Often overlooked, the secret unit of Jewish commandos, part of the X (No. 10) Commando, were a special unit composed of displaced young nationals originally transported into Britain on the Kindertransports. Trained in intelligence, counterintelligence, interrogation, these brave young men also became commandos, trained to capture or kill Nazis in the heart of battlefields.[1]
Arriving in Britain from 1938 onwards, the young Jewish refugees from Germany, Austria and Hungary lived and worked among their fellow citizens with little concern. However, when war broke out in 1939, they were classed as ‘enemy aliens’, arrested, and sent to internment camps in England, Canada and Australia.[2] Those interned in England faired best, and by early 1940 some were able to enlist into the Royal Pioneer Corps, helping to build bridges, dig trenches and clear away bomb damage.[3] Those sent to Australia were far less lucky, relegated to below deck, living in filthy conditions for the two-month journey.[4] It took until 1942, and the attack on Pearl Harbour, for the refugees to be released, and for those in Australia to be offered immediate transport back in order to join the Pioneer Corp.
In that same year, at the suggestion of Lord Mountbatten, Prime Minister Winston Churchill formed the special unit of displaced nationals, No. 10 (inter-Allied) Commando. Within the Commando separate units were formed, including Unit 3, composed of German-speaking refugees.[5] The naming of the Commando came from Churchill himself, stating that “Because they will be unknown warriors… they must be considered an unknown quantity. Since the algebraic symbol for the unknown is X, let us call them X Troops.”[6]
All volunteers, X Troop was made up of men from many different backgrounds, such as intellectuals, artists and athletes.[7] All the men of X Troop had to take on fake British names and personas, so if they were captured they were somewhat protected, because almost all of the men of the Commando were Jewish.[8] Stopping at nothing to help defeat the Nazis, they were among the men that stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day (which you can read more about here) and played a vital role in the subsequent successes in France, Germany, Holland and more.[9]
Considered “Britain’s secret shock troop in the war against Germany”, their fight for justice did not end when the war did.[10] Following victory in Europe in 1945 (which you can read more about here), some of the X Troop turned their attention to capturing Nazis and gathering intelligence that would later be used in the Nuremberg trials.[11]
If you found this blog interested, you can read more about X Troop in Leah Garrett’s book X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II.
[1] Sheldon Goldberg, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II by Leah Garrett,” Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, last accessed 1 May 2023, https://www.jwv.org/x-troop-the-secret-jewish-commandos-of-world-war-ii-by-leah-garrett/
[2] Unknown author, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II,” The National WWII Museum, last accessed 1 May 2023, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/events-programs/events/128611-x-troop-secret-jewish-commandos-world-war-ii
[3] Goldberg, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II by Leah Garrett,”
[4] Goldberg, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II by Leah Garrett,”
[5] Goldberg, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II by Leah Garrett,”
[6] Goldberg, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II by Leah Garrett,”
[7] Unknown author, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II with author Leah Garrett,” Leo Baeck Institute, last accessed 1 May 2023, https://www.lbi.org/events/x-troop/
[8] Unknown author, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II,”
[9] Leah Garrett, “X Troop,” Military Intelligence Museum, last accessed 1 May 2023, https://www.militaryintelligencemuseum.org/x-troop
[10] Goldberg, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II by Leah Garrett,”
[11] Goldberg, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II by Leah Garrett,”
[Image] Unknown author, “X Troop: The Secret Jewish commandos of World War II,” The National WWII Museum, last accessed 1 May 2023, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/events-programs/events/128611-x-troop-secret-jewish-commandos-world-war-ii
It’s all in the Past... 
Very interesting, I didn’t know about this!
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