Laycock was appointed by Keyes to the Commandos and was put in charge of one unit. He raised and trained a body of men, often drawing on his wide circle of friends. From the first, the outfit attracted men with initiative and enterprise, often those who could think along unorthodox lines. Mostly, the choices were good, but regular units sometimes used the opportunity to get rid of those who did not fi ...

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Robert Laycock, Robert Laycock - Early life, Robert Laycock - Commandos: early days, Robert Laycock - Chief of Combined Operations, Robert Laycock - Governor of Malta, Robert Laycock - Last years, Robert Laycock - Bibliography

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Born in London, Waugh was the son of a noted editor and publisher, Arthur Waugh, and was brought up in middle class circumstances in London. His only brother was the writer Alec Waugh. He was educated at Lancing College, a minor English public school with a High Church Anglican emphasis and then at Oxford University (Hertford College), which he left in 1924 with a third-class degree. At Oxford, he was known as much for his artwork as his writing, although he also threw himself into a vigorous social scene populated by both aesthetes and nobi ...

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Evelyn Waugh, Evelyn Waugh - Early Life, Evelyn Waugh - The Thirties, Evelyn Waugh - World War II, Evelyn Waugh - Later Years, Evelyn Waugh - List of Works, Evelyn Waugh - Novels, Evelyn Waugh - Biography, Evelyn Waugh - Autobiography

Read more here: » Evelyn Waugh: Encyclopedia II - Evelyn Waugh - Early Life

Battle of Crete - Intelligence. By this time, Allied commanders had become aware of the invasion through Ultra intercepts. General Freyberg was informed of their battle plan, and started to prepare a defence based near the airfields and along the north coast. However, he was seriously hampered by a lack of modern equipment, and was faced with the reality that even the lightly armed paratroopers woul ...

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Battle of Crete, Battle of Crete - Prelude, Battle of Crete - Allied forces, Battle of Crete - Axis forces, Battle of Crete - Strategy tactics intelligence weapons and equipment, Battle of Crete - Intelligence, Battle of Crete - Weapons, Battle of Crete - Strategy & tactics, Battle of Crete - Day one May 20, Battle of Crete - Maleme-Chania sector, Battle of Crete - Rethimnon-Heraklkion sector, Battle of Crete - The Escape of the King, Battle of Crete - Day two May 21, Battle of Crete - Day three May 22, Battle of Crete - Withdrawal May 28–31, Battle of Crete - Decision in London, Battle of Crete - The retreat, Battle of Crete - The Anzacs fall back, Battle of Crete - The Māoris make a stand, Battle of Crete - The lost detachment, Battle of Crete - Tradition, Battle of Crete - Surrender, Battle of Crete - Outcome, Battle of Crete - Casualties, Battle of Crete - Order of Battle, Battle of Crete - Related battles & conflicts, Battle of Crete - Notable participants, Battle of Crete - Notes

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British Commandos - Northwest Europe. The first attack - though not very effective except for the propaganda value - was made by 120 men of the 375 strong No.11 Commando/Independent Company commanded by Major Ronnie Tod. On the night of June 23, 1940, Operation Collar was an offensive reconnaissance on the French coast south of Boulogne and Le Touquet. The only British injury was a bullet graze to Dudley Clarke's ear, (Clarke ther ...

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British Commandos, British Commandos - Formation, British Commandos - Some World War II Operations, British Commandos - Northwest Europe, British Commandos - Norway, British Commandos - Middle East, British Commandos - Return to Norway, British Commandos - France, British Commandos - Italy, British Commandos - Burma, British Commandos - Hitler's Commando Order, British Commandos - Commando Battle Honours, British Commandos - Post World War II Reorganisation, British Commandos - Some other Commando Operations, British Commandos - External links

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During the war the British Army Commandos spawned several other famous British units such as the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service and the Parachute Regiment. The British Army Commandos themselves were never regimented and were disbanded at the end of the war while the Royal Marines Commandos continued, though in smaller numbers and with much reorganisation. In 2005 the operational British Commando force consists of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines which includes 40, 42 and 45 Commando Royal Marines, 29 Commando Royal Arti ...

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British Commandos, British Commandos - Formation, British Commandos - Some World War II Operations, British Commandos - Northwest Europe, British Commandos - Norway, British Commandos - Middle East, British Commandos - Return to Norway, British Commandos - France, British Commandos - Italy, British Commandos - Burma, British Commandos - Hitler's Commando Order, British Commandos - Commando Battle Honours, British Commandos - Post World War II Reorganisation, British Commandos - Some other Commando Operations, British Commandos - External links

Read more here: » British Commandos: Encyclopedia II - British Commandos - Post World War II Reorganisation

The Germans admitted losses of 6,453 killed, missing and wounded. Today, however, there are around 4,500 German graves at Maleme alone, as all German graves on Crete were transferred to a single place after World War II. Allied soldiers claimed to have buried 900 German corpses in Rethimnon and 1,250 corpses at Heraklion by the fifth day of battle. German losses may have been considerably higher than admitted. Winston Churchill claimed the Germans must have suffered well over 15,000 casualties, and Admiral Cunningham felt that 22,000 had bec ...

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Battle of Crete, Battle of Crete - Prelude, Battle of Crete - Allied forces, Battle of Crete - Axis forces, Battle of Crete - Strategy tactics intelligence weapons and equipment, Battle of Crete - Intelligence, Battle of Crete - Weapons, Battle of Crete - Strategy & tactics, Battle of Crete - Day one May 20, Battle of Crete - Maleme-Chania sector, Battle of Crete - Rethimnon-Heraklkion sector, Battle of Crete - The Escape of the King, Battle of Crete - Day two May 21, Battle of Crete - Day three May 22, Battle of Crete - Withdrawal May 28–31, Battle of Crete - Decision in London, Battle of Crete - The retreat, Battle of Crete - The Anzacs fall back, Battle of Crete - The Māoris make a stand, Battle of Crete - The lost detachment, Battle of Crete - Tradition, Battle of Crete - Surrender, Battle of Crete - Outcome, Battle of Crete - Casualties, Battle of Crete - Order of Battle, Battle of Crete - Related battles & conflicts, Battle of Crete - Notable participants, Battle of Crete - Notes

Read more here: » Battle of Crete: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Crete - Casualties

Battle of Crete - Decision in London. Command in London eventually decided the cause was hopeless, and ordered a withdrawal from Sfakia. Over the next four nights 16,000 troops were taken off to Egypt by ships including HMS Ajax of the Battle of the River Plate fame. A smaller number was withdrawn on a separate mission from Heraklion, but these ships were attacked en route by Luftwaffe dive bombers and suffered serious losses. Battle of Crete - The retreat.

Battle of Crete, Battle of Crete - Prelude, Battle of Crete - Allied forces, Battle of Crete - Axis forces, Battle of Crete - Strategy tactics intelligence weapons and equipment, Battle of Crete - Intelligence, Battle of Crete - Weapons, Battle of Crete - Strategy & tactics, Battle of Crete - Day one May 20, Battle of Crete - Maleme-Chania sector, Battle of Crete - Rethimnon-Heraklkion sector, Battle of Crete - The Escape of the King, Battle of Crete - Day two May 21, Battle of Crete - Day three May 22, Battle of Crete - Withdrawal May 28–31, Battle of Crete - Decision in London, Battle of Crete - The retreat, Battle of Crete - The Anzacs fall back, Battle of Crete - The Māoris make a stand, Battle of Crete - The lost detachment, Battle of Crete - Tradition, Battle of Crete - Surrender, Battle of Crete - Outcome, Battle of Crete - Casualties, Battle of Crete - Order of Battle, Battle of Crete - Related battles & conflicts, Battle of Crete - Notable participants, Battle of Crete - Notes

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Following Winston Churchill's instruction to form a 'butcher and bolt' raiding force as a means of continuing the war against Nazi Germany after the evacuation of most of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk, a format for the new force was put forward by Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Clarke (Royal Artillery) during his time as Military Assistant to General Sir John Dill, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. He penned his proposals on June 5, 1940, just 2 days after the evacuation, which was approved at a meeting between Dill and Church ...

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British Commandos, British Commandos - Formation, British Commandos - Some World War II Operations, British Commandos - Northwest Europe, British Commandos - Norway, British Commandos - Middle East, British Commandos - Return to Norway, British Commandos - France, British Commandos - Italy, British Commandos - Burma, British Commandos - Hitler's Commando Order, British Commandos - Commando Battle Honours, British Commandos - Post World War II Reorganisation, British Commandos - Some other Commando Operations, British Commandos - External links

Read more here: » British Commandos: Encyclopedia II - British Commandos - Formation

Allied commanders were worried about the Germans using Crete as a "springboard" to further operations in the area, possibly a seaborne invasion of Egypt in support of the German/Italian forces operating from Libya. However, these fears were soon put to rest when Operation Barbarossa opened, and it was clear the German operation was defensive in nature. Losses among the German paratroops meant that the fallschirmjäger were never again used as airborne troops, which eliminated this weapon from use in Russia. Given the poor commu ...

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Battle of Crete, Battle of Crete - Prelude, Battle of Crete - Allied forces, Battle of Crete - Axis forces, Battle of Crete - Strategy tactics intelligence weapons and equipment, Battle of Crete - Intelligence, Battle of Crete - Weapons, Battle of Crete - Strategy & tactics, Battle of Crete - Day one May 20, Battle of Crete - Maleme-Chania sector, Battle of Crete - Rethimnon-Heraklkion sector, Battle of Crete - The Escape of the King, Battle of Crete - Day two May 21, Battle of Crete - Day three May 22, Battle of Crete - Withdrawal May 28–31, Battle of Crete - Decision in London, Battle of Crete - The retreat, Battle of Crete - The Anzacs fall back, Battle of Crete - The Māoris make a stand, Battle of Crete - The lost detachment, Battle of Crete - Tradition, Battle of Crete - Surrender, Battle of Crete - Outcome, Battle of Crete - Casualties, Battle of Crete - Order of Battle, Battle of Crete - Related battles & conflicts, Battle of Crete - Notable participants, Battle of Crete - Notes

Read more here: » Battle of Crete: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Crete - Outcome

Realising that Maleme was now the key to holding the entire island, the defending force organised for a counter-attack by two New Zealand battalions on the night of May 21–22. Fears of a sea landing meant that a number of units that could have taken part in the attack were left in place, although this possibility was removed by a strong Royal Navy presence which arrived too late for the plans to change. The force attacked at night, but by this time the original paratroops had set up defensive lines, and the newly arrived mountain tr ...

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Battle of Crete, Battle of Crete - Prelude, Battle of Crete - Allied forces, Battle of Crete - Axis forces, Battle of Crete - Strategy tactics intelligence weapons and equipment, Battle of Crete - Intelligence, Battle of Crete - Weapons, Battle of Crete - Strategy & tactics, Battle of Crete - Day one May 20, Battle of Crete - Maleme-Chania sector, Battle of Crete - Rethimnon-Heraklkion sector, Battle of Crete - The Escape of the King, Battle of Crete - Day two May 21, Battle of Crete - Day three May 22, Battle of Crete - Withdrawal May 28–31, Battle of Crete - Decision in London, Battle of Crete - The retreat, Battle of Crete - The Anzacs fall back, Battle of Crete - The Māoris make a stand, Battle of Crete - The lost detachment, Battle of Crete - Tradition, Battle of Crete - Surrender, Battle of Crete - Outcome, Battle of Crete - Casualties, Battle of Crete - Order of Battle, Battle of Crete - Related battles & conflicts, Battle of Crete - Notable participants, Battle of Crete - Notes

Read more here: » Battle of Crete: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Crete - Day three May 22

Waugh's fame continued to grow between the wars, based on his satires of contemporary upper middle class English society, written in a prose which was both approachable and innovative. (A chapter, for example, written entirely in the form of a dialogue of telephone calls). His conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1930 introduced a more serious undertone to his writing, and his faith, whether implicit ...

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Evelyn Waugh, Evelyn Waugh - Early Life, Evelyn Waugh - The Thirties, Evelyn Waugh - World War II, Evelyn Waugh - Later Years, Evelyn Waugh - List of Works, Evelyn Waugh - Novels, Evelyn Waugh - Biography, Evelyn Waugh - Autobiography

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The period after the war saw Waugh living with his family in the West Country at his country homes, Piers Court, and from 1956 onwards, at Combe Florey in Somerset, where he lived as a country squire. He bequeathed the latter to his son, the writer and journalist Auberon Waugh. He made his living through writing and became a self-parodying reactionary figure. He was bitterly disappointed when the Roman Catholic Church, which he in part loved for what he perceived as its timelessness, began to adopt ...

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Evelyn Waugh, Evelyn Waugh - Early Life, Evelyn Waugh - The Thirties, Evelyn Waugh - World War II, Evelyn Waugh - Later Years, Evelyn Waugh - List of Works, Evelyn Waugh - Novels, Evelyn Waugh - Biography, Evelyn Waugh - Autobiography

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With the advent of World War II, Waugh used "friends in high places", such as Randolph Churchill - son of Winston - to find him a service commission. Though thirty-six years of age with poor eyesight, he was commissioned in the Royal Marines in 1940. Few can have been less suited to command troops. He lacked a common touch. Though personally brave, he did not suffer fools gladly. There was some concern that the men under his command might shoot him instead of the enemy. Promoted to C ...

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Evelyn Waugh, Evelyn Waugh - Early Life, Evelyn Waugh - The Thirties, Evelyn Waugh - World War II, Evelyn Waugh - Later Years, Evelyn Waugh - List of Works, Evelyn Waugh - Novels, Evelyn Waugh - Biography, Evelyn Waugh - Autobiography

Read more here: » Evelyn Waugh: Encyclopedia II - Evelyn Waugh - World War II

Allied forces had occupied the island of Crete when the Italians invaded Greece on October 28, 1940. Though the Italians were initially repulsed, the subsequent German intervention drove the 57,000 Allied troops from the mainland. The Royal Navy evacuated many of them, some to Crete to bolster its 14,000-man garrison. Winston Churchill would later write in his The Second World War: "To lose Crete because we had not sufficient bulk of ...

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Battle of Crete, Battle of Crete - Prelude, Battle of Crete - Allied forces, Battle of Crete - Axis forces, Battle of Crete - Strategy tactics intelligence weapons and equipment, Battle of Crete - Intelligence, Battle of Crete - Weapons, Battle of Crete - Strategy & tactics, Battle of Crete - Day one May 20, Battle of Crete - Maleme-Chania sector, Battle of Crete - Rethimnon-Heraklkion sector, Battle of Crete - The Escape of the King, Battle of Crete - Day two May 21, Battle of Crete - Day three May 22, Battle of Crete - Withdrawal May 28–31, Battle of Crete - Decision in London, Battle of Crete - The retreat, Battle of Crete - The Anzacs fall back, Battle of Crete - The Māoris make a stand, Battle of Crete - The lost detachment, Battle of Crete - Tradition, Battle of Crete - Surrender, Battle of Crete - Outcome, Battle of Crete - Casualties, Battle of Crete - Order of Battle, Battle of Crete - Related battles & conflicts, Battle of Crete - Notable participants, Battle of Crete - Notes

Read more here: » Battle of Crete: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Crete - Prelude

Battle of Crete - Maleme-Chania sector. At 8:00 a.m. on May 20 German paratroopers landed near Maleme and Chania, secondary airfields built to support the island's main airbase at Heraklion. Of the initial forces, the majority were mauled by Allied forces placed near the airfields, in particular many of the gliders following the paratroops were hit by mortar fire within seconds of landing. Those who did land were wiped out almost ...

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Battle of Crete, Battle of Crete - Prelude, Battle of Crete - Allied forces, Battle of Crete - Axis forces, Battle of Crete - Strategy tactics intelligence weapons and equipment, Battle of Crete - Intelligence, Battle of Crete - Weapons, Battle of Crete - Strategy & tactics, Battle of Crete - Day one May 20, Battle of Crete - Maleme-Chania sector, Battle of Crete - Rethimnon-Heraklkion sector, Battle of Crete - The Escape of the King, Battle of Crete - Day two May 21, Battle of Crete - Day three May 22, Battle of Crete - Withdrawal May 28–31, Battle of Crete - Decision in London, Battle of Crete - The retreat, Battle of Crete - The Anzacs fall back, Battle of Crete - The Māoris make a stand, Battle of Crete - The lost detachment, Battle of Crete - Tradition, Battle of Crete - Surrender, Battle of Crete - Outcome, Battle of Crete - Casualties, Battle of Crete - Order of Battle, Battle of Crete - Related battles & conflicts, Battle of Crete - Notable participants, Battle of Crete - Notes

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Laycock's last years were good, though circulation problems meant constant pain in one leg. He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire in 1962. A noted horseman, yachtsman and book collector, Laycock's varied interests made him a man who could enjoy life. It was said that he had no enemies. While walking back from Sunday church services on March 10, 1968, Laycock had a heart attack and died. His es ...

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Robert Laycock, Robert Laycock - Early life, Robert Laycock - Commandos: early days, Robert Laycock - Chief of Combined Operations, Robert Laycock - Governor of Malta, Robert Laycock - Last years, Robert Laycock - Bibliography

Read more here: » Robert Laycock: Encyclopedia II - Robert Laycock - Last years

In 1954, his old friend, Anthony Head, now Secretary of State for War appointed Laycock to the position of Commander-in-Chief and Governor of Malta. This was during a period of tensions surrounding a drive for independence, with Dom Mintoff leading the campaign to remove the British presence. Laycock served until 1959, having had his term extended twice. His tenure has been judged a success. ...

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Robert Laycock, Robert Laycock - Early life, Robert Laycock - Commandos: early days, Robert Laycock - Chief of Combined Operations, Robert Laycock - Governor of Malta, Robert Laycock - Last years, Robert Laycock - Bibliography

Read more here: » Robert Laycock: Encyclopedia II - Robert Laycock - Governor of Malta

In October, 1943 Laycock was promoted to major general and succeeded Lord Louis Mountbatten as chief of Combined Operations, a position he held until 1947. He then retired to his family home at Wiseton, Nottinghamshire, England where he managed his property. ...

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Robert Laycock, Robert Laycock - Early life, Robert Laycock - Commandos: early days, Robert Laycock - Chief of Combined Operations, Robert Laycock - Governor of Malta, Robert Laycock - Last years, Robert Laycock - Bibliography

Read more here: » Robert Laycock: Encyclopedia II - Robert Laycock - Chief of Combined Operations

Laycock was born in London on April 18, 1907, the eldest son of Sir Joseph Frederick Laycock, a Royal Artillery officer. His mother was Katherine Mary, former marchioness of Devonshire. Laycock was very fond of his father, who was knighted for his service in World War One. Eton College was followed by the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and a commission in the Royal Horse Guards in 1927. Laycock was an intelligent man, well read. Marriage followed in 1935, to Angela Claire Louise, daughter of William Dudley Ward ...

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Robert Laycock, Robert Laycock - Early life, Robert Laycock - Commandos: early days, Robert Laycock - Chief of Combined Operations, Robert Laycock - Governor of Malta, Robert Laycock - Last years, Robert Laycock - Bibliography

Read more here: » Robert Laycock: Encyclopedia II - Robert Laycock - Early life