2/2 Company spent 11 months on Timor harassing the Japanese to such good effect that the enemy thought this island woud be the likely point of an Allied counter thrust—se Chapter 4.
2/3 Company garrisoned new Caledonia for 8 months until the Americans took over this island’s defence, and the Company was flown into Wau (New Guinea). As they landed they came under fire but later joined up with 2/5 Company already in the area.
2/4 Company were landed on Timor in the summer of 1942 to support 2/1 Company, but in January 1943 the 2/4 Company was withdrawn. A further four companies completed their training during 1942.
2/5 Company spent 13 months shadowing and reporting on Japanese build-up of the bases at Lal and Salamaua on the northern shores of eastern New Guinea. Their raid during 1942 was a model operation: Sections of the Company got into the centre of the Salamaua base, killed 123 Japanese, and came out without any casualty.
On their return from Timor 2/2 and 2/4 Companies became Australian Command Squadrons. They were with 2/6 and 2/7 Companies in the advances along the Ramu Valley spearheading the Americans.
First Commando Fiji Guerrillas
(South Pacific Scouts)
Led by 44 New Zealand officers and NCOs with approximately 200 Fijians, later joined by 24 Tongans and some Solomon Islanders, the Unit was formed from the ‘Southern Independent Commando Company’, one of three commando-styled defence forces with some mounted patrols on Fiji in April 1942.
On 23 December 1942 30 officers and men landed on Guadalcanal for patrol duties, the first 7-man patrol moving up the Lunga river on 24 December for three days outside the Henserson field perimeter. After other patrols, often working with District Officers from the Solomon Islands, in the early summer of 1943 they were reorganised as independent 15-man patrols the Americans names South Pacific Scouts. On 2 July they landed on New Georgia’s small islands in Roviana lagoon. They cleared these, travelling in native canes. But the capture of Munda airfield took 30 days, almost 3 weeks longer than planned. Working with Western Force—while the 1st Raider Regiment was in the north—the Scouts were led by their CO, Captain (later Major) C.W.H. Tripp DSO who had raised them in Fiji.
The plan had been for two RCTs of US 43 Division to sweep to the airfield on a 4,000 yard front from the Bariki river with the Scouts patrolling the right flank. Moving to establish an advanced HQ and OP on high ground in the upper reaches of the river, the Scouts ran into an enemy force. In the next three hours the patrol advanced 2 miles yet fired only 500 rounds. Despite the bewildering noises in their first battle, the Fijians followed their six New Zealand NCOs and later came out of the jungle with only one casualty. On 6 July a Scout patrol established a base 5 miles inland.
A week later Captain Tripp with 28 Scouts while leading the US 172nd Regiment overland towards Laiana beach was suddenly caught round the waist by a Japanese leaping up from a slit trench, a second Japanese shot at Tripp as he killed the first one. The bullet was deflected as the Captain fell and he was quick enough to shoot this second enemy. 40 per cent of the Scouts’ officers and 30 per cent of the NCOs had been killed, many were wounded. But the Scouts operated on Vella Lavella later that year and were not disbanded until May 1944.
Second Commando Fiji Guerrillas
Formed from three Independent Commando companies on Fiji, these Scouts patrolled outside the American perimeter in the Empress Augusta Bay are of Bougainville. They were commanded by Major P.G. Ellis during their relatively short period of operations before being disbanded on 31 May 1944.
Landing Craft Obstruction Clearance Units
(LCOCUs)
These ‘Locku’ parties of clearance divers originated as Boom Commandos: naval ratings trained to clear floating obstructions expected across the entrances to Mediterranean harbours, and which they would defend once Allied ships had passed through into a port. In November 1942 they were transferred from the Admiralty to CCO’s command, doing experimental work Appledore which became the LCOCU base. By August 1943 there were six 73-man units ans they were joined in February 1944 by 3 officers and 69 marines of the RM Engineers.
Special Boat Section
101 Troop carried out a number of cross-Channel raids including: a limpet attack on shipping in Boulogne on 11/2 April 1942; a raid on Dunkirk pier, the 4-man team being forced to withdraw when picked by a searchlight; and some of the ‘Hardtack’, December 1943, recces of French coast, in one of which Lieutenant Phil Ayton was severely wounded and died after his team brought him back to the UK. In the Mediterranean during 1941 Z Group made a limpet attack on Benghazi ships when the 2-man team was captured after a successful raid; five successful attacks were also made on railways in the summer of 1941 but two in September were thwarted by enemy patrols. In 1942 their raids included: Kastelli Airfield where 7 planes were destroyed on 9/10 June by three canoeists with three agents as guides; 13/4 June one canoeist with four Frenchmen and a guide were betrayed raiding Herakleion (Crete) airfield with partial success, but some escaped; on Rhodes in September eight canoeists with their guides destroyed some aircraft but only two escaped capture.
In 1945/5 the SBS Groups A, B and C operated under the command of SOG (see below): in September 1944 one Group landed in Northern Sumatra but was unable to find their target bridge at Pente Radjia; on the same day—11 September—Group B blew the Peudada river bridge in Northern Sumatra Group A reconnoitred the Chindwin river during this period in November/December while Group B reconnoitred the Chindwin river during this period in 1944, and Group C operated in the Arakan during the winter of 1944/5 and landed at Rangoon. SBS canoeists worked on the Irrawaddy during February and again from 15 April to 28 May 1945. (See also SOG history).
There was a group operating from Australia, which in September 1943 sank 7 ships in Singapore harbour. Their next visit a year later, however, failed to penetrate Japanese defences, the party was two-thirds Australian and led by Lieutenant-Colonel I. Lyon, DSO, (Gordons). On 6 October 1944 their captured junk was challenged by a police boat off Puloe Samboe, as they waited their opportunity to enter Singapore. In the ensuing escape by four parties in rubber boats, the raiders were all killed or captured during a month of island hopping, one officer reaching Timor in a journey of over 2,000 miles (3,200 + km). He, with others was shot while a prisoner.
The work of the SBS passed to the Royal Marines after the war.
Combined Operations Assault Pilotage Parties (COPPs)
See Chapter 3 for origins. The Parties served in Europe, and the Mediterranean and for 18-month tours in south-east Asia, with charges of personnel from time to time as men were assigned to less arduous duties. In the summer of 1945 the Parties in north-west Europe were regrouped in lettered units A, S, M and E.
No. 1 made Normandy beach surveys in the winter of 1943/4 and in southern France later in 1944. On 6 June navigator/pilots of this COPP led in the British 1 Corps to Sword and Juno and crewed X-craft markers.
In 1945, under Lieutenant Peter Wild RN, they were attached to the Small Operations Group, (SOG) in south-east Asia. Canoeists with other COPPists set the timed demolition charges to blow a gap in the anti-boat stakes for the Myebon landings. In the busy waterways canoes collided on at least one occasion with a Jap boat during a night recce, the paddlers escaping, probably being mistaken for natives. At other times they escaped the probing lights of enemy sampans, while carrying out their share of the 15 COPP operations in the Arakan. They were in Madras waiting for their next operation when the war ended.
No.2 manned LCNs for the Normandy surveys of late 1943. Moved to the Mediterranean and under the command of Lieutenant Richard Fyson RN they worked with raiding forces in the Aegean and Adriatic.
No.3 made the February recces of Sicily where 3 of the Party were lost, see Chapter 3. Joining the SOG in July 1944 they made recces in the Arakan, and on 8 March on Phuket Isl for the unsuccessful recce described in Chapter 12. Later that year they surveyed the Morib beaches for the planned Malaya landings.
No.4 lo
st several swimmers on 26 February and 9 March 1943 in recces of the Sicily beaches. In the summer of 1944, attached to SOG, they made a number of Arakan recces—once taking soundings on a bright night in view of a Japanese battery but were not attacked.
No.5 surveyed the Syracuse (Sicily) beaches in late June 1943, finding batteries tunnelled into the cliffs and not visible from the air. Their submarine was picked up on radar the third night but the canoeists were recovered. They laid three beacon buoys on D-1 timed to surface just before H-hour on 10 July, canoes were launched despite the storm and these markers along with the other COPPists in MLs (homing on the buoys’ radio signals) led in the British assault force on Sicily.
At the end of July they surveyed Italian beaches in the Gulf of Gioia but these were not used and on 30 August they began a survey of the Salerno beaches. The SBS team with them on these surveys was caught at the waters’ edge in the light of Allied bombers’ flares but escaped attention. The survey data was radioed in code from the submarine and the Party transferred at sea to later guide in assault forces including the Rangers.
After returning to the U.K. they were called at 24-hours notice to recce the Rhine at Wesel the night before the 23/4 March crossing. No artillery cover was available as the guns were moving forward, but despite this and bright moonlight they surveyed the enemy bank for minefields. They reached Asia ‘too late to take part in any operations’.
No.6 arrived in the Med in April 1943 and surveyed Sicilian beaches late in June. Amoung later operations, after returning to the UK, they guided in AVREs in Normandy landings.
No.7, the first COPP to reach India, reccied Akyab Isl in October and the following March visited an island off northern Sumatra. Afte returning to the UK they were deployed in river recces in north-west Europe, swimming the Elbe in April 1945 to recce its crossing.
No.8 followed No.7 to India, made a recce north-west of Akyab and to northern Sumatra early in 1944. In Sumatra their submarine escaped damage when attacke while submerged near—if not in—an enemy harbour.
No.9 provided personnel for X23 marker boat off Sword beach on 6 June 1944. In 1945, while attached to the SOG, their OC climbed ashore from a river jetty to find 40 Japanese in defence positions, but the canoeists escaped by paddling close to the protecting river bank. On another occasion their LC was fired on as the canoes were being launched, but her answering fire enabled the COPPists with withdraw. In April they attacked an enemy OP and too, a prisoner in one of their last actions of the War.
No. 10 carried out 31 operations between 1 June and 30 November 1944 in the Mediterranean. They recced the Anzio beaches and on Adriatic islands, providing data for partisans, LSIs bringing in raiders. On Mljet they saw two Germans making a COPP-type survey from a canoe. Later No.10 operated in the Piraeus and the Salonika areas.
They moved to India in 1945.
Note: COPP No.7 among others were due to return to south-east Asia or had actually reached India in preparation for the invasion of Japan but the War ended before they carried out any operations in this theatre.
Sea Reconnaissance Unit
(SRU)
Lieutenant-Commander Bruce Wright, CD, RCN (R) in January 1941 put forward the idea for these long distance swimmers, while he was serving as a junior officer in a corvette. The proposal was not accepted for nearly 2 years, then in December 1942 Lord Mountbatten arranged for the Unit’s training at USMC’s Camp Pendleton. Here white sharks and cold water limited the 5 to 10 miles (8-16km) paddle board swims, and the UNit moved to Nassau (Bahamas). They were followed there by an American team of swimmers later that summer (1943).
Sea training was completed by March 1944, but the previous winter the back-breaking apparatus developed technical faults for this SCUBA (self-contaned underwater breathing) apparatus had only been invented during 1943. The Unit and other British frogmen therefore used the Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus breathing oxygen. Operations proposed for the Aegean, Adriatic, Black Sea and Danube were not carried through, but these powerful swimmers with a low sihouette on fast and manoeuvrable boards might have had a seaborne role in Asia.
A proposal to split the Unit was resisted on the grounds that at least 40 men were required for successful operations in any one theatre. By comparison—‘the Japanese swimmers in Burma … were used in several hundreds at a time … the Italians had 2,000 men in training [as swimmers]at La Spezia’. The whole Unit was, therefore, sent to Asia after training as parachutists and further practice in landng through heavy surf. But the Unit was deployed—as part of the Small Operations Group—in recces across the Irrawaddy, where the SBS teams had been working. Typically, an SRU 10-man team had their paddle boards portered across three miles of no-man’s jungle in the dark, before crossing the 6-knot river current on the next night 11/12 February 1945. The 20 Indian Division’s patrols should have guided the swimmers to their launching place but they were brought 3 miles short of the intended point. The team—as other were to do elsewhere—got the far bank and successfully checked the narow beach. This No.1 Section operated with 20 Division near Myinmu, further downstream on 13 February No.2 Section (with 7 Indian Division) made recces near Nyaugu and ten days later 4 Section was further north reconnoitring the beaches near Ngazun. In the crossings the SRU Sections guided in assault boats and/or set up beach markers at the four crossing points along the 120 miles of river, and for two feints made either side of the southern (Nyaungu) crossing. At this end of the front No.2 Section worked also with 28 (East African) Division. In all these operations the Unit had no casualties. Three Sections moved to the An Pass area operating with COPPs and clearing routes around the barriers the Japanese set across chaungs, as they returned into the swamps.
The Unit was disbanded at the end of the War.
RM Boom Patrol Detachment
These marine canoeists made the ‘Cockleshell’ raid on shipping in Bordeaux during December 1942. An operation that would have required two infantry divisions if this port was to be raided in force. The Detachment’s Earthworm Section was preparing for a raid on Norway in the winter of 1942 when they were transferred to the Raiding Forces Middle East. This 12 man (all ranks) Section did further demolition training near Haifa (Palestine). Some were trained as radio operators and parachuted on to islands, their attache-case radios had a 1,000-mile range and enabled them to report to Cairo HQ on Axis movements. The Section’s raids included one on Leros, staging through the Raiding Force advance HQ in a caique off the Turkish coast. On this coast their MLs lay-up under camouflage nets by day. Around midnight on 17 June 1944 three canoes entered the naval base at Laki, crossed three booms and were undetected despite the calm sea and starlight. Although the canoe shrimp was challenged, her crew answered in Italian and called out ‘Brandenburger’, the name of a German small boat patrol. Shark and Salmon successfully placed their limpets and all three withdrew.
In the UK during 1944 this Detachment did experimental work on explosive motor boats designed to destroy beach obstacles, and the motor submersible canoe, the marines developing techniques to parachute both these boats and canoes into operations. The RM Special Boat Section of the 1970s is a direct descendant of the RMBPD.
Small Scale Raiding Force
(SSRF)
Members of this force operated from Poole (Dorest) in the trawler Maid of Honour. There is a record of a cutting out expedition with this ship capturing a liner (unnamed) during 1941 before they took the trawler to West Africa. During 1942 the SSRF was formally set up with responsibilities to CCO and SOE. The founders Major G. March-Phillips DSO, OBE; Major J.G. Appleyard DSO, MC*; and Captain G. Hayes MC—were all killed in action with SSRF or similar units. The Force trained along commando lines but did parachute training as well as small boat work. Much of their work was of a clandestine nature but typical of their early raids were those in the two weeks to 14 February 1942: 2 men in canoe to recce Anse de St. Martin (Cherbourg Peninsula); 10 men raiding for prisoners near Omonville; and 10 men raiding Herm and Jethou
in Channel Islands.
In the summer of 1942 they made several raids including: north-west of Pointe de Saire killing 3 enemy: to the Casquet Light on the Channel Island rocks notorious for rough seas; and to Ste Horoniné near Cherbourg where the landing party was captured or killed. After January 1943 such raids were co-ordinated by an Auxiliary Operations Group or its equivalent and the SSRF’s independent operations ceased in the Channel (but see 62 Cdo).
1st Special Raiding Squadron
The designation of 2nd SAS for operations in the Mediterranean—see Raiding Foces Middle East—on 3 September 1943. 243 all ranks landed unopposed at Bagnara Calabria (Italy) but were engaged by Axis forces in hills behind this port before XIII Corps linked up with them on 4 September.
Raiding Forces Middle East
Under Brigadier D.J.T. Turnbull the operations of the LRDG including a New Zealand Squadron, Major the Earl Jellicoe’s 100-strong units of the Special Boat Section, 30 Commando, some American medics and the 1st Special Raiding Squadron, were brought into a co-ordinate series of operations from 11 November 1943. Before this date these units had carried out independent raiding, some of their units reached Cos (north of Rhodes) before the end of September, and other parties set up observation posts on Leros, Calino, Simi and Stampali. But on 12 October the SBS party withdrew from Simi after being in action with advancing German troops. They were replacing Italian garrison and when the LRDG attempted that month to capture Levinthos they lost 43 of the 50-strong raiding party.
Commandos and Rangers of World War II Page 45