from its western extremity. The Plugs maintain in their regimental history that the capture was theirs. The regiment was converted back to its armoured role on 15 March, 1945 and finished the war in The Netherlands after being transferred to the theatre as part of Operation Goldflake. The 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards was finally removed from the Army's Order of Battle in 1965 after distinguished and loyal service. Submitted by S. Ditner, in memory of Sergeant Hubert Ditner-4PLDG, killed while leading a counterattack at Naviglio Canal,Italy in January 1945. REFERENCES
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