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United Kingdom Commando Force

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3rd Special Service Brigade
3rd Commando Brigade
3 Commando Brigade
United Kingdom Commando Force
Badge of UKCF
Active14 February 1942 – present
Country United Kingdom
Branch Corps of Royal Marines
 British Army
Royal Navy
 Royal Air Force
TypeCommando
SizeBrigade
Garrison/HQHQ: Stonehouse Barracks, Plymouth
Nickname(s)The Commandos
MarchQuick: "Sarie Marais"
Engagements
Commanders
Brigade CommanderBrigadier Duncan G. Forbes
Insignia
United Kingdom Commando Force BadgeThe dagger insignia of the United Kingdom Commando Force is worn on the right arm of all personnel attached to the Force

United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called the 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces.[1] 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.[1] 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

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Second World War

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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:[3][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.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7]

During January 1945, the brigade was involved in the campaign to recapture Arakan, including the battles of Myebon peninsula and Kangaw.[6] 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.[6] The 3rd Commando Brigade moved to secure Hong Kong – a British crown colony that was under Japanese occupation in 1941–45.[6] During 1946, British Army personnel and units within the 3rd Commando Brigade were demobilised or transferred elsewhere and it became a Royal Marine formation.[6]

Post Second World War

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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.[8]

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.[9]

Operation Corporate

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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.[10]

Gulf War

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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.[11]

21st century

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A Jackal armoured vehicle of 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, on patrol during Operation Fibonacci near Kuh-e Baba and Shin Ghar, Helmand, Afghanistan.

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.[12] In 2006, the brigade returned to Afghanistan on Operation Herrick, replacing 16 Air Assault Brigade, where intense fighting occurred.[13] In 2022, 3 Commando Brigade was rebranded to the United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), a process that started in 2020 and completed in 2024.[14]

Organisation

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The Commando Force contains Royal Marines, Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel. The subordinate units are:[15]

Royal Marines units British Army units
30 Commando Information Exploitation Group, Plymouth 24 Commando Regiment, Royal Engineers, Chivenor
40 Commando, Taunton 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, Plymouth
42 Commando, Bickleigh 383 Commando Petroleum Troop (V), Plymouth (att'd Cdo Log Reg)
43 (Fleet Protection Group) Commando, Faslane Commando Troop, 821 Squadron, 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD&S), Wimbish[16]
45 Commando, Arbroath 24 Commando REME Workshop, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, Chivenor[17]
47 Commando (Raiding Group), including 539 Raiding Squadron, Plymouth
Commando Logistic Regiment, RM Chivenor
Royal Marines Armoured Support Group, Bovington Camp, Stanley Barracks

Joint Terminal Attack Controllers from the RAF Regiment are assigned to Brigade HQ. 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.

Amphibious Task Group

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A Royal Marine RIB 'Underslinging', from an RAF Chinook as a method of quick extraction and insertion of waterborne personnel

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 HMS Ocean, 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.[18]

Commando Helicopter Force

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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).[19]

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.[20]

Commanders

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Commanders have included:[21]

Battle honours

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The following Battle honours were awarded to the British Commandos during the Second World War.[24][25]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b "42 Commando | Royal Marines". www.royalnavy.mod.uk.
  2. ^ The Royal Marines 1919-1908, James D Ladd, Janes 1980, page 373
  3. ^ "Commando Units". Burma Star Association. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  4. ^ Chappell (1996), p. 28.
  5. ^ Moreman (2008), p. 32.
  6. ^ a b c d e Chappell (1996), p. 31.
  7. ^ Durnford-Slater, John (2002) [1953]. Commando: Memoirs of a Fighting Commando in World War Two. London: Greenhill Books. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-85367-479-2.
  8. ^ "1956: Allied Forces take control of Suez". BBC News. 6 November 1956. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  9. ^ "3 Commando Brigade". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  10. ^ "3 Commando Brigade". Naval History.net. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  11. ^ "1991: UK forces withdraw from Kurdish haven". BBC News. 14 July 1991. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  12. ^ "Marines spearhead the invasion with lightning attack". The Daily Telegraph. 21 March 2003. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Commandos ready to face the Taliban". BBC News. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Strike from the sea – developing the UK Commando Force | Navy Lookout". www.navylookout.com. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  15. ^ "3 Commando Brigade". Royal Navy. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  16. ^ "821 EOD & Search Squadron". British Army. Retrieved 29 July 2022. 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. ^ "REME COMMANDO (@3cdoxreme) • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  18. ^ COMUKAMPHIBFOR General Description Archived 16 March 2011 at the UK Government Web Archive
  19. ^ "Commando Helicopter Force webpage". Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  20. ^ "The 847 Naval Air Squadron transitions to the AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 helicopter Interview with Major David Sutton Royal Marines, Senior Pilot". Janes. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  21. ^ Mackie, Colin (July 2022). "Royal Navy Senior Appointments: Commander, 3rd Commando Brigade" (PDF). Gulabin.com. pp. 287–288. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  22. ^ "3 Commando Brigade change over". The Globe & Laurel. 14 February 2019. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Confirmed Online Panelists - 1 December". DefenceIQ.com. 11 October 2020. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020. Brigadier Rich Cantrill Commander 3 Commando Brigade
  24. ^ Moreman (2008), p. 94.
  25. ^ Mills, T.F. "Commando Forces". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2015.

Sources

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