British Commandos 1940-46

by MOREMAN, TIM

• ISBN13: 9781841769868
• ISBN10: 184176986X
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2006-03-28
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Summary

From their establishment in June 1940, the Commando units conducted a succession of daring hit-and-run raids from the sea into North-West Europe, Scandinavia, Italy and the Middle East. Among the highly publicised Commando operations were the raids on Vaagso, Dieppe, and St Nazaire. The Commandos also spawned a range of other Special Forces, including the Special Air Service, Special Boat Service and the Parachute Regiment. This Battle Orders title provides a detailed examination of the Army (and later Royal Marine) Commandos raised in the United Kingdom, from their inception in 1940 through to 1946, when the Army Commandos were disbanded and the role was assigned exclusively to the Royal Marines.

Author Biography

Tim Moreman is a freelance writer and academic. For several years he lectured in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, where he also obtained his PhD. He also held a six-month appointment as Resident Historian at the Army Staff College at Camberley. In addition to a number of articles and papers, he has also worked for the new 'Dictionary of National Biography' and acted as a historical adviser for the BBC and Carlton Television. This is his first book for Osprey. He is based in Somerset, UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 4
Combat mission	p. 6
Organization	p. 9
Formation and early organization
The formation of the Special Service Brigade
The 1941 reorganization and the expansion of the SSB
The Commandos in the Middle East
The growth of the SSB: Royal Marine, Inter-Allied, and other new Commandos
The April 1943 expansion of and changes to the SSB
Doctrine and training	p. 33
Achnacarry - the Commando Depot
Training from late 1943 to the end of the war
Tactics	p. 42
Commando uniform, equipment and weapons	p. 45
Command, control, communications and intelligence	p. 48
Combat operations	p. 53
Operation Ambassador: Guernsey, July 1940
Operation Claymore: the 1941 raid on the Lofoten Islands
Operations Anklet and Archery: the 1941 raid on Vaagso
'The greatest raid of all': Operation
Chariot - No. 2 Commando at St Nazaire, 1942
Operation Infatuate: the 1944 assault on Walcheren
The battle for Hill 170: 3rd Commando Brigade in Arakan, February 1945
Lessons learned	p. 83
Chronology	p. 86
Select bibliography	p. 88
Abbreviations	p. 89
Endnotes	p. 90
Appendices	p. 91
Outline history of Commando units, 1940-45
Commando battle honours
Index	p. 95
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