3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a
commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
formation of the
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
.
It is composed of the
Royal Marine Commandos
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marines ...
, alongside
commando qualified sailors
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
,
soldiers
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
and
airmen
An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred as a soldier in other definitions.
In civilian aviation usage, ...
from the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
,
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
and
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
.
The brigade was formed on 14 February 1942, during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, with a mixture of
Army Commando and
Royal Marine Commando
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
units, and was deployed to the
South-East Asian Theatre of World War II to conduct operations against the invading forces of
Imperial Japan
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
, such as the
Burma Campaign.
After the Second World War, the Army Commandos were disbanded and the brigade became a Royal Marine formation. Recently, 3 Commando Brigade has again become a mixed formation with the addition of commando qualified soldiers from the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
and
Royal Engineers to provide support for the
Royal Marine Commandos
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marines ...
. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been involved in a number of engagements such as the
Suez Crisis,
Falklands War,
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
and the
War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
* Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
.
History
Second World War
Between September and November 1943, in Scotland, 102nd Brigade,
Royal Marines Division, was detached from the division, to form the independent 3rd Special Service Brigade – a joint British Army-Royal Marines formation. The founding commander was Brigadier
Wilfrid Nonweiler and it was composed of the following units:
*
No. 1 Commando
The No. 1 Commando was a unit of the British Commandos and part of the British Army during the Second World War. It was raised in 1940 from the ranks of the existing independent companies. Operationally they carried out a series of small scale cros ...
(British Army);
*
No. 5 Commando (British Army);
*
No. 42 Commando (Royal Marines), and;
*
No. 44 Commando (Royal Marines).
Nos. 1 and 5 Commandos had already earned battle honours as units in, respectively, the
North African
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...
and
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
campaigns. Because "Commando", at the time, implied a company/battalion-sized unit, the name "Special Service" was instead used for British commando brigades. (However, the term "Commando Brigade" was often used informally, because "Special Service" was unpopular and had a
superficial similarity to the name of the notorious German
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe duri ...
(SS). The brigade was later officially renamed 3rd Commando Brigade.
On 10 November 1943, elements of the brigade embarked at
Gourock
Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a ...
, bound for
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It was intended that the brigade would be used in operations against
Japanese forces in the
South-East Asia theatre, such as the
Burma campaign. However, the limited shipping capacity available at the time meant that the relocation was prolonged and the components of the brigade were not reunited until late 1944. Lt Col.
Peter Young was transferred from the
Normandy campaign
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
to become 2IC of 3rd Commando Brigade. Young succeeded Nonweiler as commander of the brigade.
During January 1945, the brigade was involved in the
campaign to recapture Arakan, including the
battles of Myebon peninsula and Kangaw. The brigade was then withdrawn to India to prepare for
Operation Zipper, a proposed amphibious operation to recapture the Malayan peninsula. The
atomic bombs against Japan precipitated an earlier
surrender of Japan than expected. The 3rd Commando Brigade moved to secure
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
– a British
crown colony that was under Japanese occupation in 1941–45. During 1946, British Army personnel and units within the 3rd Commando Brigade were demobilised or transferred elsewhere and it became a Royal Marine formation.
Post Second World War
3 Commando Brigade's most high-profile operation after the war was the
Suez Crisis, when it took part in the
amphibious assault
Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted ...
against
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
ian targets. During
Operation Musketeer, units of the brigade made a
helicopter-borne assault.
1971 saw the withdrawal of British forces from the Far East and
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
. The brigade returned to the UK with other British units. It moved to
Stonehouse Barracks
Stonehouse Barracks is a military installation at Stonehouse, Plymouth. It is the home of 3 Commando Brigade and referred to by commandos as 'the spiritual home of the Royal Marines'.
Origins
Since the Corps' foundation in 1664, Marines have be ...
in
Plymouth, where it remains to this day.
Operation Corporate
The brigade's next large operation was in 1982.
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
invaded the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
, and 3 Commando Brigade, reinforced by
2 Para
The Second Battalion, Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), is a battalion-sized formation of the Parachute Regiment, part of the British Army, and subordinate unit within 16th Air Assault Brigade whose Commanding Officer for the period 2013-2016 was L ...
and
3 Para
The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade.
Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit, the battalion is capable ...
, was one of the two main British land formations that took part in operations to recapture the islands. The brigade landed at
San Carlos Water
San Carlos Water is a bay/fjord on the west coast of East Falkland, facing onto the Falkland Sound.
Name
Despite its Spanish-sounding name, there is a wide discrepancy with the Spanish usage, for in Spanish "Estrecho de San Carlos" refers ...
and marched across
East Falkland
East Falkland ( es, Isla Soledad) is the largest island of the Falklands in the South Atlantic, having an area of or 54% of the total area of the Falklands. The island consists of two main land masses, of which the more southerly is known as La ...
to
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
. Argentine units were defeated in several sharp engagements, and their forces surrendered on 14 June.
Gulf War
In the aftermath of the 1991
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, the brigade was deployed on a
non-combat task in northern
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
. The Iraqi
Kurds ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ira ...
had suffered immensely during the war and in its immediate aftermath, and the brigade was used due to its rapid deployment ability. It provided
humanitarian aid to the Kurds and saved many from
starvation.
21st century
![RM Jackal Vehicle in Afghanistan MOD 45150600](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/RM_Jackal_Vehicle_in_Afghanistan_MOD_45150600.jpg)
Recently, the brigade has been involved in two major campaigns, including
Operation Veritas
Operation Veritas was the codename used for British military operations against the Taliban government of Afghanistan in 2001. British forces played a supporting role to the American Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition, the British contribut ...
in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, 2001 and 2002, and
Operation Telic during the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
. Iraq, however, saw heavy fighting occur in the early stages of the campaign, as the brigade made its first
amphibious assault
Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted ...
in over 20 years by landing on the
Al-Faw peninsula in south-east Iraq. In 2006, the brigade returned to Afghanistan on
Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...
, replacing
16 Air Assault Brigade, where intense fighting occurred.
Organisation
The brigade contains Royal Marines,
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
,
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
and
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
personnel. The subordinate units are:
Joint Terminal Attack Controllers from the
RAF Regiment are assigned to Brigade HQ. When operating as part of the combined United Kingdom / Netherlands Landing Force, the 1st Marine Combat Group of the Dutch
Korps Mariniers is also attached to the brigade.
Commanders
Commanders have included:
*1944 Brigadier
Peter Young
*1944–1945 Brigadier
Campbell Hardy
*1948–1951 Brigadier
Campbell Hardy
*1951–1952 Brigadier Cecil Phillips
*1952–1954 Brigadier James Moulton
*1954–1955 Brigadier
Ian Riches
*1955–1957 Brigadier Reginald Madoc
*1957–1959 Brigadier Robert Houghton
*1959–1960 Brigadier
Peter Hellings
*1960–1962 Brigadier
Norman Tailyour
*1962–1964 Brigadier Francis Barton
*1964–1965 Brigadier Leslie Marsh
*1965–1966 Brigadier Anthony Willasey-Wilsey
*1966–1968 Brigadier
Ian Gourlay
*1968–1970 Brigadier
Peter Whiteley
*1970–1972 Brigadier Patrick Ovens
*1972–1975 Brigadier Roger Ephraums
*1975–1977 Brigadier
John Richards
*1977–1979 Brigadier
Jeremy Moore
Major General Sir John Jeremy Moore, (5 July 1928 – 15 September 2007) was a British senior Royal Marine officer who served as the commander of the British land forces during the Falklands War in 1982. Moore received the surrender of the ...
*1979–1981 Brigadier
Michael Wilkins
*1981–1983 Brigadier
Julian Thompson
*1983–1984 Brigadier
Martin Garrod
Lieutenant General Sir John Martin Carruthers Garrod, (29 May 1935 – 17 April 2009) was a Royal Marines officer who served as Commandant General Royal Marines from 1987 to 1990.
Military career
Educated at Sherwood College, Nainital in India ...
*1984–1986 Brigadier
Henry Beverley
Lieutenant General Sir Henry York La Roche Beverley, (born 25 October 1935) is a retired Royal Marines officer who served as Commandant General Royal Marines from 1990 to 1994.
Military career
The son of Vice Admiral Sir York Beverley, he was ...
*1986–1988 Brigadier
Robin Ross
*1988–1990 Brigadier Andrew Whitehead
*1990–1992 Brigadier Andrew Keeling
*1992–1994 Brigadier
David Pennefather
*1994–1995 Brigadier Jonathan Thomson
*1995–1997 Brigadier
Anthony Milton
*1997–1998 Brigadier
Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboa ...
*1998–1999 Brigadier
David Wilson
*1999–2001 Brigadier
Robert Fry
Lieutenant General Sir Robert Alan Fry, (born 6 April 1951)Debrett's''Lt-Gen Sir Robert Fry, KCB, CBE''Retrieved 15 August 2013 served as a Royal Marine for over 30 years and was involved in military operations in Northern Ireland, the Gulf, ...
*2001–2002 Brigadier Roger Lane
*2002–2004 Brigadier
James Dutton
*2004–2006 Brigadier John Rose
*2006–2007 Brigadier
Jeremy Thomas
Jeremy Jack Thomas, CBE (born 26 July 1949) is a British film producer, founder and chairman of Recorded Picture Company. He produced Bernardo Bertolucci's ''The Last Emperor'', which won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2006 he rec ...
*2007–2008 Brigadier
David Capewell
Lieutenant General Sir David Andrew Capewell, (born 21 August 1959) is a retired Royal Marines officer who served as Chief of Joint Operations from 2011 to 2015.
Early life and education
Capewell was born on 21 August 1959 in Huddersfield, Yor ...
*2008–2008 Brigadier
Buster Howes
Major General Francis Hedley Roberton "Buster" Howes, (born 22 March 1960) is a former Royal Marines officer who served as Commandant General Royal Marines from February 2010 to December 2011.
Early life
Howes was educated at Christ's Hospital ...
*2008–2009 Brigadier
Gordon Messenger
General Sir Gordon Kenneth Messenger, (born 15 April 1962) is a retired senior Royal Marines officer who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from May 2016 to May 2019. As a colonel he commanded 40 Commando during the Iraq War, and led th ...
*2010–2011 Brigadier
Ed Davis
*2011–2013 Brigadier
Martin Smith Martin Smith may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Martin Seymour-Smith (1928–1998), British poet, literary critic, biographer and astrologer
*Martin Cruz Smith (born 1942), American writer
* Martin Smith (drummer) (1946–1997), British drummer ...
*2013–2014 Brigadier Stuart M. Birrell
*2014–2015 Brigadier
Charles Stickland
*2015–2017 Brigadier Jim Morris
*2017–2018 Brigadier
Gwyn Jenkins
General Gwyn Jenkins, is a senior Royal Marines officer, serving as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff since August 2022. He was concurrently appointed Commandant General Royal Marines in November 2022.
Early life and education
Jenkins was educate ...
*2018–2020 Brigadier Matt Jackson
*2020– Brigadier
Richard Cantrill.
Battle honours
The following
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible.
In European military t ...
s were awarded to the British Commandos during the Second World War.
*
Vaagso
*
Norway 1941
*
St. Nazaire
*
Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...
*
Normandy Landing
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
*
Dives Crossing
*
Flushing
Flushing may refer to:
Places
* Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom
* Flushing, Queens, New York City
** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens
** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens
** Flushin ...
*
Westkapelle
*
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
*
Leese
*
Aller
*
North-West Europe 1942 '44–45
*
Litani
*
Syria 1941
*
Steamroller Farm
*
Sedjenane 1
*
Djebel Choucha
*
North Africa 1941–43
*
Landing in Sicily
Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...
*
Pursuit to Messina
*
Sicily 1943
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
*
Landing at Porto San Venere
*
Termoli
Termoli ( Molisano: ''Térmëlë'') is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly after World War II, ...
*
Salerno
*
Monte Ornito
*
Anzio
Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.
Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands ...
*
Valli di Comacchio
The Valli di Comacchio, meaning "fish basins of Comacchio", are a series of contiguous brackish lagoons situated to the south of Comacchio, close to the Adriatic coast of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. They lie within the comuni of ...
*
Argenta Gap
*
Italy 1943–45
*
Greece 1944–45
*
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
*
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
*
Adriatic
*
Middle East 1941 '42 '44
*
Alethangyaw
*
Myebon
Myebon ( my, မြေပုံမြို့ Myebon Township) is a town of Mrauk-U District in Rakhine State, Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ eve ...
*
Kangaw
The Battle of Hill 170 was a battle between the British 3rd Commando Brigade and the Japanese 54th Division during the Second World War. The battle was fought in January 1945, as part of the Burma Campaign.
The 3rd Commando Brigade were give ...
*
Burma 1943–45
See also
*
1st Commando Brigade
*
2nd Special Service Brigade
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.Army Commandos 1940–45 By Mike Chappell, p 31
On 6 December 1944 th ...
*
4th Special Service Brigade
The 4th Special Service Brigade was a brigade-sized formation of the British Commandos formed during the Second World War in March 1944 from battalion-sized units of the Royal Marines. Due to the success of the British Army Commandos' operations ...
*
Australian commandos
*
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
*
Commandos (United Kingdom)
*
Marine expeditionary brigade – American equivalent
*
Military history of Britain
The Military history of Britain, including the military history of the United Kingdom and the military history of the island of Great Britain, is discussed in the following articles:
*Military history of England: the military history of the nation ...
*
Netherlands Marine Corps – Dutch equivalent and part of UK/NL Landing Force
*
Ski warfare
Ski warfare is the use of ski-equipped troops in war.
History
Early
Ski warfare is first recorded by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus in the 13th century. During the Battle of Oslo in 1161, Norwegian troops used skis for reconnoi ...
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{Naval Service (British), state=collapsed
Royal Marine formations and units
Amphibious landing brigades
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Falklands War
Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Commando units and formations of the United Kingdom
Military units and formations of the Iraq War
The Rifles
1942 establishments in the United Kingdom
N