Ian Fleming's Red Indians Special Royal Marine Commando Unit

The British newspaper the Shoreham Herald offers a piece on the World War II commando unit that was conceived and commanded by Commander Ian Fleming (seen in the above photo).

Early in 1944, Littlehampton became the base for a special Royal Marine Commando Unit called the 30 Assault Unit.

The 30 Assault Unit, although existing in embryo form from the days soon after the Crete assault and operating on the long lines of the Long Range Desert Group in the North African campaigns, did not become a recognisable Royal Marines Unit until February 1944.

With the Royal Marines from the original group as its nucleus it was built up by drawing a few officers from the old 5th Battalion and by a personal recruiting campaign carried out by its CO, Lt Col A.R Woolley, who did a round of the barracks inviting those who were young and eager to join him in a new and exciting unit.

Ian Fleming, the famous author who penned the James Bond novels, joined the Royal Navy for the war’s duration and was the senior CO for the unit, and the unit was sometimes referred to as ‘Fleming’s private navy’ or ‘Fleming’s Red Indians’.

Fleming would meticulously plan all of their missions, even going to the lengths of memorising aerial photographs so that their raids could be planned in great detail.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/news/fleming-s-red-indians-special-royal-marine-commando-unit-1-5326845

You can also read my Counterterrorism magazine piece on Ian Fleming's commando unit via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2011/11/look-back-at-30-assault-unit-british.html