Odd Unit Designations

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

The 201, 202 and 203 Battalions, The Home Guard Auxiliary.

Unlike the rest of the Home Guard (UK WWII), these three battalions were covering formations for a series of stay-behind units. Formed into patrols ranging in size from 4-10 men and provided with a carefully camouflaged underground bunker, their mission was to wait for the German invasion, and then conduct sabotage missions once the front lines had passed them by.

Time Team (UK archaeological TV show) found one of their camouflaged bunkers in a London backyard in 2009 (near Shooters Hill). Apparently there's almost no records of their existence. Also, it was stated that the members of these units had orders to assassinate their recruiters as their first order of business should the Germans take control of Britain to eliminate their ability to identify them.

Life expectancy was about 2 weeks - if they were lucky.

[Targan]

Z Force, properly titled the Z Special Unit. A combined ANZAC and Allied forces special unit that operated in the Pacific theatre in WWII.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_Special_Unit

They conducted some seriously ballsy ops, particularly Operation Jaywick in which unit members disguised as Indonesian fishermen were able to sail to Singapore where they infiltrated the main harbour and used limpet mines to sink four Japanese ships.

One of their last surviving members, a Chinese-Australian man named Jack Sue, lived here in Perth and only died a couple of years ago.

[simonmark6]

My Grandfather talked about such units. I don't think there were many such units in Wales but Grandad was in the Home Guard and a notorious poacher as well as being a quarry blaster and he was in a group organised to act as guerrillas should the Germans reach as far. He had some chilling tales that included planning to kill the men that recruited them as you mentioned. In fact, his unit would have been busy butchering dozens of locals before they got to any Germans, that included people that might be useful to the enemy even if they were considered totally loyal.

I think it might have been one of Churchill's mistakes if it had happened and might have driven more people to consider the guerrillas as criminals rather than freedom fighters.

One mission he described highlights the cold blooded nature of the concept, a major rail line runs near us and the best place to block it for a long time was overlooked by a primary school. The squad not only planned how to destroy it but decided it would be best done in school time for the following reasons:
1) It would catch a major train carrying steel
2) They could plant secondary bombs to catch the rescuers of the children

Bastards. Necessary for victory perhaps, but bastards none the less.

[Cpl. Kalkwarf]

Originally Posted by Targan

Z Force, properly titled the Z Special Unit. A combined ANZAC and Allied forces special unit that operated in the Pacific theatre in WWII.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_Special_Unit

They conducted some seriously ballsy ops, particularly Operation Jaywick in which unit members disguised as Indonesian fishermen were able to sail to Singapore where they infiltrated the main harbour and used limpet mines to sink four Japanese ships.

One of their last surviving members, a Chinese-Australian man named Jack Sue, lived here in Perth and only died a couple of years ago.

Z force sounds more like it should have something to do with Zombies :P

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Time Team (UK archaeological TV show) found one of their camouflaged bunkers in a London backyard in 2009 (near Shooters Hill). Apparently there's almost no records of their existence. Also, it was stated that the members of these units had orders to assassinate their recruiters as their first order of business should the Germans take control of Britain to eliminate their ability to identify them.

Life expectancy was about 2 weeks - if they were lucky.

There is a group at undergrounduk.org, they have conducted excavations of some of the Home Guard Auxiliary patrol bases, its some pretty intresting stuff!

[rcaf_777]

I working on idea that the US would such an organization prior to the bombs dropping

[James Langham]

Originally Posted by rcaf_777

I working on idea that the US would such an organization prior to the bombs dropping

Most of NATO had similar networks. Gladio is the best known and a good starting point.