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No. 30 Commando
No. 30 Commando, from 1943 to 1946 known as 30 Assault Unit, was a British Commando unit during the Second World War, originally formed to gather intelligence.
In March 1942, Ian Fleming of the Naval Intelligence Division proposed the creation of a commando unit to Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence. Fleming noted the objective of the unit would be, "to accompany forward troops when a port or naval installation is being attacked and, if the attack is successful, their duty is to capture documents, cyphers". The concept was based on a similar Abwehr unit named Marine-Einsatz-Kommando Schwarzes Meer that had been in existence since 1941.
According to some accounts, the unit was deployed for the first time during the Dieppe Raid in August 1942, in an unsuccessful attempt to capture an Enigma machine and related material. However, the unit's formation was officially authorised in September 1942 and initially named the Special Intelligence Unit. It comprised 33 (Royal Marines) Troop, 34 (Army) Troop, 35 (Royal Air Force) Troop and 36 (Royal Navy) Troop, and was tasked to move ahead of advancing Allied forces, to capture enemy codes, documents, equipment and key personnel.
The unit worked closely with the Intelligence Corps' Field Security sections. Individual troops were present in all operational theatres and usually operated independently, gathering information from captured facilities.
The unit took part in the Operation Torch landings (November 1942), landing to the west of Algiers at Sidi Ferruch on 8 November. They had been provided with detailed maps and photographs of the area, and on the outskirts of the city located the Italian naval headquarters. By the following day all the battle orders for the German and Italian fleets, current code books and other documents had been sent back to London.
Renamed 30 Commando and also known as the Special Engineering Unit, for most of 1943, the unit, or parts of it, operated in the Greek Islands, Norway, Sicily (Pantelleria) and Corsica. 34 Troop operated mainly in the Italian and Balkan campaigns. They captured the islands of Capri and Ischia, which was under the sole control of 30 Commando. They then seized the torpedo works at Baiae and the testing range on the nearby small island of San Martino. Its missions have reportedly remained subject to official secrecy regulations.
Perhaps the best-known member was Johnny Ramensky, a Lithuanian-Scottish safe-cracker. These units were normally inserted by parachute behind enemy lines.
In November 1943, the unit returned to Britain to prepare for the Allied invasion of France. It was re-designated 30 Assault Unit (30AU) in December, and re-organised into HQ Troop; A, B and X Troops; a mobile RN signals unit and a RN medical unit (apparently along de facto combined operations/joint service lines).
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No. 30 Commando
No. 30 Commando, from 1943 to 1946 known as 30 Assault Unit, was a British Commando unit during the Second World War, originally formed to gather intelligence.
In March 1942, Ian Fleming of the Naval Intelligence Division proposed the creation of a commando unit to Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence. Fleming noted the objective of the unit would be, "to accompany forward troops when a port or naval installation is being attacked and, if the attack is successful, their duty is to capture documents, cyphers". The concept was based on a similar Abwehr unit named Marine-Einsatz-Kommando Schwarzes Meer that had been in existence since 1941.
According to some accounts, the unit was deployed for the first time during the Dieppe Raid in August 1942, in an unsuccessful attempt to capture an Enigma machine and related material. However, the unit's formation was officially authorised in September 1942 and initially named the Special Intelligence Unit. It comprised 33 (Royal Marines) Troop, 34 (Army) Troop, 35 (Royal Air Force) Troop and 36 (Royal Navy) Troop, and was tasked to move ahead of advancing Allied forces, to capture enemy codes, documents, equipment and key personnel.
The unit worked closely with the Intelligence Corps' Field Security sections. Individual troops were present in all operational theatres and usually operated independently, gathering information from captured facilities.
The unit took part in the Operation Torch landings (November 1942), landing to the west of Algiers at Sidi Ferruch on 8 November. They had been provided with detailed maps and photographs of the area, and on the outskirts of the city located the Italian naval headquarters. By the following day all the battle orders for the German and Italian fleets, current code books and other documents had been sent back to London.
Renamed 30 Commando and also known as the Special Engineering Unit, for most of 1943, the unit, or parts of it, operated in the Greek Islands, Norway, Sicily (Pantelleria) and Corsica. 34 Troop operated mainly in the Italian and Balkan campaigns. They captured the islands of Capri and Ischia, which was under the sole control of 30 Commando. They then seized the torpedo works at Baiae and the testing range on the nearby small island of San Martino. Its missions have reportedly remained subject to official secrecy regulations.
Perhaps the best-known member was Johnny Ramensky, a Lithuanian-Scottish safe-cracker. These units were normally inserted by parachute behind enemy lines.
In November 1943, the unit returned to Britain to prepare for the Allied invasion of France. It was re-designated 30 Assault Unit (30AU) in December, and re-organised into HQ Troop; A, B and X Troops; a mobile RN signals unit and a RN medical unit (apparently along de facto combined operations/joint service lines).