A Small Scale Raiding Force was initiated by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Chief of Combined Operations, in February/March 1942 to be a permanent ‘amphibious sabotage force’ of fifty men directly under his command. The force was actually a reclassification of the Maid Honour Force already formed by the SOE. The title coming from the trawler named “Maid Honour” the SOE requisitioned and substantially armed and converted. Admiral of the Fleet The Right Honourable Sir Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, PC, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, FRS, (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ... Combined Operations was a department of the British War Office set up during World War II to harass the Germans on the European continent by means of raids carried out by use of combined naval and army forces. ... This article is about the year. ... The Special Operations Executive (SOE), often called the Baker Street Irregulars after Sherlock Holmess fictional group of spies, was a World War II organisation initiated by Winston Churchill and Hugh Dalton in July 1940 as a mechanism for conducting warfare by means other than direct military engagement. ...

Mountbatten negotiated control of the SSRF who remained on the SOE's role (as Station 62) while being under operational control of Combined Operations (as No.62 Commando). Maj. Gus March-Phillipps continued to lead the force and be its main inspiration, as Maj. Geoffrey Appleyard remained its second in command. Both men formed the original ‘Maid Honour Force’ when specially chosen for that duty by Colin Gubbins of SOE, from B Troop of No.7 Commando. Major General Sir Colin Gubbins (1896-1976) was the prime mover of the SOE (Special Operations Executive) in the Second World War. ... The British Commandos were first formed by the Army in June 1940 during World War II as a well-armed but unregimented raider force employing unconventional and irregular tactics to assault, disrupt and reconnoitre the enemy in mainland Europe and Scandinavia. ...

The SSRF used MTB 344 (dubbed The Little Pisser) and conducted a number of raids by sea from Britain including Operation Aquatint on 12/13 September 1942 on St Honorine, (later part of Omaha Beach), where most of the 11 men on the raid were killed (inc. March-Phillipps) or captured. The force was made up to strength with men from No.12 Commando with Appleyard now Operational Commander. Appleyard conducted Operation Basalt on the isle of Sark on 3/4 October 1942 with Maj. Anders Lassen VC among his force. An incident involving prisoners having their hands tied and subsequently being killed while escaping is believed to have contributed to Hitler's decision to issue his Kommandobefehl (Commando Order) on 18 October 1942. It remains an open question if any of the prisoners had their hands tied when escaping. Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB) was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the US and Royal Navies. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... Omaha Beach was the Allied codename for one of the principal landing points during the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. ... During World War II, Operation Basalt was a small raid on the German occupied British Channel Island of Sark, on the night of 3/4 October, 1942. ... Flag of Sark Sark (in French, Sercq, in Sercquiais Sèr) is a small island of the Channel Islands, part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... Photo submitted by Andy P. - (from the book Andy) Anders Frederik Emil Victor Schau Lassen (VC, MC & 2 Bars) was a Danish 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. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Kommandobefehl (German for Commando Order) was Adolf Hitlers order to execute all captured Allied Commandos in 1942. ... On October 18, 1942 Adolf Hitler issued a top secret order that all Commandos captured in Europe and Africa (but excluding seamen), should be immediately killed even if they attempted to surrender. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ... This article is about the year. ...

Despite No.62 Commando being made an larger force thereafter, the SSRF was disbanded after Operation Pussyfoot on 3/4 April 1943, though prior to this the force had started to break-up after a January decision of the Chiefs of Staff curtailed their raiding operations following ‘clashes of interests’ objections from the SOE and SIS (MI6). Both Appleyard and Lassen went to the Mediterranean where Appleyard joined the new 2 SAS and Lassen the SBS. Neither survived the war. April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service or simply Six, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... For other Special Air Services, see Australian Special Air Service Regiment and Special Air Service of New Zealand. ... The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the British Royal Navys and Royal Marines’ Special Forces unit. ...

See also

• Operation Chestnut
• British Commandos
• British military history of World War II