Britain's commando frogman force is now the SBS, which is part of the Royal Marines. They perform various operations on land as well as in the water.
For other nations' commando frogmen, and information about frogmen in general, see Frogman.
Britain started to have commando frogmen in WWII. The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the British Royal Navys and Royal Marines’ Special Forces unit. ... The Corps of Royal Marines, usually just known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the United Kingdoms amphibious forces and a core component of the countrys Rapid Deployment Force. ... Frogman is a popular term for a scuba diver. ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ...

History

Before 1942

• 1909: The British designer Commander Godfrey Herbert received a patent for a manned torpedo. During WWI, it was rejected by the War Office as impracticable and unsafe.
• 1941 & 1942: Italian commando frogmen, some riding manned torpedoes, attacked British naval bases at Gibraltar and Alexandria. Some of them were captured. Thus the British Navy discovered frogman techniques and equipment, and decided to copy.

WWI may be an acronym for: World War I World Wrestling Industry This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... CGI image of two frogmen with Siebe Gorman CDBA rebreathers riding a human torpedo. ... Antiquity and modernity stand cheek-by-jowl in Egypts chief Mediterranean seaport Located on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Alexandria (in Arabic, الإسكندرية, transliterated al-ʼIskandariyyah) is the chief seaport in Egypt, and that countrys second largest city, and the capital of the Al Iskandariyah governate. ...

1942

• April: The British Navy formed the "Experimental Submarine Flotilla", initially based at Portsmouth. It was led by Commanders G.M.Sladen and W.R. "Tiny" Fell, who began to train frogmen in secret. The Navy called their manned torpedoes Chariots. Many of their frogmen's breathing sets' oxygen cylinders were German pilot's oxygen cylinders recovered from shot-down German Luftwaffe planes. Those first breathing sets may have been modified Davis Submarine Escape Sets; their fullface masks were the type intended for the Siebe Gorman Salvus. But in later operations different designs were used, leading to a fullface mask with one big face window. One version had a flip-up single window for both eyes to let the user get binoculars to his eyes when on the surface. They used bulky thick diving suits called "Sladen suits": image at this link. This link shows a British wartime chariot team on the surface.
• 1942 June: The Experimental Submarine Flotilla moved to "Port D" on Loch Erisort in Scotland. They got their first powered manned torpedoes, the "Mark I Chariot". Its hull was 21 inch diameter. It could make 2.9 knots and could dive safely to 20 feet depth. The nose was a warhead with 600 pounds of high explosive. Training was hard. The men often suffered from oxygen poisoning because of the use of pure oxygen at depth, burst eardrums and sinus trouble. The strangeness of the Chariots added to their problems. They were trained to ride and steer for a long time under water, and to then cut through harbor defence nets. The hardest part was learning to work with the Chariots' warheads.
• August: The British charioteers went back to Base HHZ on Loch Cairnbawn in Scotland to train to attack bigger better-defended places. One died in training.
• September: The Norwegian Navy officer Leif Larsen told the British Navy that he wanted to attack the German battleship Tirpitz in Asenfjord, a branch of the Trondheimfjord in Norway.
• Operation "Title":-
  • October 26: The fishing boat Arthur operated by three Norwegians left Britain with seven British frogmen and two chariots hidden aboard.
  • October 28: Arthur reached Norway's coast near Edøy.
  • October 30: Arthur unloaded the chariots and began to tow them to the target.
  • October 31: A storm broke the fastening bolts of the chariots, which were lost. The attack was called off.
  • November 1: The Arthur was scuttled at Breivik. The ten members of the operation set off for Sweden in two groups. Nine reached Sweden; Germans captured one and later shot him as a spy.
• late November: Britain sent 26 Chariots to Malta, and they became part of the "Tenth Submarine Flotilla". Three submarines received containers on their decks to carry the Chariots.
• Operation "Principle":-
  • November 28: The British submarine P-311 carrying 3 Chariots and 10 Charioteers left Marsamxett on Malta to attack La Maddalena on Sardinia, but struck a naval mine near Sardinia and sank with all hands.
  • November 30: The British submarines Thunderbolt, and Trooper, and Unruffled (P46), left Malta carrying Chariots.
• December 7 after dark: Operation Frankton. 10 British naval frogmen left a submarine on 5 two-seater kayaks and went up the Gironde to blow up ships in Bordeaux port. In December 11-12 night, two boats were sunk and three seriously damaged. Only 2 of the frogmen came back to England. The others were captured directly, or denounced by French, and finally shot by the Germans.

This article is about the English city of Portsmouth. ... Chariot was the name of a WW2 naval weapon, the British manned torpedo. ... The   Luftwaffe? (German: air force, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... Inspiration closed circuit diving rebreather A rebreather is a type of breathing equipment that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycles exhaled gas. ... CGI image: 2 views of a diver wearing a Siebe Gorman Salvus rebreather The Salvus is a light oxygen rebreather for industrial use (including by firemen and in coalmine rescue) or in shallow diving. ... Binoculars A binocular (from Latin, bi-, two-, and oculus, eye) is a hand-held tool used to make distant objects appear closer by passing the image through two adjacent series of lenses, and erecting prisms. ... Loch Erisort is an 8-mile-long narrow sea inlet on the east coast of the island of Lewis in the Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland. ... A knot is a unit of speed. ... A warhead is an explosive device used in military conflicts, used to destroy enemy vehicles or buildings. ... The tympanum or tympanic membrane, colloquially known as eardrum, is a thin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear. ... A sinus is a pouch or cavity in any organ or tissue, or an abnormal cavity or passage caused by the destruction of tissue. ... Loch Cairnbawn or Loch Cairn Bhàin (Gaelic for White Cairn Lake) is a sea inet off Eddrachillis Bay on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands north of Ullapool. ... Leif Andreas Larsen (9 January 1906 - 12 October 1990), popularly known as Shetlands Larsen, was probably the most famous of the men that operated the Shetland Bus escape route during WWII. Escaping Norway in February 1941 in the fishing boat MOTIG 1, he trained with the Linge Company, and... German battleship Tirpitz underway for her trials, 1941 Tirpitz was a battleship of the German Kriegsmarine, a sister ship to the German battleship Bismarck, and named for Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. ... La Maddalena (loc. ... Sardinia (Sardigna, Sardinna or Sardinnia in the Sardinian language, Sardegna in Italian, Sardenya in Catalan), is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily is the largest), between Italy, Spain and Tunisia, south of Corsica. ... A naval mine is a stationary self-contained explosive device placed in water, to destroy ships and/or submarines. ... During World War II, Operation Frankton was a British Combined Operations raid on shipping in Bordeaux harbour, France in December, 1942, by 12 men of the Boom Patrol Detachment, Royal Navy, in two-man Cockle MK II kayaks, (*the Cockleshell Heroes). ... USS Los Angeles A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate underwater. ... A kayak is a type of small human-powered boat. ... Gironde is a département in the southwest of France named after the Gironde Estuary. ... For the wine, see Bordeaux Wine City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. ...

1943

• Operation "Principle":-
  • January 3: HMSM Thunderbolt and HMSM Trooper carrying 2 chariots each and their 8 crew reached the coast of Sicily near Palermo in bad weather. They put mines on ships and patrol boats and sank some of them, but some of the mines did not explode.
  • One chariot put its warhead on the Italian cruiser Ulpio Traiano (under construction), and afterwards smaller explosives on four ships. Ulpio Traiano sank.
  • One chariot put its warhead on the Italian troop ship, the former liner, Viminale causing severe damage but not sinking it. While being towed from the harbour for repairs, it was torpedoed by a British submarine and damaged again. Later in the year, while en route for repairs for the second attack, it was sunk by American torpedo boats.
  • Because of bad weather two chariots did not reach the harbor.
  • All the chariots had to be left there, through equipment malfunction or human error. One charioteer died in the attack. The British submarine Unruffled recovered two others. Five had to land there and were taken prisoners. Two of these prisoners later escaped from guards in Rome and hid in the Vatican until the Americans liberated Rome in 1944. Two others escaped from guards in Libya. In the middle of Tripoli they found a British Army unit and were returned to England.
• This left eight charioteers with two Chariots on Malta.
• January 18-19: These two chariots were carried by submarines to attack ships that the Germans were going to be used to block Tripoli harbor. The frogmen arrived too late and a blockship was sunk in the harbor mouth. None of the men and chariots returned to Malta.
• January: At Loch Corrie and Loch Cairnbawn in Scotland more charioteers began to be trained.
• April 16: Britain sent 14 new charioteers to Malta. In the days following they sent the new Chariot Mark II, also called the "Terry". Its riders sat back to back. It could manage 4.5 knots . The warhead was 1100 pounds of Torpex high explosive.
• June: Throughout this month, the British submarine HMS Unseen often carried three chariots from Malta to Sicily. The divers surveyed 100 miles of coast, examining beaches to find dangers for armies who would be landing there later.
• June 11: The other British charioteers went to Loch Cairnbawn.
• Late June: Britain sent six more charioteers to Malta, for an operation to attack Taranto.
• July: At Loch Cairnbawn a charioteer died through an accident.
• September 20: The British midget submarines known as X-craft set out to attack the German Tirpitz and the Scharnhorst in Kåfjord in Norway. The Scharnhorst was absent but the Tirpitz was damaged in the attack.
• September 24: Britain sent 4 chariots and 12 charioteers from their Scottish base to Lunna Voe in the Shetlands to train in for operations among the Norwegian islands.
• October 14: A British torpedo boat carrying two chariots and four charioteers sailed from Lunna Voe to Tevik Bay in Norway and put on land a man called Job to wait until a German ship came, but German aircraft found the torpedo boat and attacked. The torpedo boat had to flee to Britain badly damaged, and it landed at Dunbar in Scotland. Four days later another torpedo boat brought Job back to Shetland.
• October or November: A British torpedo boat carrying two chariots and four charioteers went from Lunna Voe to Nordfjord in Norway and set on land a man to wait until a German ship came. In two days no German ship came, The boat went back to Shetland.
• November 11: A British torpedo boat carrying two chariots and four charioteers sailed from Lunna Voe to Tevik Bay in Norway and set on land a man to wait until a German ship came to Askvoll harbor. In two days no German ship came. It snowed, and they thought that Askvoll harbor would be blocked with ice. As the torpedo boat returned to Shetland it ditched the chariots because of bad weather, and it brought the charioteers back.
• October 31: On this day or earlier British and American forces entered Naples.
• October or November: British frogmen went to Brindisi in Italy where they were combined with those Italian frogmen who were in the Allied-controlled areas and those Italian frogmen who had been prisoners in Britain, as a single organization.

City nickname: Location Location of Palermo within the island of Sicily. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Tripoli (population 1. ... Tripoli (population 1. ... Torpex is an explosive 50% more powerful than TNT by weight. ... Map of Italy showing Taranto in the bottom right Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, southern Italy. ... The X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during 1943–44. ... Tirpitz was a Bismarck class battleship and the sister ship of the German Kriegsmarine battleship Bismarck. ... Scharnhorst was a 31,500 tonne Gneisenau class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine, named the Prussian general and army reformer Gerhard von Scharnhorst and to commemorate the World War I armored cruiser SMS Scharnhorst. ... County Troms Landscape Municipality NO-1940 Administrative centre Olderdalen Mayor (2003) Bjørn Inge Mo (Ap) Official language form BokmÃ¥l and Sami Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 106 991 km² 950 km² 0. ... See Shetland (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... MTB could refer to: The British designation for Motor Torpedo Boat; Magandang Tanghali Bayan, a variety show in the Philippines; Mountain Bike. ... Dunbar - High Street Belhaven beach, John Muir Country Park, Dunbar, Scotland Dunbar is a Royal burgh in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 30 miles east of Edinburgh. ... The municipality Askvoll in the county of Norway, has 3,344 inhabitants as of January 1, 2002. ... Location within Italy Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region. ... Categories: Italy-related stubs | Towns in Puglia ...

1944

For more information about the X-craft operations, see X class submarine.

• April 15: X-craft attacked the floating dock Laksevåg at Bergen in Norway, but sank a cargo ship by mistake instead.
• May: 14 charioteers were sent to Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.
• In the run up to the Normandy landings British Chariots were used to survey the seabed along Normandy's coast in preparation for the troop landings.
• June 6: Operation Overlord (D-day). British frogmen (not using Chariots) demolished many beach obstacles that Germans had set to stop an attacking army. One drove an army tank onto land.
• September 11: X-craft repeated their attack on the floating dock Laksevåg at Bergen in Norway and sank it.
• October 27-28: The British submarine Trenchant carried two Mk 2 Chariots (nicknamed "Tiny" and "Slasher") to an attack on Phuket harbor in Thailand. They were released six miles out from the harbor. The targets were two Italian liners, the Sumatra and the Volpi both approx 5000t. Six hours later, for the only time, the British charioteers rode back to their mothership. On the return journey the Trenchant jettisoned the chariots so it could travel faster, after receiving a report of a Japanese MTB in the area. The Trenchant carried the four charioteers back to Trincomalee. No chariot operations in combat in any war are certainly known of after this.

The X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during 1943–44. ... The X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during 1943–44. ... LaksevÃ¥g is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway. ... County Hordaland Landscape Midhordland Municipality NO-1201 Administrative centre Bergen Mayor (2004) Herman Friele (H) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 215 465 km² 445 km² 0. ... Trincomalee is a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... Phuket (Thai ภูเก็ต) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB) was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the US and Royal Navies. ... Trincomalee is a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. ...

1945 and after

• 1945 July 31: Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser and the diver James Joseph Magennis in the XE-craft XE3 attacked the Japanese warship Takao in the Johore Strait near Singapore and sank it. For this action, they received the Victoria Cross. See Ian Edward Fraser#Midget Submarine Operations for a longer description.
• The British Chariots were used in the immediate post war period to clear mines and wrecks in harbours.

By the end of the war, the British human torpedo operations had earned their participants 20 medals and 16 men had been killed. lan Edward Fraser (VC, DSC, RD & Bar) is an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Missing image Photo submitted by Neil Hutton James Joseph Magennis was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Six XE class midget submarines were built for the Royal Navy during 1944. ... A type of Japanese cruiser class during World War II. They were modified from the Myoko Class and has an almost battleship-like, large bridge structure. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... lan Edward Fraser (VC, DSC, RD & Bar) is an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

See Special Boat Service#History for a list of later SBS operations; but not all of those operations used frogmen. The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the British Royal Navys and Royal Marines’ Special Forces unit. ...