Commandos and Rangers of World War II

by James D. Ladd

  They boarded transports in October for the Torch (North African) landings and came ashore under Lieutenant-Colonel I.F. MacAlpine on 8 November 1942 with Americans near Algiers—see Chapter 8. On 22 November they had 43 casualties (11 killed) when their train was strafed. On later reaching the Maizelia Valley they made several patrols. During one of these Nos. 1 and 3 Troops found they reported enemy tanks were clever dummies with track marks leading to them. In a series of such patrols the Commando killed or captured 28 Germans before leaving the Valley. On 26 November they made their base in the mine at Sedjenane. Amoung other forays they attacked the flat-topped ‘Green’ hill. Here No.5 Troop’s feint attack at 0400 hours on 30 November merely awakened the Germans to the pending assault by Nos. 3, 4, and 6 Troops who were caught in fire from the hilltop’s diamond-shaped defences. Artillery support that afternoon failed against rock-hewn defences, and in the wet and misty weather No. 5 Troop was ambushed with only 5 survivors, No.6 Troop was held and Nos. 3 and 4 forced back from their penetration of the defences. Lack of ammunition prevented further artillery support. Capt, J. Murray Scott was killed and the attack died away with 80 casualties.

  When the CO was invalided home, Lieutenant-Colonel Derek Mills-Roberts took command. On 5 January 1943 three and a half Troops returned to the Green hills—as Mano force under Captain J.R.D. Mayne. Two Troops made a 10 miles (16km) march to seize high ground while one and a half Troops held Point 227 protecting 36 Brigade’s left flank. Next day Mano force covered the Brigade’s withdrawl.

  Late in February 1943 the Commando with a depleted Recce Regiment covered the plain of Goubellat east of the 11 Brigade’s mountain positions. On 26 February a dawn patrol surprised a strong enemy force and the Commando lost 55 all ranks in the next 5 hours but extricated themselves from encirclement. In the following three weeks of heavy rain interspersed with fiercely hot days, they patrolled the plain—the Green Patch. After a spell of rest they were withdrawn from North Africa in April 1943 to prepare for Normandy.

  On 6 June 1944 they landed to pass through the assault infantry and make a rapid advance to support the airborne holding bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River—see Chapter 11. They dug-in above Le Plein and on 12 June took heavy casualties from shelling during the capture of Breville, Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis taking over from Brigadier D. Mills-Roberts, DSO, MC who now commanded 1 SS Bde. The Commando took part on 19 August in the night infiltration of high groundd beyond the Dives River. The Commando were withdrawn with 1 SS Bde to the UK.

  The first major action on returning to Europe was on 23/4 January 1945, crossing the Juliana Canal to occupy Maasbracht they held off counter-attacks and next day took crossroads beyond the town in an advance with a squadron of 8th Hussars’ tanks. In the next fortnight, often riding on the Hussars’ tanks, the Commando lost 106 all ranks in penetrations of the Siegfried Line. But the February thaw halted the armour.

  Crossing the Rhine at Wesel (see Chapter 11) on 23/4 March, the Commando was in storm boats under fire and with many outboards breaking down. Several men were drowned when one boat drove under the river current, and RSM Woodcock had three boats sunk under him before he got across.

  To reinforce ‘No.45(RM)’ and a Rifle Bde company in Leese, the Commando collected sufficient boats to cross the Weser at midnight on 7/8 April and led the Brigade’s march across ditches, marshland and embankments to be behind the town at dawn. No.2 Troop then captured a position of four 20mm guns and the town was taken by 0700 hours. Four days later the Commando charged the road bridge across the Aller, their hunting horns and cries ‘must have curled the blood of the German marines’ that mid-morning, for the Commando reached positions 400yds (350 + m) into the heavily defended woods beyond the bridge and the Germans never retook these defences.

  In their last river crossing the Commando stormed the far bank of the Elbe 2 miles (3km) downstream from Lauenburg landing in LVTs at 0200 hours on 29 April. The leading Troops, Nos. 1 and 2, drove the enemy from the low cliff tops before their 1 Cdo Bde passed through the bridgehead. The assault was covered by guns of the Mountain Regiment whose FOO, Captain R. Marshall, was killed in the cliff assault. Later that day they helped to clear Lauenburg in their last action before disbandment in 1946.

  7 Commando

  Formed in August 1940 the Commando sailed with Layforce arriving in Egypt on 10 March 1940. As ‘A’ Battalion of a brigade in 6 Division they raided Bardia on 19/20 April meeting little opposition—see Chapter 8. In May they went to Crete as part of the British reserves. Here in a bayonet charge Captain F.R.J. Nicholls’ G Troop dislodged Germans from a hill enfilading the Commando, in one of many of their rearguard actions in Crete during four days 27-31 May 1941. Many were captured when the British evacuation foundered and the remainder were dispersed—some to the Middle East Commando—when the Commando was disbanded that summer.

  8 Commando

  Formed in June 1940 under Lieutenant-Colonel R.E. Laycock (later Major-General R.E. Laycock, CB, DSO) with many men from the Household Cavalry, the Foot Guards, the somerset Light Infantry and some Royal Marines. Their actions as part as Layforce and ‘B’ Battalion of the Brigade attached to 6 Division in the Mediterranean are described in Chapter 8—the rearguard skirmishes in May on Crete, and the attack on Twin Pimples near Tobruk. The Commando was disbanded in July 1941.

  9 Commando

  Formed in the summer(?) of 1940. A Troop of the Commando landed on 22/3 November 1941 east of Houlgate to attack a 4-gun position, but coming ashore 1/4 miles (400m) from their intended landing point, they were unable to cross a clay cliff in time to put in a final attack. Private J. Davidson, a bren gunner in the cover party that stayed aboard the two LCAs has written:’ …after a couple of weeks aboard Princess Beatrix, we sailed on a suitable night …before boarding the LCAs we were issued with 1,000 Fr francs and ‘pills’ for escape rations … one LCA broached-too in the rough landing and was towed off (with difficulty) … but no enemy were about … we realised that the returning party would have to swim for it … suddenly Very lights were shot into the air … searchlights beamed on us … I could see trucks on the coast road, they would have 3 or 4 miles to cover before they reached the embarkation point’. After an exchange of torch signals between those ashore and the LCA crews, the raiders swam out. The LCA gunners holding their fire, for any stream of tracer form the craft would reveal their position. One party of raiders had called at a farmhouse and on being told of an expected 2-man cycle patrol they set a rope across the road to dismount these riders, but no sooner was the ambush set than ‘the battalion went up’. The commandos always assumed they were given away by the woman who told them of the patrol, but there is no evidence of this betrayal. Private Davidson’s LCA ‘half-full of water and with only one engine working’ was attacked by a Stuka. This plane was almost certainly shot down on its second strafing run when Private Davidson got two bren gunk bursts into its fuselage.

  This accurate personal account has interesting differences from the official record, but as Mr Davidson has pointed out: it is only a part of the story.

  The Commando went to Gibraltar where their CO (later Brigadier R.J.F. Tod DSO) prepared plans for possible raids. In November, with men of ‘No.4(RM)’, they visited Tremeti and Pianos finding these Adriatic islands free of enemy. In December they moved to the west coast of Italy carrying out the successful diversion raid north of the Garigliano river—described in Chapter 9. On 22 January 1944 they landed unopposed at 0530 hours in the Allied Anzio outflanking move against Rome. A plan was abandoned for Special Forces to seize the city in a separate action, as they could not be put ashore nearer than 21 miles from Rome before 0200 hours, and, as no transport was available, dawn would break before even Commandos could be expected to march this distance and cross defences.

  Within the week they were withdrawn and in the Allied mountain line reconnoitring the Monte Ornito are in front for the British 46 Division. Colonel Tod was hit, six officers and the RSM were killed and with c
asualties mounting the Commando were drawn back on to the forward slopes of Monte Ornito. With the Brigade they held these positions until relieved that night.

  After two weeks’ rest they were back at Anzio early in March, when 9 Commando made eleven patrols. On 19 March, led by Colonel Tod recovered from his wounds, they made a night sally from the perimeter against the German area of ravines where attacks were often formed up. A determined German attack reached the Commando HQ in an hour-long battle. Colonel Tod and the mess cook, Douglas Brown, manned a bren before the Commando surged forward. They were, however, ordered to withdraw under the cover of artillery fire.

  April 1944 was spent in rest and reorganisation at Molfetta. In May a Troop was landed 30 miles south of Ancona and some 100 miles north of Rome, rescuing 120 prisoners of war from 70 miles behind the German lines. A raid by 109 of the Commando on the bridge joining Cherso and Lussino Island, and Fascist HQ at Nerezine (40 miles NE of Zadar) was successful against ‘no real opposition’. The Commando occupied the island of kithera a few miles from the southern tip of the Greek mainland. They protected the island naval base at Kapsali and were brigaded with several Greek until including 350 men of the Greek Sacred Regiment, as Foxforce. The commandos worked to help the new Greek government avoid factional fights between opposing Greeks, and negotiated the surrender of the German garrison of Kalamata (on the southern Greek coast). The whole Force moved to Poros in the Aegean, on 1 October, where they threatened the Germans still on Crete, Cos, and Leros, although the Germans still held Corinth, Athens and its port. Over-estimating Foxforce’s strength, the Germans withdrew and on 14 October the Force landed at Piraeus (the port of Athens) seizing the airfield nearby. That afternoon the Commando made a ceremonial entry into Athens, before going to Salonika for garrison duties and returning to Italy in February 1945.

  Their actions around Comacchio are described in Chapter 9. On 16 April 1945 they fought their last action when they and the Guards’ brigade forced the passage of the Fossa Maxima. The following year they were disbanded.

  10 (Inter-Allied) Commando

  Formed in January 1942 under Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley S. Lister MC with Major Peter Laycock as 2 i/c, by 31 October 1942 the strength was 9 officers and 96 ORs with attached French marines and Dutch soldiers: 3 officers and 64 marines of the French Navy and 4 Dutch officers with 75 ORs. Troops of various nationalities joined the Commander or were attached to it, and a brief history cannot do justice to the range of operations carried out by these Commando Allies many having escaped from German-occupied territories.

  The French under the marine Captain Philippe Kieffer provided Nos. 1 and 8 Troops and a K-gun Section of No.9 Troop. Their first action was at Dieppe, where 15 officers fought as interpreters and guides. A dozen or so were casualties in later small-scale raids of 1943/4, described in Chapter 10; by the summer of 1944 there were about 180 Frenchmen attached to the Commando, and on 6 June 1944 two Troops landed with 4 Commando, they had captured the Casino at Ouistreham by 1100 hours. From this D-day afternoon until 26 July they were in the Orne line near Amfreville, then they moved to south-west of Bavent on the right of the line. They advanced from Bavent on 19 August across flooded fields of the Dives Valley, attacking the high ground beyond as part of 1 SS Bde. Their first contacts in the field with French resistance forces was near Beuzeville on 26 August and by 6 September they were making recces towards Honfleur and Paris before returning with the Brigade to the UK. They came back to Europe in October and landed with 4 Commando at Flushing, later raiding Scheldt river islands, their last Unit operation being a raid on Overflakkee in January 1945. Over 400 men had served with these Commando Troops (the 1er Bataillon Fusilier Marin) by the end of the War, when a detachment served in Berlin (1945/6) and others trained the new French army’s Commandos.

  The Dutch Troop under the giant Captain P. Milders landed with 4 Cdo Bde at Westkapelle in November 1944, and provided raiding forces before then. The Belgian Troop under the cheerful Captain G. Danloy served in Italy and Yugoslavia with 2 Cdo Bde. The Polish Troop were also with this Brigade and vied with the Belgians in the fierceness of their patrolling high in the Apenines, on one occasion with men of X Troop (see below) they carried out guerrilla operations near Monte Rotondo successfully disrupting German communications.

  The Norwegian Troop provided men for raids during 1942/4 with some raiders spending days at a time on the occupied Norwegian coast. The Yugoslav Troop, never more than 2 officers and 14 men, worked on SOE-type operations, apparently. A Czech group parachuted in one of these operations to curb the outrages of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague. X Troop, under Captain Bryan Hilton-Jones was mainly recruited from Germans and Austrians, with some Hungarians and Greeks.

  The eight ‘Hardtack’ dory raids in December 1943 and the ‘Tarbrush’ series the following May (described in Chapter 10) are typical of the actions in which 10 Commando provided men for a series of diversions and reconnaissances. On 24/5 February 1944, 7 men landed north of Schevneningen in Holland to reconnoitre as far as the Aakver Canal but in the laconic report, typical of several about these raids, the ‘party landed 0200, dory waited but nothing more was seen of the party’. At other times these commandos worked with regular forces, as in the 17 June 1944 landings at Elba, when a small party of French commandos landed on 0100 (H—1 hour) taking many casualties but destroying the guns covering Campo Bay.

  After the war many of the records of their operations were wisely destroyed, but there is no doubt that this Unit provided an opportunity for many different nationalities to fight for freedom.

  11 Commando

  Formed before the end of 1940, this Commando—sometimes known as the ‘Scottish Commando’—sailed with Layforce to the Middle East, where in May 1941 they provided the Cyprus garrison. On 7/8 June 1941 they landed against French defences on the north bank of the Litani River in Syria, the CO Lieutenant-Colonel R.R.H. Pedder was killed and the Commando lost 25% of its strength—see Chapter 8.

  They returned to Cyprus and were disbanded in the late summer when some joined the Middle East Commando and other returned to their regiments.

  12 Commando

  Known as the Irish and Welsh Commando, the unit was formed mainly from men of North of Ireland and Welsh regiments early in 1941 and 16 men in two LCAs made the cross-Channel raid to Ambletuse—a partial success—in July 1941. In December that year they sailed but did not land in abandoned Floss (Norway) raid but on 26 December 223 (all ranks) of the Commando, under their CO Lieutenant-Colonel S.S. Harrison MC with attached Norwegian forces (78 soldiers and 65 sailors), landed unopposed in the Lofoten Islands. Their supporting force of 23 ships had to withdraw due to enemy bombing and the raiders did not stay as long as planned. In February 1942 they provided the recovery force of 32 men for the Bruneval parachute raid. In March three were killed at St. Nazaire, and Lieutenants Gerard Brett and C.W. Purdon of the Royal Ulster Rifles were awarded the MC for their part in this raid, Sergeants S. Deery (Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers) and James Johnson (Gordons) were awarded the MM. From 11-14 April a detachment visited Deviken Fjord (Norway) in operation Careyp. Later in 1942 four of the Commando landed on Sark with the SSRF in October.

  During 1943 the Commando provided men for several raids including: Stord Island (Norway) where 50 men including guides from 10 Commando destroyed mine installations on 23/4 January; 8 men of a 10-man cross-Channel raid to Eletot 3/5 August, visited again 1-4 September when the raiders stayed ahsore 2 nights; and on 3/4 Sept another party—18 men from ‘No.12’ and 2 Rangers—raided the Porz/Ahech enemy post on Ushant killing two enemy (probably) but were unable to identify the German unit, in the last recorded operation of the Commando.

  14 Commando

  Raised early in 1943 for raids over long distances into the Arctic Circle, where German bases supported their armies on the Finnish border and their bombers attacked Allied convoys to Murmansk, the Commando trained in Arctic warfare planning to destroy torpedoes and bombs in these northern Luft
waffe bases. A number of Canadians and Red Indians served with this Unit.

  The severe weather conditions and turbulent northern seas made their raids extremely hazardous but in April 1943 six men of the Commando crossed to Norway in an MTB towing a cobble carrying canoes. They sailed the fishing boat into Haugesund on 27 April but nothing was heard of them after they left the MTB. Unconfirmed reports suggest they used their limpets to do some damage to shipping near Bergen. The Commando was disbanded probably before the end of 1943.

  30 Commando

  (Special Engineering Unit and later 30th Assault Unit)

  Trained as free divers to collect papers from sunken ships and including specialists in intelligence who collected papers from enemy headquarters, the Unit operated as near to—if not ahead of—the vanguard of invading forces. Formed by the summer of 1941, this small unit made searches of enemy HQs in Sicily and Italy during 1942/3. In February 1944 they became an Admiralty Intelligence Unit, the 30th Assault Unit. They were unable to get into the radar station at Douvres when the planned capture of this strong-hold failed, but maintained a patrol 200 yards from its perimeter until 17 June when—before the station fell—they were moved to join a second party (A and B Troops with most of the Unit’s HQ). On 22 June they fought their way into Cherbourg and found ‘masses of material as well as an excellent wine cellar’.

  They searched the safes, files, dustbins of burnt paper, desks and lockers during the next two days. The Unit wore Green Berets but after June 1944 ceased to wear Commando flashes.