21 Commando

[Uncle_Sam]

Hi all.

I'm pleased to say I passed my POC last week and am now concentrating entirely on my AIB on 17th of June.

One area I'm not too sure about is the formation of Commando 21. If anyone could fill me in with any information they may have, it would be appreciated, as the info i have found so far on the internet is pretty vague.

Cheers in advance

Uncle_Sam

[MrC]

21 Commando is basically to do with battle formations, and the platoons/companies required to goto war on the modern battlefield.

I believe the traditional formation at battalion level used by the army is 3 Rifle companies, 1 support company (mortars, heavy machine guns etc) and a HQ company.

Cdo21 changes this to have a Command Company (which I guess is the same as HQ), Logistics Company and 4 Manoevre companies (2 stand off and 2 close combat).

I think the stand-off companies will contain an anti tank troop and a HMG troop, as well as a close combat rifle troop.

Close combat companies are pretty much the same as Rifle companies from what I understand, although I think they also contain 51mm mortars and more GPMGs than normal.

That is only my understanding of it, I'm sure there are some currently serving who can clarify better. In a nutshell I believe to keep up with modern warfare they have combined support companies with rifle companies to give more indirect fire and improve manoverability.

[Mitch]

http://www.armedforces.co.uk/navy/listi ... ml#SUMMARY  


I think MrC is nearly there with the details but I found a good webpage that details the organisation of a Commando. I don't have a scooby doo what the site is for, I found it whilst trying to search for Rigid Raiders for sale Don't take it as read though, it's probably best to grab one of the leaflets FG mentioned, I know I will!
Hope it helps

Mitch

EDIT: P.S. While I am at it, if you go to the drop down box at the top of the page you can select the Royal Navy contents and it has comprehensive details on most of the Royal Navy. I will definitely be using this for my preparation!

[Guns]

Don't get wrapped around the axle on this one. We had a lesson which mentioned Commando 21 a few weeks ago, and even the Major giving the lecture said he wouldn't be able to describe the latest incarnation of Commando 21. Focus more on being able to talk about it generally; it being a reorganisation conducted to optimise the capability of units in light of operational analysis and new equipment.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Uncle Sam,

Congratulations on passing your POC, I failed my AIB yesterday so if you've got any questions mate I'll do my best to provide some advice.

Luke

[Uncle_Sam]

Thanks Cool Hand Luke

Sorry to hear about the AIB! Will you be re-applying then?

I do have a quick question for you, with regards the 'naval knowledge' questions. Were they based more around the Royal Marines as that is what you are trying to join, or is it a real mix?

If you have any tips that you would work on if you could do it again, that would be great also.

Cheers in advance

Uncle_Sam

[Cool Hand Luke]

Uncle Sam,

No mate won't be re-applying as an officer, I was told I did not have the attributes they were looking for and was recommended not to try again (bit of a wounder). However I'm going to be applying to join as a recruit and to be honest I'm really b****y looking forward to it.

Yes mate the questions for me were primarily RM based, there are 35 multiple choice questions which were not difficult on the whole. If anything I probably dedicated too much time to Naval/RM knowledge and not enough time to S/T/D practice. That's just me though, it all depends on where your strengths lie. When I was at AIB there were a fair few boards running and we all got the same service knowledge test, so I'll give you a few examples of questions that were on mine:


- What is the effective range of the L115A1?
- Who does the RM commandant-general answer to?
- What type of weapon is a Rapier?
- What is the RM equivalent to a RN Lieutenant-Commander?
- How many troops can an LCU carry?
- How fast do officer need to complete the 30 miler?
- Which one of the following is not one of the commando tests?

That's about as tricky as the questions get mate, don't worry about memorising everything because chances are if you've read it once and you see a choice of four you will probably be able to pick out the right answer.

Based on my experiences down at HMS Sultan my top-tips would be:

- Prepare some good solid answers to possible questions for the interview.

- Psychometric tests are a lot more important than I thought so if they are a weakness of your practice as much as possible.

- During the PLT's make sure you delegate and do not become too involved, these are actually not that difficult as your team do the majority of the work if you are the leader. Just keep your voice up and be enthusiastic. The thing I struggled most with was coming up with 'my plan' as I'm just crap and quick logical thinking (fortunately you'll find though that the senior rating is your friend)

- The part of AIB I struggled most with was the planning exercise. I got absolutely grilled by the lieutenant during the questioning because I hadn't contributed enough during the discussion. Not because I didn't want to but because I wasn't able to think as quickly, logically and clearly as the other lads. So, my tip for you would be, if you have a good understanding of the information and have some good ideas then chair the discussion as much as possible. If you do this you will score high I guarantee it.

- Be positive and be yourself

With regards to what I'd do differently mate, there was not much I'd change, I prepared as much as I could. Unfortunately I just was not what they were looking for, a lot of the tests are designed to measure innate ability and things that can not be overcome purely be drive and determination. To me it seemed they were measuring effective interllect more than anything, the lads who passed you would not look at and think 'wow he's got a presence about him' but they were b****y clever and were able to think very quickly and clearly whilst under pressure.

That about sums up my experience mate, to be honest I've come away with more questions than I had before I went.

Good luck.

[Artist]

Good on you Cool hand Luke!

Once you have hacked Cdo training you may still have a chance for a commission you know. Prove yourself to be a cracking good Marine and they may offer you another chance (quite a few blokes I knew were offered this option).

Failing that go for promotion as a NCO, get three on your arm and in time you may get the chance to go SD. PMA!

Artist

[Cool Hand Luke]

Cheers Artist, will bare all that in mind.