The United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade, is the special operations capable commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.
The brigade was formed 1 September 1943 at Dorchester with personnel from 102 RM Brigade,The Royal Marines 1919-1908, James D Ladd, Janes 1980, page 373 during the Second World War, with a mixture of Army Commando and Royal Marine Commando units, and was deployed to the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II to conduct operations against the invading forces of Imperial Japan, such as the Burma Campaign. After the Second World War, the Army Commandos were disbanded and the brigade became a Royal Marine formation. In the 2020s, the United Kingdom Commando Force has again become a mixed formation with the addition of commando-qualified soldiers from the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers to provide support for the Royal Marine Commandos. 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 and the War in Afghanistan.
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 (Army); No. 5 Commando (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 and Madagascar 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 (SS).) The brigade was later officially renamed 3rd Commando Brigade.
On 10 November 1943, elements of the brigade embarked at Gourock, bound for India. 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 to become second-in-command 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 – 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 against Egyptian 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 brigade returned to the UK with other British units. It moved to Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth, where it remains to this day.
Operation Corporate The brigade's next large operation was in 1982. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, and 3 Commando Brigade, reinforced by 2 Para and 3 Para, was one of the two main British land formations that took part in operations to recapture the islands (the other was 5th Infantry Brigade). The brigade landed at San Carlos Water and marched across East Falkland to Stanley. 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 brigade was deployed on a non-combat task in northern Iraq. The Iraqi Kurds had suffered immensely during the war and in its 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
The brigade has been involved in major campaigns, including Operation Veritas in Afghanistan, 2001 and 2002, and Operation Telic during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Iraq saw heavy fighting occur in the early stages of the campaign, as the brigade made its first amphibious assault 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, replacing 16 Air Assault Brigade, and intense fighting occurred.
In 2022, 3 Commando Brigade was rebranded to the United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), a process that started in 2020 and completed in 2024.
Falklands War order of battle The order of battle was as follows:COMMANDO BRIGADE ROYAL MARINES
Commander: Brigadier JHA Thompson 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery (Lt Col MJ Holroyd Smith) 7th (Sphinx) Battery Royal Artillery / 105 mm L118 Light Guns x 6 Land Rover 101 Forward Control x 6 Land Rover series IIA x 6 8th (Alma) Battery Royal Artillery / 105 mm L118 Light Guns x 6 Land Rover 101 Forward Control x 6 Land Rover series IIA x 6 79th (Kirkee) Battery Royal Artillery / 105 mm L118 Light Guns x 6 Land Rover 101 Forward Control x 6 Land Rover series IIA x 6 148th (Meiktila) Battery (Primary role is as a Naval Gunfire Support Forward Observation (NGSFO) battery.) 40 Commando, Royal Marines (Lt Col MPJ Hunt) — Blue Beach 1 - Sapper Hill. (†1) 42 Commando, Royal Marines (Lt Col NF Vaux) — Mount Kent - Mount Harriet. (†2) 45 Commando, Royal Marines (Lt Col AF Whitehead) — Red Beach - Douglas Settlement - Two Sisters. (†12) 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Lt Col H Jones VC) — Blue Beach 2 - Goose Green & Darwin - Wireless Ridge. (†18) 29th Field Battery RA 43 (Lloyds) Air Defence Battery 1st troop / Blowpipe x 6、Leyland 4-tonne truck x 6 2nd troop / Blowpipe x 6、Leyland 4-tonne truck x 6 3rd troop / Blowpipe x 6、Leyland 4-tonne truck x 6 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers (†4) 10th Field Troop, / Land Rover 101FC Ambulance x 16 81st Department Ordnance Company 613th Tactical Air Control Party
3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Lt Col HWR Pike) — Green Beach - Teal Inlet - Mount Longdon. (†21) 1st Ordnance Coy Detachment / Land Rover 109 S111 Ambulance x 1 Commando Logistic Regiment, Royal Marines (Lt Col I Helberg) (†1) Bedford MK UBRE (Unit Bulk Refuelling Equipment) x9 comprising (Civgas x5, Dieso x3, AVCAT x1), ROF Nottingham Eager Beaver Air Portable Fork Lift Truck (APFLT) x8, Can-Am motorcycles x8. 3 Commando Brigade HQ and Signals Squadron (Maj R Dixon) (†1) 3 Commando Brigade Aviation Squadron (Major CP Cameron) / 9 x Gazelle AH.1 helicopters (†3) 6 x Scout helicopters (†1) Reconnaissance Troops (Lt M Coreth) B Squadron, Blues and Royals / FV101 Scorpion x 4、FV107 Scimitar x 4、FV106 Samson x 1 T Battery (Shah Sujah's Troop) Royal Artillery 12 Air Defence Regiment / Rapier Missile FS.A Launcher x 12、Land Rover 101 Forward Control x 12 Air Defence Troop / Blowpipe Missile launchers x 12 Leyland 4-tonne truck x 12 Land Rover 109 series III x 12 1st Raiding Squadron, Royal Marines (Capt Chris Baxter) / Rigid Raiding Craft x 17 Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre, Royal Marines (Capt Rod Boswell) SBS (Maj Jonathan Thomson) 67 men (†1) 2nd, 3rd and 6th Sections 22 SAS (Lt Col HM Rose) 107 men (†19) D and G Squadrons 1 Tactical Air Control Party 2 Tactical Air Control Party 3 Tactical Air Control Party maintenance group Rear link detachment, 30 Signal Regiment (†3) Elements of 17 Port Regiment Royal Corps of Transport. 3 x Mexeflote detachments. 5 x Landing ship logistics detachments. 2 x FV 4018 Centurion BARV 3 x Surgical support teams Postal courier communications unit detachment of 2 PC Regiment RE, 20 PC Sqn RE (tasked 3 CDO Bde support) & 21 PC Sqn RE (tasked 5 Airborne Bde support) Detachment 47 Air Despatch Squadron RCT. 59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers (Maj Roderick Macdonald). (†3) 2 Troop 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers (Capt Robbie Burns) Detachment 49 EOD Squadron, 33 Engineer Regiment Royal Engineers (†1) 2 man bomb disposal team Y Troop Royal Marines (electronic warfare) Commando Forces Band (stretcher-bearers)
- Replaced by Lt Col David Chaundler
Current organisation
The UK Commando Force contains Royal Marines, Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel. 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.
The subordinate units are:
Headquarters, UK Commando Force, at RM Stonehouse
Commander, UK Commando Force is Brigadier Jamie M. Norman Commando EOD Troop from 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD)
Headquarters, 40 Commando, at RM Norton Manor
Command Company Logistics Company Information Warfare Company Alpha Company (A Coy) Bravo Company (B Coy) Charlie Company (C Coy)
Headquarters, 42 Commando, at RM Bickleigh
Command Company Logistics Company Juliet Company (J Coy) Kilo Company (K Coy) Lima Company (L Coy) Mike Company (M Coy)
Headquarters, 43 Commando (Fleet Protection Group), at HMNB Clyde
Headquarters Squadron Oscar Squadron (O Sqn) Papa Squadron (P Sqn) Romeo Squadron (R Sqn)
Headquarters, 45 Commando, at RM Condor
Command Company Logistics Company Whisky Company (W Coy) X-Ray Company (X Coy) Yankee Company (Y Coy) Zulu Company (Z Coy)
Headquarters, 47 Commando (Raiding Group), at RM Tamar
539 Raiding Squadron (539 RS) 10 (Landing Craft) Training Squadron 11 Amphibious Trials and Training Squadron, at RM Instow Logistics Squadron
Headquarters, 48 Commando Support Group, at RM Chivenor
Headquarters Squadron Equipment Support Squadron Logistic Support Squadron 383 Commando Petroleum Troop (Army Reserves) Medical Squadron Landing Force Support Squadron Viking Squadron, at Stanley Barracks, Bovington Garrison
Headquarters, 30 Commando Information Exploitation (IX) Group, at RM Stonehouse
Headquarters Squadron Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright. Intelligence Cell Information Activities Cell Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS) Yankee Squadron (Y Sqn) Air Defence Troop Communications Squadron Logistics Squadron Royal Marines Police Troop Base Squadron
Headquarters, 24 Commando Regiment, Royal Engineers, at RM Chivenor Source: 56 Commando Headquarters and Support Squadron Commando Diving Team 54 Commando Squadron 59 Commando Squadron 131 Commando Squadron (Army Reserves) 24 Cdo REME Workshop
Headquarters, 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, at Royal Citadel, Plymouth Source: 7 (Sphinx) Battery, at RM Condor. 8 (Alma) Commando Battery 79 (Kirkee) Commando Battery 23 (Gibraltar 1779–1783) Commando Battery 148 (Meiktila) Battery, at RM Poole 29 Cdo REME Workshop, at the Royal Citadel, RM Condor, RM Poole
Amphibious Task Group