1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos was a Fusiliers Marins commando unit of the Free French Navy which served during the Second World War . Initially its Commandant was then - Lieutenant de Vaisseau ( Lieutenant ) Philippe Kieffer of the Free French Navy , under whose command they participated in the Normandy landings . Overview . The creation of the battalion was initially planned in March 1941 , but its creation did not begin until 1942 as the Troop 1 , " Commandos Français " with the intention of raising the unit to a battalion of 400 in readiness for the expected operations in Europe . Initially the unit was headquartered in the vicinity of Portsmouth while undergoing training with other units at the Commando training center Achnacarry , Scotland . Initially the battalion was organized into the headquarters section , medical , radio , and transportation sections , and three troops , 1 , 8 and 9 , the last responsible for using Depth Charge Projector Mark 6 , Mod 1 , commonly called the " K - Gun " ; 177 men in all . In 1944 the battalion was expanded to three troops , with the Headquarters troop and the A & B troops performing the usual land commando role . A large number of battalion members came from Brittany . Members of the " compagnie Kieffer " took part in the raid on Dieppe ( Operation Jubilee ) with the British and Canadian commandos , and in November 1942 became officially known as the 1ère compagnie de fusiliers marins commandos , with members of the unit participating in the night raid on the bridge at Plouézec on the 11 and 12 November 1942 . French commandos took part in the raid on the beach of Wassenaar in Holland , the site of V - 2 rocket launches , during which five of them , including commander Charles Trepel were killed . In March 1944 the battalion received its official designation , and in May 1944 , a few weeks before the Normandy landings , they receive their own badge ; ecu of bronze charged with a brig ( representing adventure ) and barred dagger of the commandos with , in the sinistral corner , the Cross of Lorraine and underlined of a streamer carrying the inscription " 1er Bn F . M . Commando " . The green beret was worn in the British fashion , pulled right with badge over the left eye or temple . The battalion was initially assigned to the No . 4 Commando of the British Army 1st Special Service Brigade , serving as its 5th and 6th Troops . In March 1944 it participated in the training for the impending invasion of France , In the days which precede the Normandy landings , the commandos were issued with poor quality photographs of the objectives . Because some of the French commandos were from Normandy , they recognised the sites , which created a concern by the Brigade ' s English staff , causing them to be temporarily confined in their camp with prohibition of exit before the landings . Promoted June 5 , Capitaine de Corvette ( Lieutenant Commander ) Philippe Kieffer commanded the operations of the 177 men of the 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos , from June 6 in Normandy . They disembarked from landing craft at 0731 hours on Sword beach with Colleville - sur - Mer forces in the east of the allied landing . They were the first to be unloaded in this sector with the craft of the No . 4 British commandos having to let them pass to the lead as initially planned . Their specific objective was to achieve a breach within 500 meters to the west of Riva Bella supporting the 3rd Infantry Division . In spite of significant losses , the commandos seized the 50mm anti - tank gun encuvée that disabled LCI 523 ( 1Re Troop ) , then took the former Casino de Riva - Bella before advancing between Colleville and Saint - Aubin - d ' Arquenay to meet the British paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division at the Pegasus Bridge ( Bénouville ) where they arrived towards 1630 hours . There the commandos occupied the perimeter of the lime pit towards 2000 hours . By the evening of June 6 , the 1er BFMC had lost almost 25 % of its personnel with 27 killed in combat in Normandy , with their commander Kieffer wounded twice in the course of the day . The French marine commandos fought in Normandy until 27 August 1944 , when the battalion was returned to the United Kingdom for rest and to receive replacements . In November 1944 , the 1er BFMC was landed on the island of Walcheren in Holland and took Flessingue as part of the Allied combined arms operation of the British commandos . By October 1944 , the commando Battalion had three companies . Since the Second World War the unit serves as the Naval commandos of the French Navy and continues to wear the green beret and bronze shield badge .