Editing No. 3 Commando (section)

{{short description|British commando unit of the Second World War}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=No. 3 Commando
|image=[[File:Commandos archery.jpg|250px|alt=A black and white photograph of three British soldiers advancing beside a wooden house. The lead soldier is carrying a Thompson submachine gun and is peering around the corner of the house, while the other two are carrying rifles.]]
|caption=Commandos take cover during Operation Archery, a raid on the Lofoten Islands
|dates=1940–1946
|country={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|allegiance=
|branch={{army|United Kingdom}}
|type=[[British Commandos|Commando]]
|role= Special Forces
|size=470–535 men all ranks<ref>Durnford-Slater 2003, pp. ix–xvi.</ref>
|command_structure= [[1st Special Service Brigade]]
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|nickname=
|motto=
|colors=
|colors_label=
|march=
|mascot=
|equipment=
|equipment_label=
|battles=[[World War II|Second World War]]
* [[Operation Ambassador]]
* [[Operation Claymore]]
* [[Operation Archery]]
* [[Dieppe raid|Operation Jubilee]]
* [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Operation Husky]]
* [[Operation Overlord]]
* [[Operation Plunder]]
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
|disbanded= 4 January 1946
<!-- Commanders -->
|commander1=
|commander1_label=
|commander2=
|commander2_label=
|commander3=
|commander3_label=
|notable_commanders= [[John Durnford-Slater]]<br />[[Peter Young (historian)|Peter Young]]
<!-- Insignia -->
|identification_symbol=[[File:British Commandos Patch.svg|70px|alt=Insignia of Combined Operations units it is a combination of a red Thompson submachine gun, a pair of wings, an anchor and mortar rounds on a black backing]]
|identification_symbol_label=Combined Operations<br> Shoulder<br> Patch
}}
'''No. 3 Commando''' was a [[battalion]]-sized [[British Commandos|Commando]] unit raised by the [[British Army during the Second World War]]. Formed in July 1940 from volunteers for special service, it was the first such unit to carry the title of "Commando". Shortly afterwards the unit was involved in a largely unsuccessful raid upon the German-occupied Channel Island of [[Operation Ambassador|Guernsey]].

In 1941 they were involved in successful raids on the [[Operation Claymore|Lofoten Islands]] and [[Operation Archery|Vaagso]], in Norway, before taking part in the costly [[Dieppe raid]] in August 1942, where the unit was tasked with knocking out a German coastal artillery battery on the eastern flank of the main landings, although due to a chance encounter in the Channel with a German convoy, a large majority of the unit failed to make it ashore.

In early 1943, the unit was sent to [[Gibraltar]] before moving to [[North Africa]] in April from where they were involved in the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]] and operations in [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]] prior to being withdrawn to Britain to prepare for [[Operation Overlord]]. On [[Normandy landings|D-Day]] they went ashore on 6 June 1944 as part of the [[1st Special Service Brigade]] tasked with linking up with the [[6th Airborne Division (United Kingdom)|6th Airborne Division]] on the eastern flank of [[Sword Beach|Sword]] before being withdrawn. Later they took part in the Allied counterattack during the [[Battle of the Bulge|Ardennes Offensive]] in early 1945 before taking part in the advance into Germany as part of [[Operation Plunder]].

Following the end of the war, No. 3 Commando carried out occupation duties in [[Germany]] before it was disbanded on 4 January 1946.
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