Anders Lassen

A question driving me mad at the moment,was Anders Lassen ever a commando ? ,my understanding is his early training and his first units were more SOE than Combined Operations . Then later on his involvement with SAS / SBS.

All and any answers appreciated.

Graham

Didn't Lassen join 62 Commando and SSRF and later SBS?

I think his first involvement was 62 Commando with Appleyard and March-Pillips thus Commando.

Regs

John M

John,

Thanks for the reply,and here hangs my problem.

I believe he did "commando" training at Arisaig,which was I understand run by the SOE

Again my understanding is that 62 Commando/SSRF was run / controlled by the SOE.

Commandos came under Combined Operations,I really don't know what links the two organisations perhaps I am being to narrow minded, but at its simplest did Anders Lassen ever wear a green Beret.

Many thanks

Graham

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 20/06/2015 07:28:26

Anders Lassen was serving on an oil tanker in the Danish Merchant Navy on board the M/T Eleonora Maersk then in the Persian Gulf but due to the German invasion of Denmark unable to return to his homeland, the skipper refused his Governments orders to make for German or Italian ports. He would come to the U.K. via Cape Town this time serving aboard a British tanker acting as a machine gunner during the voyage. Coming ashore at Oban in Argyllshire Lassen travelled to Newcastle upon Tyne and would eventually make contact with S.O.E. who had just started to recruit Danes, he was recruited in January 1941 and sent to one of their training schools, after a rocky start that left him very restless at the tedium of in his opinion the training he was receiving he finally settled down when sent to one of S.O.E.'s paramilitary schools in the Highlands of Scotland.
In April 1941 he was transferred to the Maid Honour force and in January 1942 he took part in the seizing of the Italian ships the Duchess of Aosta and the Likomba in a neutral port in West Africa.
He would then spend some time in Nigeria still as an S.O.E. agent training local tribes in guerrilla warfare and sabotage.
Returning to the U.K. he would in the Autumn of 1942 newly commissioned as a 2nd/Lieutenant join as John said the S.S.R.F. and took part in the raid on Sark in the Channel Islands, for this and other work he had carried out he was awarded the Military Cross.
He would win a bar for spending around 3 weeks on the island of Crete whilst serving with the S.B.S a further bar was awarded for his actions on the island of Simi in the same year.
He would become the only member of the S.A.S./S.B.S. to be awarded the Victoria Cross albeit posthumously.
Hope this will be of some use to you,
Alan.

Graham,

'62 Commando' was, as you say, an SOE organisation and, although its members went through rigorous special forces training in various training schools in the Highlands, they were never to wear the coveted green beret.

Nick

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 20/06/2015 18:06:58

As I understand it no commando unit wore the Green Beret until No 1 donned it into battle on the Torch landings October 1942.

62 Commando was made up of men from other Commando units at the time eg No 7 & No 12 Commando and although they never wore the Green Beret ( because it had not been adopted) the men were from Commando units and I feel would have been entitled to have worn the Beret if it had been around.

Pinkcney (12 Cdo) and Appleyard (7Cdo) were both 62 Cdo.

So I think its a technicality but I also think No 62 was a Commando trained unit by default or the men certainly were.

Interesting

regards

Jon M

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 20/06/2015 17:59:58

Further on this:

SSRF/62 Cdo according to James Ladd ' Commandos and Rangers of WW2' came under joint control of SOE and CCO and 62 Commando was formed originally from men of No 7 Commando among others.

In Feb 1943 SSRF became 1st SAS.....I think therefore that Lassen although active in the early Commando operations and a part of the Commando system to all intents and purposes would never have been issued a Green Beret as none of the earlier Cdo Units were.

One things for sure he was one brave individual.

Harry Winch (62 Cdo) told me 'he was good to have on your side'

Regards

John M

Hi John

No 4 Commando wore the green beret in Troon following the Dieppe raid.

Bill

Hi Bill

That's interesting Bill......were they issued with it then or before the operation.?

regards

johnM

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 20/06/2015 22:40:30

John

They wore them for the first time I was told at the parade in Barrassie Street School in Troon. The officers did not get theirs at that time.

Bill

For information of those who may not have seen it, we have some entries relating to the issue of the Green beret Here

Whilst I understand the point on whether Anders Lassen served in a Commando Unit itself, I am not quite sure of the relevance of whether Anders Lassen ever wore a Green Beret. The relevance of the Green Beret only comes in to play some 2 years after the formation of the Commandos. Prior to that none of the Commandos wore a Green Beret.