| Unit Name: | 3rd Special Service Brigade 3rd Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade United Kingdom Commando Force |
| Dates: | 14 February 1942 – present |
| Country: |  United Kingdom |
| Branch: | Corps of Royal Marines Royal Navy |
| Type: | Commando |
| Garrison: | HQ: Stonehouse Barracks, Plymouth |
| Size: | Brigade |
| Nickname: | The Commandos |
| Identification Symbol Label: | 3 Commando Brigade Formation Badge |
| March: | Quick: "Sarie Marais" |
| Battles: |
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| Commander1: | Brigadier Duncan G. Forbes |
| Commander1 Label: | Brigade Commander |
| Commander2 Label: | Deputy Brigade Commander |
| Commander3 Label: | Brigade Regimental Sergeant Major |
United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called the 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces.[1] It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.
The brigade was formed 1 September 1943 at Dorchester with personnel from 102 RM Brigade,[2] during the Second World War, with a mixture of Army Commando and Royal Marine Commando units, and was deployed to the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II to conduct operations against the invading forces of Imperial Japan, such as the Burma Campaign.[1] After the Second World War, the Army Commandos were disbanded and the brigade became a Royal Marine formation. Recently, United Kingdom Commando Force has again become a mixed formation with the addition of commando qualified soldiers from the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers to provide support for the Royal Marine Commandos. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been involved in a number of engagements such as the Suez Crisis, Falklands War, Gulf War and the War in Afghanistan.
Between September and November 1943, in Scotland, 102nd Brigade, Royal Marines Division, was detached from the division, to form the independent 3rd Special Service Brigade – a joint British Army-Royal Marines formation. The founding commander was Brigadier Wilfrid Nonweiler and it was composed of the following units:[3]
Nos. 1 and 5 Commandos had already earned battle honours as units in, respectively, the North African and Madagascar campaigns. Because "Commando", at the time, implied a company/battalion-sized unit, the name "Special Service" was instead used for British commando brigades. (However, the term "Commando Brigade" was often used informally, because "Special Service" was unpopular and had a superficial similarity to the name of the notorious German Schutzstaffel (SS). The brigade was later officially renamed 3rd Commando Brigade.
On 10 November 1943, elements of the brigade embarked at Gourock, bound for India. It was intended that the brigade would be used in operations against Japanese forces in the South-East Asia theatre, such as the Burma campaign. However, the limited shipping capacity available at the time meant that the relocation was prolonged and the components of the brigade were not reunited until late 1944. Lt Col. Peter Young was transferred from the Normandy campaign to become second-in-command of 3rd Commando Brigade. Young succeeded Nonweiler as commander of the brigade.[4]
During January 1945, the brigade was involved in the campaign to recapture Arakan, including the battles of Myebon peninsula and Kangaw. The brigade was then withdrawn to India to prepare for Operation Zipper, a proposed amphibious operation to recapture the Malayan peninsula. The atomic bombs against Japan precipitated an earlier surrender of Japan than expected. The 3rd Commando Brigade moved to secure Hong Kong – a British crown colony that was under Japanese occupation in 1941–45. During 1946, British Army personnel and units within the 3rd Commando Brigade were demobilised or transferred elsewhere and it became a Royal Marine formation.
3 Commando Brigade's most high-profile operation after the war was the Suez Crisis, when it took part in the amphibious assault against Egyptian targets. During Operation Musketeer, units of the brigade made a helicopter-borne assault.[5] 1971 saw the withdrawal of British forces from the Far East and Persian Gulf. The brigade returned to the UK with other British units. It moved to Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth, where it remains to this day.[6]
The brigade's next large operation was in 1982. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, and 3 Commando Brigade, reinforced by 2 Para and 3 Para, was one of the two main British land formations that took part in operations to recapture the islands. The brigade landed at San Carlos Water and marched across East Falkland to Stanley. Argentine units were defeated in several sharp engagements, and their forces surrendered on 14 June.[7]
In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, the brigade was deployed on a non-combat task in northern Iraq. The Iraqi Kurds had suffered immensely during the war and in its aftermath, and the brigade was used due to its rapid deployment ability. It provided humanitarian aid to the Kurds and saved many from starvation.[8]
Recently, the brigade has been involved in two major campaigns, including Operation Veritas in Afghanistan, 2001 and 2002, and Operation Telic during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Iraq, however, saw heavy fighting occur in the early stages of the campaign, as the brigade made its first amphibious assault in over 20 years by landing on the Al-Faw peninsula in south-east Iraq.[9] In 2006, the brigade returned to Afghanistan on Operation Herrick, replacing 16 Air Assault Brigade, where intense fighting occurred.[10] In 2024, 3 Commando Brigade, was rebranded to the United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF).[11]
The brigade contains Royal Marines, Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel. The subordinate units are:[12]
| Royal Marines units | British Army units |
|---|---|
| 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group, Plymouth | 24 Commando Regiment, Royal Engineers, Chivenor |
| 40 Commando, Taunton | 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, Plymouth |
| 42 Commando, Bickleigh | 383 Commando Petroleum Troop (V), Plymouth (att'd Cdo Log Reg) |
| 43 (Fleet Protection Group) Commando, Faslane | Commando Troop, 821 Squadron, 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD&S), Wimbish[13] |
| 45 Commando, Arbroath | 24 Commando REME Workshop, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, Chivenor[14] |
| 47 Commando (Raiding Group), including 539 Raiding Squadron, Plymouth | |
| Commando Logistic Regiment, RM Chivenor | |
| Royal Marines Armoured Support Group, Bovington Camp, Stanley Barracks |
Joint Terminal Attack Controllers from the RAF Regiment are assigned to Brigade HQ. When operating as part of the combined United Kingdom / Netherlands Landing Force, the 1st Marine Combat Group of the Dutch Korps Mariniers is also attached to the brigade.
Formerly known as the Amphibious Ready Group, the Amphibious Task Group (ATG) is a mobile, balanced amphibious warfare force, based on a Commando Group and its supporting assets, that can be kept at high readiness to deploy into an area of operations. The ATG is normally based around specialist amphibious ships, most notably, the largest ship in the British fleet until she was decommissioned and sold to Brazil in 2018. Ocean was designed and built to accommodate an embarked commando and its associated stores and equipment. The strategy of the ATG is to wait "beyond the horizon" and then deploy swiftly as directed by HM Government. The whole amphibious force is intended to be self-sustaining and capable of operating without host-nation support. The concept was successfully tested in operations in Sierra Leone.[15]
See main article: Commando Helicopter Force. The Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) forms part of the Fleet Air Arm. It comprises three helicopter squadrons and is commanded by the Joint Helicopter Command.[16] It consists of both Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Marines personnel. RN personnel need not be commando trained. The CHF is neither under the permanent control of 3 Commando Brigade nor that of the Commandant General Royal Marines, but rather is allocated to support Royal Marines units as required. It uses both Merlin HC4/4A medium-lift and Wildcat AH1 light transport/reconnaissance helicopters to provide aviation support for the Royal Marines.roles.[17]
Commanders have included:[18]
The following Battle honours were awarded to the British Commandos during the Second World War.[21]