45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines ( pronounced " four - five commando " ) is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines , the principal Commando formation , under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet . Tasked as a Commando amphibious unit , 45 Cdo RM is capable of a wide range of operational tasks . Based at RM Condor , their barracks in Arbroath , personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training . While 3 Cdo Bde RM are the principal cold weather warfare formation , personnel are capable of operating in a variety of theatres including tropical jungle , desert or mountainous terrain . The Commando is a regular participant in the annual Brigade cold weather warfare exercise in Norway , having been the first UK unit to specialise in the mountain and Arctic warfare role during the early 1970s and deployed to Norway on NATO ’ s northern flank most years until the end of the Cold War . All personnel have completed the Commando course at the Commando Training Centre ( CTCRM ) at Lympstone in Devon , entitling them to wear the green beret , with attached personnel having completed the All Arms Commando Course . History . 5th RM Battalion . The 5th RM Battalion was originally raised for a brief period at the end of World War I ( September 1918 - February 1919 ) , and was again raised on 2 April 1940 following mass mobilisation and the influx of “ hostilities only ” ( HO ) marines . The battalion was raised at Cowshot Camp in Brookwood ( now part of the Pirbright Camp complex ) , being incorporated into 101 RM Bde , along with the 1st RM Battalion . Between August and October 1940 the battalion took part in operations in Dakar . On return until August 1943 the battalion conducted extensive training in Wales , Scotland , the Isle of Wight and Burley , where the battalion reformed as 45 RM Commando on 1 August 1943 . 45 RM Commando . After reforming and retitling , the unit transitioned to the Commando role as a formed unit , by - passing the individual volunteer and selection process undertaken by Army Commando candidates . Personnel undertook , and completed , the Commando Basic Training Course at Achnacarry , Scotland . As part of the 1st Special Service Brigade the Commando participated in Operation Overlord , the D - Day Normandy landings , going on to move through Europe into Germany , including Montforterbeek on 23 January 1945 . The Commando returned to UK after a short period in Germany in June 1945 . Post - World War II reorganisation . Following the Second World War both 1 Commando Brigade ( Nos 3 , 4 and 6 Army Commandos and 45 RM Commando ) and 2nd Commando Brigade ( Nos 2 and 9 Army Cdos and 40 and 43 RM Cdos ) disbanded , leaving 3 Cdo Bde ( then comprising 1 and 5 Army Cdos and 42 and 44 RM Cdos ) in place in the Far East . 3 Cdo Bde reorganised , disbanding 1 and 5 Army Cdos , and took on 45 RM Cdo , which joined the Bde in Hong Kong , from the UK , in January 1946 . In order to preserve the heritage of a 2 Cdo Bde unit , as well as that of 1 Cdo Bde ( 45 RM Cdo ) , 44 Commando was retitled 40 Commando ( which had been disbanded in UK in October 1945 ) and took on 40 RM Cdo ’ s colours , battle honours and traditions , albeit with 44 RM Cdo ’ s manpower . The three remaining commandos were restyled 40 , 42 and 45 Commandos RM in March 1946 . 1940s / 1950s . The Commando was based in Hong Kong between January 1946 and May 1947 , conducting internal security duties , as part of 3 Cdo Bde RM . Between May 1947 and December 1948 the Commando moved to Malta , during which time it deployed to Libya , Palestine , Suez and Jordan . The Commando returned to Hong Kong in December 1948 and from there deployed to Malaya between 1950 and 1952 taking part in operations during the Emergency . Between 1952 and 1959 the Commando was once again based in Malta , from where it took part in a number of tours of Cyprus as well as the Suez Crisis , conducting the first ever helicopter assault . 1960s . Between 1960 and 1967 the Commando was based in Aden , from where it conducted 10 operational tours in the Radfan during the Aden Emergency . The Commando also deployed briefly to Kuwait following an Iraqi threat to her Independence in 1961 and also to Tanganyika during the Zanzibar Revolution for internal security duties in 1964 , returning to Aden after each deployment . The last elements of the Commando left Aden on 29 November 1967 to return to the UK for the first time since the end of World War II . They set up home in Stonehouse Barracks , Plymouth . 1970s / 1980s . In 1970 the Commando began Arctic training for the first time , taking on the role of the UK ’ s mountain and Arctic warfare experts ( joined later by the other Commandos ) . 45 Cdo RM deployed to Norway for the first of many winters in 1971 , which coincided with a move of the unit from Stonehouse , Plymouth to the old Naval Air Station , RNAS Arbroath ( now RM Condor ) in Arbroath , Scotland , where the unit still remains . This period in the unit ’ s history is characterised by the alternation of Northern Ireland tours and winters in Norway , protecting NATO ’ s northern flank . The principal break in this routine came from the Falklands War in 1982 . Falklands War . Following the Argentine invasion of 2 April 1982 , 45 Cdo RM , under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Andrew F . Whitehead RM , had their Easter leave cancelled and hastily deployed to the Falklands , travelling in a mix of Royal Navy ( RN ) and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ( RFA ) ships . Having made a tactical landing at Red Beach , Ajax Bay on 21 May 1982 , the men of 45 Cdo RM yomp ed across East Falkland , via Port San Carlos , New House , Douglas Settlement , Teal Inlet and Mount Kent to take part in the Battle for Port Stanley . They conducted a night attack on the Two Sisters feature over the 11 / 12 June 1982 , during which the Commando lost 8 men killed and 17 wounded . The Argentinians surrendered on 14 June 1982 . Lt . Col Whitehead was awarded the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) . The Unit Order of Battle ( ORBAT ) at the time of the Falklands War was three fighting companies , named X , Y and Z or X - Ray , Yankee and Zulu . Each company , led by a Company Commander , consisted of approx 100 ranks , divided into three ' troops ' each led by a Troop Commander . In addition Support Company ( Spt Coy ) consisting of Anti - Tank , Mortars , Assault Engineers and Recce Troop . Headquarters Company ( HQ Coy ) consisting of the Signals Troop , Drivers and Admin / Base Staff were additional support . The Senior Non - Commissioned Officer ( SNCO ) of the unit was the Regimental Sergeant Major ( RSM ) , Warrant Officer Class 1 ( WO1 ) Pat Chapman RM . 1990s . The Commando deployed to Northern Iraq on Operation Haven at the end of the Gulf War , where it spent 2 months in the Zakho area , withdrawing at the end of June . In 1993 The Commando was deployed to Belize for the last operational jungle tour in that country . In a mirror image of its 1961 deployment to Kuwait , the Commando returned on Operation Driver in 1994 , in support of Kuwait , following some threatening troop movements by the Iraqis on their side of the border . In 1998 the Commando was redirected from an exercise in Belize , to assist Nicaragua and Honduras following the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch – Operation Tellar . 2000s . At the turn of the Millennium , the Commando was deployed to Kosovo under KFOR as part of 3 Cdo Bde RM on Operation Agricola IV . In 2002 the unit deployed to Afghanistan on Operation Jacana ( known more universally by its US name Operation Anaconda ) , and also took part in Operation Telic 1 , the 2003 invasion of Iraq . X - Ray Company Group was attached to the Special Boat Service ( SBS ) , Whiskey Company Group attached to the Special Air Service ( SAS ) . In September 2003 , 45 Commando was granted the Freedom of Angus in recognition of their service in Iraq and Afghanistan and contribution to the local economy of Arbroath , where they are based at . In January 2004 the unit deployed to Northern Ireland ( Operation Banner ) for 6 months in support of peacekeeping operations , returning home in June . On return , it became the Spearhead Lead Commando , a role assumed on a rotational basis . The Lead Commando is at a high level of readiness , able to deploy at short notice on operations worldwide . In September 2004 , whilst still Lead Commando , the Group deployed to the United States on Exercise BLACKHORSE . This was split into two phases , the first of which took place with the United States Marines Corps Ground - Air Combat Centre at 29 Palms , California . This 900 square miles of desert , allowed realistic live firing , involving artillery and air strikes . The second phase took place at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Centre , high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains . An early snowfall meant the Commando was able to carry out cold weather warfare training , operating between 7000 and . 2006 saw the Unit deploy to Norway for further Arctic training which culminated with a NATO led exercise . The focus switched to preparation for deploying to Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK 5 in late 2006 . This deployment saw the Commando take on a number of different roles , the principal one being that of the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team ( OMLT ) . The OMLT task was to work alongside the Afghan National Army and develop it into a self - sufficient organisation . The Unit returned from Afghanistan in April 2007 , before reforming and assuming Lead Commando Group responsibility later that year . October 2008 saw the Commando return to Afghanistan as Northern Battle Group in Helmand Province on Operation HERRICK 9 . The operational area of responsibility was the Upper Sangin Valley which extended for 80 km along the length of the Helmand River . The Battle Group was in excess of 1200 strong , half of whom came from 45 Commando . The Unit was split between five Forward Operating Base s . The main location was in the town of Sangin and consisted of the Commando HQ and Whisky Company . The town had a population of approximately 25 , 000 . Whisky Company was responsible for the security of Sangin , mounting daily patrols to reassure the local population . Some parts of the town were friendlier than others , and the Company was involved in a number of battles with the Taliban in the suburbs . The deployment was a hectic 6 months , but the successes were notable . Most progress was in Sangin , with schools being built and shops opening in the bazaar . Importantly , the Afghan Police are now almost exclusively responsible for security in the centre of the town . The influence of the district governor helped spread local governance with ten times more people than predicted , from all tribal backgrounds , registering for the national elections . The Afghan government also delivered hundreds of tons of free wheat seed to local farmers , encouraging them to grow wheat instead of poppy . This progress was possible because of the security that was provided by 45 Commando . The Unit made it harder for the enemy to intimidate local Afghans , and when attacked , the Unit responded quickly , and effectively . 45 Commando conducted a number of intelligence led , targeted operations against the Taliban . Operation GHARTSE PALANG found hidden stores of assault rifles , explosives and ammunition . Another , Operation DIESEL , was a night time raid by helicopter into one of the enemy ’ s safe havens , which included the destruction of their main heroin production factories . 45 Commando left the Upper Sangin Valley significantly safer and better developed than it had found it . April / May 2009 saw the return of the Commando to Arbroath in Scotland for reorganisation ahead of a winter deployment to Norway where it will again hone its collective cold weather warfare and amphibious skills . Thereafter , it stands ready as always to fight and win operations around the globe . 2011 . 45 Commando deployed to Afghanistan again , as part of 3 Commando Brigade , for 6 months in March 2011 on Operation Herrick 14 . They returned home in October 2011 . 2013 . It was stated that 45 Commando is the lead commando group for the UK until May 2013 , able to deploy at short notice . Post Afghanistan , Whiskey Company from 45 Commando is now exercising in Ghana with US , Dutch and Spanish Marines . Active service . List of 45 Commando ' s active service Battle honours . The following Battle honour s were awarded to the British Commandos during the Second World War .