Layforce consisted of Nos. 7, 8, and 11 Commandos, along with the locally raised Combined Middle East Commando. They were known as Layforce after their commander Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Laycock.

They were assigned to General Sir Archibald Wavell's Middle East Command in February 1941 to help stem the early successes of Rommel's Afrika Korps.

Their first raid was made on April 20 on the port of Bardia; although little damage was caused, Rommel recalled a brigade from the front. The Commandos were then used to help defend the island of Crete, and covered the eventual evacuation, with the exception of No.11 Commando, who were reinforcing Cyprus.

Following the British invasion of Syria on June 8, 1941, No.11 Commando were sent to successfully lead the crossing of the Litani River in Palestine, fighting against troops of the French Vichy Régime.

After Layforce (and No.8 Commando) were disbanded on August 1, 1941, David Stirling, a Scots Guards officer who in June 1940 had volunteered for the then new No.8 Commando, remained convinced of the need for Special Forces units. He managed to convince then new Commander-in-Chief General Claude Auchinleck to let him form a new Special Forces unit with the deliberately misleadingly name "L Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade" to enforce an existing deception of a parachute brigade existing in North Africa. Many of the initial recruits to the SAS came from men disbanded from Layforce.

External link

• Combined Operations at Bardia, North Africa (http://www.combinedops.com/Bardia_North_Africa.htm)