Returning to the Mediterranean theatre of war, 2 SS Bde (firstly under the command of Brigadier T Churchill and later under Brigadier R Tod) was kept fully occupied from late 1943 onwards in a series of widely spread operations in Italy, the Adriatic Islands and the Balkans.
In December, No. 9 was in action on the lower reaches of the Garigliano, then these operations were followed by the Anzio landing involving both No. 9 and 43 RM Commandos. Initially they encountered light opposition, but a few days later it was a different story when their objective was the enemy positions on Mount Ornito and although they succeeded, No. 9, in particular, suffered heavy casualties.
Meanwhile to the east of mainland Italy No. 2 Commando, under the command of Lieut. Colonel 'Mad Jack' Churchill, was operating in the Adriatic, off the Dalmatian coast, where Churchill had established his HQ on the island of Vis. There his force was strengthened with the addition of not only 43 RM Commando, but also a number of Yugo-Slav partisans.
From Vis, Churchill carried out a series of raids on nearby islands, occupied by the Germans, with notable successful raids on Solta and Hvar but these successes received a serious set-back when a full scale assault on the island of Brac by No. 2 and 43 RM Commands, supported by the Heavy Weapons Troop of 40 RM Commando, resulted in substantial losses that included Lieut. Colonel 'Pops' Manners (40 RM) killed and the capture of Colonel Jack Churchill - who awaiting the German counter-attack played his bagpipes in defiance!
Later Nos. 2 and 43 Commandos were operational in, and from, Albania, whilst No. 9 was in action in Greece for nearly five months in operations that extended from Athens (where the Commando took part in the liberation parade and Colonel Todd received the Freedom of the City) to Salonika in the north, whilst No. 43 fought in Yugoslavia from Dubrovnik.
Eventually all of 2 SS Bde were recalled to the mainland of Italy to assist the 8th Army in the final stages of that campaign. So it was that on 1st April 1945 a force of the Brigade (Nos. 2, 9, 40 and 43 Commandos) plus some specialist units including the SBS and an armoured regiment, all under the command of the recently promoted Brigadier Tod, took part in the crucial but complicated amphibious operation in this final major offensive.
Briefly, their task was to secure the spit of land between Lake Comacchio and the sea and in so doing tie the enemy down while the main Allied force assaulted through the Argenta Gap.
The conditions under which the Commandos had to operate were atrocious as they struggled across Lake Comacchio. Weeks of drought had lowered the water and so for hours they had to heave and drag their assault boats through the stinking and glutinous mud. Despite the inevitable confusions and delay imposed by these conditions, the outcome was a marked success, but not without cost. Many brave deeds were performed and two Victoria Crosses were awarded to Commandos. One to Corporal T. Hunter of 43 RM Commando and the other to Major A. Lassen, a Dane serving in the SBS. Both were posthumous awards.