No. 11 (Scottish) Commando

Last updated
No. 11 (Scottish) Commando
Active1940–41
Country Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Branch British Army
Type British Commando
RoleCoastal raiding force
Size~ 500 officers and men
Part of Layforce
Engagements Second World War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Geoffrey Keyes
Insignia
Combined Operations
Shoulder Patch		 British Commandos Patch.svg

No. 11 (Scottish) Commando was a battalion-sized commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War. Formed in Scotland, members of No. 11 (Scottish) Commando adopted the Tam o'shanter as their official headdress. [1]

Contents

No. 11 (Scottish) Commando was sent to the Mediterranean as 'C' Battalion Layforce. It took part in operations in Syria and then garrison duties in Cyprus. Its final raid was Operation Flipper the attempt to capture the German commander Erwin Rommel. After the failure of this raid the commando was disbanded.

Background

The commandos were formed in 1940, by the order of Winston Churchill the British Prime Minister. He called for specially trained troops that would "develop a reign of terror down the enemy coast". [2] At first they were a small force of volunteers who carried out small raids against enemy occupied territory, [3] but by 1943 their role had changed into lightly equipped assault Infantry which specialised in spearheading amphibious landings. [4]

The man initially selected as the overall commander of the force was Admiral Sir Roger Keyes himself a veteran of the landings at Gallipoli and the Zeebrugge raid in the First World War. [5] Keyes resigned in October 1941 and was replaced by Admiral Louis Mountbatten. [6]

By the autumn of 1940 more than 2,000 men had volunteered for commando training, and what became known as the Special Service Brigade was formed into 12 units called commandos. [6] Each commando would number around 450 men commanded by a lieutenant colonel. They were sub divided into troops of 75 men and further divided into 15-man sections. [6] Commandos were all volunteers seconded from other British Army regiments and retained their own cap badges and remained on their regimental roll for pay. [7] All volunteers went through the six-week intensive commando course at Achnacarry. The course in the Scottish Highlands concentrated on fitness, speed marches, weapons training, map reading, climbing, small boat operations and demolitions both by day and by night. [8]

By 1943 the commandos had moved away from small raiding operations and had been formed into brigades of assault infantry to spearhead future Allied landing operations. Three units were left un-brigaded to carry out smaller-scale raids. [9]

History

Formed in June 1940 from volunteers from Scottish regiments under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Pedder; in February 1941, it became part of Layforce and adopted the designation of 'C' Battalion. [10] [11] [12] Deploying to the Middle East, they were sent to Cyprus to garrison the island before being sent to Syria, where they participated in Operation Exporter. [13]

After suffering heavy casualties in the Battle of the Litani River, fighting against the Vichy French, to secure a crossing over the Litani River, the unit returned to Cyprus before it was disbanded along with the rest of Layforce. [14] Afterwards many of its men were transferred to Middle East Commando, where they formed No. 3 Troop under Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Keyes. [15]

In November 1941, these men carried out a raid on Beda Littoria, in Libya as part of Operation Flipper, with the purpose of capturing Erwin Rommel in his headquarters. The raid was a failure, Keyes was killed in a fire fight at Sidi Rafa and only a handful of the men managed to escape to British lines. For his part in the raid, Keyes received the Victoria Cross posthumously. [16] After this raid the commando role changed and No. 11 Commando along with Layforce was disbanded, due mainly to a shortage of manpower. [17]

Battle honours

The following Battle honours were awarded to the British Commandos during the Second World War. [18]

Related Research Articles

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The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn from within the British Army from soldiers who volunteered for the Special Service Brigade, the Commandos' ranks would eventually be filled by members of all branches of the British Armed Forces and a number of foreign volunteers from German-occupied countries. By the end of the war 25,000 men had passed through the Commando course at Achnacarry. This total includes not only the British volunteers, but volunteers from Greece, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Canada, Norway, Poland, and the United States Army Rangers and US Marine Corps Raiders, which were modelled on the Commandos.

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No. 9 Commando Military unit

No. 9 Commando was a battalion-sized British Commando unit raised by the British Army during the Second World War. It took part in raids across the English Channel and in the Mediterranean, ending the war in Italy as part of the 2nd Special Service Brigade. Like all Army commando units it was disbanded in 1946.

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No. 2 Commando was a battalion-sized British Commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The first No.2 Commando was formed on 22 June 1940 for a parachuting role at Cambrai Barracks, Perham Down, near Tidworth, Hants. The unit at the time consisted of four troops: 'A', 'B', 'C' and 'D'. Eventually 11 troops were raised. On 21 November, it was re-designated as the 11th Special Air Service (SAS) Battalion and eventually re-designated 1st Parachute Battalion. After their re-designation as the 11th SAS Battalion, a second No. 2 Commando was formed. This No. 2 Commando was the leading commando unit in the St Nazaire Raid and suffered heavy casualties. Those who made it back from St Nazaire rejoined the few who had not gone on the raid, and the commando was reinforced by the first intake of volunteers from the new Commando Basic Training Centre at Achnacarry. No. 2 Commando then went on to serve in the Mediterranean, Sicily, Yugoslavia, and Albania, before being disbanded in 1946.

No. 44 Commando was a battalion size formation in the British Commandos, formed during the Second World War. The Commando was assigned to the 3rd Special Service Brigade and served in the Burma Campaign.

No. 50 Commando was a battalion-sized British Commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commando was formed in 1940, from volunteers in Egypt and Palestine. Shortly after formation it was amalgamated with No. 52 Commando and became 'D' Battalion, Layforce.

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No. 51 Commando was a battalion-sized British Commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commando was formed in 1940, from Jewish and Arab volunteers from Palestine. The Commando fought against the Italians in Abyssinia and Eritrea before it was absorbed into the Middle East Commando.

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The Commandos formed during the Second World War, following an order from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in June 1940 for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Churchill stated in a minute to General Ismay on 6 June 1940: "Enterprises must be prepared, with specially-trained troops of the hunter class, who can develop a reign of terror down these coasts, first of all on the "butcher and bolt" policy..." Commandos were all volunteers for special service and originally came from the British Army but volunteers would eventually come from all branches of the United Kingdom's armed forces and foreign volunteers from countries occupied by the Germans. These volunteers formed over 30 individual units and four assault brigades.

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Raid on Bardia Amphibious landing in North Africa during the Second World War

The Raid onBardia was an amphibious landing at the coastal town of Bardia in North Africa by British Commandos over the night of 19/20 April 1941 during the Second World War. The raid was carried out by No. 7 Commando also known as A Battalion Layforce together with a small detachment from the Royal Tank Regiment supported by five navy ships and a submarine. The raid—which destroyed an Italian artillery battery and a supply dump—was deemed a success despite the loss of 71 men. The more lasting strategic effect of the raid was the diversion of a German armoured brigade from the front line to provide rear area security.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Moreman 2006, p. 45.
  2. ↑ Chappell, p.5
  3. ↑ Chappell, p.3
  4. ↑ Moreman, p.8
  5. ↑ Chappell, p.6
  6. 1 2 3 Haskew, p.48
  7. ↑ Moreman, p.12
  8. ↑ van der Bijl, p.12
  9. ↑ Moreman, pp.84–85
  10. ↑ Chappell 1996, p. 46.
  11. ↑ "11 (Scottish) Commando—Black Hackle". www.combinedops.com. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  12. ↑ Saunders 1959, p. 52.
  13. ↑ Saunders 1959, p. 57.
  14. ↑ Saunders 1959, pp. 58–60.
  15. ↑ Chappell 1996, p. 17.
  16. ↑ Chappell 1996, p. 18.
  17. ↑ "No 11 Commando History". Commando Veterans Association. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  18. ↑ Moreman, p.94

Bibliography

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