Origional role

[Liver]

Just out of interest do the RM still perfor the origional role that thery were designed for (Commando SF) or are they now just considered as very well trained elite infantry ??? - disregarding SBS and BPT - do the RM still "go behind enemy lines"?
cheers liver
P.S. sorry for any mistakes im not exactly sober

[Artist]

Most Unit Recce troops do that sort of thing as do the ML's.

The lads I knew in the recce troops were really switched on kiddies and going behind the lines would not phaze them at all.

On my JCC and my SCC I was dead lucky to have a couple of these often underated blokes in my Section. They were Gems, really good at the old soldiering. I like to think I was none to bad either come to that mind.

Artist

[druadan]

When the title Royal Marine was first used, their primary role was still as embarked infantry to fight at sea..."I'm a jolly, Her Majesty's jolly, soldier and sailor too!" So I suppose they do, in a way, as there are still small detachments serving on HM Ships, though nowhere near the huge role they used to play in centuries past in actual war at sea.

[dan]

The Commando role in WWII was mainly to be used for raids, a hard-hitting force that stormed in and out, disabling key positions, disrupting the enemy etc. Usually this came in the form of ship to shore, sneaky beaky style raids. In essence, it wasn't really 'behind the lines'; just moving in, doing the job and bugging out...it's still the bread and butter of what Royal does now, using Raiders, RIBS and company on aggressive ops.

[AC]

As druadan said, originally, the RM were dual role individuals - they acted as both soldiers and sailors and were part of the complement of all of Her Majesties Warships from 1664 onwards.

If you can get your hands on it, Liver, it's worth watching the film "Master and Commander" as it gives a good, and (I believe) fairly accurate portrayal of what the RM was all about in those days - the film is set in the early 19th Century. Oh, and as an added bonus you get to see our lads giving the Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys a right good kicking!

Huzzah! :laola:

[druadan]

As druadan said, originally, the RM were dual role individuals - they acted as both soldiers and sailors and were part of the complement of all of Her Majesties Warships from 1664 onwards.

With various disbandings, reformings, and a point when there was only an 'invalid' regiment (or it might have just been a battalion!).

We're now issued a small book entitled 'A short history of the Royal Marines' after PRMC, it's not too long but briefly covers just about everything in RM history; it's easy enough reading, and means you can go from that and look up in more detail the bits that grab you. It has an ISBN number I think, if anyone's interested try Amazon, or I can post the ISBN...