page_title: List of Royal Northumberland Fusiliers battalions in World War II
section_title: 4th Battalion
hierarchical_section_title: List of Royal Northumberland Fusiliers battalions in World War II / Second World War / 4th Battalion
caption_attribution_description: English: The British Army in France 1940 Motorcycle combinations of 4th Northumberland Fusiliers at Fontaine, 20 March 1940.
context_page_description: This is a list of Royal Northumberland Fusiliers battalions in World War II. At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, a fusilier infantry regiment of the British Army, consisted of seven battalions. A further three were raised during the war. Prior to the war, the regiment was one of a number that been selected to transition from an infantry role to a support role and be equipped with the Vickers machine gun. While most battalions served as divisional machine gun or support battalions, several undertook different roles: motorcycle, searchlight, tank, reconnaissance, regular infantry, and deception units. The regiment saw action with the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of France and Dunkirk, defended the United Kingdom, fought in the North African Campaign, took part in the Battle of Singapore, fought in the Italian Campaign, and operated with the 21st Army Group in the North-West Europe Campaign of 1944–45, operating on the Western Front.
context_section_description: The 4th Battalion was converted to a motorcycle battalion in 1938, and was assigned to the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division (then organised as a Motor Division) on the outbreak of the war.  It served with the division in France and Belgium from January to June 1940.  It took part in the action on the Ypres-Comines Canal.
  After returning from Dunkirk, the battalion came under command of Home Forces until April 1941; on 30 April 1941 it was transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps and redesignated as 50th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps, and it rejoined 50th Division.  It was then sent to North Africa with the division in June 1941, with a short stay in Cyprus from July to November 1941 and in Iraq from November to December 1941. Much of the time, 50 Recce was attached to the 150th Infantry Brigade in keeping with the then current tactical organisation of brigade groups in the British Army in the Mediterranean and Middle East. From February to June 1942 it was assigned to the 22nd Armoured Brigade.
  In June 1942, it returned to the United Kingdom and was in the Home Forces once again.  On 6 June 1942 it became 50th Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps and in March 1943 reverted to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers as the 4th Battalion.  On 25 April 1944, the battalion was suspended; its personnel formed three independent machine gun companies for the British armoured divisions of the 21st Army Group:
  1st Independent Machine Gun Company assigned to the Guards Armoured Division
  2nd Independent Machine Gun Company assigned to the 11th Armoured Division
  3rd Independent Machine Gun Company assigned to the 7th Armoured Division
  All three served throughout the North-West Europe Campaign.  They variously saw action at Odon, Bourguébus Ridge, Mont Pinçon, The Nederrijn, The Rhineland, and The Rhine.
caption: Motorcycle combinations of the 4th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers in the Nord department, France, 20 March 1940.
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