History No. 6 Commando

1 history

1.1 formation
1.2 operations
1.3 operation torch
1.4 further operations in north africa
1.5 d-day , beyond
1.6 ardennes offensive , crossing of rhine
1.7 disbandment

history
formation

in june 1940 following lightning advance of germans through france , subsequent dunkirk evacuation, british prime minister, winston churchill, realised need britain maintain form of offensive action , directed chief staff officer , military adviser, general hastings ismay, begin organising force conduct raids along coast of german-occupied europe. shortly after this, before concept had been developed, war office put out request volunteers among troops in britain join force known commandos. @ stage decided create 12 commando units, each establishment of 500 men.

no. 6 commando 1 of units formed @ time. raised @ scarborough on 26 july 1940, placed under command of lieutenant colonel timothy fetherstonhaugh, territorial officer holding substantive rank of captain in queen’s royal regiment. initially, unit s personnel drawn british army s western command although later personnel drawn commands , branches of army. garrison duties undertaken @ romney marsh , brightlingsea, before unit moved milford haven undertook amphibious training. around time, commando adopted scottish tam o shanter official headdress.

men 101 troop, no. 6 commando train around inveray, scotland, october 1941

in october, when commandos reorganised special service battalions underneath overarching special service brigade, no. 6 commando amalgamated no. 5 commando , became company-sized element in 5th special service battalion under fetherstonhaugh s command , based @ helensburgh in scotland. in march 1941, following reversal in war office thinking, battalion broken again constituent parts , no. 6 commando reorganised battalion equivalent unit, albeit 6 troops instead of original 10.

early operations

following failures of hastily planned commando operations undertaken in june , july 1940, there period of inactivity in concept refined , detailed planning undertaken while individual units carried out extensive , specialised training. in 1941 number of raids undertaken no. 6 commando did not conduct first operation until later in year.

on 9 december 1941, no. 6 commando, along detachment no. 12 commando , norwegian soldiers, took part in operation kitbag, raid on town of florø in norway. embarking on hms prince charles, infantry landing ship, set out scapa flow. during voyage incident occurred while of men priming grenades raid resulted in 6 men being killed , 11 wounded. nevertheless, decision made continue raid, although called off when naval commander unable locate fjord upon florø located due navigational difficulties.

later in month, on 27 december, no. 6 commando provided small detachment of engineers support no. 3 commando s raid on vågsøy , måløy in norway part of operation archery. raid proved resounding success; however, no. 6 commando did not participate in until april 1942 when took part in operation myrmidon. operation abortive raid on adour estuary in southern france. plan disrupt road , rail transport between france , spain landing approximately 3,000 troops, consisting of no. 1 , no. 6 commandos. followed 1 , half royal marine battalions along armoured regiment , motor battalion. after embarking on transport ships hms queen emma , hms princess beatrix, force spent month sailing off french coast disguised spanish merchant ships. on 5 april, ships approached mouth of estuary in order carry out landing. amidst bad weather encountered sandbar had not expected , unable pass it, raid called off , ships returned united kingdom.

operation torch

because of these disappointments, no. 6 commando s first major action formed unit came in november 1942 when, along no. 1 commando, formed part of spearhead allied landings in algeria part of operation torch. under command of lieutenant colonel iain mcalpine, commando embarked upon hmt awatea in october 1942 in glasgow along united states army rangers taking part in operation. tensions high between british , vichy french @ time because of number of clashes , result decision made commandos equipped american weapons , uniforms in effort placate defenders.

a map depicting allied landings took place around algiers on 8 november 1942

the voyage united kingdom took approximately 3 weeks , on 7 november 1942 awatea arrived @ assigned station off coast near harbour of algiers. @ 10:15 pm no. 6 commando took landing craft. launch did not go smoothly. outset hampered inexperience of crews lowering landing craft water , this, along other factors arose later including poor weather, breakdowns , navigational errors meant majority of no. 6 commando s landing craft missed rendezvous motor launch guide them landing beaches. result, many landed @ wrong spot , schedule ruined. in end first landings took place @ 3:00 am on 8 november, 2 hours later planned, while last wave came ashore in broad daylight @ 6:30 am.

nevertheless, in places resistance light , first landings experienced desultory artillery , machine gun fire defenders came ashore. faulty navigation meant no. 9 troop attempted land on ilot de la marine, described author hilary saint george saunders heavily fortified part of algiers harbour , , here majority of commando s casualties day—two killed , 19 wounded—were suffered.

once ashore commando s first task secure 4 beaches between cape caxine , ras acrata main force. achieved relative ease defenders surrendered immediately. after part of commando secured pointe pescarde, 3 miles (4.8 km) town while force, consisting of 3 , half troops under second-in-command, major jock macleod of cameronians, moved on towards main objective, capture fort duperre, french artillery firing upon ships anchored offshore. macleod s men reached fort no trouble, armed small arms, unable capture it. @ 1:30 pm, after forward observer, captain royal canadian artillery directed air strike on fort number of fleet air arm fighter-bombers, dialogue opened between attackers , defenders , after threats of naval bombardment made fort’s garrison surrendered.

further operations in north africa

after capturing fort duperre, commandos received reports force of 2,000 zouaves moving recapture position. french attack did not eventuate, however, , in end commandos marched way maison blanche. having been issued rations day, had rely on fruit , bread obtained bartering locals on way. arrived @ port, embarked upon destroyers hms wheatland , lammerton , in company force of rangers set out capture airfields @ allerlick , duzzerville, near bone.

upon arrival no. 6 commando took defensive positions in orange groves alongside troops 3rd battalion, parachute regiment, royal west kents , number of frenchmen decided join cause. brief period of lull followed commandos involved in defending airfield against air attacks luftwaffe, before moved off again take part in fighting around medjez-el-bab, fought on left flank of first french regular forces engage germans since fall of france in 1940, forming spearhead of advance towards tunis.

supermarine spitfire mark vs, reinforcement aircraft north african units, lined @ bone airfield, algeria.

on 21 november, reinforcements had reached them , decision made move commandos la calle rail. intermittent air cover, train attacked german fighters , no. 6 commando suffered heavy casualties 11 killed , 32 wounded. after train driver jumped engine, 1 of commandos took on duties of driving train. unit remained in la calle until 26 november, during time commandos used unload stores ships in port, while half unit carried out reconnaissance patrol near tabarka, determine whether german tanks parked there real or decoys.

following commandos used highly trained infantry units rest of involvement in north african campaign , majority of time attached 36th infantry brigade. on course of next 5 months commandos involved in number of costly attacks , periods of static defence, in between carried out aggressive fighting patrols. indicative of nature of fighting during time no. 6 commando s attack on green hill feature on 30 november 1942. main attack launched @ 4:00 am, 3 troops—nos. 3, 4 , 6 troops—attacked north , west, while no. 5 troop conducted diversionary attack flank. main force left line of departure came under intense oblique fire interlocking medium , heavy machine guns positioned in diamond-shaped perimeter on top of hill. fire intense troop providing support fire on flank unable suppress , attack temporarily postponed until afternoon when hoped artillery support utilised.

at 4:00 pm, following period of artillery preparation, commandos launched attack. amidst thick mist , heavy rain, attack went badly start. shortly after stepping off, no. 5 troop ambushed german force disguised locals, reducing strength 5 men. main assault force pressed on, although consisted of 67 men due earlier losses. part of assault force—no. 6 troop—took heavy fire , lost forward momentum; however, other 2 troops gained top of hill , broke in german position. upon reaching summit greeted intense volume of heavy machine gun fire , @ point became clear preparatory bombardment had not been successful. calls further artillery support denied due shortage of ammunition amongst field batteries , after number of unsuccessful attempts @ taking position commandos forced retire.

the commando s losses on green hill amounted 80 men killed or wounded , result no. 6 commando had reorganised 4 troops instead of 6 establishment called for. shortly after unit suffered blow when commanding officer, iain mcalpine, suffered heart trouble , had evacuated hospital. in place major jock macleod temporarily took on command.

in january 1943, lieutenant colonel derek mills-roberts arrived united kingdom take on unit, , in command when on 26 february 1943 involved in bitter fighting against 2 battalions of german parachute infantry armoured support attacked position part of attempt encircle 1st army cutting medjez road. in fight lasted on 5 hours, against enemy outnumbered them , had advantage of heavy armoured support, commandos, along elements reconnaissance regiment, able stop advance long enough reinforcements brought up. in action, no. 6 commando incurred 11 killed, 34 wounded , 55 missing in action. represented on 40 per cent of unit s strength @ time, although later number of captured recovered after germans withdrew.

after this, no. 6 commando put role of mobile reserve in effort maintain unit s integrity , spare incurring further losses might render unable remain in line. nevertheless, throughout march , april continued carry out patrol operations around goubellat , ben arada. finally, in april decision made withdraw commandos fighting in north africa. lacking administrative support , reinforcements of regular infantry units, unit s strength had fallen 150 men , result no longer considered effective. on 7 april, no. 6 commando arrived in algiers, remained 2 weeks before embarking on hmt staffordshire on 24 april. after short voyage, arrived in united kingdom on 2 may 1943 begin preparations invasion of german-occupied france.

d-day , beyond

after returning north africa, no. 6 commando became part of 1st special service brigade, commanded brigadier lord lovat. grouping of commandos brigades underneath divisional-sized special service group headquarters part of general reorganisation took place in late 1943 evolution of role raiding assault infantry formalised. saw change in individual unit establishments, addition of organic transport assets, increase in allocation of indirect , direct fire support weapons @ commando level. further support units added @ brigade level, including administration, transport, logistics , signals.

on d-day, 1st special service brigade tasked landing behind 8th infantry brigade, capturing port of ouistreham , linking 6th airborne division on eastern flank of sword, holding high ground near la plein , bridges on river orne , caen canal. no. 6 commando, lovat s brigade headquarters, came ashore on queen red beach of sword landing area, near la breche, @ 8:40 am on 6 june 1944.

no. 6 commando led brigade beach. moving through swamp briefly slowed progress, commandos began come against german defences had not been destroyed naval bombardment. possible attempted indirect approach, penetrating defences using infiltration tactics. however, advanced towards bridges had been captured paratroopers earlier in day, assaulted 4 pillboxes artillery battery had been firing on landing beaches.

commandos 1st special service brigade captured german soldiers near ranville on 7 june 1944

in end took commando three-and-a-half hours advance 6.5 miles (10.5 km) bridges, lead elements, mounted on bicycles, linking gliderborne troops d company, 2nd battalion, oxford , buckinghamshire light infantry under major john howard. after effecting link up, commandos joined paratroops 9th battalion, parachute regiment in attack on village of la plein, before digging in begin defending against possible counterattack. end of day, no. 6 commando had suffered 3 killed , 32 wounded.

in week followed brigade undertook defensive duties germans attempted apply pressure on beachhead infiltrating defensive positions on eastern flank. on 12 june, airborne troops launched attack on village of breville german artillery had been shelling them during preceding week. although successful, british casualties high. having been subjected intense artillery barrage, no. 6 commando suffered 16 casualties. barrage wounded brigade commander, lord lovat, extent no. 6 commando s commanding officer, mills-roberts, although wounded himself, asked take on him. major anthony lewis, formerly of dorset regiment, stepped take on commanding officer temporarily, before being confirmed in role on 24 june , receiving promotion acting-lieutenant colonel. remained in command until 8 august 1944, when lieutenant colonel charles courtney-coade of south staffordshire regiment took over, , lewis reverted role of second-in-command.

although had been told withdrawn front within 48 hours, strategic situation called remained @ front holding ground on eastern flank. in late july breakout beachhead attempted , 1st special service brigade moved through le bois de bavent, large wooded area, germans began withdraw. nevertheless, little progress made, and, after brief move saw no. 6 commando advance bavent, went on defensive again.

on 18 august, general advance began , following morning no. 6 commando took part in attack seize area of high ground east of dives, north of dozule. attack took place under cover of darkness , lead elements able infiltrate deep german positions before detected. daybreak position had been captured , on course of day 4 determined counter-attacks repelled. in 1 attack, troop no. 6 commando rushed attackers, killing senior german officer , capturing 25 prisoners attack broken up.

over next 5 days, brigade advanced further 40 miles (64 km) before halt called on 26 august 1944. on 7 september, no. 6 commando, along rest of 1st special service brigade, withdrawn line , returned united kingdom prepare redeployed india operations against japanese in burma. had been in action continuously 83 days.

ardennes offensive , crossing of rhine

men 1st commando brigade fight on outskirts of wesel 1945.

it had been planned send brigade—which had been renamed 1st commando brigade in late 1944—to india, however, effect of german ardennes offensive prevented , in january 1945, still under command of brigadier derek mills-roberts, crossed english channel sea , landed in netherlands deployed asten on maas. time arrived german advance had been largely halted , not until 23 january brigade engaged in large-scale operations. under command of lieutenant colonel anthony lewis, night no. 6 commando joined operation blackcock. lewis had taken on courtenay-coade after latter had experienced complications head injury had suffered in france earlier. part of blackcock, unit advanced on ice-covered juliana canal , took positions @ maasbracht, in support of no. 45 (royal marine) commando s advance on st. joostburg.

the following day, after royal marines had met stiff resistance, no. 6 commando attempted advance position in effort relieve pressure on them. attack supported artillery , squadron of armour 8th hussars, nevertheless, commandos stopped near orchard close crossroads hastily formed, well-led, force consisting of luftwaffe aircrew , fallschirmjäger. rest of brigade advanced towards town of linne, attempts cross montforterbeek canal frustrated defenders managed destroy bridges crossed it. ice on canal not thick enough support crossing of armour, temporary bridges brought , erected members of royal engineers. finally, after number of attempts @ forcing crossing, assault force no. 3 commando managed enter linne.

after commandos came against part of siegfried line defences around roermond. short halt followed , during time no. 6 commando sent out number of patrols mounted on tanks of 8th hussars. in february, snow thawed , ground turned mud rendered tanks useless , result commandos carried out patrols on foot.

in march, no. 6 commando moved rest of 1st commando brigade venray carried out rehearsals operation plunder, crossing of rhine. on course of 2 weeks training undertaken @ creek near wansum , on 23 march 1945 assault took place, objective being capture of town of wesel. no. 6 commando went across in second wave on board storm-boats crewed engineers. came under fire , result of this, , several mechanical failures, number of boats sunk before reached landing site @ grav islet, lead unit, no. 46 (royal marine) commando had established bridgehead. majority of commandos made form point , no. 6 commando passed through marines positions lead advance town north-east, marking route went white tape. on course of next 2 days commandos took control of town , repelled number of german counterattacks, before wesel fell late on 25 march.

a buffalo landing vehicle, such used 1st commando brigade, crosses rhine during operation plunder

after brigade continued advance, moving through ruddenburg , greven before carrying out attack on osnabruck on 4 april 1945. on night of 7/8 april crossed weser river in assault boats , under cover of darkness carried out flanking manoeuvre on germans occupying town of leese, catching them surprise.

their next task capture of road bridge spanning aller river part of 11th armoured division s advance on town of essel. 1st commando brigade carried out preliminary move across river on railway bridge distance away objective , after forcing way across, removed explosives had been placed on bridge , dug in on other side. on course of three-and-a-half hours repelled number of determined counterattacks, before no. 6 commando, supported vickers machine guns fixed bayonets , charged german marines defending bridge, , inflicting heavy casualties upon them.

with bridge having been captured other elements of brigade established bridgehead advancing 11th armoured , on 19 april arrived in lüneburg, began prepare crossing of elbe. assault began @ 2:00 am on 29 april no. 6 commando leading way across in buffalo landing vehicles. under fire entire way, landed downstream objective—lauenburg—and launched assault against defenders perched on cliff overlooking narrow landing beach. after reaching top of cliff, broke through defences , established north of town, while rest of brigade came up. throughout remainder of day, town cleared , patrols sent out; patrol no. 6 commando captured elbe–trave canal bridge, arriving demolition party preparing detonation.

resistance in lauenburg ceased on 30 april 1945 , during beginning of may 1st commando brigade advanced towards baltic sea, reached @ neustadt. few days later germany surrendered , no. 6 commando s war service came end.

disbandment

following end of hostilities, no. 6 commando remained in germany undertake various occupation duties along rest of 1st commando brigade. these duties included searching german personnel , officials wanted questioning or tried war crimes, distributing food populace , helping restore law , order part of reconstruction process. in 1946, unit returned united kingdom , disbanded. @ time decision made disband army commando units , demobilise or return personnel original regiments or branches of service. consequently, commando role maintained solely royal marines commandos, although subjected cut backs, being reduced 8 wartime units three.