United Kingdom Commando Force Explained

Unit Name:3rd Special Service Brigade
3rd Commando Brigade
3 Commando Brigade
United Kingdom Commando Force
Dates:14 February 1942 – present
Country: United Kingdom
Branch: Corps of Royal Marines

Royal Navy
Type:Commando
Role:Special operations-capable
Garrison:HQ: Stonehouse Barracks, Plymouth
Size:Brigade
Nickname:The Commandos
Identification Symbol Label:United Kingdom Commando Force Badge
March:Quick: "Sarie Marais"
Battles:
Commander1:Brigadier James Norman
Commander1 Label:Brigade Commander
Commander2 Label:Deputy Brigade Commander
Commander3 Label:Brigade Regimental Sergeant Major

United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), is the UK's special operations-capable[1] commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.

The brigade was formed 1 September 1943 at Dorchester with personnel from 102 RM Brigade,[2] during the Second World War, with a mixture of Army Commando and Royal Marine Commando units, and was deployed to the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II to conduct operations against the invading forces of Imperial Japan, such as the Burma Campaign.[3] After the Second World War, the Army Commandos were disbanded and the brigade became a Royal Marine formation. Recently, United Kingdom Commando Force has again become a mixed formation with the addition of commando qualified soldiers from the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers to provide support for the Royal Marine Commandos. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been involved in a number of engagements such as the Suez Crisis, Falklands War, Gulf War and the War in Afghanistan.

History

Second World War

Between September and November 1943, in Scotland, 102nd Brigade, Royal Marines Division, was detached from the division, to form the independent 3rd Special Service Brigade – a joint British Army-Royal Marines formation. The founding commander was Brigadier Wilfrid Nonweiler and it was composed of the following units:[4]

Nos. 1 and 5 Commandos had already earned battle honours as units in, respectively, the North African and Madagascar campaigns. Because "Commando", at the time, implied a company/battalion-sized unit, the name "Special Service" was instead used for British commando brigades. (However, the term "Commando Brigade" was often used informally, because "Special Service" was unpopular and had a superficial similarity to the name of the notorious German Schutzstaffel (SS).) The brigade was later officially renamed 3rd Commando Brigade.

On 10 November 1943, elements of the brigade embarked at Gourock, bound for India. It was intended that the brigade would be used in operations against Japanese forces in the South-East Asia theatre, such as the Burma campaign. However, the limited shipping capacity available at the time meant that the relocation was prolonged and the components of the brigade were not reunited until late 1944. Lt Col. Peter Young was transferred from the Normandy campaign to become second-in-command of 3rd Commando Brigade. Young succeeded Nonweiler as commander of the brigade.[5]

During January 1945, the brigade was involved in the campaign to recapture Arakan, including the battles of Myebon peninsula and Kangaw. The brigade was then withdrawn to India to prepare for Operation Zipper, a proposed amphibious operation to recapture the Malayan peninsula. The atomic bombs against Japan precipitated an earlier surrender of Japan than expected. The 3rd Commando Brigade moved to secure Hong Kong – a British crown colony that was under Japanese occupation in 1941–45. During 1946, British Army personnel and units within the 3rd Commando Brigade were demobilised or transferred elsewhere and it became a Royal Marine formation.

Post Second World War

3 Commando Brigade's most high-profile operation after the war was the Suez Crisis, when it took part in the amphibious assault against Egyptian targets. During Operation Musketeer, units of the brigade made a helicopter-borne assault.[6] 1971 saw the withdrawal of British forces from the Far East and Persian Gulf. The brigade returned to the UK with other British units. It moved to Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth, where it remains to this day.[7]

Operation Corporate

The brigade's next large operation was in 1982. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, and 3 Commando Brigade, reinforced by 2 Para and 3 Para, was one of the two main British land formations that took part in operations to recapture the islands. The brigade landed at San Carlos Water and marched across East Falkland to Stanley. Argentine units were defeated in several sharp engagements, and their forces surrendered on 14 June.[8]

Gulf War

In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, the brigade was deployed on a non-combat task in northern Iraq. The Iraqi Kurds had suffered immensely during the war and in its aftermath, and the brigade was used due to its rapid deployment ability. It provided humanitarian aid to the Kurds and saved many from starvation.[9]

21st century

Recently, the brigade has been involved in two major campaigns, including Operation Veritas in Afghanistan, 2001 and 2002, and Operation Telic during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Iraq, however, saw heavy fighting occur in the early stages of the campaign, as the brigade made its first amphibious assault in over 20 years by landing on the Al-Faw peninsula in south-east Iraq.[10] In 2006, the brigade returned to Afghanistan on Operation Herrick, replacing 16 Air Assault Brigade, where intense fighting occurred.[11]

In 2022, 3 Commando Brigade was rebranded to the United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), a process that started in 2020 and completed in 2024.[12]

Organisation

See main article: articles. The UK Commando Force contains Royal Marines, Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel. When operating as part of the combined United Kingdom / Netherlands Landing Force, the 1st Marine Combat Group of the Dutch Korps Mariniers is also attached to the brigade.[13]

The subordinate units are:[14]

Headquarters, 24 Commando Regiment, Royal Engineers, at RM Chivenor[31]

Headquarters, 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, at Royal Citadel, Plymouth[33] [34]

Amphibious Task Group

Formerly known as the Amphibious Ready Group, the Amphibious Task Group (ATG) is a mobile, balanced amphibious warfare force, based on a Commando Group and its supporting assets, that can be kept at high readiness to deploy into an area of operations. The ATG is normally based around specialist amphibious ships, most notably, the largest ship in the British fleet until she was decommissioned and sold to Brazil in 2018. Ocean was designed and built to accommodate an embarked commando and its associated stores and equipment. The strategy of the ATG is to wait "beyond the horizon" and then deploy swiftly as directed by HM Government. The whole amphibious force is intended to be self-sustaining and capable of operating without host-nation support. The concept was successfully tested in operations in Sierra Leone.[35]

Commando Helicopter Force

See main article: Commando Helicopter Force. The Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) forms part of the Fleet Air Arm. It comprises three helicopter squadrons and is commanded by Joint Aviation Command (JAC).[36]

CHF is neither under the permanent control of Headquarters Commando Forces nor that of the Commandant General Royal Marines, but rather is allocated to support Commando units as required by JAC. It uses both Merlin HC4/4A medium-lift and Wildcat AH1 light transport/reconnaissance helicopters to provide aviation support to Commando Forces.[37]

Commanders

Commanders have included:[38]

Battle honours

The following Battle honours were awarded to the British Commandos during the Second World War.[41]

See also

References

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NavyLookout . 2024-06-14 . Strike from the sea – developing the UK Commando Force Navy Lookout . 2024-12-03 . www.navylookout.com . en-GB.
  2. The Royal Marines 1919-1908, James D Ladd, Janes 1980, page 373
  3. Web site: 42 Commando | Royal Marines . www.royalnavy.mod.uk.
  4. Web site: Commando Units . . 6 August 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080705082222/http://www.burmastar.org.uk/commando.htm . 5 July 2008 . dead.
  5. Book: Durnford-Slater, John . John Durnford-Slater . Commando: Memoirs of a Fighting Commando in World War Two . 1953 . 2002 . Greenhill Books . London . 978-1-85367-479-2 . 150.
  6. News: 1956: Allied Forces take control of Suez . BBC News . 6 November 1956 . 4 April 2016.
  7. Web site: 3 Commando Brigade . British Army units 1945 on . 4 April 2016.
  8. Web site: 3 Commando Brigade . Naval History.net . 4 April 2016.
  9. News: 1991: UK forces withdraw from Kurdish haven . BBC News . 10 October 2008 . 14 July 1991.
  10. News: Marines spearhead the invasion with lightning attack . 21 March 2003 . The Daily Telegraph . 4 April 2016.
  11. Web site: Commandos ready to face the Taliban . 27 July 2006 . BBC News . 4 April 2016.
  12. Web site: 2024-06-14 . Strike from the sea – developing the UK Commando Force Navy Lookout . 2024-08-17 . www.navylookout.com . en-GB.
  13. van der Peet . Anselm . 2023 . United Kingdom-Netherlands amphibious force’s 50-years jubilee . Atlantisch Perspectief . 47 . 4 . 17–21 . 0167-1847.
  14. Web site: 3 Commando Brigade . Royal Navy . 4 April 2016.
  15. Web site: Page 12238 Supplement 64441, 25 June 2024 London Gazette The Gazette . 2024-11-18 . www.thegazette.co.uk.
  16. Web site: 821 EOD & Search Squadron . 29 July 2022 . British Army . "821 EOD & Search Squadron is part of 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD&S) and consists of: ... Commando Troop – consists of four EOD & Search teams aligned to the Lead Commando Group".
  17. Web site: 25 May 2023 . Royal Marines primed for Indo-Pacific operations after intensive jungle workout . Royal Navy.
  18. Web site: 10 September 2024 . Royal Marines go raiding in South Korea as part of major exercise . Royal Navy.
  19. Web site: 3 April 2023 . UK reinforces commitment to the Indo-Pacific as Royal Marines deploy to South Korea . Royal Navy.
  20. Web site: 12 December 2019 . Taunton’s 40 Commando race through Somerset . Royal Navy.
  21. Web site: 17 May 2018 . Bickleigh marines mark their new role with parade and fun day Royal Navy . Royal Navy.
  22. Web site: 18 November 2024 . Royal Marines guardians of the UK’s nuclear deterrent test themselves on USA exercise . Royal Navy.
  23. Web site: Allison . George . 2024-07-16 . UK Commando forces practice raiding in Baltic Sea . 2024-11-18 . en-GB.
  24. Web site: 18 November 2024 . 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines Royal Navy . Royal Navy.
  25. Web site: 18 November 2024 . 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group Royal Navy . Royal Navy. Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
  26. Web site: Williams . Briohny . 2023-03-13 . SRS: The eyes and ears of UK Commando Force . 2024-11-18 . www.forcesnews.com . en.
  27. Web site: 2021-11-26 . Royal Marines defend against air attacks in five-day desert training battle . 2024-11-18 . www.forcesnews.com . en.
  28. Web site: Ricks . Rebecca . 2018-07-27 . On Exercise With The Royal Marines' Viking Squadron . 2024-11-18 . www.forcesnews.com . en.
  29. Web site: Ricks . Rebecca . 2018-07-27 . On Exercise With The Royal Marines' Viking Squadron . 2024-11-18 . www.forcesnews.com . en.
  30. Web site: 23 February 2018 . Vikings return to Norway as Royal Marines train Americans . Royal Navy.
  31. van der Peet . Anselm . 2023 . United Kingdom-Netherlands amphibious force’s 50-years jubilee . Atlantisch Perspectief . 47 . 4 . 17–21 . 0167-1847.
  32. Web site: REME COMMANDO (@3cdoxreme) • Instagram . 2023-10-06 . www.instagram.com.
  33. Web site: '29 Commando Regiment RA' . 2024-12-01 . www.commandoveterans.org.
  34. Web site: 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery . 2024-12-01 . www.eliteukforces.info.
  35. http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/training-and-people/the-rn-today/navy-command-headquarters/fleet-battle-staff/comukamphibfor/index.htm COMUKAMPHIBFOR General Description
  36. Web site: Commando Helicopter Force webpage . 17 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090624083620/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/establishments/naval-bases-and-air-stations/rnas-yeovilton/commando-helicopter-force/ . 24 June 2009 . live .
  37. Web site: The 847 Naval Air Squadron transitions to the AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 helicopter Interview with Major David Sutton Royal Marines, Senior Pilot. 7 May 2015. Janes. 30 December 2017.
  38. Web site: Royal Navy Senior Appointments: Commander, 3rd Commando Brigade . 287–288 . Colin . Mackie . July 2022 . Gulabin.com . 28 August 2022.
  39. 3 Commando Brigade change over . 14 February 2019 . The Globe & Laurel . 15 February 2019 . 16 February 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035208/https://theroyalmarinescharity.org.uk/globe-laurel . dead .
  40. Web site: Confirmed Online Panelists - 1 December . . 11 October 2020 . DefenceIQ.com . 11 October 2020 . Brigadier Rich Cantrill Commander 3 Commando Brigade . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20201025050606/https://www.defenceiq.com/events-future-amphibious-force-online/speakers . 2020-10-25.
  41. Web site: Commando Forces . Regiments.org . T.F. . Mills . 2015-07-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071107113013/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/specfor/commando.htm . 7 November 2007.

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