1st Special Service Force—1942
(The North Americans) (approx 1,250 all ranks)
The Force’s three regiments each had 407 all ranks in a colonel’s command of two battalions. There were three companies to a battalion. Each company had three two-Section platoons. The 108 Sections of the Force were each intended to have 4 Weasel carriers as were HQs in the original organisation.
June 1944
(2,400 all ranks)
No longer based on carrier Sections, the Force had two-Section platoons commanded by a lieutenant with a staff sergeant, each Section of 12 men being led by a sergeant.
British Army Rifle Battalion—1943
(786 all ranks)
For comparison only: Bn HQ 5 officers + 29 (approx.) HQ Coy (256) with Signals Plt, Carrier Plt, AA Plt, Pioneer Plt, Mortar Plt, Admin Plt; four Rifle Companies each of 124 all ranks in HQ and three platoons; each platoon (37 or 38) with HQ including anit-tank rifle and 2-in mortar, and three 10-man Sections.
US Army Regimental Combat Teams of 81 (Wildcat) Division 1943/6
For comparison only: 321, 322, 323 RCT; with 321 RCT made up from 321 Inf Regmt, 316 Field Artillery Bn, 306 Engineer Coy and Medical Collection Coy.
321 Inf Regmt-HQ Coy, Service Coy, Medical Detachment, Anti-tank Coy, Cannon Coy and three infantry battalions.
Each infantry battalion had five companies-HQ Coy, three Rifle Coys, and Heavy Weapons Coy. Each Rifle Coy had four platoons (one a weapons plt) and each rifle platoon had three squads with one BAR automatic per squad (although more issued from time to time).
USMC Battalion—1944
For comparison only: the three rifle coys in a battalion each had three platoons of three rifle squads. These squads differed from US Army rifle squads, the marines working with three 4-man fire-teams and a squad leader, 13 in all. Each team had one BAR-man and three riflemen, spreading the responsibility of leadership between four men-the squad leader and three fire-team leaders. (This organisation developed in line with Raider Battalion concepts, apparently.)
Small Operations Group November 1944
Colonel commanded with HQ staff, the Group’s maximum strength was reached at this date with four COPPs, RM Detachment 385’s three Troops, three SBS Groups, and SRU’s four Sections.
Special Boat Section—March 1942
(47 all ranks)
Major commanded-HQ (included captain instructor, CSM, clerks and storemen, 18 all ranks); four operating Groups each of 7 canoeists-a captain OC, lieutenant 2i/c, with 2 sergeants, 2 corporals, and a driver.
June 1944
(72 all ranks)
Divided into three Groups-A with 7 officers; B 4 officers and 32 ORs; C 16 all ORs; and Z 7 officers with 6 ORs. (Administrative personnel provided by SOG).
January 1945
C Group was commanded by a major with a captain 2 i/c, two lieutenants, 4 sergeants, 8 corporals, a corporal storeman and a corporal driver.
Sea Reconnaissance Unit—June 1944
(48 all ranks)
Lieut-Commander commanded-HQ (8 al ranks) with four Sections of which Nos. (1-3 had 10 officers and men, and No.4 had 9.
USMC Raider Battalion-September 1942
(901 all ranks)
Transport—all in the HQ Coy:
12 ½-ton trucks; one 1-ton light repair truck; 4 1-ton reconnaissance vehicles; 2 2½-ton cargo carriers.
Notes:
The 2nd Raiders has six rifle (or line) companies and a headqarters company-September 1942. See main text for details of squads in platoons. Naval personnel included chaplains and medics.
Weapons
Rifle
Weapons
HQ Coy
Coy
Coy
M1 Carbine
43
63
20
Browning M/gun M1919A42
2
8
2
.45 Sub M/gun
200
60mm Mortar
4
3
2
.45 Pistol
2
24
10
Anti-tank rifle
4
2
2
.30 Automatic
22
18
M1
89
123
76
M1903 (for snipers)
4
9
RM Boom Patrol Detachment—June 1944
(73 all ranks)
HQ and Administration (34 all ranks) with three Groups-A 16 officers and men; B with 6; and C with 17. (The HQ figures probably included men on experimental work.)
Combined Operations Assault Pilotage Parties (COPPs)—June 1944
(174 all ranks)
HQ, training and administrative personnel 57 all ranks with ten Parties of which Nos. 1-6 and No.10 each had 12 officers and men, and Nos. 7-9 had 11 each.
Combined Operations Scout Units—June 1944
(40 + ,all ranks)
Formerly called ‘Camouflage B’ there were four (?) Units each of 1 officer, 1 petty officer and 8 ratings (qualified wireless, RDF or radio mechanics).
Boom Commando
-see LCOCU
RM Detachment 385—March 1945
(100 + ,all ranks)
Small HQ with 3 Troops each of 6 officers and 25 men divided into three Sections their composition and numbers varied to suit specific operations.
Special Engineering Unit
(formerly called 30 Commando)
-c1943 (not known all ranks)
Personnel of all three services in teams of approximately 15.
Royal Marine Engineer Commando—Febuary 1945
(141 all ranks)
Two Troops-one with 1 Cdo Bde, second with 3 Cdo Bde-and third Troop being formed; 2 subalterns, 18 general duties marines, 6 carpenters, 1 concretor, 1 electrician, 2 masons, 3 miners, 2 painters, 2 plumbers, 2 driver/mecs, 2 men for vehicle maintenance. Established 61 all ranks but two Troops over strength in February 1945-3 officers + 65,2 officers + 71.
Landing Craft Obstruction Clearance Units—August 1945
(438 + ,all ranks)
Six Units with some administration (details not known) each Unit (or Section) of 73 all ranks-7 officers, 11 PO riggers, 16 leading seamen riggers mates, 13 leading seamen, 9 ABs, 7 signalmen. (These hands included swimmers).
Spring 1945
For operations against Japan LCOCUs were deployed with Army bomb disposal teams in groups attached to each assault brigade for clearing 400 yards (360m) gap in defences.
Naval Beach Party—Spring 1942
(55 all ranks)
Lieutenant RN as Principal Beachmaster commanded; 3 Lieutenants or Sub-Lieutenants as Assistant Beach Masters; and 48 ratings.
Raiding Support Regiment—Mediterranean, December 1943
(600 all ranks)
HQ and five batteries manned by paratroops with mountain guns, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, 3-in (75mm) mortars and medium machine guns.
Small Scale Raiding Force—Summer 1942
Operationally under CCO, jointly controlled by CCO and SOE this Force provided small parties of 8 to 10 men, sometimes fewer, for raids. Total strength not known but probably never more than sixty.
1st Special Raiding Squadron—Mediterranean 1943
(254 all ranks)
16 officers and 238 ORs in four(?) Troops all from 2nd SAS Regiment.
Other small units of Special Forces Mediterranean, December 1943
(as shown in official reports)
OSS Operational Group 200 all ranks, Bataillon de Choc 500 (Corsican), Demolition Squad 75, ‘Kalpak’ guides and saboteurs 20, Long Range Desert Group 240 (in island ops), and ‘Special Boat Squadron’ 180-probably refers to Major the Earl Jellicoe’s raiding force including SBS. Elements of these units including the LRDG formed the 1st Special Reconnaissance Squadron.
Australian Independent Company Spring 1942
&nbs
p; (267 all ranks)
Company HQ (69 all ranks) with CO (Major), 2 i/c, CSM, and 13 QM, drivers etc. Sapper Section: 1 officer, 17 men. Medical staff: captain & 40Rs. One armourer.
Three 66-man platoons each with HQ (capt, sgt & 7 ORs). The platoons had three 18-man sections each commanded by a lieutenant, with two runners and a rifle squad. Weapons: Mauser 15; 45 pistol 52; 303 rifles 140; bren gun 18; sub m/c gun 36; sniper rifle 9.4 m/cycles, car 30-cwt.
1st Commando Fiji Guerrilla Pacific 1943
(164 all ranks)
Commanded by a captain with HQ (CO + 22) and two 75-man companies with lieutenants commanding. Each company of three platoons was led by a sergeant and had three sections of seven (corporal + 6).
American Air Command, Burma 1944
13 Dakopta (C47) transport aircraft, 225 WACO gliders, 100 L5 light aircraft, 12 B25 medium bombers, 30 Mustang (P51) fighters and 6 experimental helicopters.
RAF Servicing Commando North Africa 1942
(199 all ranks)
Divided into six parties A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 each with two sections usually of 10 to 16 men including aircraft and/or engine fitters, with smaller parties of armourers and a 3-man rear party.
Note:
Some other units’ organisation mentioned in Unit Histories Appendix 7.
3 Weapons
Close combat
Fighting Knife: 1940-Wilkinson Sword made 500 knives to specifications of first commando instructors in unarmed combat (Capts Fairburn and Sykes of Shanghai Intl. Police). The 7in (178mm) blades were carbon (sword) steel with a 7/8in (22mm) diamond cross-section. The brass knurled grip had an oval cross guard 2 1/4 in (57mm) by ½in (13mm) with its ends curved up and down. These 500 can be identified by the manufacturer cross-sword logo and a small ‘FS’ embossed on the opposite blade site. Some 250,000 similar knives without identification marks were made between 1941 and 1945, they had a black nickelk finish and some design changes after mid-1941: the sharp edges were continued to crossguard and flat blade shoulders removed; a smaller crossguard was used; and the brass knurled grip replaced by a moulding-to improve balance (Post-war knives include 10,000 with cross-word logo and Royal Warrant embossing and a few for the Admiralty with ‘F.R.693’ on crossguard.)
American fighting knives were slightly shorter with a wider blade and some had a knuckle-duster hand-grip.
Cheese wire: length of strong wire between two wooden toggles, as used by grocers to cut cheese in 1940s.
Coshes: these could be a simple as a sock full of sand or more elaborate with large nuts on heavy springs from handles. One report suggests use was made of Longon Underground railway spring-designed ‘straps’ for standing passengers.
Conventional infantry weapons
Special Forces’ success depended more on their skill with conventional weapons than in the men’s ability to use non-standard equipment. Some points made by these forces on standard weapons are shown below.
Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk I and Mk II-standard British .303in rifles with bolt action and 10-round magazine could be fired at the rate of 15 rounds a minute, muzzle velocity (mv) 2,400 ft per second for an effective range of 600 to 1,000 yards.
M1 Carbine-.300in with 15- or 30-round magazine-although only weighing 5.5lb (2.5kg) its low muzzle velocity at 1,970 ft per second limited its stopping power against a charging enemy.
Garand-.300in semi-automatic rifle with 8-round magazine weighed 9.5lb (4kg), a mv of 2,805 fps firing M2 ball ammunition of 152 grains for maximum range of 3,500 yards. Could be used with M2 ball to ‘search’ reverse slopes of hills at 2,000 yards. The somewhat complex mechanism with gases operating the reloading could nevertheless be taken apart and reassembled using only the point of a bullet. Big aperture backsight gave clear aim in pre-dawn and similar half-light.
Sniper’s British and American rifles fitted with telescopic sights were used extensively by Special Forces, but their snipers had other jobs as well.
Thompson .45in Model 1928 1 sub machine gun fired 600 to 725 rounds per minute (rpm) from 20- or 30-round magazines, but low mv at 920 fps limited the effective range to 50 yards.
Sten Gun Mk 11 9mm Mk 11 fired 500 to 550 rpm from 32-round magazine, mv 1,280 fps giving 80 yards (72m) effective range.
Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) Model 1918A2 (introduced in 1941) .300in fired 550 rpm from 20-round magazine, mv 2,700 fps giving 650 yards effective range, weighed 19.4lb with bipod legs. This model could be set on ‘slow auto’ for 350 rpm. Gases operated reloading and the size of magazine made this almost a light machine gun.
Bren LMG Mk I .303in fired up to 450 rpm from 30-round-advisable to load 26-box magazine (100-round drum magazines also), mv 2,440 fps for effective range of 600 to 800 yards (540 to 720m) when fired from bipod legs, maximum range 2,000 yards (1.8km). Commando fired this 23lb (10.4kg) gun from the hip on occasions.
Johnson M1906 .300in LMG fired up to 900rpm from 20-round box magazine that could be reloaded while on the gun by insert 5-round charges or single rounds, mv 2,800 fps. This 14lb 50z LMG was flimsy and prone to jam.
Browning M1919A4 .300in fired up to 500rpm from 250 rounds on belt, mv 2,800 fps, issued in fixed and flexible forms and fired by USMC Raiders and others trom a tripod.
Boys .55in anti-tank rifle had 5-round magazine of 930-grain armour-piercing bullet, mv about 3,000fps for 200 yards (180m) range.
Piat fired a nose-fused 2½lb bomb that had a special head drawing explosion into armour plate. Weighing 34½lb, its maximum range was 100 yards (115 yards in some pamphlets) against tanks but with legs fully extended a 350-yard range was possible in house breaking.
Bazooka US anti-tank rocket launcher, an early mark fired the 2.37in rocket, the M9 fired a 2.56in rocket with a 0.5lb (227 grams) HE charge over 100- to 150-yard effective range (maximum 700 yards). mv 270 fps at 70 °F but greater at higher temperatures and vice versa. Bazookas used by Commandos for house clearing.
Special Forces-commandos, rangers and US marines-used mortars at close quarters although the minimum ‘range’ of the 60mm mortar, for example, was 75 yards.
Vickers K-gun .303 gas-operated, developed from aircraft machine gun for the use as light-weight gun firing 950 rpm from 100- or 60-round magazines. Had simple mechanism. The commandos used their K-guns and brens to supplement LC fire before landing with Heavy Weapons Troop. These guns had been used on the RAF’s obsolete Gloster Gladiators, and redundant stock was therefore available and acquired by the Special Forces for their desert vehicles.
Lifebuoy back pack flamethrower weighed 64lb, range 30-40yds with 10 secs duration, carried in place of a rifle and rucksack by one man in some assault sub-sections after spring of 1944.
Grenades-the fragmentation anti-personnel and other infantry grenades-the birdline coated sticky bomb, phosphorous smoke/incendiary grenades, etc.- were used by Special Forces who adapted all grenade fuses when appropriate to suit shorter or longer time intervals before detonation.
Cliff climbing
Pairs of rocket grapnels attached to ropes laid with care for easy run-out open boxes, could put a line up a 200ft cliff, when fired from LC in favourable conditions.
Hand-held rocket with small grapnel fired a line up 100 ft or more of cliff provided line was dry and wind conditions moderate.
Tubular scaling ladders in 4-foot (1 + m) sections weighing 4lb were assembled by slotting sections together and in Normandy 2nd Rangers preassembled 16-foot lengths, carrying 112ft of ladder in each LCA going to Pointe du Hoc.
Toggle rope-varied in length but usually 4ft (1 + m) with wooden toggle spliced into one end and an eye spliced at the other end. Linked together these not only provided climbing ropes but also could be used for V-shape rope bridges.
Demolotions etc.
Guncotton wet slabs were of dirty white fibrous appearance 6 × 3 × 1½in, weighed 190z including 30z of water and dangerous if dry (ie: flaky). The slab’s tapered hole took a 10z dry guncotton or CE primer (a cylinder of Composition Explosive that
did not deteriorate as did a dry guncotton primer if its acetone coating was chipped).
The ‘808’ plastic explosive supplied in 40z cartridges of 3 × 1 1/4 in (diam.) also fired by 10z primer. This explosive could be moulded like plasticine, used underwater, and set off by rifle fire.
The standard No.27 Mk I detonator was a 1¾in metal tube (of fulminate of mercury) explosive that slid into a hole in the centre of the primer. The open end of the detonator took either safety or ‘instant’ fuses that was grimped by special pliers to ensure fuse did not slip from detonator.
Safety fuse No.11 of black powder in a water-proof cover burned at 2ft a minute (+ or − 7 seconds). Cordtex was a white flexible 1/4 in diameter fuse burning at 200 miles a second and therefore virtually instantaneous over short lengths. Three turns of Cordtex around a No.75 grenade would fire it (and its primer). Safety fuse could be fired by a percussion igniter. Pencil time fuses, 7 day (at 65 °F) lead break delay fuses and celluloid-acetone fuses were used as well as press-pull-and release-switch fuses.
The permutations of explosive charges, instantaneous fuse, safety fuse and other fuses are endless.
Pole charges had a timber frame 2ft by 1ft with four Hawkins No.75 grenades at each corner linked by cordtex etc., the frame positioned by stout timber at angle to hold it against a wall in mouseholing between adjoining houses etc.
Bangalore torpedoes were made up of 1½in or 2in diameter tubes 8ft long and packed with 10 to 12lb of explosive. Sections could be slotted together by an integral spring-clip ring and an initiating set of Terryl igniter etc. fitted to one end. The resulting explosion cut wire and set off some types of mines to give a cleared lane through obstacles.
Limpet Mk II held by six magents to a magnets to a ship’s side or metal frame of piers etc. exploded a set time-several hours-after butterfly nuts were used to break chemical-fuse glass when raider had positioned limpet mine. Its 2lb of plastic explosive could blow a 6ft diameter hole in the plates of most merchant ships’ hulls.
Commandos and Rangers of World War II Page 38