Download or read book British Commandos 1940 46 written by Tim Moreman and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2006-03-28 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book The Commandos written by Charles Messenger and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book British Commando 1940 45 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-11-17 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With Hitler's army rampaging across Europe, Winston Churchill ordered the creation of a special fighting force – the Commandos. These valiant men were volunteers drawn from the ranks of the British Army, formed into a Special Service Brigade and put through a rigorous but highly effective training programme. Over the course of World War II they would see action in every major theatre of operation and are credited with numerous feats of gallantry during the D-Day landings. Although many units were disbanded after the war, the Royal Marine Commandos have maintained the standards of this elite fighting formation to the present day. Angus Konstam explores the history of the Commandos during their formative years, providing detailed descriptions of their training, weapons and equipment. Battle reports are accompanied by specially commissioned Osprey artwork and historical photographs, offering readers an in-depth analysis of some of the most famous fighting units in the British Army's history.

Download or read book 47 Royal Marine Commando written by Marc de Bolster and published by . This book was released on 2014-09 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 47 Royal Marine Commando: An Inside Story 1943-1946 tells the story of 47 Royal Marine Commando during the Second World War based on personal accounts written by veterans who served in this formidable unit. It is a story of young men who were to play a key role in freeing Europe from Nazi tyranny. From the D-Day landings in Normandy to fierce battles in Holland, some were taken prisoner by the enemy and sent to camps until freed at the end of the war in 1945. Included are eyewitness accounts of the Normandy landings, involvement of the RAF, Royal Navy and American forces, 10 Inter Allied Commando and the effect on local populations who got word of the actions in which this Commando took a major part. Formed from 10th Battalion Royal Marines and reinforced by volunteers from several parts of the British armed forces, they distinguished themselves by sheer determination and professionalism. Over 900 men served in or were attached to this Commando, keeping their overall strength up to 420. Many gave their lives never to return home so others might live to tell their story.

Download or read book Army Commandos 1940 45 written by Mike Chappell and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1996-09-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The period from early 1940 to the end of 1942 was a time of gloom and uncertainty for the British, who stood alone against the assembled might of the Axis powers. They badly needed a champion, and were to find this in a small force of soldiers who inspired them with a series of daring raids against the coasts of 'occupied Europe', becoming the heroes of the British public and of the British Prime Minister who had created them. This title explores the wartime history of the British Army Commandos whose bravery did so much to raise the morale of the British public during World War II (1939-1945).

Download or read book The Raiders written by Robin Neillands and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited. This book was released on 1989-01-01 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book No 10 Inter Allied Commando 1942 45 written by Nick van der Bijl and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2006-07-25 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Osprey's study of British commandos of World War II (1939-1945). The largest, but least-known of all Britain's elite wartime Commando raiding units, No.10 (Inter-Allied) was recruited from volunteers of many nations who had fled to Britain to carry on the fight after their own countries fell to the Nazis. Alongside Poles, Frenchmen, Dutchmen, Belgians, Norwegians and patriots from even further afield, the unit even included a small number of remarkably brave German and Austrian refugees from Nazism. These commandos took part in daring raids, intelligence missions and conventional infantry battles in North-West Europe and in the Mediterranean theatre. They earned many decorations and several battlefield commissions for gallantry and leadership; and after the war, some national contingents formed the nucleus of the new special forces of their liberated nations. This book examines these daring and secret units.

Download or read book True Stories of the Commandos written by Robin Hunter and published by Virgin Books. This book was released on 2012-05-22 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Raised in the dark, post-Dunkirk days of 1940 to carry the war to the enemy, in five short and violet years the British Army Commandos established a reputation that has made the name 'Commando' the mark of the fighting man. The Commandos began as small-scale raiders but their operations grew in size and destruction as the war progressed until, in the end, there were four full Commando Brigades; superb units which fought in every theatre of war, from Norway to Burma, from the coast of France to the islands of Yugoslavia. The Commandos were disbanded in 1945-46 but reformed in the 1970s, and in 1982, about 1000 army Commandos set sail to fight in the Falklands War. The long and proud history of the army contains accounts of many fine and distinguished units but few can equal - and none exceed - the story of the British Army Commandos.

Download or read book Churchill s Army written by Stephen Bull and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-09-22 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winston Churchill, Britain's iconic war time Prime Minister, is inextricably linked with the victorious British Army of 1939 to 1945. Yet hindsight, propaganda, and the imperative of the defeat of Hitler and Imperial Japan, have led to a tendency to oversimplify the image of Churchill the war leader, and 'his' Army. For whilst Churchill was undeniably a towering statesman, his relations with both the Army and War Office were ambiguous and altered considerably not only with the progress of the Second World War, but over decades. In this comprehensive book, Stephen Bull examines every aspect of the British Army during the Second World War, and considers in detail the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation that was tested to its limits on many fronts but made an immense contribution to the successful Allied outcome. The book explores the structure of military power from the men who ran it, the Generals to the detail of the regiments they commanded. It looks at the uniforms the soldiers wore and the badges and insignia they bore on their uniforms. The weaponry Churchill's army used is discussed in detail, from small arms including rifles, bayonets, grenades, carbines and machine guns to the massed firepower of the artillery along with the increasing sophistication of tanks and other military vehicles during the period. Finally the role of auxiliary and special forces and their contribution to the campaign is considered. The comprehensive text is enhanced by more than 200 contemporary photographs.

Download or read book Operation Basalt written by Eric Lee and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2016-03-02 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: German soldiers assigned to guard the tiny Channel Island of Sark described it as a ‘little Paradise’ and, because it was never bombed by the RAF, the best air-raid shelter in all of Europe. But paradise for them came to a bloody end in October 1942 when a small group of British Commandos raided the island, capturing one German soldier and killing several others. Operation Basalt would have been a footnote in history but for the reaction of Hitler, who believed that British soldiers executed several Germans who had already surrendered and whose hands were bound. Days after the raid, he issued the infamous ‘Commando Order’, a death sentence for those Allied commandos who fell into German hands.Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with survivors of the period, Eric Lee has written the definitive account of the raid, putting it into the context of the German occupation of British lands during the war.

Download or read book The Last Raid written by Will Fowler and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2016-04-04 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Germany occupied the originally 'demilitarised' Channel Islands in 1940, Hitler ordered the area to be staunchly fortified with colossal permanent structures like Battery Moltke on Jersey. As it was the only piece of the British Isles in Nazi control, he was determined that the islands should remain German forever. Churchill was equally obsessed, urging numerous commando raids and harebrained schemes for the invasion and liberation of the islands. But when France was freed in 1944, the Channel Islands were completely bypassed. German troops were cut off from their supplies and the island population began to starve. Occupied for almost the entire war, these quintessentially English islands serve as a fascinating microcosm of what Britain might have been like under Nazi rule. With one German soldier to every three islanders, resistance had to remain at a low level: possession of a radio merited a prison sentence. The Last Raid is an atmospheric account of life under German occupation, as well as the political manoeuvring behind the scenes. With the first detailed account in English of the Granville Raid, a unique German commando operation, Will Fowler combines the social experience of war with the military to form a fascinating chronicle of the fight for the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

Download or read book Britain s Band of Brothers written by Tom Keene and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2014-03-01 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Endorsed at the highest level by Churchill, 50 hand-picked men formed an elite secret army who attacked, kidnapped, and killed Germans across Europe during World War II—their story is finally toldThey were Britain's own World War II "Band of Brothers," a privately selected secret army of 50 cross-channel raiders who formed the elite Small Scale Raiding Force. Part SOE, part Combined Operations, their full story of courage, audacity, and ultimate tragedy has never been told before. Created after the fall of Dunkirk, the raiders were much admired, especially by Churchill. In almost 20 daring missions over two years they kidnapped sentries, ambushed patrols, and shot prisoners, reaping havoc along the rim of Hitler's Festung Europa. One night, they landed in a secret armed reconnaissance mission at what would become Omaha Beach and ran into a German patrol. With nowhere to hide but the sea, they were gunned down. Those left behind continued their extraordinary legacy, told here for the first time.

Download or read book Special Forces Commander written by Michael Scott and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-02-29 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Early in the Second World War, Peter Wand-Tetley volunteered for special service. He saw action first with the newly formed Commandos raiding the North African coast and then in the fierce fighting on Crete. Operations with the LRDG in the Western Desert were followed by SAS actions as Rommel retreated to Tunis. Remarkably he then transferred to the Special Operations Executive and was parachuted blind into enemy occupied Greece in 1943. His role was to train and equip Andarte guerillas and his contribution and courage were recognized by the award of an immediate MC.Following victory in Europe he sailed with the Parachute Regiment to Javo where he fought in the counter-insurgency war.As well as describing his exemplary war record, Special Forces Commander covers Wand-Tetleys early life (he was a superb marksman) and his career post war in the turbulent days of the end of Empire.

Download or read book Rangers written by Michael Julius King and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Leavenworth Paper is a critical reconstruction of World War II Ranger operations conducted at or near Djebel el Ank, Tunisia; Porto Empedocle, Sicily; Cisterna, Italy; Zerf, Germany; and Cabanatuan in the Philippines. It is not intended to be a comprehensive account of World War II Ranger operations, for such a study would have to include numerous minor actions that are too poorly documented to be studied to advantage. It is, however, representative for it examines several types of operations conducted against the troops of three enemy nations in a variety of physical and tactical environments. As such, it draws a wide range of lessons useful to combat leaders who may have to conduct such operations or be on guard against them in the future. Many factors determined the outcomes of the operations featured in this Leavenworth Paper, and of these there are four that are important enough to merit special emphasis. These are surprise, the quality of opposing forces, the success of friendly forces with which the Rangers were cooperating, and popular support.

Download or read book It Had to be Tough written by James Dunning and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-05-19 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book tells the fascinating story of the origins of the Commandos (Britain's first Special Service troops and the forerunners of today's Parachute Regiment, the SAS and the SBS) and the development of their special training in World War II. The commandos were raised on the specific and personal orders of the prime minister, Winston Churchill, in the dark days of the summer of 1940 when these islands faced the real threat of a Nazi invasion. It was a bold, but typically Churchillian, decision.The book traces the formation of the Commandos and the development of the extreme and often unorthodox training methods and techniques used to prepare the volunteers from all branches of the British Army for subsequent world-wide-operations from 'bolt and butcher' raids to the 'great raids' on Norway and France and finally their employment in the full scale invasions of North Africa. Sicily, Italy, Normandy, the Crossing of the Rhine and finally in Burma, whilst at all times fostering that indomitable fighting spirit with which the name 'Commando' became synonymous. So great was the Commandos' contribution in that war that the Army Commandos were awarded thirty eight Battle Honors and these are emblazoned on the Commando Flag which hangs in Westminster Abbey. Arguably the Army Commandos were disbanded too hastily after the War but their legacy, traditions and fighting spirit lives with those artillery, engineer and corps troops who today win their coveted 'Green Berets' and serve alongside their comrades of the Royal Marines on active service today.

Download or read book Special Operations in World War II written by Andrew L. Hargreaves and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2013-10-28 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: British and American commanders first used modern special forces in support of conventional military operations during World War II. Since then, although special ops have featured prominently in popular culture and media coverage of wars, the academic study of irregular warfare has remained as elusive as the practitioners of special operations themselves. This book is the first comprehensive study of the development, application, and value of Anglo-American commando and special forces units during the Second World War. Special forces are intensively trained, specially selected military units performing unconventional and often high-risk missions. In this book, Andrew L. Hargreaves not only describes tactics and operations but also outlines the distinctions between commandos and special forces, traces their evolution during the war, explains how the Anglo-American alliance functioned in the creation and use of these units, looks at their command and control arrangements, evaluates their impact, and assesses their cost-effectiveness. The first real impetus for the creation of British specialist formations came in the desperate summer of 1940 when, having been pushed out of Europe following defeat in France and the Low Countries, Britain began to turn to irregular forces in an effort to wrest back the strategic initiative from the enemy. The development of special forces by the United States was also a direct consequence of defeat. After Pearl Harbor, Hargreaves shows, the Americans found themselves in much the same position as Britain had been in 1940: shocked, outnumbered, and conventionally defeated, they were unable to come to grips with the enemy on a large scale. By the end of the war, a variety of these units had overcome a multitude of evolutionary hurdles and made valuable contributions to practically every theater of operation. In describing how Britain and the United States worked independently and cooperatively to invent and put into practice a fundamentally new way of waging war, this book demonstrates the two nations’ flexibility, adaptability, and ability to innovate during World War II.

Download or read book X Troop written by Leah Garrett and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WALL STREET JOURNAL BOOK OF THE MONTH "This is the incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive special-forces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now." —Wall Street Journal “Brilliantly researched, utterly gripping history: the first full account of a remarkable group of Jewish refugees—a top-secret band of brothers—who waged war on Hitler.”—Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of The Longest Winter and The Liberator The incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive special-forces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now June 1942. The shadow of the Third Reich has fallen across the European continent. In desperation, Winston Churchill and his chief of staff form an unusual plan: a new commando unit made up of Jewish refugees who have escaped to Britain. The resulting volunteers are a motley group of intellectuals, artists, and athletes, most from Germany and Austria. Many have been interned as enemy aliens, and have lost their families, their homes—their whole worlds. They will stop at nothing to defeat the Nazis. Trained in counterintelligence and advanced combat, this top secret unit becomes known as X Troop. Some simply call them a suicide squad. Drawing on extensive original research, including interviews with the last surviving members, Leah Garrett follows this unique band of brothers from Germany to England and back again, with stops at British internment camps, the beaches of Normandy, the battlefields of Italy and Holland, and the hellscape of Terezin concentration camp—the scene of one of the most dramatic, untold rescues of the war. For the first time, X Troop tells the astonishing story of these secret shock troops and their devastating blows against the Nazis. “Garrett’s detective work is stunning, and her storytelling is masterful. This is an original account of Jewish rescue, resistance, and revenge.”—Wendy Lower, author of The Ravine and National Book Award finalist Hitler’s Furies