List of defunct special forces units

Afghanistan

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  • Democratic Republic of Afghanistan[1]
    • Afghan Army
      • 26th Airborne Battalion
      • 37th Commando Battalion
      • 38th Commando Battalion
      • 84th Commando Battalion
      • 85th Commando Battalion
      • 242nd Parachute Battalion
      • 444th Commando Battalion
      • 455th Commando Battalion
      • 466th Commando Battalion
      • 666th Commando Battalion
    • Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Afghan Army (KhAD-e-Nezami)
      • 203rd Special Purpose Battalion (Kabul)
      • 212th Special Purpose Battalion (Kandahar)
      • 230th Special Purpose Battalion (Gardez)

ANA Special Operations Command[2]

Australia

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Austro-Hungarian Empire

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Canada

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Croatia

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Cambodia

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Ethiopia

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Empire of Japan

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  Empire of Japan

Japanese Special Attack Units
Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force

Germany

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  German Empire

  Nazi Germany

Abwehr- units later reassigned to Wehrmacht after expanding to divisional size
  • Brandenburg Lehr und Bau Battalion zbV 800 – December 1939
    • 1. Company - Baltic/ Russian
    • 2. Company - English/ North and South Africa
    • 3. Company - Sudeten German/ Balkans
    • 4. Company - Volkdeutshe/ Eastern ethnic German
    • Motorcycle platoon
    • Parachute platoon
  • Brandenburg Lehr-Regiment zbV 800 – 1941–1943
    • 1st Battalion, at Brandenburg
    • 2nd Battalion at Baden
    • 3rd Battalion at Baden
    • Intelligence Battalion
    • Coastal Raiding Company
    • Sonderverbrand 287 - Arab volunteers with brandenburg volunteer core
    • Sonderverbrand 288 - All German
Wehrmacht from 1943- 1945

HQ staff at Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg

  • Verband 801, based in Brandenburg an der Havel
    • I. Battalion
    • II. Battalion
    • III. Battalion
  • Verband 802 (Mountain), base in Admont, Steiermark
    • I. Gebirgsjäger Battalion
    • II. Gebirgsjäger Battalion
    • III. Gebirgsjäger Battalion
  • Verband 803, based in Düren, North Rhine-Westphalia
    • I. Battalion
    • II. Battalion
    • III. Battalion
    • 13. Legionärs Company
  • Verband 804 (Legionärs), based in Langenargen, Bodensee
    • I. Legionärs Battalion
    • II. Legionärs Battalion
    • III. Legionärs Bataillon
  • Verband 805, based in Brandenburg an der Havel
  • Intelligence Detachment 800
    • 5X Company
  • Intelligence Support Detachment 800
    • 4X Company
  • Coastal Rangers Detachment 800, based at Langenargen, Bodensee
    • 4X Company (1, 2, 3 and 4)
  • Signals Detachment 800
    • 3X Company (1, 2 and 3)
  • Training Unit, Gut „Quenzsee“ (or „Quenzgut“), based near Brandenburg
Kriegsmarine
  • Lehrkommandos 200, 250, 300, 350, and 700
Luftwaffe
Waffen-SS

  German Democratic Republic

  Germany

Greece

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Fiji

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Indonesia

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Ireland

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Israel

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Kingdom of Italy

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World War I
World War II

Laos

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Netherlands

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Poland

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  Second Polish Republic

  Polish government-in-exile

  Polish Underground State

  Polish People's Republic

  • Polish Independent Special Battalion
  • 1st Assault Battalion[12]

Portugal

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Philippine Republic

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Rhodesia

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Serbia

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South Africa

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Syria

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Turkey

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United Kingdom

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British Army
Royal Air Force
Royal Marines
  • Royal Marine Detachment 385 (Small Operations Group)
  • Sea Reconnaissance Unit (SRU)
  • Royal Marine Demolition Unit
Royal Navy
Combined Operations
Directorate of Military Intelligence
Other

United States

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The Civil War
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Other

Republic of Vietnam

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South Vietnamese Rangers At its peak there were 22 ARVN Ranger Battalions organized in 10 Groups.

  • 1st Ranger Group - Da Nang (I Corps/CTZ)
  • 2nd Ranger Group - Pleiku (II Corps/CTZ)
  • 3rd Ranger Group - Biên Hòa (III Corps/CTZ)
  • 4th Ranger Group - Chi Long (initially in the 44 Tactical Zone and later the IV Corps)
  • 5th Ranger Group - Biên Hòa (III Corps/CTZ)
  • 6th Ranger Group - Biên Hòa (III Corps/CTZ)
  • 7th Ranger Group - Saigon, attached to Airborne Division
  • 8th Ranger Group - Formed in 1974-75
  • 9th Ranger Group - Formed in 1974-75
  • 81st Ranger Group (Airborne) - Biên Hòa[14]

Additionally, during the Vietnamization of the CIDG and MIKE Forces, former CIDG units were namely given Ranger status and organized into groups mostly of 3 battalions each, but they were largely local forces without any special forces capabilities.

  • 21st Ranger Group
  • 22nd Ranger Group
  • 23rd Ranger Group
  • 24th Ranger Group
  • 25th Ranger Group
  • 31st Ranger Group
  • 32nd Ranger Group
  • 33rd Ranger Group
  • 41st Ranger Border Defense Group - Chi Long HQ
  • 42nd Ranger Border Defense Group - Chi Long HQ

South Vietnamese Special Forces (LLDB), later reformed as South Vietnamese Special Mission Service

Frogmen Team (LDNN)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "«Пожарная команда» Кабула | Warspot.ru". 2023-11-15. Archived from the original on 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  2. ^ Afghan special forces expand to handle night raids, delicate missions, but training takes time[dead link]. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e "ANA Special Operations Command (ANASOC)".
  4. ^ "Special Infantry - Ktah Khas (KKA) (Afghan Special Unit)". Globalsecurity.org.
  5. ^ "Ktah Khas - KKA". Afghanwarnews.info.
  6. ^ NPR: New Afghan Commandos Take to the Frontlines
  7. ^ "Afghan National Army Special Forces (ANASF)".
  8. ^ John Young (ed)., 'Peasant Revolt in Ethiopia: The Tigray People's Liberation Front, 1975-91,' Cambridge University Press, 2006, ISBN 0521026067, 164.
  9. ^ Fijian coup colonel took part in SAS blunder. Retrieved on September 19, 2008.
  10. ^ "Komandosi Polskich Sił Zbrojnych". Interia (in Polish). 23 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  11. ^ Gnaś, Herbert (May 16, 2024). "Polscy komandosi w Anglii". Ciekawostki Historyczne (in Polish). Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  12. ^ "Jednostka Wojskowa Komandosow". SpecialOperations.com. December 13, 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  13. ^ Popski's Private Army, Vladimir Peniakoff, Nelson Doubleday publisjing
  14. ^ Previously 81st Ranger Battalion (Airborne). Officially upgraded to Groups status, but actually just an overstrength single battalion with 6 rifle companies.