Small Scale Raiding Force
| No. 62 Commando | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1940–43 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Allegiance |
United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Commando |
| Role | Coastal raiding force |
| Size | 55 men maximum |
| Part of |
Combined Operations Special Operations Executive |
| Garrison/HQ | Anderson Manor, Poole |
| Nickname(s) | Small Scale Raiding Force |
| Engagements | |
No. 62 Commando or the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF) was a British Commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The unit was formed around a small group of commandos under the command of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). They carried out a number of raids before being disbanded in 1943.
The commandos were formed in 1940 by order of Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister. He called for specially trained troops who would "develop a reign of terror down the enemy coast". At first they were a small force of volunteers who carried out small raids in enemy-occupied territory, but by 1943 their role had changed and they had become lightly equipped assault infantry specialising in spearheading amphibious landings.
The man initially selected as the commander of the force was Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, himself a veteran of the landings at Galipoli and the Zeebrugge raid during the First World War. Keyes resigned in October 1941 and was replaced by Admiral Louis Mountbatten.
By the autumn of 1940 more than 2,000 men had volunteered for commando training and what became known as the Special Service Brigade was formed into 12 units called commandos. Each commando numbered about 450 men and was commanded by a lieutenant colonel. Each was divided into troops of 75 men and further divided into sections of 15 men. Commandos were all volunteers seconded from other British Army regiments, and retained their own cap badges and remained on their regimental rolls for pay. All volunteers went through a six-week intensive commando course at Achnacarry in the Scottish Highlands, which concentrated on fitness, speed marches, weapons training, map reading, climbing, small boat operations, and demolitions both by day and by night.
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