1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos was a Fusiliers Marins

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unit of the

Free French Navy The Free French Naval Forces (french: Forces Navales Françaises Libres, or FNFL) were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Émile Muselier. History In the wake of the Armistic ...

, raised in 1942, which served 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 ...

. Its initial Commandant was then-Lieutenant de Vaisseau ( Captain)

Philippe Kieffer Philippe Kieffer (24 October 1899 – 20 November 1962), '' capitaine de frégate'' in the French Navy, was a French officer and political personality, and a hero of the Free French Forces. Life and career Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to a ...

of the

, under whose command they participated in the

Normandy landings 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 ...

in 1944.

History

Formation

The creation of the battalion was initially planned for March 1941, but it was delayed until 1942. At this time, Troop 1, "Commandos Français", was formed with the intention of raising the unit to a battalion of 400 personnel in readiness for the expected offensive operations in Europe. Initially, the unit was headquartered in the vicinity of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

while undergoing training with other units at the Commando Training Centre at

Achnacarry Achnacarry ( gd, Achadh na Cairidh) is a hamlet, private estate, and a castle in the Lochaber region of the Highlands, Scotland. It occupies a strategic position on an isthmus between Loch Lochy to the east, and Loch Arkaig to the west. Ac ...

, Scotland. Initially, the battalion was organized into a headquarters section, medical, radio, and transportation sections, and three troops designated 1, 8 and 9, the last being responsible for using Depth Charge Projector Mark 6, Mod 1, commonly called the "K-Gun"; 177 men in all. In 1944, the battalion was expanded to three troops, with the Headquarters troop and A & B Troops performing the usual land commando role. A large number of the battalion's personnel came from

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

Operations

Members of Troop 1, under the command of Lieutenant (Navy) Kieffer, took part in the

raid on Dieppe Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, s ...

(

Operation Jubilee Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regime ...

) with the British and Canadian commandos on 19 August 1942. In November 1942, the unit became officially known as the 1ère compagnie de fusiliers marins commandos, with members of the unit participating in the night raid on the bridge at

Plouézec Plouézec (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It has 17 km of rugged coastline that makes it a tourist destination all year round, with beaches such as Bréhec and Pors Pin. Plouézec is ...

on 11 and 12 November 1942. French commandos took part in the

raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

on the beach of

Wassenaar Wassenaar (; population: in ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and Dorp (town), town located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands. An affluent suburb of The ...

in Holland on 28 February 1944, the site of

V-2 rocket The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develop ...

launches, during which six of them, including Captain Charles Trepel, were killed. Kieffer philippe

In March 1944, the battalion received its official designation, and in May 1944, a few weeks before the Normandy landings, they received their own badge consisting of an ecu of bronze charged with a brig (representing adventure) and the barred

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

of the Commandos with, in the sinistral corner, the

Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine (french: Croix de Lorraine, link=no), known as the Cross of Anjou in the 16th century, is a heraldic two-barred cross, consisting of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horizon ...

and underlined by a streamer carrying the inscription "1er Bn F.M.Commando". The green beret was worn in the British fashion, pulled right with badge over the left eye or temple. The battalion was initially assigned to No.4 Commando of the British Army's

1st Special Service Brigade The 1st Special Service Brigade was a commando brigade of the British Army. Formed during the Second World War, it consisted of elements of the British Army (including British Commandos) and the Royal Marines. The brigade's component units saw a ...

, serving as its 5th and 6th Troops. The unit began training for the impending invasion of France in March 1944. In the days that preceded the Normandy landings, the commandos were issued with poor quality photographs of the objectives. Because some of the French commandos were from Normandy, they recognised the sites, which concerned the brigade's British staff. As a result, the Frenchmen were temporarily confined to their camp before the landings. Promoted June 5, Capitaine de Corvette (

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

) Philippe Kieffer commanded the operations of the 177 men of the 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos, from June 6 in Normandy. They disembarked from landing craft at 07:31 hours on

Sword beach Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord. The Allied invasion of German-occupied Fr ...

, on the east of the Allied landing near Colleville-Montgomery. They were the first to be unloaded in this sector with No.4 Commando's landing craft having to let them pass to the lead as initially planned. Their specific objective was to achieve a breach to the west of Riva Bella in support of the 3rd Infantry Division. In spite of significant losses, the commandos seized the 50 mm anti-tank gun encuvée – an armoured artillery position like a small bunker – which had disabled LCI 523 (1Re Troop). They then took the former Casino de Riva-Bella before advancing between Colleville and Saint-Aubin-d'Arquenay to meet the British paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division at

Pegasus Bridge Pegasus Bridge, originally called the Bénouville Bridge after the neighbouring village, is a road crossing over the Caen Canal, between Caen and Ouistreham in Normandy. The original bridge, built in 1934, is now a war memorial and is the cent ...

( Bénouville), arriving around 16:30 hours. There, the French commandos occupied the perimeter of the

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

pit towards 20:00 hours. By the evening of June 6, the 1er BFMC had lost almost 25% of its personnel with 27 killed in combat, and many wounded including their commander Kieffer, who had been wounded twice in the course of the day. The French Commandos Marine fought in Normandy until 27 August 1944, when the battalion was returned to the United Kingdom for rest and to receive replacements. In November 1944, the 1er BFMC was landed on the island of Walcheren in Holland and took Flessingue as part of an

combined arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare that seeks to integrate different combat arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects (for example by using infantry and armour in an urban environment in which each supports the other) ...

operation undertaken by the British and Allied commandos.p.180, Lemoine By October 1944, the commando battalion had three companies. At the end of the Second World War the unit returned to French control, and it currently serves as part of the Naval Commandos of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

. The unit continues to wear the green beret and bronze shield badge.

Citations and notes

References

* van der Bijl, Nick, & Chapman, Robert, ''No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando 1942–45: Britain's Secret Commando'', Osprey Publishing, 2006 * Fleury, Georges, ''Fusiliers marins et commandos: baroudeurs de la royale'', Copernic, 1980 * Le Marec, Bernard, ''Les Français libres et leurs emblèmes'', Lavauzelle, 1994 * Giard, Michel, ''Mousses et marins au combat: 1914–1954'', Corlet, 2001 * Ingouf-Knocker, Paul, ''Juin 40–44 en Cotentin: objectif(s) Cherbourg'', Eurocibles, 2004 * Guillou, Michel, ''Opération "Fa enheit": raid des commandos britanniques, pointe de Plouézec, nuit du 11 au 12 novembre 1942'', A.E.R.H.D.G.M., 1994 * Pichavant, René, ''Clandestins de l'Iroise: récits d'histoire'', Morgane, 1988 * Tenor, Auguste, (ed.), ''Debarquement'', Editions Le Manuscrit * Lemoine, André Herman, ''Forteresse Escaut: novembre 1944, le dernier débarquemet des Bérets verts'', Published by Albin Michel, 1994 * Coquart, Elizabeth & Huet, Philippe, ''Le jour le plus fou: 6 juin 1944 : les civils dans la tourmente'', Published by Albin Michel, 1994 * De La Sierra Raymond, "Le Commando du 6 Juin" Presses de la Cité

History

Formation

Operations

Citations and notes

References

Recommended reading