![]() ![]() Dill, aware of Churchill's intentions, approved Clarke's proposal. Clarke discussed the matter with Dill at the War Office and prepared a paper for him that proposed the formation of a new force based on the tactics of Boer commandos, 'hit sharp and quick - then run to fight another day' they became 'The Commandos' from then onwards. Churchill told the joint chiefs of staff to propose measures for an offensive against German-occupied Europe, and stated in a minute to General Hastings Ismay on 6 June 1940: "Enterprises must be prepared, with specially-trained troops of the hunter class, who can develop a reign of terror down these coasts, first of all on the "butcher and bolt" policy." The Chief of the Imperial General Staff at that time was General John Dill and his Military Assistant was Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Clarke. After the events leading to the British Expeditionary Force's (BEF) evacuation from Dunkirk, after the disastrous Battle of France, Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, called for a force to be assembled and equipped to inflict casualties on the Germans and bolster British morale. The British Commandos were a formation of the British Armed Forces organized for special service in June 1940. The Second World War Commando legacy also extends to mainland Europe and the United States, the French Naval commandos, Dutch Korps Commandotroepen, Belgian Paracommando Brigade, the Greek 1st Raider/Paratrooper Brigade and the United States Army Rangers were influenced by the wartime Commandos. The modern Royal Marine Commandos, Parachute Regiment, Special Air Service, British Army commandos and the Special Boat Service trace their origins to the Commandos. Their operations ranged from small groups of men landing from the sea or by parachute, to a brigade of assault troops spearheading the Allied invasions of Europe and Asia.Īfter the war most Commando units were disbanded, leaving only the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Reaching a wartime strength of over 30 units and four assault brigades, the Commandos served in all theatres of war from the Arctic Circle to Europe and from the Mediterranean and Middle East to South-East Asia. This total includes not only the British volunteers, but volunteers from Greece, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Canada, Norway, Poland, and the United States Army Rangers and US Marine Corps Raiders, which were modelled on the Commandos. ![]() By the end of the war 25,000 men had passed through the Commando course at Achnacarry. Initially drawn from within the British Army from soldiers who volunteered for the Special Service Brigade, the Commandos' ranks would eventually be filled by members of all branches of the British Armed Forces and a number of foreign volunteers from German-occupied countries. The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. ![]()
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