No. 30 Commando: Difference between revisions

|image= 30AU emblem.png

|image_size= 300px

|caption=unit badge

|branch=Royal Marines, Royal Navy, British Army, RAF,<ref name="nutting"/> and attached civilian specialists.<ref name=kingscollege/>

|nickname=''"Red Indians''"

|motto= "Attain Byby Surprise"

|notable_commanders= [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Quintin Riley|Quintin Theodore Petroe Molesworth Riley]]<ref name=kingscollege/>

'''No. 30 Commando''', from 1943–19461943 to 1946 known as '''30 Assault Unit''', was a [[British Commando]] unit during the [[Second World War]], originally formed to gather intelligence.

Renamed '''30 Commando''' and also known as the '''Special Engineering Unit''',<ref name=kingscollege>{{Cite web|accessdateaccess-date=2 June 2010|publisher=Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, [[King's College London]]|title=History of 30 Assault Unit 1942–1946|url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/summary/xh40-001.shtml}}</ref> for most of 1943, the unit, or parts of it, operated in the [[Greek Islands]], [[Norway]], [[Sicily]] ([[Operation Corkscrew|Pantelleria]]) and [[Corsica]].<ref name=kingscollege/> 34 Troop operated mainly in the Italian and Balkan campaigns. Its missions have reportedly remained subject to official secrecy regulations. Perhaps the best-known member was [[Johnny Ramensky]], a Lithuanian-Scottish [[safe-cracker]].<ref name="NAS">{{cite web|title=Feature: Gentle Johnny|url=http://www.nas.gov.uk/about/061123.asp|publisher=The National Archives of Scotland|accessdateaccess-date=15 September 2016}}</ref> These units were normally inserted by parachute behind enemy lines.

30AU took part in [[D-Day]] and the subsequent [[Normandy Campaign]]. One detachment, code-named ''Pikeforce'', landed on [[Juno Beach]]. Its major task on D-Day was the [[Battle of Douvres Radar Station|capture of a radar station at Douvres-la-Delivrande]], north of Caen (although the defending Germans held out until 17 June).<ref name=kingscollege/> Led by [[Squadron Leader]] [[David Nutting (RAF)]], a detachment code-named ''Woolforce'' (commanded by Colonel A. R. Wooley), landed at [[Utah Beach]] on D-Day plus 4, tasked with examining suspected German [[V-1 flying bomb|V-1]] missile sites.<ref name="nutting">David C. Nutting (ed.), 2003, ''Attain by Surprise: Capturing Top Secret Intelligence in WW II'' (rev. ed.), David Colver.</ref> 30AU also took part in the [[Battle of Cherbourg|capture of Cherbourg]]. They launched an assault on Octeville – a suburb to the south west of port. This was the location of the Kriegsmarine naval intelligence HQ known as Villa MeuriceMaurice which the Commandos captured along with 20 officers and 500 men.<ref name=kingscollege/>

During 30 July AU30AU made their headquarters at [[Barneville-Carteret|Carteret]] where captured material was studied and the force increased in men and vehicles. In August it advanced with the [[US 3rd Army]] in the [[Operation Cobra|breakout of Normandy]]. 30 AU took part in the capture of [[Rennes]], [[Brest, France|Brest]] and [[Nantes]] however captured documents were not of great value there. Their biggest operation however was in the [[Liberation of Paris]] – codenamed ''Woolforce II''.<ref name=kingscollege/> Moving with speed in various scout and armoured cars and having avoided road blocks or major resistance ''Woolforce II'' entered via the [[Porte d'Orléans]] having followed the [[2nd Armored Division (France)|2nd Free French armoured division]]. Avoiding joyous crowds 30AU crossed [[Pont Mirabeau]] and quickly cleared intelligence targets and blew open every safe box they could find. After a brief gunfight, they captured the former headquarters of Admiral [[Karl Dönitz]], the [[Château de la Muette]] 'liberating' 30 tonnes of documents.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ash |first1=John Garton |title=Bill Day |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/9733321/Bill-Day.html |accessdateaccess-date=20 May 2019 |agencywork=The Daily Telegraph |date=9 December 2012}}</ref> In addition they seized the factory and underground torpedo warehouses at [[Houilles]] and [[Saint-Cloud]]. They managed to secure the acoustic torpedoes – the [[G7es torpedo|T5]] and the experimental T10 as well as extensive technical documentation. When the Germans under [[Dietrich von Choltitz]] announced the capitulation nearly 700 Germans surrendered to 30AU.<ref name="Rankin266">Rankin p 266</ref>

Some 30AU missions in Germany during early 1945 reportedly remain subject to official secrecy.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}} The unit is known to have targeted military scientists,<ref name="Nutting">{{Cite book|last=Nutting|first=David|authorlink=|title=Attain by Surprise|year=2003|publisher=Colver|isbn=0-9526257-2-5}}</ref><ref name="National Archives">{{Cite bookweb |title=Appendix 1 (Part 5): History of 30 Commando (later called 30 Assault Unit and 30 Advanced Unit also known as Special Engineering Unit)|year=19461997 |origyearorig-year=1946 (released 1997) |publisher=Admiralty SW|id=ADM&nbsp;223/214|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4123104}}</ref> sometimes far behind enemy lines. But this is described in detail in Nicholas Rankin's book "Ian Fleming's Commandos", published 2011 (See Further reading below).

According to some sources, the secrecy surrounding 30AU was such that significant German figures, captured behind the lines by field teams from 30AU, were officially reported to have "surrendered" to Allied infantry.<ref name="The Paperclip Conspiracy">{{Cite book|last=Bower|first=Tom|authorlink=|title=The Paperclip Conspiracy|year=1997|publisher=Paladin|isbn=0-586-08686-2}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=September 2010}}

30 Assault Unit was officially disbanded in 1946,<ref name=kingscollege/>, however in 2010 the Royal Marines formed [[30 Commando Information Exploitation Group]] (30 Cdo IXG RM) which carries on the history of 30 Assault Unit.<ref>{{Cite newsmagazine | title = UK Royal Marines Rename Information Unit |newspaper magazine= International Defence Review | publisher = JanesJane's | location =London London| date = June 2010 | page =8 8| quote = We are immensely proud to be able to carry on the history of 30 Commando}}</ref>

* 30 Assault Unit's commander Ian Fleming based his fictional secret agent character [[James Bond]] on the commando types and their wartime achievements. See also [[Inspirations for James Bond]].

== References ==

{{reflistReflist|2}}

{{refbeginRefbegin}}

* {{Cite book |last=Chappell |first=Mike |year=1996 |title=Army Commandos 1940–45|year=1996 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=London |isbn=1-85532-579-9}}

* {{Cite book |last=Haining |first=Peter |year=2007 |title=The Mystery of Rommel's Gold: The Search for the Legendary Nazi Treasure |yearlocation=2007London |publisher=AvanaConway Books|location=|isbn=978-1-84486-053-1 |oclc=317259576}}

* {{Cite book |last=Ladd |first=James |year=1980 |title=The Royal Marines 1919–1980|year=1980 |publisher=Jane's |location=London |isbn=978-0-7106-0011-0}}

* {{Cite book |last=Moreman |first=Timothy |year=2006 |title=British Commandos 1940–46 |publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2006 |isbn=1-84176-986-X}}

=== Further reading= ==

{{refbeginRefbegin}}

* {{citeCite journalbook |last=HugillDalzel-Job |first=J. A. C. |authorlink=Patrick |year=19461991 |title=Arctic Snow to Dust of Normandy: The HazardExtraordinary MeshWartime Exploits of a Naval Special Agent |locationplace=LondonBarnsley, UK |publisher=HurstPen and Sword &Military BlackettBooks |oclcisbn=146360901-84415-238-3}}

* {{citeCite journalbook |last=RileyHampshire |first=JA. P. |authorlink=Cecil |year=19891978 |title=The From Pole to PoleSecret Navies |placelocation=London |publisher=BluntishamW. BooksKimber |isbn=10-87199971830-02195-21}}

* {{citeCite book journal|last=Dalzel-JobHugill |first=PatrickJ. |authorlink=A. C. |year=19911946 |title=ArcticThe Snow to Dust of NormandyHazard Mesh|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.209759 |placelocation=BarnsleyLondon |publisher=Pen and SwordHurst Military& BooksBlackett |isbnoclc=1-84415-238-314636090}}

* {{citeCite journalbook |last=RankinRiley |first=NicholasJ. |authorlink=P. |year=20111989 |title=IanFrom Fleming'sPole Commandos:to ThePole Story of the Legendary 30 Assault Unit|url=https://archive.org/details/frompoletopoleli0000rile |placelocation=LondonBluntisham, UK |publisher=OxfordBluntisham UniversityBooks Pressfor J. P. Riley |isbn=978-01-19871999-97828202-62}}

=== External links= ==

[[Category:AdmiraltyMilitary duringunits Worldand Warformations IIdisestablished in 1946]]