| 45 Commando Royal Marines | |
|---|---|
 Unit badge | |
| Active | 1943–Present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | |
| Type | Commando |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | UK Commando Force |
| Garrison/HQ | RM Condor,Arbroath |
| Motto(s) | Latin:Per Mare Per Terram (By Sea By Land) |
| March | Quick –A Life on the Ocean Wave Slow –Preobrajensky |
| Website | 45 Commando - Royal Navy |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lt Col Edward HallMBE, RM |
45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is abattalion sized unit of the BritishRoyal Marines and subordinate unit withinUK Commando Force, the principalCommando formation, under the Operational Command of theFleet Commander.
Tasked as a Commandoamphibious unit, 45 Cdo RM is capable of a wide range of operational tasks. Based atRM Condor,[1] their barracks inArbroath, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training.
All personnel have completed the Commando course at theCommando Training Centre atLympstone inDevon, entitling them to wear thegreen beret, with attached personnel having completed theAll Arms Commando Course.
The 5th RM Battalion was originally raised for a brief period at the end ofWorld War I (September 1918-February 1919), and was again raised on 2 April 1940 following massmobilisation and the influx of "hostilities only" (HO) marines. The battalion was raised at Cowshot Camp inBrookwood (now part of thePirbright Camp complex), being incorporated into 101 RM Bde, along with the 1st RM Battalion. Between August and October 1940 the battalion took part in operations inDakar. On return until August 1943 the battalion conducted extensive training inWales,Scotland, theIsle of Wight andBurley, where the battalion reformed as 45 RM Commando on 1 August 1943.[2] It was commanded between March 1940 and February 1942 byArnold Reading.[3]
After reforming and retitling, the unit transitioned to the Commando role as a formed unit, by-passing the individual volunteer and selection process undertaken byArmy Commando candidates. Personnel undertook, and completed, the Commando Basic Training Course atAchnacarry,Scotland. As part of the1st Special Service Brigade, the Commando participated inOperation Overlord (theD-DayNormandy landings), before going on to move through Europe into Germany, including Brachterbeek on 23 January 1945.[4] During theArdennes Offensive, the retitled 1st Commando Brigade was given the task of holding a stretch of the RiverMeuse; it was during this period of operations that Lance CorporalH. Harden, a medical orderly of theRAMC attached to 45 (RM) Commando, won theVictoria Cross.[5]
Following theSecond World War both1st Commando Brigade (Nos 3, 4 and 6 Army Commandos and 45 RM Commando) and2nd Commando Brigade (Nos 2 and 9 Army Cdos and 40 and 43 RM Cdos) disbanded, leaving 3 Cdo Bde (then comprising 1 and 5 Army Cdos and 42 and 44 RM Cdos) in place in theFar East. 3 Cdo Bde reorganised, disbanding 1 and 5 Army Cdos, and took on 45 RM Cdo, which joined the Bde in Hong Kong, from the UK, in January 1946. In order to preserve the heritage of a 2 Cdo Bde unit, as well as that of 1 Cdo Bde (45 RM Cdo),44 Commando was retitled40 Commando (which had been disbanded in UK in October 1945) and took on 40 RM Cdo's colours, battle honours and traditions, albeit with 44 RM Cdo's manpower. The three remaining commandos were restyled 40, 42 and 45 Commandos RM in March 1946.[6]
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The Commando unit was based inHong Kong between January 1946 and May 1947, conducting internal security duties, as part of 3 Cdo Bde RM. Between May 1947 and December 1948 the Commando moved toMalta, during which time it deployed toLibya,Palestine,Suez andJordan. The Commando unit returned toHong Kong in December 1948 and from there deployed toMalaya between 1950 and 1952 taking part in operations during theEmergency. Between 1952 and 1959 the Commando was once again based in Malta. In September 1955 45 Commando was deployed toCyprus to undertake anti-terrorist operations against theEOKA guerrillas who were fighting against British control of the island. EOKA were a small, but powerful organisation of Greek Cypriots, who had great local support from the Greek community. The unit traveled to the Kyrenia mountain area of the island and in December 1955 launched Operation Foxhunter, a failed operation to destroy EOKA's main base.[7]
Then in 1956 the unit deployed to Egypt as part of the response to theSuez Crisis, conducting the first helicopter assault in history.[8]
Between 1960 and 1967 the Commando was based inAden, from where it conducted 10 operational tours in theRadfan during theAden Emergency. The Commando unit also deployed briefly toKuwait following anIraqi threat to her Independence in 1961. In January 1964, part of then Tanganyika, later to become theTanzanian Army mutinied. 45 Commando who were in Aden boardedHMS Centaur and sailed to East Africa and anchored off-shore from Dar es Salaam. The revolt was put down after 45 Commando landed by helicopter at Colito Barracks with other operations around the country over the coming days.[9]
The last elements of the 45 Commando left Aden on 29 November 1967 to return to the UK for the first time since the end ofWorld War II. They set up home inStonehouse Barracks,Plymouth.[10]
In 1970 the Commando began Arctic training for the first time, taking on the role of Britain's mountain and Arctic warfare experts (joined later by the other Commandos). 45 Cdo RM deployed toNorway for the first of many winters in 1971, which coincided with a move of the unit fromStonehouse, Plymouth to the oldNaval Air Station,RNAS Arbroath (nowRM Condor) inArbroath,Scotland, where the unit still remains.[11] This period in the unit's history is characterised by the alternation ofNorthern Ireland tours[10] and winters in Norway, protectingNATO's northern flank.[12]
Following theArgentine invasion of 2 April 1982, 45 Cdo RM, under the command ofLieutenant Colonel Andrew F. Whitehead RM, had their Easter leave cancelled and hastily deployed to the Falklands, travelling in a mix ofRoyal Navy (RN) andRoyal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships. Having made a tactical landing at Red Beach,Ajax Bay on 21 May 1982, the men of 45 Cdo RMyomped acrossEast Falkland, via Port San Carlos, New House, Douglas Settlement, Teal Inlet andMount Kent to take part in the Battle forPort Stanley. They conducted a night attack on theTwo Sisters feature over the 11/12 June 1982,[4] during which the Commando unit lost 8 men killed and 17 wounded. The Argentinians surrendered on 14 June 1982. Lt. Col Whitehead was awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO).[13]
The Commando unit deployed toNorthern Iraq onOperation Haven at the end of theGulf War, where it spent 2 months in theZakho area, withdrawing at the end of June. In 1993 The Commando unit was deployed toBelize for the last operational jungle tour in that country. In a mirror image of its 1961 deployment toKuwait, the Commando returned on Operation Driver in 1994, in support of Kuwait, following some threatening troop movements by the Iraqis on their side of the border. In 1998 the Commando unit was redirected from an exercise in Belize, to assistNicaragua andHonduras following the devastation caused byHurricane Mitch.[14]
At the turn of the Millennium, the Commando unit was deployed toKosovo underKFOR as part of 3 Cdo Bde RM on Operation Agricola IV.[15][16] From April 2002, the unit deployed toAfghanistan onOperation Jacana, and also took part inOperation Telic 1, the 2003 invasion of Iraq. X-RayCompany Group was attached to theSpecial Boat Service (SBS), WhiskyCompany Group attached to theSpecial Air Service (SAS).[17]
In September 2003, 45 Commando was granted theFreedom of Angus in recognition of their service in Iraq and Afghanistan and contribution to the local economy ofArbroath, where they are based.[18]
In January 2004 the unit deployed toNorthern Ireland (Operation Banner) for 6 months in support of peacekeeping operations, returning home in June. On return, it became theSpearhead Lead Commando, a role assumed on a rotational basis. The Lead Commando is at a high level of readiness, able to deploy at short notice on operations worldwide.[19]
In September 2004, whilst still Lead Commando unit, the Group deployed to theUnited States on Exercise BLACKHORSE. This was split into two phases, the first of which took place with theUnited States Marines Corps Ground-Air Combat Centre at29 Palms,California. This 900 square miles of desert, allowed realistic live firing, involving artillery and air strikes. The second phase took place at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Centre, high in theSierra Nevada Mountains. An early snowfall meant the Commando was able to carry out cold weather warfare training, operating between 7000 and 11,000 feet (3,400 m). 2006 saw the Unit deploy to Norway for further Arctic training which culminated with aNATO led exercise.[20]
The focus switched to preparation for deploying to Afghanistan onOperation HERRICK 5 in late 2006. This deployment saw the Commando take on a number of different roles, the principal one being that of theOperational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT). The OMLT task was to work alongside theAfghan National Army and develop it into a self-sufficient organisation. The Unit returned from Afghanistan in April 2007.[21]
October 2008 saw the Commando unit return to Afghanistan as Northern Battle Group inHelmand Province on Operation HERRICK 9. The operational area of responsibility was the Upper Sangin Valley which extended for 80 km along the length of theHelmand River. The Battle Group was in excess of 1200 strong, half of whom came from 45 Commando.[22]
April/May 2009 saw the return of the Commando to Arbroath in Scotland for reorganisation ahead of a winter deployment to Norway to practice cold weather and amphibious tactics.[18]
45 Commando deployed toAfghanistan again, as part of 3 Commando Brigade, for 6 months in March 2011 onOperation Herrick 14. They returned home in October 2011.[23][24]
45 Commando was the lead commando group for the UK until May 2013, able to deploy at short notice.[25] In October 2013 Whisky Company from 45 Commando exercised in Ghana with US, Dutch and Spanish Marines.[26][27]
45 Commando Royal Marines provided the guard of honour during the Beating Retreat Ceremony of theRoyal Marines Band Service to celebrate the birthday of theirCaptain GeneralPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh atHorse Guards Parade in May 2016.[28]
It became clear in 2018 that 45 Commando would, as would40 Commando, form the infantry component of aLittoral Response Group, as part of restructuring in theFuture Commando Force programme.[29]
In 2022, 350 marines from 45 Commando supported diplomats from theBritish embassy in Ukraine, and a small number may have provided weapons and training to Ukrainian troops.[30][31]
The structure is as follows:[32]
Commanders have included:
The followingBattle honours were awarded to the British Commandos during the Second World War.[33]
56°34.821′N2°37.745′W / 56.580350°N 2.629083°W /56.580350; -2.629083 (RM Condor)
Notes
Bibliography
