‘Smash and Grab’ – The Commandos at Dieppe
Operation Jubilee, the raid on the German-occupied French port of Dieppe was one of the most controversial and costly operations of the Second World War. A combined force of nearly six thousand Canadian, British and other Allied troops took part …
Paddy Mayne – Legend of the SAS
Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne was one of the most outstanding soldiers and leaders of the Second World War. A qualified solicitor and Irish Universities heavyweight boxing champion, the Ulsterman had played international rugby for both Ireland and the British Lions before …
SOE and the Pirates of Fernando Po
Operation Postmaster was one of the most audacious raids of the Second World War. In August 1941 a small force working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) departed Poole in a converted Brixham trawler called the Maid Honor. Their destination …
No 7 Commando – The Bardia Raid, Libya 1941
At the end of January 1941 No 7 Commando along with Nos 8 and 11 (Scottish) Commando sailed to the Middle East as part of Force ‘Z’, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Bob Laycock. On 19 April 1941 No.7 …
Paddy Mayne and the SRS – The Invasion of Sicily
The invasion of Sicily in July 1943 was based on two Allied armies landing on the island. The US 7th Army were tasked to land on the south-west at Gela, with the British 8th Army on the south-east at Pachino …
Operation Musketoon and Hitler’s Commando Order
Often overshadowed by the Heroes of Telemark – the Special Operations Executive’s (SOE) raid on the heavy water plant at Vermork – Operation Musketoon was an equally daring raid on a Norwegian industrial target that was vital to the Nazi …
The SBS Assault on Villa Punta
On 9 March 1945, twenty-seven men from the Special Boat Squadron, were tasked to attack the enemy occupied Villa Punta, on the Yugoslav island of Lussino. Initially occupied by Italian fascists, the fortified villa, with extensive gardens and the surrounding …
Operation Flipper: The Rommel Raid
Within days of No.11 (Scottish) Commando returning from the Litani River raid it became clear that it was likely to be disbanded, a fate that had already befallen both No. 7 and No. 8 Commando. However, the unit’s fate was …
D-Day: No.4 Commando’s attack at Riva Bella
No.4 Commando landed in two waves from HMS Princess Astrid and the SS Maid of Orleans and touched down on Queen Red Beach at La Breche, a mile to the west of Ouistreham. The original plan for the British landings …
Billets and Bullets
The routine for the officers and men in the Commandos was quite different to that from the regiments that they’d left behind. With no barracks or fixed accommodation, they lived in billets where their meals were provided by the families …
Commando Special Training Centre, Lochailort
From May 1940, the War Office started the process of requisitioning properties in the Scottish Highlands for unspecified military purposes. One of which was Inverailort House, the home of the Cameron-Head family. Situated close to the shores of Loch Ailort …