1st Special Service Brigade

The 1st Special Service Brigade was a commando brigade of the British Army. Formed during the Second World War, it consisted of Army Commandos and Royal Marines Commandos. The brigade's component units saw action individually in Norway and the Dieppe Raid (in France), before being combined under one commander for service in Normandy during Operation Overlord. On 6 December 1944, the Brigade was redesignated 1st Commando Brigade, removing the title Special Service and its association with the German SS.

History

Recruiting for the Commandos began in 1940 when a call was made for volunteers from certain formations that were still in Britain at the time. It was also decided that the Divisional Independent Companies that had been originally raised from Territorial Army Divisions would be disbanded and used to raise the new Commando units along with other men who had seen service in Norway and elsewhere. Subsequent recruiting for the Commandos was also conducted in the various theatres of war and among foreign nationals joining the Allies.

Initially, each 'Commando' was to consist of a headquarters plus ten troops of 50 men each, including three officers; this changed in 1941 to six troops of 65 men per Commando, including a Heavy Weapons Troop. Each Commando unit was initially responsible for the selection and training of its own officers and men. Commando soldiers received extra pay from which they had to find their own accommodation whenever they were in Britain. They trained in amphibious and cliff assault, artillery observer, CQB/CQC, cold-weather warfare, combat and patrolling techniques in urban areas, commando style raids, counter-ambushes, demolition, gathering field intelligence, infiltrating, learning about the toxic environment from chemical weapons to protect when operations, marksmanship, motor vehicle operations, mountain warfare, orienteering, physical fitness, reconnaissance tactics, SERE, signalling, silent killing, tactical emergency medical, tracking tactics, use a map and compass, and weapons (including the use of captured enemy small-arms).