3 Commando Brigade - History

History

3 Commando Brigade can trace its origins back to World War II, when it was formed as the 3rd Special Service Brigade. The Commandos were formed as forces to perform raids on occupied Europe. Many of these raids were relatively small affairs, but some were very large, such as the 1942 Dieppe Raid, and the attack on St. Nazaire to cripple the dry dock there.

The 3rd Special Service Brigade was formed in 1943 and sailed for the Far East and saw action against the Japanese in the Burma Campaign. On 6 December 1944 the Brigade was re named 3rd Commando Brigade, removing the hated title Special Service and its association with the German SS. In January 1945 they were involved in the battles to secure the Myebon peninsula and Kangaw, holding a key position during the battle of Hill 170 against repeated Japanese attacks. The Brigade was then withdrawn to India to prepare for the amphibious assault on Malaya, but the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan ended the war before the planned invasion. Instead the Brigade moved to Hong Kong to secure the Crown Colony. In 1946 the Army Commandos in the Brigade were disbanded and the Brigade became a Royal Marine Commando formation.

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