Themes

Naval air power

During World War Two Royal Marine pilots distinguished themselves in all theatres. Royal Marine pilots operated from aircraft carriers in the Far East, the Pacific, Mediterranean and the Atlantic flying a large range of different aircraft.

31 pilots and two observers flew under Royal Marine service with a further nine Royal Marines who had transferred to the Royal Navy as pilots. Of those pilots 18 commanded squadrons or wings and eight became Commander (Flying) of aircraft carriers.

Lieutenants A E Marsh and A J Wright of 804 Squadron and R C Hay of 808 Squadron took part in the air defence of Britain. Each won the Battle of Britain bar. Marsh was one of the Royal Marines who went on to Command a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm.

The Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11 – 12 November 1940. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft naval attack in history.

Twenty one aircraft flew from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in the Mediterranean. They attacked the Italian fleet at Taranto in southern Italy.

Amongst these was Royal Marine Captain Oliver Patch who won a Distinguished Service Cross for his service at Taranto. A month later, Patch added a Distinguished Service Order to his collection of medals for another British aircraft attack on Italian warships in Libya.

Patch led a sub-flight of Swordfish aircraft in the attack which torpedoed two submarines, a destroyer and a depot ship. The British aircraft attacks on the Italian fleet heralded the rise of naval air power and a decline in the faith in the power of the all-big gun warship.

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Follow the links to find out more about -

• Sea service

• Landings and landing craft

• Land service - The Armoured Support Regiment, the 11th Btn at Tobruk and the 7th Btn at Sicily
  

• Commandos and Raiders - Walcheren Raid, the Cockleshell Heroes, Detachment 385

• Jungle Warfare - Force Viper, the Commandos in Burma

• Flying Marines

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