'Attain By Surprise' 30 Commando Assault Unit 1942-45

By Dave Roberts and found elsewhere:

OTD 16/2/1908 - Commander Robert "Red" Ryder, VC is born.

"Red' Ryder was the man tasked with initially organising the Intelligence Assault Unit, later to become 30 Commando, in 1942.
An experienced naval officer he had won his VC at St Nazaire and had later commanded HMS Locust which carried the 'cutting out' force at Dieppe.

Ryder coordinated the original formation of the unit and oversaw the training and recruitment of this unique unit.

Ryder had the unique honour of being the only man to have been awarded the VC and the Polar Medal.

He appears in Post 5, re St. Nazaire VC. See: MGB 314

There is a 2012 book abouit him, which at a glance the Amazon intro does not mention his role with the Assault Commando. See: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reluctant-Hero-Captain-Robert-Ryder/dp/1848843704

 

By Dave Roberts and found elsewhere:

Operation Brandy - Attack on Floro Harbour – 12/13 March 1943

Having been formed alongside the Naval and Royal Marines sections in Autumn 1942, the first operation for 34 Troop, the Military section of 30 Commando took place on the night of 12th/13thMarch 1943. A party consisting of Troop Sergeant Major Warby, Sergeant Whitby and Fusilier Mares, joined a raiding force consisting of one officer and six men of the Norwegian troop of 10 I/A Commando and two Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB’s).

The small party departed Lerwick on board MTB 631 around 0100 on the 12th, following a second MTB with a party of 12 Commando aboard. Both MTB’s, manned by Norwegian Navy crews, reached Floro Fjord by 0100 on the 13th and moored in the shelter of some rocks along the northern edge. The boats were camouflaged with netting, heather and grass to keep them out of sight of German aircraft or foot patrols.

As the Army commandos rested aboard the boats, Naval ratings went ashore to reconnoitre towards Floro harbour, approximately 5 miles to the west. Army personnel were forbidden from setting foot on Norwegian soil but they did obtain important intelligence from locals who rowed out to the MTB’s and were happy to share information for food, Navy tobacco and clothes.

The patrols identified one destroyer and two medium ships in Floro harbour and at 2200 the MTB’s left their hiding spot to launch an attack. As they crept down the Fjord under the cover of darkness, the MTB’s laid mines to disrupt any German shipping that might use it.

MTB 619 entered the harbour first and fired her torpedoes at a 3,000 tonne ship, the Optima, which quickly began to list to port. MTB631 then fired her torpedoes, one hitting a 9,000 tonne ship moored along the quayside, the second hitting the quayside itself, destroying some coastal guns. As the German defence began to organise, both boats turned and headed out of the harbour at full speed.

As MTB 631 came abreast of the harbour entrance it suddenly struck a submerged obstacle and ran aground. Desperate efforts were made to free her, the crew running fore then aft in an attempt to dislodge her, but to no avail. As German searchlights began to sweep the area, and 155mm guns opened up, the Captain of 631 realised he needed to abandon ship and radioed to 619 for assistance.

Under increasingly intense German fire, 619 edged alongside 631 and the men began to transfer across. As the last of the 30 Commando men began to make their way across the boast began to drift apart and Fusilier Mares was forced to swim across having gone back to retrieve the Contex camera which had been borrowed from 36 Troop, the Royal Naval section of the Commando. Other important documents, maps and mail which the locals had entrusted to the boats had to left and there was concern that discovery of these by the Germans might lead to retributions.

The Captain of 619 ordered his guns to open fire on 631 and she was soon ablaze. 619 then sped at full speed into open sea and headed back to Lerwick.

The overcrowded boat, which at times had struggled against rough seas and heavy weather, finally docked in Lerwick at around 1400 on the 16th March, having been escorted the last few miles by a lone Spitfire.

Important information on German troop strengths and naval movements had been obtained from civilians, and the raid had shown Britain’s desire to strike along the entire length of occupied Europe’s coast. The men of 34 Troop had gained valuable experience in sea-borne operations and in obtaining vital and correct intelligence from local sources. This would stand them in good stead for later operations in the mediterranean.

By coincidence the commander of the Norwegian MTB flotilla was Lieutenant Patrick Dalzel-Job, RNVR, who would later join 30 AU in 1944 and serve with them throughout their operations in France and Germany.

New York Times, 18 March 1943:

NORSE FORCES RAID HARBOR IN NORWAY;

Two Nazi Ships Sunk at Floro by Torpedoes of Light Naval Craft in Daring Blow CLASH WITH ENEMY RISKED Attackers Escape Without Loss Despite Reported Massing of German Fleet Near by.

 

By Dave Roberts and found elsewhere:

The Story Behind the Number

When we think of Ian Fleming, “007” instantly comes to mind. But during The Second World War, another number—30—became a lasting legacy of Fleming’s time in Naval Intelligence.

In March 1942, Fleming proposed the formation of a ‘Special Intelligence Assault Unit’ to ‘pinch’ enemy SIGINT (signals intelligence – in this case Enigma related items), technology, weapons and personnel, operating under the control of Naval Intelligence. On 27 July 1942, the Joint Intelligence Committee authorised the raising of such an Intelligence Assault Unit and placed it under the command of Combined Operations in liaison with NID (Naval Intelligence Division). For internal purposes the unit was given the title, ‘Special Engineering Unit’ and attached it to the Special Service Brigade for men and equipment purposes. Thus, by August 1942, Fleming’s new unit had two names, but no number yet.

Myth tells that the inspiration for the number 30 came from the room in the Admiralty where Fleming’s secretary worked. Sadly, the reality is much more mundane. In November 1942, the Royal Marine battalions that were becoming Commando units were renamed 40 and 41 Commando to differentiate them from the Army Commandos who were numbered 1-12. The Special Engineering Unit was now renamed ‘30 Commando’, to separate them from their Royal Marine and Army counterparts. Around the same time, commando units, including 30, were now authorised to wear the green berets for the first time. The first recorded mention of 30 Commando is in Dunstan Curtis’ report to Captain Ryder, VC, on the unit’s first operation as part of Operation Torch and the attack on Algiers.

Now officially known as 30 Commando, the unit was still often referred to as SEU (Special Engineering Unit) or even by its section number, 33 Section (Naval – though in fact almost entirely Royal Marines), 34 Section (Army) and 36 Section (Technical, i.e. RNVR officers). SEU had been a ‘cover’ name, but it seems somewhat redundant as any enemy agent would have had a very difficult job identifying any single unit from all this.

30 continued to operate throughout 1943 until the Royal Navy and Royal Marines elements were withdrawn from the Mediterranean in preparation for Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. Once again, 30 was to undergo a change of name, though the number would remain.

On 31 December 1943, at Combined Operations HQ in London, a meeting was held to discuss the future of 30 Commando. Attended by representatives of NID, Combined Operations, The Special Service Group, 21st Army Group, the Air Ministry and the senior officers of 30 Commando, the meeting agreed to the expansion of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines sections of the unit under the new title, 30 Assault Unit (30AU) whilst the Army section, 34 troop, would remain in Italy under its current title, 30 Commando or SEU. Alongside the name change and reorganisation came the iconic ‘30’ patch - light blue numbers on a navy background - to be worn on both upper arms by all 30AU personnel.

There was one final name change to come for 30 AU and in February 1945, in line with their new, less aggressive role, the unit was renamed 30 Advanced Unit. Expanded once again to cover the wealth of targets to be exploited as the Allies entered Germany, the unit now stood at over 450 men. Although it had been chastised for being too forward of Allied units and getting into too many firefights, hence the removal of the word ‘assault’, 30 continued to operate beyond the lead Allied units, almost in sheer defiance.

30 AU garnered several unofficial names throughout the war, some of which they almost wore as badges of honour rather than slurs or insults. US general, George Patton famously referred to them as ‘Limey Gangsters’, the unit having fallen foul of him in Tunisia and Sicily. Fleming himself could be less than complimentary at times, referring to his unit as behaving like ‘Red Indians’, but he also saw that as a positive. The exploits of some of the young Marines in France led to some senior Allied officers referring to the unit as 30 Indecent Assault Unit, a name which needs little explanation. Colonel Neville, RM, part of the planning section for Combined Operations, perhaps summed up the unit’s raison d’etre best in November 1942 when outlining its role and possibilities, referring to them as “armed and expert authorised looters”; one unofficial name the unit certainly did deserve and lived up to.

In September 1945, the number 30 was retired from the Commando force but in 2010 the Royal Navy revived it, renaming the UK Landing Force Support Group, 30 Commando, Information Exploitation Group, Royal Marines.

Born in midst of Britain’s darkest days in 1942, ‘30’, Fleming’s second most iconic number, lives on today - a proud legacy of the ‘armed and expert looters’ and their wartime exploits.

 

Three articles by Dave Roberts (member here). They are not the same as the two posts above

Introduction (lightly edited):

Part One: Formationhttps://ianfleming.com/the-story-behind-ian-flemings-commandos/
Part Two: Missions: The Story Behind: Ian Fleming’s Commandos - Part Two | Ian Fleming
Part Three: Into the Reich: Rockets, Scientists and Sub The Story Behind: Ian Fleming’s Commandos - Part Three | Ian Fleming

I will add a cross-reference post on the "main" Ian Fleming thread.

 

For an episode involving Patrick Dalzel-Job in Normandy, France after D-Day see today's update on a 2011 thread: 2765856 Staff Sergeant Maurice Bramah, Glider Pilot Regiment

There are a small number of threads where Patrick Dalzel-Job aka as Patrick Dalzel Job appears. I have only searched for his distinctive middle name.

There is a long article on: Patrick Dalzel-Job – RN | SWWEC

Robert Pearson did publish a book in 2015, not about one man, but the evacuation Norway's gold after the German invasion. See: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gold-Run-Rescue-Norways-Bullion/dp/1612002862

There is a YT presentation nearly a year ago, with Robert in the chair on:

 

From Dave Roberts posted elsewhere: