| 30 (Commando) Assault Unit | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1946 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Marines, Royal Navy, British Army, RAF,[1] and attached civilian specialists.[2] |
| Type | Commando |
| Role | Raiding to gather intelligence |
| Size | 120 all ranks[3] |
| Part of | Combined Operations |
| Nickname(s) | "Red Indians" |
| Motto(s) | "Attain by Surprise" |
| Engagements | Second World War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lieutenant CommanderQuintin Theodore Petroe Molesworth Riley[2] |
| Insignia | |
| 30 Assault Unit Shoulder Insignia |  |
No. 30 Commando, from 1943 to 1946 known as30 Assault Unit, was aBritish Commando unit during theSecond World War, originally formed to gather intelligence.
In a 2012 documentary, Dieppe Uncovered, the historianDavid O'Keefe highlighted a document from March 1942 where the writerIan Fleming proposed the creation of a commando unit to his then superior, AdmiralJohn Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence.[4] Fleming notes the objective of such a unit would be, "to accompany forward troops when a port or naval installation is being attacked and, if the attack is successful, their duty is to capture documents, cyphers". He based this unit on a similar unit already in existence since 1941 in Nazi Germany and operated by theAbwehr (German military intelligence) namedMarine-Einsatz-Kommando Schwarzes Meer.[5]
According to some accounts, the unit was deployed for the first time during theDieppe Raid in August 1942, in an unsuccessful attempt to capture anEnigma machine and related material.[6]
Its formation was officially authorised in September 1942, under the auspices of theDirector of Naval Intelligence. Known initially as the Special Intelligence Unit, it comprised 33 (Royal Marines) Troop, 34 (Army) Troop, 35 (Royal Air Force) Troop and 36 (Royal Navy) Troop. One of the key figures involved in its organisation was CommanderIan Fleming (later author of theJames Bond novels). It was tasked to move ahead of advancing Allied forces, or to undertake covert infiltrations into enemy territory by land, sea or air, to capture much needed intelligence, in the form of codes, documents, equipment or personnel.[2] They often worked closely with theIntelligence Corps' Field Security sections. Individual troops were present in all operational theatres and usually operated independently, gathering information from captured facilities.[2]
The unit took part in theOperation Torch landings (November 1942), landing to the west ofAlgiers atSidi Ferruch on 8 November.[7] They had been provided with detailed maps and photographs of the area, and on the outskirts of the city located the Italian naval headquarters. By the following day all the battle orders for the German and Italian fleets, current code books and other documents had been sent back to London.[7]
Renamed 30 Commando and also known as the Special Engineering Unit,[2] for most of 1943, the unit, or parts of it, operated in theGreek Islands,Norway,Sicily (Pantelleria) andCorsica.[2] 34 Troop operated mainly in the Italian and Balkan campaigns. Its missions have reportedly remained subject to official secrecy regulations. Perhaps the best-known member wasJohnny Ramensky, a Lithuanian-Scottishsafe-cracker.[8] These units were normally inserted by parachute behind enemy lines.
In November 1943, the unit returned to Britain to prepare for the Allied invasion of France. It was re-designated 30 Assault Unit (30AU) in December,[2] and re-organised into HQ Troop; A, B and X Troops; a mobile RN signals unit and a RN medical unit (apparently alongde factocombined operations/joint service lines).
30AU took part inD-Day and the subsequentNormandy Campaign. One detachment, code-namedPikeforce, landed onJuno Beach. Its major task on D-Day was thecapture of a radar station at Douvres-la-Delivrande, north of Caen (although the defending Germans held out until 17 June).[2] Led bySquadron Leader David Nutting, a detachment code-namedWoolforce (commanded by Colonel A. R. Wooley), landed atUtah Beach on D-Day plus 4, tasked with examining suspected GermanV-1 missile sites.[1] 30AU also took part in thecapture of Cherbourg. They launched an assault on Octeville – a suburb to the south west of port. This was the location of the Kriegsmarine naval intelligence HQ known as Villa Maurice which the Commandos captured along with 20 officers and 500 men.[2]
During July 30AU made their headquarters atCarteret where captured material was studied and the force increased in men and vehicles. In August it advanced with theUS 3rd Army in thebreakout of Normandy. 30AU took part in the capture ofRennes,Brest andNantes however captured documents were not of great value there. Their biggest operation however was in theLiberation of Paris – codenamedWoolforce II.[2] Moving with speed in various scout and armoured cars and having avoided road blocks or major resistanceWoolforce II entered via thePorte d'Orléans having followed the2nd Free French armoured division. Avoiding joyous crowds 30AU crossedPont Mirabeau and quickly cleared intelligence targets and blew open every safe box they could find. After a brief gunfight, they captured the former headquarters of AdmiralKarl Dönitz, theChâteau de la Muette 'liberating' 30 tonnes of documents.[9] In addition they seized the factory and underground torpedo warehouses atHouilles andSaint-Cloud. They managed to secure the acoustic torpedoes – theT5 and the experimental T10 as well as extensive technical documentation. When the Germans underDietrich von Choltitz announced the capitulation nearly 700 Germans surrendered to 30AU.[10]
Meanwhile 30AU (sections A and B) also conducted lesser operations in cooperation with French intelligence officers in theToulon andStrasbourg area after they had been liberated. In September 1944, 30AU took part in the capture of Channel coast ports, often using armedjeeps. The operations carried out by 30AU in the liberation of France and Belgium provided a wealth of intelligence particularly in communications within the German military and within the German Navy. For example, how RAFCoastal Command could best deal with U-Boats in attacks via the air.[2]
Some 30AU missions in Germany during early 1945 reportedly remain subject to official secrecy.[citation needed] The unit is known to have targeted military scientists,[11][12] sometimes far behind enemy lines. But this is described in detail in Nicholas Rankin's book "Ian Fleming's Commandos", published 2011 (See Further reading below).
According to some sources, the secrecy surrounding 30AU was such that significant German figures, captured behind the lines by field teams from 30AU, were officially reported to have "surrendered" to Allied infantry.[13][page needed]
A 30AU detachment was sent to thePacific theatre in mid-1945, although theJapanese surrender precluded actual operations. Immediately after the war, however, 30AU was reportedly active inSingapore,Indochina andHong Kong.
30 Assault Unit was officially disbanded in 1946,[2] however in 2010 the Royal Marines formed30 Commando Information Exploitation Group (30 Cdo IXG RM) which carries on the history of 30 Assault Unit.[14]
We are immensely proud to be able to carry on the history of 30 Commando