Hi gents, I wonder if someone can tell me more about the 30th Bn, RM. In 1945 (the timeframe I am currently investigating) many RM units were stationed in Holland, along the major rivers, conducting recon operations. Quite a few marines were KIA on these. I wonder what unit the 30th Bn resulted under. My own resources on the RM are scant and google wasn't very helpful either this time. Any help would be appreciated. Stevin
30th Bn RM were in 116 Indep Inf Bde, which deployed into NW Europe as Army Troops assigned to 1st Canadian Army. They were organised as conventional infantry. The vast majority of Royal Marines in WW2 were not Commando trained. You may find my post on Page 3 of the thread below helpful, if not directly informative. 27th Bn Royal Marines 1945
Have the following post VE Day 30th Infantry Battalion Royal Marines Battalion Headquarters: Kaiser Wilhelm Hafen (Docks) Hamburg 15 May 45 – less one company Brunsbüttel, Landkreis Süderdithmarschen relieved by 13th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery of 3rd Army Group Royal Artillery 19 Jun 45 – Estetal (Marine) Kaserne later Spey Barracks Buxtehude, Landkreis Stade 27 Jun 45 – United Kingdom https://britisharmyingermany.com (under construction)
Duplicating a post I just made on the thread for 27th Bn: I just now followed a link tucked away in the references at the foot of the very short Wikipedia page for 116th Infantry Brigade, and got myself a copy of Naval Review Vol XXXIII No 3 August 1945, which opens with an 11-page piece entitled Review Of Royal Marine Operations 1939-45, from which I have lifted the few paragraphs below, because they contain the only references therein to 116th Bde, or any of its constituent Bns. EXTRACT FROM REVIEW OF ROYAL MARINE OPERATIONS 1939-45, by DUILIUS PUBLISHED IN THE NAVAL REVIEW Vol XXXIII No 3 August 1945 CROSSING THE RHINE. When at last 21st Army Group launched its decisive offensive to force the crossing of the Rhine on the 23rd of March, Royal Marines of Nos. 45 and 46 Commandos, serving with the 1st Commando Brigade, were in the spearhead. The first unit across at Wesel was No. 46 R.M. Commando, and general opinion awards to Captain Barry Pierce, R.M., of that unit, the honour of being the first man to land on the eastern bank (Captain Pierce was, unhappily, killed in subsequent fighting on the Aller). After the Wesel crossing 1st Commando Brigade with its Marine components cleared the town of Osnabruck and went forward to force crossings of the Weser, the Aller and finally the Elbe. The last stages of the war in the West saw the reappearance of two Royal Marine infantry brigades. These were the product of a remarkable quick-change act. As already related, many of the soldiers of the Royal Marine Division and the M.N.B.D.O.s were turned into landing craft crews in the autumn of 1943 to meet the heavy demands on the, Royal Navy for the invasion. The closing months of 1944 found the Army feeling the pinch of man-power shortage, whereupon the 116th and 117th R.M. Infantry Brigades were formed, drawing a substantial part of their personnel from these same landing-craft crews, who turned back into soldiers with even greater expedition than they had taken to the sea. Again the policy of basic infantry training proved its value. THE GREAT SURRENDER The 116th R.M. Brigade arrived in time to play a part in the holding action on the lower Maas that was the hinge upon which turned the swift envelopment of the Dutch and North German ports by the 1st Canadian and 2nd British Armies. The 27th Battalion from this Brigade fought with the 4th Canadian Armoured Division in their advance through Oldenburg towards Wilhelmshaven. When the collapse came the 117th Brigade was called forward hastily, its 33rd Battalion being flown forward from Belgium to take part in the occupation of Kiel. These R.M. formations were rushed into the German naval ports, Kiel, Wilhelmshaven, Emden, Brunsbuttel and later Cuxhaven, to deal with the crews of U-boats and destroyers coming in to surrender, often in a recalcitrant frame of mind, and also with the thousands of troops who poured in by ship. In Kiel in one hectic night 21 destroyers were taken over and 14,000 soldiers removed from shipping in the harbour by the Marines.
