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h the recent wave of budget cutbacks involving the British defense establishment, the Royal Marines have so far escaped elimination. Like their counterparts in the United States who had t° fight for their own existence a few decades hack, they are a small, elite, seagoing force with °n illustrious history.
Throughout the 20th century. Royal Marines have been in action all over the world. In World War I, they were present at all the major naval engagements, and a Royal Marines Brigade was formed in August 1914 to fight in Belgium. During the early years of World War II, marines manned their guns at sea and fought ashore in Europe, in the Mediterranean, and in the Far East. In early 1943, with the rapid growth of tri-service amphibious op-
erations and with support from Admiral Mountbat- ten, then Chief of Combined Operations, a total of 9 Royal Marines Battalions reformed as commandos, beginning with 40 Commando RM and subsequently numbering consecutively up to 48 Commando RM. (The name “commando” is derived from the small units of Boer farmers who, lightly equipped, mounted on ponies, and all superb marksmen, carried out raiding operations against the British Army in South Africa at the turn of the century with devastating success.) The idea was developed into a concept which, in the darkest days of World War II, enabled small groups of highly trained men, delivered from the sea, to inflict spectacular damage to the enemy’s economy. Later, they were involved in Sicily, Italy, and in the Far East. On D-Day in June 1944, some 17,500 marines took part in the assault in Normandy, with five Royal Marines Commandos spearheading the landings.
Post-World WarII: Since 1945, the Royal Marines having been ordered to assume completely the commando role, and in the true tradition of their cap badge, have operated all over the world. In the Korean War, 41 Commando RM served with distinction and was awarded the U. S. Presidential Unit Citation, still worn on its colours, for its action at the Chosin Reservoir. In Malaya and in Cyprus in the late 1950s, Royal Marines Commandos proved their versatility and skill in a wide range of minor wars. At Suez in 1956, 45 Commando RM landed from HMS Bulwark in what must have been one of the first amphibious helicopter assault operations conducted. In the operations covering the difficult withdrawal from Aden, 42 and 45 Commandos were prominent (the Royal Marines were the last to leave), and in the four-year confrontation with Indonesia in Borneo the Royal Marines based in Singapore served regularly in Sarawak and what was then British North Borneo. Ten years of strife in Northern Ireland have seen Royal Marines Commandos in the forefront of internal security operations in that troubled province.
Organisation and Roles: The modem Corps is today about 7,000 strong—small by U. S. standards, but versatile, well trained and equipped, and professional. We also enjoy the advantage of being an allregular and generally long-service Corps, in that the minimum period of engagement for an officer or marine is four years, and most marines sign on for nine years. The Corps is, as it has been for most of its history, a part of the naval service, and our Commandant General is responsible to the Admiralty Board for the operational effectiveness and administration of the Royal Marines.
The Commandant General (Lieutenant General Sir John Richards, KCB) has his headquarters in the Ministry of Defence buildings in London, and responsible to him are the two groups of the Corps, each commanded by a two-star general. They are Major General Royal Marines Commando Forces and Major General Training and Reserve Forces Royal Marines.
Commando Forces: Royal Marines Commando Forces contains the principal operational formation of the Corps, 3d Commando Brigade. The brigade, about 5,000 strong in peacetime, contains four Commando Units (40, 41, 42, and 45 Commandos), together with Army and support units.
A commando is a battalion-sized force equipped with conventional infantry weapons and trained in the special techniques of amphibious and helicopter operations. 81-mm. mortars and 84-mm. antitank guns are part of its inventory, and in the last year a commando has been given a heavier antitank punch in the form of the Milan missile. Essentially- though, a commando is a lightly equipped unit with no armour of its own, and with only sufficienI wheeled transport for the carriage of radio sets and for essential resupply. Tactical mobility for the brigade is provided by two squadrons of medium m helicopters (Wessex V and Sea King IV). These atf Royal Navy helicopter squadrons, containing both naval and marine pilots.
The logistic needs of the brigade are provided W a composite logistic regiment, containing R0>ah Navy, Royal Marines, and Army personnel. Thou? the brigade is self-sufficient in logistic terms, if 3 reinforcement operation much reliance would b placed on the host nation’s logistic facilities. In re cent exercises in Norway and Denmark, much p{°~_ ress has been made in this field. The use of Norway ’ many small fishing boats to move ammunition ad supplies may sound like a very rough and read- solution, but their application in the narrow fj°r j of a country where road communications are at be primitive is extremely effective. .
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A unique characteristic of 3d Commando gade is that in wartime and for the majority of 0 exercises it takes under command a fifth infan1 unit, provided by the Royal Netherlands Man1^ Corps. The close professional relationship British and Dutch Marines stems from our verysl ig ilar histories over 315 years, in which we ha' fought side by side (and against each other), a this is now no better demonstrated than in the c° 5 pletely integrated formation known in NATO circ .. as the UK/NL Amphibious Force. The brigade totally committed to NATO reinforcement tas primarily in the area of Northern European x mand. which stretches between North Norway a the Elbe in North Germany. Initially under Supre ( Allied Commander Atlantic, we expect to op^_ alongside our U. S. Marine Corps brothers-in-ad11
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Procrrdings / No>«"b<r
t, °ugh of course for simple geographical reasons r e UK/NL Amphibious Force can reach the Eu- ^Pean continent sooner than amphibious reinforce- wents coming from the United States. Amphibious apfare ships, together with LSLs and commercial tn'?s taken up from trade, give the force the stra- mobility it needs to reinforce any part of North- a-" Europe without being dependent on ports and ‘"'fields.
nearly six months every year, Norway is in 3 ? §rip of winter. For this reason, approximately full men ^e UK/NL Amphibious Force are ^ ^ Gained and equipped for mountain and arctic and are declared to NATO in this highly Vj"c'alised role. Training includes the ability to sur- f0 e; ntove on skis, and fight in this harsh and un- j^giving area; the arctic element of 3d Commando ev'8ade deploys to Norway for three months in year to continue training in these vital skills. e Nothing and equipment used by the brigade in fountain and arctic role are almost all British ov e- A notable exception is the Swedish Volvo pr r?n°w vehicle. This articulated tracked vehicle lafiV|(*es suPerb cross-country mobility for the car- It ^ °f weapons, radios, ammunition, and supplies. an also tow a dozen skiers, a relatively easy way
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of moving marines over long distances. The special problems of snow, ice, and high altitude have, of course, a considerable effect on helicopter operations. Both Royal Navy and Royal Marines aircrew deploy to Norway each year to learn and practice their important contribution to the brigade’s tactical mobility. Landing and raiding craft crews also have to learn the particular difficulties of operating in Norwegian fjords in winter.
In addition to their commitment to NATO, Royal Marines of Commando Forces are available at short notice as a versatile and highly mobile force in sup-
port of national tasks. Units may be moved by amphibious ship or by air, and in the last two years. Royal Marines Commandos have been deployed to Hong Kong to counter the flood of illegal immigrants, to Cyprus as part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force, and of course regularly to peacekeeping duties in Northern Ireland. In the tense and sometimes stormy conditions which surrounded the progress to independence of the Anglo/ French Condominium of the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), it was 42 Commando Royal Marines who from June to August 1980 provided the necessary stability and military presence to avoid bloodshed.
Training and Reserve Forces: As well as commanding the 1,000-strong Royal Marines Reserve, a two-star general directs the activities of the three principal training establishments of the Royal Marines. Some Royal Marines training is carried out with the Royal Navy and the Army, but essentially all training of recruits, officers, specialists and all promotion training is run centrally in our own schools. For such a small Corps this system has
often been criticised as not being cost-effective, bu it has the great advantage of producing uniform > high standards and is the envy of many. At the Com mando Training Centre at Lympstone, near Exete > Devon, recruit, commando, officer, NCO, and som specialist training is conducted, with the wild an^ inhospitable training areas of Dartmoor close hand. It is here that on successful completion of[1] six-week commando course, the young °ffi.cerve recruit is awarded his green beret, the distinct! headgear of our Corps. At Royal Marines P°° ' Dorset, the training of landing craft crews, swimm canoeists, drivers, vehicle mechanics, and ot technical trades is carried out. At Royal Mar>n Deal in Kent, the Royal Marines School of provides a consistently high standard of music'3 . to form the various Royal Marines bands through0 the country.
A highly specialised unit of training and rese « forces is the Special Boat Squadron. This srn . elite force has a primary role of intelligence g ering and beach reconnaissance in advance o amphibious landing. The men who form the sq° ^ ron are swimmer canoeists trained in all aspec diving and small boat operations as well as 0 forms of clandestine warfare. Roughly analog00 the U. S. Navy’s SEALs, or to the British A” js Special Air Service, the Special Boat Squadro also employed in certain national security tas • g
The security of the United Kingdom's °f s^oth oil assets has been a matter of growing interest
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in press and government, and the Royal Marines have been involved in providing reaction forces to counter terrorist attacks for the last five years. In April 1980, the Royal Marines were given authority to form a new 300-man company which is now fully operational and, amongst other commitments, is trained for these vital security tasks. Supported by Royal Navy helicopters and containing many specialists, the company is based in Arbroath in north- cast Scotland.
Sea Service: The Royal Marines are proud to be Part of the Royal Navy. Originally formed for ser- v*ce at sea in ships of the fleet, we still maintain that tradition. Each of the Navy’s amphibious warfare ships contains a large detachment of marines, prodding landing craft crews, communications personal, and beach units as well as contributing to the general security of the ship. Approximately 20 of the frigates and destroyers of the fleet contain 10- ttan detachments, each commanded by a sergeant. Their duties are principally to provide a skilled nu- deus for the ship’s landing platoon when deployed ashore. In addition, the detachment mans part of the ship’s armament, provides boats’ crews, and security sentries. They also perform any necessary ccremonial duties.
The interests and activities of the Royal Marines are spread far. Marines are serving in NATO, joint service, Royal Navy, and Army headquarters throughout the world. The green beret can be found in operational, training, and staff appointments in the United States, Canada, the Falkland Islands, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, West Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Brunei, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Australia.
The Royal Marines can look back over a proud history stretching over three centuries. Throughout this time, the common elements have been the Royal Navy and the nation’s maritime interests. Today, the modern Corps provides a unique force in Great Britain: amphibious commando soldiers declared both to national tasks and to the support of NATO’s most vulnerable northern flank. [2] I
_______________________________________ Tilt!_____________________________
A student naval aviator was experiencing some aircraft difficulties with his TA-4 while attempting to execute his first carrier landing. Discretion being the better part of valor, he decided to abort the training flight and divert to the closest suitable field. As he approached NAS Corpus Christi, he called the tower, declared an emergency, and requested immediate clearance to land. The tower granted permission to land and requested the nature of the emergency.
The quick-witted aviator immediately answered. “Tower, if I see one more red light in this cockpit, I think I’ll win a free game.”
Lieutenant Commander T. Q. O’Rourke
RHIP—Rank Has Its Problems
Along with “commodore-admiral,” we may have uncovered another new, equally exotic rank. In an Army PX liquor store the other day, they wanted to see my ID card, for identification and for rank, the latter to channel profits appropriately to the officers’ club or the enlisted men’s club.
The gal behind the counter studied my card. “I don’t know much about Navy rates,” she said. “That ’RADM’—does it mean ‘radioman?’ ” I’ve had to educate these Army types before, so in my none-too-clear handwriting I scribbled my rank down on her pad. “Oh! ‘Rear Animal,’ ” says the gal without batting an eye. “Is that officer or enlisted?”
Rear Admiral Kemp Tolley, U. S. Navy (Retired)
(The Naval Institute will pay $25.00 for each anecdote published in the Proceedings.)
[1] sioned as a second lieutenant in 1958. On completion of Young Officer Training in 1961, he ^2.] * IM joined 40 Commando RM. He subsequently
T. 'jfl served in the United Kingdom and overseas, as ET'U/pQ an instructor in the officers’ training wing of the , \ Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, and as a student at the Canadian Armed Forces Staff College. He served on the staff of Commander in Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe in Oslo and later commanded a company during operations in Northern Ireland. After a tour in the Ministry of Defence and deployment with 3 Commando Brigade to Norway, he served in the Department of Commandant General Royal Marines and in April 1981 assumed command of 45 Commando RM in Arbroath, Scotland.
Lieutenant Colonel Whitehead was commis-