4th Special Service Brigade

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=4th Special Service Brigade
abbreviation=


caption=
dates= 1944 - 1946
country= United Kingdom
allegiance=The Crown
branch=Royal Navy
type= Infantry
role= Amphibious Assault
size= Brigade
command_structure=
equipment=
Past Commanders=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
notable_commanders=Brigadier B. W. Leicester
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_2=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= D Day
Battle of the Scheldt
Walcheren Islands|anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=

The 4th Special Service Brigade was created in March 1944 from units of the Royal Marines. Due to the success of the Army Commandos’ operations in Norway, the Channel Islands, St. Nazaire, and the Middle East, the Admiralty dissolved the Marine Division in late 1942 and reorganized its amphibious assault infantry in to eight additional Commandos.The Brigade landed in Normandy on June 6 1944 during Operation Overlord and particpated in the Battle of the Scheldt and the assault of the Walcheren Islands. [Army Commandos 1940-45 By Mike Chappell,p 31] On December 6 1944 the Brigade was re named 4th Commando Brigade, removing the hated title "Special Service" and its association with the German SS. [British Commandos 1940-46 By Timothy Robert Moreman,p 32]

Formation

*Commander : Brigadier B. W. Leicester
**No.41 (Royal Marine) Commando, Lieutenant-Colonel E. Palmer
**No.46 (Royal Marine) Commando, Lieutenant-Colonel C. R. Hardy
**No.47 (Royal Marine) Commando, Lieutenant-Colonel C. F. Phillips
**No.48 (Royal Marine) Commando, Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Moulton [cite web|title=pegasusarchive|url=http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/order_4SSB.htm]
**No.4 Army Commando was attached for the Battle of the Scheldt in place of No 46 RM [British Commandos 1940-46 By Timothy Robert Moreman]
**No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando, elements attached. [No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando 1942-45 By Nick Van Der Bijl, Robert Chapman,p49]

Normandy

The Plan

The brigade task was to secure the flanks of the invasion beaches, linking up the British front from the Orne River to Port-en-Bessin and the Americans on Omaha Beach. The newly raised 46 and 47 RM Commandos joined 41 RM Commando and it became apparent to the Allied planners that a fourth Commando was needed for the brigade’s mission, so in mid-March the remaining men of the Royal Marine Division and other volunteers began training to form No. 48 RM Commando in time for the invasion. The Brigade was expected to be in combat for at most a week before being returned home. cite web|title=flames of war|url=http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=481]

*No.41 (Rm) commando to land at far right of Sword beach.
*No.46 (RM) commando at Juno Beach to scale the cliffs on the left side of Ornne River estuary and to destroy a battery.
*No.47 (Rm) Commando to go to the west flank of Gold beach.
*No.48 (Rm) commando to go to Juno beach with the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. [cite web|title=allied invasion plan|url=http://www.6-6-44.com/alliedinvasionplan.htm]

41 RM Commando Sword Beach

No 41 RM Commando was the senior unit in the Brigade, they landed at Hermanville-sur-Mer and then moved west to Lion-sur-Mer then link up with their fellow commandos at Luc-sur-Mer. As they came ashore under moderate fire, they lost several men including their Regimental Sergeant Major, the Naval Forward Observation Officer and the second in command.Once clear of the beach defences they found themselves in a relatively quite sector. From their assembly area they marched down the coastal road toward Lion-sur-Mer joined by three AVREs. As P and Y troops approached the town a well-concealed German PaK 38 gun ambushed the tanks destroying all three and stalling the assault.

A and B troops had been moving ahead on to their second objective at the Chateau, but were attacked on their approach and forced back. Facing overwhelming defences and artillery, the commandos dug in and awaited reinforcements. At 1330 Hours battalions of the Lincolnshire Regiment and the Royal Ulster Rifles moved up to the Commando’s position bringing with them a replacement Naval Observation Officer. As soon as he arrived, the destroyers off shore began a one hour-long naval bombardment battering the strong point and chateau. It was now too late for the commandos to launch an effective assault so they dug in for the night.

When dawn broke the German artillery fire began once again pinning the commandos and supporting infantry for another two hours. Then they were subject to an bombing attack by German Heinkel bombers which dropped anti-personnel bombs on to their position killing several men including their royal artillery observer and severely wounding the commanding officer, Lt Col Gray. Having already lost the second in Command Major Barclay, command fell to the Adjutant John Taplin. Under his command the Commando joined the Lincolnshire Regiment in the final assault on the strongpoint and chateau. Once the two units had defeated the position, 41 Commando moved out alone to Luc-sur-mer. They found the town undefended and dug in to wait for their comrades to join them from the Canadian beach.

48 RM Commando Juno Beach

48 RM Commando were to land at Nan Red sector of Juno Beach with the mission to assault the strongpoint at Langrune-sur-Mer and then link up with 41 RM Commando sealing the breach between the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the British 3rd Infantry Divisions. On their approach to the shore, two of their ships struck underwater obstacles and sunk. Weighed down by their equipment, many of the marines drowned in the surf. Those that did make it ashore faced intense German small arms fire. The combined effect of these two situations was that only fifty percent of the commando made it off the beach to fight on east of Juno. Once off the beach, 48 RM Commando advanced to their objective the heavily defended guns at Langrune. As they approached, the destroyer HMS Vigilant bombarded the position, with little effect due to the heavy fortifications. The commando's found the strong point protected by snipers, mines, machine-guns and an four-foot thick concrete wall. They were then joined by two Centaur Tanks from the 1st Royal Marine Support Regiment, the first of these tanks moved toward the wall firing its 95mm howitzer and obliterating a machine-gun bunker that had been covering the crossroads. The second Centaur began to move in to position, but struck a mine while approaching the wall forcing the crew to bail out and join the commandos. With the Centaur's out of ammunition or disabled the attack faltered, B Troop raced across the intersection to an opposite house only to discover that it had been fortified with the windows and doors facing the strongpoint filled with concrete. The commandos had no choice but to bring down the wall. They set a charge at its base, but once again the explosive force was absorbed by the strength of the fortification. The commandos next received news of the 21st Panzer Division’s counter-attack that had already stopped the British advance on Caen and was pushing on toward Lion-sur-Mer. The commandos were ordered to cease the assault and take up defensive positions. The German Panzer grenadiers reached the German 716th Infantry Division positions still manned between the two units of the 4th Special Service Brigade. The next event was the glider assault landing of the 6th Airlanding Brigade of the 6th Airborne Division’s to the east. Seeing the gliders landing, the German commander feared he would be out flanked and ordered his force to withdraw towards Caen. Had he pushed onward and attacked the commandos, Sword beach would have been isolated and the entire eastern flank of the Allied invasion may have collapsed.

In the morning the commandos were joined by a pair of Canadian M10s, which fired anti-tank rounds on the wall, for the next hour the M10s peppered the wall with solid shot and the fortification began to disintegrate. An Royal Marine upport Group Sherman then appeared and opened fore on the wall and allowed the commandos to launch an assault. Advancing behind the Sherman, covered by it's cannon and machine-guns, the commandos seized the interior of the strong point and spent the rest of the day silencing the remaining pockets of resistance around Langrune.

46 RM Commando Juno Beach

The brigade’s reserve element, No. 46 RM Commando, landed on Juno beach at 0900 on 7 June and advanced on to Petit Enfer. The commandos faced stiff German resistance, but were able to force their way through the German positions and on to Luc-sur-Mer. There they met up with 41 RM Commando, linking Juno and Sword Beaches.

47 RM Commando Gold Beach

No.47 (RM) Commando was the last British Commando unit to land and came ashore on Gold Beach east of Le Hamel. Their task was to go inland then turn right (west) and make a ten-mile (16 km) march through enemy territory to attack the coastal harbour of Port en Bessin from the rear. This small port, on the British far right, was well sheltered in the chalk cliffs and significant in that it was to be a prime early harbour for supplies to be brought in including fuel by underwater pipe from tankers moored offshore. [cite web|title=sword beach|url=http://www.6-6-44.com/sowrdbeach.htm]

On their approach they could see their preceding units were struggling. Due to intense fire, the Hampshires had landed one and a half miles further to the east than originally planned.Ordered to avoid contact with the enemy and advance on Port en Bessin, the commanding officer Lt Col Philips ordered his LCAs to approach the beach behind the Hampshires near Roquettes. The commando's landed under intense fire, five of their craft sunk before reaching the shore and almost all the others were damaged resulting in five officers, (including Lt Col Philips, who would swim to shore by late in the day), and seventy one other ranks being reported missing. Unable to locate Philips, the second in command, Major Donnell led his men off the beach turned inland to avoid engaging the enemy. Behind the lines the commando moved quickly to Buhot where Philips rejoined it after his long swim. For the next several hours the Commando stealthily pushed on occasionally encountering snipers and small units of unsuspecting rear guards from whom they captured several spandaus (MG-34) and other small arms. As dusk descended upon the Commando they reached Point 72, the highest point on a ridge near Escures, which they discovered was undefended. They dug in for the night and prepared for the attack on Port-en-Bessin at dawn. Originally the attack on Port-en-Bessin was planned to be supported by American artillery, but having no working radio made this coordination impossible. The arrival of two French civilians, a replacement Forward Observation Officer, and a Gendarme named Gouget assisted the planned assault the two civilians identified the German positions and the artillery officer repaired the unit’s wireless set allowing him to get through to the navy ships off shore.At 1400 hours two LCG(L)s opened fire on the port and were joined by HMS Emerald’s six-inch guns an hour later. By 1600 hours the city was hit by RAF Hawker Typhoon air strikes and the Royal Artillery bombarded the area with smoke in preparation for the commando's assault. Gouget guided A and B troops through ditches surrounding the town, past the outer ring of guns pits. While X Troop fixed bayonets and charged the machine-gun nests quickly taking the positions. Once the outer ring of defences had been breached, A Troop advanced on the western feature, but were repelled when two Kriegsmarine Flak ships, that had moved in to the port June 5, open fire on the men with their rapid fire cannons.B Troop also launched an assault on the town itself, but were pinned down by a pillbox on the heights and machine-guns positions in houses throughout the village.

Philips next ordered his men to launch an assault on the Flak ships, but were once again repelled. Seeing their problem, the captains of HMS Ursa and the Polish ship Krakowiak approached the port, but were unable to open fire on the Flak ships, which were behind the port’s concrete and stone breakwater. The navy then formed boarding parties and launched their motorboats, which crossed the harbour net and attacked the Flak ships.

With the Flak ships silenced, B and Heavy weapons troops made their way up the eastern feature and assaulted the German blockhouse forcing the defenders to surrender. Sporadic fighting continued on until dawn of June 8 when the remaining defenders on the western feature surrendered.

On June 9 PLUTO arrived in the form of an army port company and the petrol started to flow, supplying Allied vehicles across the Normandy front.

Douvre Radar Station

After being rested and reinforced the Brigade less NO.41 Commando, moved south to the Douvre Radar Station. This fortified position was the primary Luftwaffe radar station in the area.It was covered with gun pits, mine fields, tunnels, bunkers, five 5cm anti-tank guns, a 7.5cm field gun, and a ring of barbed wire twenty foot in height. The Brigade was to isolate the station which would allow other Allied forces to pass by and advance on Caen.

After securing the perimeter, 46, 47 and 48 RM Commando were sent to support the Canadians and Airborne divisions while 41 RM Commando stayed behind. For the next week the commandos continued to harass the strongpoint with occasional mortar fire, typhoons strikes, and volleys from two attached RMASG Centaurs. Although the site did not actively threaten Allied movements in the area it did provide radar-ranging information for Luftwaffe night fighters and constantly reported on British movements.

On June 17 the assault began with a bombardment from the Royal Artillery’s 7.2 inch guns and ships off shore. Under their new commander, Lt. Col Palmer, 41 RM Commando and forty-four armoured engineering vehicles attacked from the north while other tanks created a diversion from the southwest. The Sherman Crabs cleared the way through the minefields while the AVRE battered the bunkers with their cannons. The effect of such fire was devastating on the German defenders. When the commandos entered the entrenchment and opened fire, it was clear that the station could no longer be defended. The two hundred and twenty seven remaining Luftwaffe force surrendered and the last of the 4th Special Service Brigade’s D-Day objectives was finally achieved.

6th Airborne Division

The Brigade less No 41 RM Commando moved to the Orne River, where they joined 1st Special Service Brigade and the 6th Airborne Division, under the command of Major General Gale. The Brigade would remain in the Orne area until mid August while British Second Army launched a series of assaults on Caen. [Army Commandos 1940-45 By Mike Chappell,p 31] [cite web|title=pegasusarchive|url=http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/order.htm]

In mid August, following the capture of Caen, General Gale’s forces broke out of their positions and launched a major offensive. Before sunrise on August 20, 46 RM Commando launched an attack on the heights above Putot and the commandos seized the position over looking the entire Dozulé area. For the remainder of the day, 48 Commando pushed through the bocage, without support, to Point 134 and Point 120 followed by 41 Commando. This location nearly cut off the Germans escape route from the town, realizing that they had been out flanked the Germans set the village ablaze and withdrew. [Army Commandos 1940-45 By Mike Chappell,p 31] With Dozulé captured the Commandos pushed on through Beuzeville to the Risle River. On many occasions the commandos and airborne troops would arrive in a village less than hour after the Germans had made a hasty withdrawal.

Following the capture of Pont-Audemer, the 6th Airborne and 1st Special Service Brigade were relieved by the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division and returned to England. Leaving behind the 4th Special Service Brigade which remained in the area for several weeks clearing pockets of resistance between the Seine and Valmont. They then took up the role of garrison troops in and around the shattered city of Le Havre and finally moved out and took up positions near Dunkirk probing the German lines with small raids.

Walcheren Islands

On September 27 the Brigade was withdrawn to ano assembly areas in De Hann, Belgium. They then prepared for another amphibious assault, on the Dutch island of Walcheren. The island lay at the mouth of the Scheldt River, which ran from Antwerp to the sea. Until the island and the northern banks of the river were occupied, the port of Antwerp could not be used to support the Allied advance. On October 3 Allied bombers breached the dykes at Westkapelle, Flushing, and Veree, flooding the island leaving only a few dry areas around the perimeter of the island, greatly restricting the Germans’ freedom of movement. [Army Commandos 1940-45 By Mike Chappell,p 31] The 4th Special Service Brigade formed the seaborne element of the attack while British and Canadian infantry attacked overland from the mainland. This time the commandos came ashore in Landing Vehicle Tracked, which had already proven their value in the Pacific campaign. 41 Commando was tasked with assaulting the town of Westkappelle then to move north along the causeway to Domburg. Just to their south 48 Commando took on a radar station and naval gun battery, while 47 completed the encirclement of the western part of the island by moving south towards Flushing. [cite web|title=Corps mem Dates|url=http://www.royalmarinesbands.co.uk/reference/FS_CorpsMemDates.htm] The brigade would spend the rest of the war making raids across the Maas River in Operation Incalculable and Operation Bogart. After occupation duties in Germany the Brigade returned to the United Kingdom in 1946 and was disbanded. [Army Commandos 1940-45 By Mike Chappell,p 31]

References

ee Also

*1st Special Service Brigade
*2nd Special Service Brigade
*3rd Special Service Brigade
*British Commandos
*Royal Marines