No. 46 (Royal Marine) Commando
No. 46 Commando was a battalion size formation of the Royal Marines, part of the British Commandos, formed in August 1943 during the Second World War. The Commando was assigned to the 4th Special Service Brigade and served in North-west Europe and took part in the D-Day landings, as well as operations around Ostend and Antwerp, before being disbanded after the war in January 1946.
Men of No. 46 (Royal Marine) Commando entering the village of Douvres-la-Delivrande, France, 8 June 1944, watched by French civilians.
Commandos (United Kingdom)
The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces 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 and Poland. The United States Army Rangers and US Marine Corps Raiders, Portuguese Fuzileiros Portuguese Marine Corps were modelled on the Commandos.
The Commando Memorial
Major-General Robert Laycock, inspecting Royal Marines Commandos shortly before the Normandy landings, 1944.
Commandos simulate an amphibious landing by disembarking from a dummy landing craft into a shallow pit filled with water.
Commandos demonstrate a technique for crossing barbed wire during training in Scotland, 28 February 1942.