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2nd Special Service Brigade

Field	Value
unit_name	2nd Special Service
2nd Commando Brigade
dates	1943–1946
allegiance	United Kingdom
branch

type	Commando
role	Coastal raiding
Assault infantry
Special operations
command_structure	Combined Operations
battles	Second World War
notable_commanders	Ronnie Tod
identification_symbol	[[File:British Commandos Patch.svg	100px	alt=Insignia of Combined Operations units it is a combination of a red Thompson submachine gun, RAF wings and an anchor on a black backing]]
identification_symbol_label	Combined
Operations
Tactical
recognition
flash

2nd Commando Brigade

Assault infantry Special operations Operations Tactical recognition flash The 2nd Special Service Brigade was formed in late 1943 in the Middle East and saw service in Italy, the Adriatic, the landings at Anzio and took part in operations in Yugoslavia. On 6 December 1944 the Brigade was renamed 2nd Commando Brigade, removing the title Special Service and its association with the Schutzstaffel.

Italian Campaign

The brigade as a formation, was not involved in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, but 40 RM Commando was involved in the assault landings as Army Troops. In Operation Shingle, the assault at Anzio, No. 9 (Army) Commando and No. 43 (Royal Marine) Commando were the only units involved. The whole brigade was involved in the final offensive of the Italian Campaign.

In 1945 the brigade was involved in the Lake Comacchio battle, Operation Roast, where Corporal Thomas Peck Hunter of 43 Commando was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for conspicuous Gallantry in single-handedly clearing a farmstead housing three Spandau machine guns after charging across 200 metres of open ground firing his Bren gun from the hip, then moving to an exposed position to draw fire away from his comrades by engaging further Spandaus entrenched on the far side of the canal. After Operation Roast the brigade was involved in the follow-up actions until the German surrender.

The brigade remained in the area on security duties until it was disbanded in 1946

Formation

Brigadier Ronnie Tod
- No. 2 Commando
- No. 9 Commando
- No 40 Royal Marine Commando
- No 43 Royal Marine Commando

By the Battle of Monte Cassino the order was:

Brigadier T. B. L. Churchill
- No. 9 Commando
- No. 10 (Inter Allied) Commando
- No 40 Royal Marine Commando
- No 43 Royal Marine Commando

Battle honours

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

Adriatic
Alethangyaw
Aller
Anzio
Argenta Gap
Burma 1943–45
Crete
Dieppe
Dives Crossing
Djebel Choucha
Flushing
Greece 1944–45
Italy 1943–45
Kangaw
Landing at Porto San Venere
Landing in Sicily
Leese
Litani
Madagascar
Middle East 1941, 1942, 1944
Monte Ornito
Myebon
Normandy Landing
North Africa 1941–43
North-West Europe 1942, 1944–1945
Norway 1941
Pursuit to Messina
Rhine
St. Nazaire
Salerno
Sedjenane 1
Sicily 1943
Steamroller Farm
Syria 1941
Termoli
Vaagso
Valli di Comacchio
Westkapelle

References

Army Commandos 1940–45 By Mike Chappell, p 31
British Commandos 1940–46 By Timothy Robert Moreman, p 32
(2004). "The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume V: The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and The Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944". Naval & Military Press.
Moreman, p.94

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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