Special Forces during the war

[Wise1]

Has anyone got some information on what Special forces units from all countries were operating during the war and what they were doing?

I have never really spent much time looking at this area but I would like to find a place to start.

Any help or advice appreciated.

Lee

[Thomas McCall]

Chindits operating in the Burmease jungle behind japaneae lines, trying to disrupt troop movement by destroying bridges etc. Chindits comprised British troops as well as natives.

SAS operating in the Western Desert, disrupting Rommel's supply lines and by blowing up Berka Satellite airfield.

SOE behind German lines in occupied Europe. Responsible for destroing the German Heavy Water plant at Telemark. They usually collabarated with resistance groups such as the French resistance and Tito's partisans.

[Wise1]

Thanks for that thomas, gives me a place to start

[hmsk212]

Special Boat Service - (Levant Schooner Flotilla) operated in the Aegean Sea from a covert base on the Turkish Coastline.

Steve

[Andrew Pittaway]

Australia had about 8 commando squadrons working in the islands. These were the forerunners to the Australian SAS. They were called 2/1st Commando Squadron
2/2nd, 2/3rd, 2/4th, 2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th & 2/8th.
The 2/2nd independent Company also had a very interesting history on Timor. The island was captured by the Japanese by this unit never surrendered but kept a guerilla war with the help of the local population.

Cheers
Andrew

[Brownag]

Here's some of the top of my head

British - LRDG (Desert), SAS (Desert, Balkans, France), Popski's Private Army (Desert & Italy), Army and Navy Commandos (N-W Europe, Italy, Balkans, N. Africa, Burma) also troops from occupied countries in Europe in No. 10 Commando

Germans - Brandenburg Regt., Otto Skorzeny's SS parachute troops.

Joint American-Canadian 1st Special Service Force (Italy)

[Kiwiwriter]

You also have the US Rangers. There were four battalions in Europe and one in the Pacific, which carried out the Cabanatuan Raid.

In Burma, we see the famous Chindits and the US 5307th Composite Task Group, Provisional, better known as Merrill's Marauders. British commandos of Force 136 also operated in Burma.

The Japanese weren't much for commando units, but their SNLF and parachute units tried to fill the role. They used the Indian National Army for some deception operations.

The Soviets used some German renegades of the Armee Freies Deutschland to deceive German defenders late in the war.

The Americans had an OSS commando unit of German-speakers and a like unit of Italian speakers.

[Sgt Pilot Bernard Henson RAFVR]

Force 136,which I believe operated behind the Japanese Lines with British Officers & NCOs & the Native Tribesmen & with Chiang Kai Shek's Chinese Forces in Malaya & Thailand{see Spencer Chapman's "The Jungle is Neutral" for further information;Pub:~ 1950s}

[laufer]

There was a 1st Independent Polish Commando Company operating as a part of 2nd Polish Corps in Italy. British SOE has also trained and dropped in occupied Poland hundreds of Polish officers. Many of them were the best partisan and conspiracy commanders of the Home Army. Several were sent to Albania, Greece, France, Italy and Yugoslavia to cooperate with local resistance movements.

[No.9]

The above should be expanded and explained. Poland never originated any Special Forces. In 1942 the Commandos formed No.10 (Inter Allied) Commando in Britain which comprised ten Troops of varying numbers of which the Poles formed one, 6 Troop. No.10 (IA) never fought as a Commando and in the case of 3 Troop, which comprised German speaking eastern Europeans, they never fought as a Troop.

In September 1943 the Polish Troop (95 men) was sent on its first assignment, to Italy, together with one of the Belgium Troops to augment 2 Commando Brigade, which itself was to comprise Nos.2, 9, 40 and 43 Commandos. The Belgians and the Poles were given combat experience by several weeks patrolling in the western mountains of the Gustav Line, where the Belgians got the tougher position.

The Belgians went on take part in the battle of Monte Ornito and then went to Yugoslavia in March ‘44. While they were away, the Poles were attached to 2nd Polish Corps as a temporary measure but never returned to 2 Brigade. When the Belgians left Yugoslavia they returned to England to prepare for the assault on western Europe. With the move to the 2nd Polish, the Polish Troop received 20 replacements for casualties, recruited from the 2nd. In the 2nd they were virtually used as line infantry in assaults on the Gustav line at Colle San Angelo and were further depleted.

They were then transferred to Oratino on the Adriatic and augmented with the Italian 111th Company (Bridge Protection Unit) Volunteers. The Italians were given Polish uniforms and ensignia. They then acted mainly as tank support troops for 2 Polish Armoured Brigade and in August ’44 ceased to be technically connected with the Commandos and were formed into a larger Motorised Battalion. The title ‘1st Independent’ was one they had given themselves. The Poles awarded their men 78 medals. The British awarded them 2.

No.9