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| 10th Inter-Allied Commando 4th Troop | Letter signed by Major DANLOY |
THE BELGIAN COMMANDO TROOPS
1942 - 1945
SHORT HISTORY
In August
1942 7 Belgian officers and a 100 volunteers went to
the "Commando
Basic Training Center" at Achnacarry, Scotland.
After training they became the 4th Troop of the 10th Inter-Allied Commando.
On December 13 1943 the 4th Troop saw action at the Italian Front, only 4km of the river Sangro.
After several
months of duty at the Italian Front, the 4th Troop embarked
for
the Yougoslav island of Vis, on March 17 1944.
From there
they undertook, together with the Yougoslav partisans of marshal
TITO,
several raids
on the islands occupied by the Germans.
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| 10th Inter-Allied Commando 4th Troop | Letter signed by Major DANLOY |
On May 14 1944 they returned to Italy, and from there to the United Kingdom.
By the end of
September 1944 the 4th Troop returned to liberated Belgium,
received some350 volunteers, and underwent new training.
On november 1
1944 the 4th Troop took part at the amphibious assault
on the Dutch island of Walcheren in the river Schelde estuary.
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| Death
Card of Lieutenenant MENY who was killed in action during the assault on Walcheren. |
During the Walcheren campaign the 4th Troop lost 25% of his men.
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| Belgian Commandos after the battle for Damburg, Walcheren. |
The Belgian
Commandos returned to the United Kingdom where they finished
the
training of the new volunteers.
At the end of
April 1945 the Belgian contingency formed 3 troops and a Staff
Troop, which made them
the largest non-British contingency in the 10th Inter-Allied
Commando.
The Belgian Troops took part in the last battles in the North of Germany.
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| May
1945, Belgian Commando taking a meal in Northern Germany. He wears the Combined Operations Badge with the shoulder title "N°10 Commando". |
After the
German capitulation they stayed in the North where they came
under the operational command
of the 8th British Army Corps until September 12 1945.
Then the Belgian Commandos returned the Belgium and were integrated in the newly formed Belgian Army.
Commanding
Officer :
Captain, later Major DANLOY, nickname "Chesty George".
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| Commanding Officer Captain DANLOY |
FORMATION BADGES AND INSIGNIA
As the Belgian Commandos were integrated in the British Land Forces, they adapted the British rank insignia.
The left shoulder title was the "N° 10 COMMANDO", red on dark blue.
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| 2 variants of the "N° 10 COMMANDO" shoulder title | |
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The right shoulder title was a "BELGIUM", red on dark blue.
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| "BELGIUM" shoulder title as worn by the Belgian Commandos |
Below the
shoulder titles they wore the Formation Badge of the "Combined
Operations".
A "Tommy Gun", an eagle and a stockless anchor, all in
red, on a dark blue circle.
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| "COMBINED OPERATIONS" Badge as worn by the belgian Commandos | "Dagger" badge as worn in 19453 |
On their beret the Belgians wore the Belgian rampant lion on a dark background.
Starting 1945 they began to wear the new Formation Badge, the red commando dagger on a dark blue triangle.
Once the Belgian Commandos were reintegrated into the belgian Army, September 1945, they changed badges.
They adopted the Belgian ranking insignia.
On the right shoulder they wore the Belgian National Colours, black-yellow-red, with the balck facing the front.
Beneath the
National Colours they wore the new Belgian Commando Badge,
a white Commando dagger on a khaki triangle with a white border.
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| Belgian "Dagger" badge worn end 1945 |
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| Belgian "COMMANDO" shoulder title, worn end 1945. |
On the left
shoulder they wore the shoulder title "BELGIUM", white
on khaki, with white border,
with the new Commando "Dagger" Badge beneath.
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| Shoulder title "BELGIUM" worn end 1945 |
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Belgian Corporal with "N° 10 COMMANDO" badge and "COMBINED OPERATIONS" badge |
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Belgian
Staff Troop, Northern Germany, June 1945. |
