Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:58:33-2:59:12

Possible prewar roots of British commando capability

The Royal Navy and Marines may have maintained relevant specialist capability before the war, but the surviving evidence is not decisive.

Royal MarinesRoyal NavySpecial Boat ServiceSpecial Operations
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Question

Were there attempts to establish commando units before the Second World War?

Short answer

Possibly within the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, but the surviving evidence does not prove it conclusively.

Notes

The Royal Navy and Royal Marines may have maintained relevant specialist capabilities before the Second World War, but the suspicion remains unproven. The continued existence of the SBS after the war, compared with the Army's temporary disbandment of the SAS, motivates that inference. No decisive archival evidence has been found to establish the proposed prewar continuity.