Royal Australian Navy Beach Commandos During World War II the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) formed beach commando units to go ashore with the first wave of amphibious assaults . They would conduct local reconnaissance , signpost the beaches , control boat traffic , and communicate with the maritime forces . These were known as Royal Australian Navy Beach Commandos . They took part in the Borneo campaign . Training . An Amphibious Training Centre was commissioned as HMAS " Assault " at Port Stephens on 1 September 1942 . The Amphibious Training Centre was commanded by Commander F . N . Cook , RAN , an officer who had won the DSC while serving with the Royal Navy during the Bruneval Raid . At the time he was recalled to Australia , Cook was in command of HMS " Tormenter " , a Royal Navy Combined Operations School . The Port Stephens school trained beach parties and boat crews . Graduates were posted to the Australian landing ships " Kanimbla " , " Manoora " , and " Westralia " , each of which had a beach party as part of its complement . These beach parties saw little action , as the valuable landing ships were rarely risked in forward areas in 1943 . An eight - man RAN Beach Party under the command of Lieutenant Commander J . M . Band , RANR participated in the Battle of Scarlet Beach . Band was fatally wounded in the fighting , and was awarded the US Navy Cross posthumously . In October 1943 , the Australian Army ' s Commander in Chief , General Sir Thomas Blamey , asked for the beach parties to be detached from their ships for training with the 6th Division and the 1st Beach Group at Cairns . Because United States Navy doctrine was that beach parties were a part of a ship ' s complement , Rear Admiral Daniel E . Barbey was reluctant to agree . Blamey suggested that a separate unit be raised for service with the Australian Army . A RAN Beach Commando was formed on 6 January 1944 . All RAN Beach Commando personnel were listed as part of the complement of HMAS " Assault " , but formed a part of the 1st Beach Group . In early 1944 , the Army raised a 2nd Beach Group , and another beach commando was formed for it . Following Royal Navy practice , the two units were designated Beach Commando A and Beach Commando B . Later , the Army requested two smaller commandos for subsidiary operations . These were formed as Beach Commandos C and D , and were organised similarly to A and B , but with only two beach parties , and no boat repair section . The four beach commandos were grouped administratively as the RAN Beach Unit ( RANBU ) under Commander R . S . Pearson , RAN as Senior Naval Officer Beach Units ( SNOBU ) . Organisation . A Beach Commando contained : Operations . In April 1945 , Beach Commando B under Commander B . G . B . Morris , RANVR went into action in the Battle of Tarakan , supporting the Army ' s 26th Infantry Brigade and 2nd Beach Group . Two beach commandos were killed and two wounded . Morris was awarded the U . S . Bronze Star for his role in the Tarakan Landings . Beach Commandos A and C , under Lieutenant Commander R . McKauge D . S . C . , RANVR took part in the 9th Division and 1st Beach Group ' s landings at Brunei and Labuan . Beach Commandos B and D participated in the 7th Division and 2nd Beach Group ' s landings in the Battle of Balikpapan . References . Jones , A . E . ( Ted ) . ( 1998 ) . " Sailor and Commando " . ISBN 0 - 85905 - 253 - 2