29 commando / 148 commando

[gary-amsterdam]

Does anyone have pictures of the British commando gunners

7 cdo
8 cdo
23 cdo
79 cdo


148 commando is also part of the gunners but has different tasks :

In the Far East a helicopter hovers above a small clearing in the jungle. Six heavily laden men abseil through the treetops onto the jungle floor and prepare for a long march to locate the enemy. Out at sea are three Royal Navy frigates whose 4.5mm guns provide the firepower for this elite Commando Gunner unit. These men belong to 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery and their role is to co-ordinante gunfire from ships of the Royal Navy in support of the Land Battle. Operating in small teams each man is a trained parachutist, diver, signaler, powerboat coxwain and medic. 148 Commando Battery prides itself on being an elite within an elite and includes not just Commando Gunners but also signalers from the Royal Navy.

(www.army.mod.uk)

tnx,

Gary

P.S
I have my physical/medical on december the 8'th I have applied for the role of naval gunfire observer wich is in 148 commando.

[fantassin]

Try 4/73 By in Catterick; their STA patrol course beats what 148 has to offer; 19 weeks, loads of pressure but probably the best such course in the UK.

[gary-amsterdam]

4/73? what is there name and role ? More info plz :)

[gary-amsterdam]

I looked it up m8, 4/73 is EXACTLY the same as 148 only both are part of different units, 4/73 work with the sphynx and do all the same as 148 (deep recon, escape and evasion training, etc etc)

But 4/73 don't have to pass the all arms commando course or am i wrong? 148 do.

Both can call in airstrikes/artillery/naval gunfire from all nato countries.

[fantassin]

4/73 does the very demanding Surveillance and Target Acquisition Patrol Course; it's 19 weeks long and covers everything from combat shooting to OP work, to long range signal and first aid to Arty OP work and CTR etc etc.

If you ask the members of 4/73, they'll tell you 148 training is only three weeks long and not as thorough as theirs; Para trng and cdo trng being mostly physical and not mission orientated like 4/73.

In a recent course, there were 15 candidates; at the end of it, three got badged...and they were all coming from regular units (including from 3 Cdo Bgde) which means they had previous experience.

4/73 belongs to 5 rgt RA but most of the members are not arty by trade.

If you want to know more, the French magazine RAIDS(#205) did a ten pages article with about 30 pics in its June 2003 issue; you can order it from

Histoire et collections, 5 avenue de la république, 75541 Paris cedex 11 France phone 00 33 1 40 21 18 20

Price is 6,20 Euros per issue

The article explains the whole selection process, week by week; it's very very interesting and none of the pics had been released before.

[gary-amsterdam]

4/73 does the very demanding Surveillance and Target Acquisition Patrol Course; it's 19 weeks long and covers everything from combat shooting to OP work, to long range signal and first aid to Arty OP work and CTR etc etc.

If you ask the members of 4/73, they'll tell you 148 training is only three weeks long and not as thorough as theirs; Para trng and cdo trng being mostly physical and not mission orientated like 4/73.

In a recent course, there were 15 candidates; at the end of it, three got badged...and they were all coming from regular units (including from 3 Cdo Bgde) which means they had previous experience.

4/73 belongs to 5 rgt RA but most of the members are not arty by trade.

If you want to know more, the French magazine RAIDS(#205) did a ten pages article with about 30 pics in its June 2003 issue; you can order it from

Histoire et collections, 5 avenue de la république, 75541 Paris cedex 11 France phone 00 33 1 40 21 18 20

Price is 6,20 Euros per issue

The article explains the whole selection process, week by week; it's very very interesting and none of the pics had been released before.


148 commando must all have been part of obervation teams in the royal artillery who do the OP work behind enemy lines, I think thats why the initial course in 148 is so short (they told me it was 8 weeks when i signed up) becouse most of the experience about op'ing has already been learnt.

Everyone in 148 also gets trained in signals, medical aid, and parachuting, so Im still convinced they are basicly the same :)


But what I was looking for was photos :D of the commando gunners/148cdo

(tnx fantassin but I never learnt french at school :))

[Sabre]

I would dispute that 148 training only lasts 3 weeks!

[fantassin]

I wouldn't know I haven't followed it myself...but that was reported by a member of 4/73 who was apparently sick of all the publicity 148 got because of the book "Falklands Commando".

He was saying that 4/73 training was much more thorough thanks to the fact they can recruit from all over the Army and get people with a lot of different trades.

In the RAIDS article, it also says that 4/73 gets a selection staff made up of SF personel and that alot of 4/73 "special observers" move on to 22nd SAS after a few year in the Battery.

[gary-amsterdam]

Hehe, funny, the only picture i could find of 148 commando is of the book you mentioned :)

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0007141750.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Does anyone know what gun he is using ? It looks like an m16

[Tiger]

It's a CAR-15.

[MaCV-SOG]

Im saying C8 seeing how the Commonwealth loves each other ;)

[fantassin]

A C8 in April to June 1982 is not possible....I think 148 is back to using SA80 now.

For pictures, maybe you should try the in-house magazine of the Royal Artillery. Or the old collection by Orbis "The Elite" had an article on 148 ages ago; was written by McManners also...

[RobT]

Alright gary nice to see you here. Good luck you brave little commando!

woot

[Hydro]

The gun in the picture is a "Colt Commando" or Colt Model 653 (or 635, whatever ISN'T the 9mm jobber. I get confused over Colt's model numbering). Anyhoo, it's the one Barnes and Elias use in "Platoon" :)

[marktigger]

148 also use the M16a2 was speaking to a guy who was in Sierra Leone with them.
The 5 Regt spec op's are good but they are trained to direct guns and mlrs. 148 also do Naval Gunfire support which is an art in itself they also do p coy and AA commando. They also do the full spectrum of commando deployment training from arctic-desert.
what way do 4/73 deploy? 148 generally work closley with bde ptl troop and 59 recce troop RE.

has anyone any info on
9(para)sqn RE recce
59(cdo)sqn RE recce
any specialist ops with 7(Para) RHA
14 sigs regts LEWT(light electronic warfare teams)
Y troop RM
'Black Serpant'

[Royal]

148 Bty use either the L85A2 or the L119A1 in line with BRF and other quasi-SF units in UKLF.

UK Commando trained pax are exempt P Coy (as are candidates for SF and SPAG) and complete the standard pre-para and para course along with SF/SPAG candidates. Therefore 148 Bty pax (as trained commandos) are exempt P Coy (that's not to say some may have done it prior to their AACC). Selectionfor 148 Bty is around 3 weeks. Training is a lot longer.

Don't know much about 5 Rgt's STA Tp, but they have an entirely different role to 148 Bty. Although they do have a LRRP role and attend LRRP courses the last time I had a brief on them (about 2 1/2 years ago) they had no para requirement (although most sucessfull candidates come from 7 Rgt RHA, so are para trained).

Medical training in all SF and quasi-SF roles is centred on the old NI-Team Medics course or the SF Team Medics course run either from Hereford/Poole or Keogh Bks in the 'shot. Any 'specialist' med training conducted 'in unit' is unofficial and will not give a qualification recordable on PAMPAS.

[gary-amsterdam]

RobT : Alright gary nice to see you here. Good luck you brave little commando!
[/b] militaryforums rule :P

[gary-amsterdam]

Thanks for all the info people, its stupid there are no photo's on the net of 148, except the 'falklands commando' one :(

I was told that becouse 148 work very close together with the sbs that they have to learn to parachute into water?

[Royal]

Because 148 (Meiktla) Bty RA (to give them their correct title - call then 148 commando, especially with a small 'c' and someone's liable to 'correct' you) have an NGS role, they operate on coats (near to where the ships are) they train for wet and dry jumps. Yes, they sometimes work with the SBS, but they work with plenty of other units, UK or otherwise too.

[gary-amsterdam]

Because 148 (Meiktla) Bty RA (to give them their correct title - call then 148 commando, especially with a small 'c' and someone's liable to 'correct' you) have an NGS role, they operate on coats (near to where the ships are) they train for wet and dry jumps. Yes, they sometimes work with the SBS, but they work with plenty of other units, UK or otherwise too.

What experience do you have with 148? Ever worked with them? I applied for the job but they told me you can't get in directly, so I am doing as90 + artillery obsevation post training first, and then I can do the ACC they said :)

Selection on the 8'th of december

[Royal]

Yes, I've worked with them a few times on exercises (never on Ops) over the years.

Good luck, but take one step at a time (get your AACC out of the way and get some experience).

[gary-amsterdam]

yeah, Im gonna show them' Im the man on the 8th. Thanks for all the info mate.