Osprey's N 10 (interallied) Commando (July 2006)

[xavier]

Hi all:
Here's yet another booklet on another interesting unit N 10 (inter allied) Commandos

I'm somewhat familar with this unit and I'll buy the booklet. Nevertheless, I figure I'll embarrass myself and ask the doofus question of the week ;D :  :clown:
did Canada and the other Commonwealth countries have soldiers in N 10 commando or were they integrated with the Brits?

Thanks!

xavier

 

[baboon6]

No. If you look at the page you linkd to you will see 10 Commando's various troops were composed of various nationalities from occupied countries. 10 Commando never fought as a complete unit and the troops were attached to British Army or Royal Marine Commandos in action eg. the two French troops (according to most sources, numbered 1 and 8, who pretty much always operated as one sub-unit) were attached to 4 Commando in Normandy and at Walcheren, the Yugoslav troop was attached to 2 Commando for ops on the Adriatic coast, the Dutch troop fought in Burma and later in North-West Europe. 3 or "X" Troop was made up of anti-Nazi Germans and Austrians, many of them Jewish, who for obvious reasons used false English names. Members of X Troop tended to be attached in small parties to the other Commandos.

The Australian Army had an equivalent to the Commandos in their Independent Companies (later renamed Commando Squadrons) which fought in the Pacific, including the guerilla campaign on the island of Timor. New Zealanders originally formed about half of the Long Range Desert Group but were withdrawn in 1943. The LRDG also had a strong contingent from Southern Rhodesia (as it was then)- their numbers incresed when the Kiwis were withdrawn and B Sqn went from being NZ to Rhodesian (A Sqn was British). The only Canadians and South Africans I have read of in the Commandos or other special forces units were individual officers who had been seconded to the British Army.

 

[xavier]

Baboon:
Thanks!
xavier