D DAY Royal Marines

Unit/ Formation: Royal Marines

Location: France

Period/ Conflict: World War II

Year: 1944

Date/s: 6 June 1944

Over 17,500 RM took part in D Day operations in many roles including manning ships guns, crewing landing craft and tanks, and specialist units such as 30 Assault Unit.

By 1944, 500 Royal Marine officers and 12,500 Marines had become landing craft crew and 2/3 of all LCA's on D Day were manned by Royal Marines.

Five Commando were involved in the direct assault force 41, 46, 47 and 48(RM) landed at Juno and Gold under Brigadier Leicester (4th Special Service Brigade), and 45 Cdo with 1st Special Service Brigade under Lord Lovat, by the end of the campaign in NW Europe over 25,000 Royal Marines had been involved.