X Commando – Taking up Arms Against Fascism

About a year earlier, most of the Australian internees had experienced a similar fate when Major Julian Layton[7] Letter of Authority for Major J.D. Layton, from Herbert Morrisson, Home Secretary, United Kingdom, vom 28.1,1941. Vgl. Paul R. Bartrop, Gabrielle Eisen, "The Dunera Affair", Seite 86., acting on behalf of the British Home Office, had arranged for them to travel to England by ship in the spring of 1941 and subsequently released them for service. In most cases, this involved voluntary enlistment in the Alien Corps of the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps (A.M.P.C.). Others were to take up war-related work on the British Isles. The prerequisite was a willingness to accept the risks of sea travel during the war. Here, too, the prospect of British citizenship was used as an incentive. For many internees, unarmed labor service in the A.M.P.C. was an opportunity to contribute to the defeat of the Nazi regime. For some, it was also a way to reunite with their families in England

The transports began in June 1941[8] Carol Bunyan, List of transports to England, in Dunera Lives. A Visual History by Ken Inglis et al., Melbourne 2018, page 518.. The Stirling Castle brought around 400 German, Austrian, and Italian internees on the fifth transport to Liverpool on November 28, 1941. This passenger list explicitly identifies 298 of the Germans and Austrians, including the later X Commando men Hans Guttmann and Gerhard Nell, as “ex-internees, returning to join the Pioneer Corps.” Passenger lists for other transports do not highlight this. With the second transport, for example, Andreas Carlebach, who will be mentioned later as well, arrived in Liverpool on July 31, 1941. On board the Themistocles were 58 comrades[9] List of passengers via ancestry. from the internment camp.

By the end of 1942, a total of 1,072[10] List of passengers loc.cit. German and Austrian Dunera Boys had been able to return to England. The 36 German and Austrian and eight Italian internees on board the Abosso, among them the writer Ulrich Boschwitz, fell victim to a torpedo attack by U-575 on October 8, 1942. The other ten transports reached their destination ports of Liverpool and Southampton unscathed.

Equated with “scum”

The A.M.P.C. was created shortly after the start of World War II to reinforce the British engineering corps. Of course, the “aliens” of the A.M.P.C. were met with resentment. The rather xenophobic official British policy, stimulated by ultra-right-wing newspapers, had declared all refugees – and especially those persecuted by the Nazis in Germany – to be suspects of Hitler’s “fifth column.” This had led to unjustified classifications and, as a result, to mass internments and deportations to Canada and Australia.

“there ist a marked disinclination[13] Jewish Chronicle, October 13, 1939, page 10. Quoted from Steven Kern, “Jewish Refugees from Germany and Austria in the British Army 1939-45” (doctoral thesis, University of Nottingham), June 2004, page 128. Accessed on January 25, 2026. among the British authorities to employ (the refugees from Germany, dunera.de) in any military capacity,” comments British historian Steven Kern.

In addition, the Pioneer Corps had “the sad reputation[14] Peter and Leni Gillman, Collar the Lot! How Britain interned and expelled its wartime refugees, London 1980, p. 257. of being the dumping ground of the British Army; it was once unkindly said that it was home to the entire dregs of humanity. It was the natural home of illiterates and former criminals; when the War Office agreed to accept internees, they were also sent there.”

Officially, however, it was said that British and foreigners were treated equally in the army, although “aliens” – as in Australia – were denied service with weapons.

They, like the internees on the Isle of Man and in other camps, were offered the opportunity to join the A.M.P.C. In October 1939, Lord Reading, head of the A.M.P.C., found 750 men there who wanted to travel on within four months and 350 men who were too old or too young. “Of the remaining 2,100 men, approximately 2,000 signed up for recruitment.” By December 1939, the domestic intelligence service MI5 had cleared 300 applicants. The intelligence service then waived background checks[16] Muchitsch loc cit., p 23, cited from “I Understand the Risk” by Norman Bentwich, London 1950, p 33. on applicants classified as Category “C”.

According to other sources, 905 refugees from Kitchener Camp had already volunteered in January 1940, so that 600 men could initially be enlisted. First, five companies[17] Peter Leighton-Langer, X steht für Unbekannt. Deutsche und Österreicher in den britischen Streitkräften im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Berlin 1999, p. 27 (English edition "The King's Own Loyal Enemy Aliens"). of the A.M.P.C. were formed, each with 300 men. Their military careers began with training at Kitchener Camp and a neighboring camp near Richborough, designated as A.M.P.C. Training Center No. 3 (No. 3 PCTC). Another training location was Ilfracombe (Devonshire).

Sleeve patch of the A.M.P.C. Of the 2,405 foreign pioneer soldiers[20] Muchitsch loc.cit., page 35, quoted from “War History of the Royal Pioneer Corps 1939-1945” by Major E.H. Rhodes-Wood, Aldershot 1960, page 65., 1,091 came from Germany, 628 from Austria, and 228 were stateless. Image: Wikipedia.

The British government defended its refusal to arm[21] Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Lord Croft on July 22, 1941, in the House of Lords, accessed on January 11, 2026. the “alien pioneers” of the A.M.P.C. in July 1941 in the House of Lords:

„My Lords, enemy aliens are normally enlisted for service in the Pioneer Corps only. The rule governing transfers of all Army personnel is that transfers shall be in the interests of the Service. As aliens perform most useful work in the Pioneer Corps, there are few cases in which transfer to a combatant corps would be of any advantage to the Service. There is no absolute rule against such transfers, but applications are not encouraged, as only in very exceptional cases could they be granted. No such transfers have so far been carried out.“

Two of the first five A.M.P.C. companies were sent to the front near Le Havre in France in May 1940. They acted as “The Feeders of the BEF[22] “The Feeders of the BEF” in “The Times” dated April 8, 1940. Quoted from Muchitsch loc.cit., page 35.,” bearing the burden of logistical support for the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Because they were apparently the only troops there, they were unexpectedly given rifles and an ultra-short briefing. Fortunately, the rather unprepared men had no contact with the enemy. Even before their return to England, which was completed on June 13, 1940, they were “disarmed, which almost led to mutiny in one company. Instead of returning their rifles, the soldiers dropped their weapons on the ground. However, instead of being punished, they earned the respect of their officers[23] „Unter den ersten in der Normandie“ loc.cit..”

A certain degree of disrespect for the “alien” soldiers on the part of the British authorities is probably also behind the following story: “The return of the foreigner companies[24] „German- and Austrian-Jewish Volunteers in Britain’s Armed Forces 1939-1945“, Leo Baeck-Institute Year Book XL 1995, page 29. quoted from  Peter Leighton-Langer loc. cit. from France took place at about the same time as the internment of civilian enemy aliens, and the soldiers were outraged to find that their own relatives were among the internees. This led to great unrest, especially in the 88th Company. It is said that a new mutiny was only prevented by sending a senior official there who promised the soldiers that their relatives would be released immediately.”

No. 3 Troop: Secret Fighters

The No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando was formed on July 2, 1942, as a multinational unit. With 11 troops for Germans and Austrians, Dutch, Belgians, French, Norwegians, Danes, Poles, and Yugoslavs, No. 10 became the largest British commando unit in World War II.

Troop No. 3 comprised Germans, Austrians, and a few German speakers with roots in other countries. Most had been forced to leave their homes to escape anti-Semitic persecution[26] Wikipedia on No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando, accessed on January 9, 2026. by the Nazis. “We all had very ordinary English names—Andrews, Arlen, Kershaw, Masters,” recalls Peter Masters[27] Furthermore, the anglicized battle names of the soldiers are also given. (Peter Arany, “but hardly anyone spoke English without an accent. All the Poles who were undergoing training wore a sleeve patch with the word Poland on it, as did the French, Dutch, and Czechs. But the members of this strange group (the German speakers) wore badges of English regiments: The Queen’s Own, Buffs, Hampshires. Where on earth had the British Army picked up these weirdos[28] Peter Masters, “Kommando der Verfolgten. 87 Elitesoldaten im Kampf gegen Hitler”, Munich 1999, page 20 ((English edition: Striking Back: A Jewish Commando's War Against the Nazis).?“ ”The dog tags[29] Ibid., blurb. also identified them as members of the Church of England.”

These legends as British citizens served as camouflage. For example, if they were captured, they could identify themselves as British (often as Welsh, due to their accent) and thus be protected from identification by the enemy as Jews or refugees. “Because they will be unknown warriors … they must perforce be considered an unknown quantity. Since the algebraic symbol for the unknown is X, we will call them X-Troop,” Winston Churchill[30] Ian Dear, Ten Commando, UK 1987, page 6, and Leighton-Langer, loc. cit., page 20. is credited as the creator of the unofficial name.

On D-Day, the Allied landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944, almost all the men of No. 3 Troop were assigned to different groups. During an operation in the run-up to the landing, the first X Commando to be promoted to officer George Lane[38] ibid. (Georg Lanyi, originally from Hungary) was taken prisoner. When questioned by Field Marshal Rommel, he responded so skillfully and with such typical British humor that Rommel ultimately even guaranteed his safety. “Lane’s Welsh accent and his legend withstood all tests, even during several mock Gestapo interrogations staged by the Wehrmacht.”

During the Battle of the Scheldt in early November 1944, No. 3 Troop was deployed, among other things, to capture the heavily fortified islands of Walcheren (Operation Infuate) and thus secure access to the deep-sea port of Antwerp. Other missions included the crossings of the Rhine at Wesel (Operation Plunder) on March 25, 1945, and the Aller in April 1945.

The former coach, welterweight boxer, and finalist in a European Youth Championship was born in Vienna on January 4, 1923. An inscription on the Bayeux Memorial commemorates him.

“With the same fierce determination that had carried him through to the eighth round of the European Youth Boxing Championship final despite a broken thumb, he now threw himself into training. During exercises[44] Masters loc. cit., page 104., he paid no attention to the numerical ratios and attacked far superior fighters as a lone warrior.“

”The day after the landing (in Normandy, dunera.de), fierce fighting took place within the village of Franceville-Plage. An unsuccessful attempt was made to end the fighting. Arlen went to the enemy positions under a white flag and unaccompanied and demanded their surrender, ‘since there were three more divisions behind the British and any further fighting would be a waste of blood’. This request was answered with machine gun fire and a counterattack. Arlen rushed back in anger, grabbed his submachine gun, and ran toward the position from which he had been fired upon. He was killed instantly[45] Leighton-Langer loc.cit., p. 135. See also Masters loc.cit., p. 271..”

The civil engineer was born on December 4, 1918, in Cottbus. From 1947, he worked in England as a draftsman. He died on December 14, 1984, in Great Broughton, Middlesborough. He was trained as a paratrooper[46] Masters loc. cit., page 135. for deployment in Italy. Masters describes a situation during training:

“Barnes, an engineer by profession, was assigned to this course as a Bren machine gunner, and I was his loader. We knew that we would have to clean our machine gun frequently because of the daily saltwater bands. Barnes maintained his weapon in an exemplary manner,” Masters recalls[47] Ibid., page 169.. The story continues when an officer criticized oil marks on the machine gun. “You couldn’t talk to Barnes about his Bren like that. He stood even straighter than he had been standing before. ‘Sir, as the name suggests, the Bren machine gun is a machine. A machine must be lubricated – with oil. This oil must be wiped off before inspection. ‘And?’ ‘It’s a beautiful, warm day today, isn’t it, sir?‘ ‘Indeed it is.’ ‘On days like this, the increased temperature causes a little oil to seep out of the pores of a properly oiled machine. If it remained dry, it would not have been properly oiled from the start, sir! The officer hastily took flight.”

Born in Berlin on October 27, 1919, the tea merchant identified as a Methodist. He married a British woman in 1944; they had three children. He died in Scotland on March 30, 2004.

The following is reported about abseiling on the cliffs[50] Ibid., pages 158/159. of the British Channel coast near the Seven Sisters near the town of Eastbourne: “When Andrew was lowered into the depths, as was customary for the leader of a squad, the rope cut off his air supply. Close to suffocation, he pulled out his commando folding knife and cut himself free. Carson, a quiet, serious athlete who smoked a pipe, played rugby, and seemed more British than most of us, had signaled his predicament. (…) No one knew exactly whether Carson had fallen fifteen or twenty meters. In any case, he lay motionless and bleeding at the foot of the Seven Sisters. We were all paralyzed with fear—except for Gerald Nichols (Dunera Boy Gerhard Nell), who ran to him and picked him up. (…) Nichols carried Carson out into the surf and concentrated on keeping his balance as he waded out into the foaming dark water. He carefully placed Carson in the black dinghy and paddled out to the motorboat. (…) Miraculously, he survived, although he was never able to return to No. 3 Troop.”

Hans Julius Guttmann (Sgt. Ronnie Gilbert)

He was born on September 28, 1919, in Singen (Baden). In England, he worked on a farm near Thirlby Thirsk (North Yorkshire). In Australia, he was housed in Camp 8 Hay.

The Normandy landings veteran suffered a leg injury[62] Leighton-Langer loc.cit, page 143. on August 19, 1944, during a battle with an enemy patrol at Grande Ferme du Boisson, which required treatment in England. After the war, according to X Commando John Envers (Hans Gunter Engel), he is said to have worked for the British intelligence service in Düsseldorf. “He also says, ‘Ronnie was a spy’ and that he received[63] Leighton-Langer loc.cit., page 208. the Member of the Order of the British Empire[64] Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) is the fifth and lowest level of the British Order of Merit. See Wikipedia, accessed on January 26, 2026. (MBE) medal.”

Masters adds this anecdote[65] Masters loc.cit., page 449.: “The Germans also wanted to award him a medal for his excellent work in tracking down war crimes. An old English law (dating back to the time of Elizabeth I) prohibited him from accepting this award, but it was a triumph for one of our boys who had been forced to participate in the destruction of the synagogue in his hometown of Singen during Kristallnacht.” This anecdote is reminiscent of the automotive pioneer Joseph Ganz, whom Australia refused to award the Federal Cross of Merit.

How Nichols saved his comrade Carson has been reported previously. During the Normandy landings, he led a five-man group[70] Dean loc.cit., page 128. as a corporal. On June 13, 1944, at a farm near Breville, he carried the seriously wounded General Lord Lovat, commander of the 1st Commando Brigade, out of the line of fire. Masters reports on the artillery attack[71] Masters loc.cit, pages 275/276.: “All hell was breaking loose around us. Nichols rushed through the archway to our brigadier general, who was lying motionless and bleeding from several wounds. Gerald picked up Lovat along with his forked walking stick, slung him over his shoulder, and staggered under his weight—Lovat was tall and heavy—back into the courtyard. Shells continued to explode around us, and rescuing our dead commander seemed reckless at best. Why not wait until the artillery fire had stopped? But two of us ran to help Nichols before he collapsed. He slid Lovat off his shoulder and called for the staff doctor …”[In the Breville area, Nichols was later wounded by shrapnel in his lower jaw and taken to England for treatment.

Egon Vogel (Sgt. Ernest Robert Villiers)

He was born on September 7, 1918, in Hamburg. His father had left the family, and his mother was Jewish. He had trained[72] Information about Egon Vogel's family by Alexander Berkel. as a locksmith. His hosts in London[73] Census form from September 29, 1939, for Sutton Court Road, London Brentford-Chiswick, via ancestry.de. were police officer Leonard Hurrell and his wife Marguerite. During his training in Aberdovey, he lived with Tony Firth, Colin Anson, and two other comrades in the large Edwards family[74] See Garrett, op. cit., p. 82. home.

After returning from Australia, he joined the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps before being accepted into the commando troops and assigned to No. 3 Troop (X Commando) of the 10th (Inter Allied) Commando as Ernest Robert Villiers.

“As a masterful safe cracker[75] Masters loc.cit., page 103., he had such sensitive fingers that he could feel the combination of a combination lock. He also knew all the locking mechanisms so well that he could open most of them in no time, sometimes using improvised tools such as celluloid strips or pieces of wire when his fingers were not enough. He taught us, but none of us could hold a candle to him.” Villiers was wounded on June 23, 1944, in Normandy[76] Commando Veterans Archive, accessed on January 11, 2026. during the fighting for Sallenelles near Caen.

Sergeant “Robbie” Villiers and his comrade Herbert A. Seymour (H.P. Sachs) died on March 24, 1945, from injuries sustained while crossing the Rhine[77] Alexander Berkel et al. „1945 - The Rhine Crossings in the Wesel Area“, accessed on January 11, 2026. (Operation Widgeon) north of Wesel in their “Buffalo” amphibious tank. “A glance over the side showed me a Buffalo burning in the middle of the Rhine. Later we heard the terrible news[78] Leighton-Langer loc.cit., page 145. that Robbie Villiers (who could pick any lock) and Seymour, both seconded from 3 Troop to 46 Royal Marine Commando, had perished in the flames.”

„In proud, loving memory
of our dear Ernest.
Never to be forgotten
by the Hurrells“

The inscription[79] “For Everyone. Stories of the Fallen” Online, accessed on January 11, 2026. that his host family, the Hurrels, had placed on the gravestone shows the great respect they had for the soldier of X Commando and also documents that the fighters of No. 3 Troop No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando were no longer considered foreigners.

The British Army praised No. 3 Troop No. 10 (Inter Allied) Commando with the highest accolades. Major General R. G. Sturges, GOC Commandoes and Special Service Group, wrote as early as 1944/45 that the unit “had been trained and deployed for tasks of a highly combatant nature and consisted of volunteers … their conduct and work were always extremely satisfactory … This is a good subgroup that can take good care of itself and has done an excellent job.”

Bryan Hilton-Jones[80] Quotes from Hilton Jones and Sturges and information about Griffith/Glaser cited from Martin Sugarman, “No. 3 (‘Jewish’) Troop, No. 10 Commando” (article), page 2, Commando Veteran Org (online), accessed on January 9, 2026., the first commander of No. 3 Troop, recalled that his unit “was remarkably successful and received high praise from all sides, which is best illustrated by the fact that many were accepted as officers into the commando forces to which they had belonged. … They were the most interesting and valuable branch of No. 10 Commando.” This is clearly illustrated by the example of Captain K. J. Griffith (Kurt Joachim Glaser), the first Jewish commander of the troop, who was killed on April 11, 1945, while crossing the River Aller.