John Durnford-Slater

Brigadier John Frederick Durnford-Slater, DSO and bar (1909 – 5 February 1972) was a British Army officer who was credited with establishing the first Army commando unit during the Second World War.

John Durnford-Slater
Born1909
Died5 February 1972 (aged 62−63)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1927–1946
RankBrigadier
Service number41090
UnitRoyal Artillery
Commands heldNo. 3 Commando
Battles/wars
  • Second World War
    • Operation Ambassador
    • Operation Claymore
    • Operation Archery
    • Operation Jubilee
    • Operation Overlord
    • Operation Devon
    • Operation Plunder
AwardsDistinguished Service Order and Bar

An officer in the Royal Artillery who eventually rose to the rank of brigadier, he was responsible for developing many of aspects of the commando concept. Commanding No. 3 Commando he participated in raids on Guernsey, the Lofoten Islands, Vaagso, Dieppe and Sicily. In Italy he commanded the 2nd Commando Brigade that undertook the capture of Termoli, before serving as deputy commander of the Special Service Group, a divisional level headquarters unit that planned and administered all commando operations during Operation Overlord and the advance into Germany.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.