Royal Marines Armoured Support Group
Encyclopedia
The current Royal Marines Armoured Support Group(RMASG) is an element of the Royal Marines
which operates the Viking BvS 10
, All Terrain Vehicle. It is the successor to the Royal Marines Armoured Support Company, and is in effect on permanent loan from operational command of 3 Commando Brigade
to the Battle Group currently in Afghanistan. It is based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset.
In the Second World War, the RMASG was formed to give British and Commonwealth forces heavy fire support in the opening attacks of the Normandy Landings.
as well as smaller numbers of the Sherman tank used as artillery observation posts or command vehicles. Organisationally the Group consisted of two "Armoured Support Regiments", plus an independent "Armoured Support Battery". Each Regiment consisted of two Armoured Support Batteries, and in total, the group consisted of 5 Armoured Support Batteries.
Each Battery was further subdivided into four Troops, with each Troop equipped with four Centaur IV and one Sherman tank, giving a total of 80 Centaur and 20 Sherman tanks in the entire Group. The Group did not fight as a single military formation but rather was divided between the British & Canadian D-Day
beaches.
The World War II RMASG was disbanded two weeks after D-Day (D+14). The present day Royal Marines Armoured Support Group was formed on 10 December 2007.
Viking has been deployed operationally with British Forces in southern Afghanistan, supporting both 3 Cdo Bde and other roulement
s. The need for the RMASG came about because the Viking was so successful with 3 Cdo Bde on Op Herrick 5
that the incoming forces on Op Herrick 6 requested that the Vikings stay on creating a problem as the Army has no Viking trained drivers. The solution was the RMASG, an expanded unit that could continue to operate the Viking for future roulements, this led to the drivers of the RMASG having one of the highest operational tempos in the forces.
publicly issued a notice stating that "There is a requirement under consideration for an All Terrain Military vehicle that is armoured, amphibious and fitted with (or fitted for but not with) weapon systems, in a supporting role to VIKING, to replace the existing BV206
". The new system would be known as the All Terrain Vehicle Support (ATV(S)) and be capable of high mobility operation in a variety of terrains and threat environments as well as being amphibious. A need for between 47 and 212 ATV(S) was foreseen at an estimated cost of between £100 million to £250 million. However just over a month later on 17 July 2008 the contract notice setting out the requirement for ATV(S) was cancelled. The Ministry of Defence gave the following reason:
On 19 December 2008 the Ministry of Defence announced that 100 Singapore Technologies Kinetics
Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier
vehicles would be purchased as an Urgent Operational Requirement to replace the Viking vehicles in use in Afghanistan. The new vehicle would be known in British service as the Warthog and enter service in 2009. The press release further stated that "When the Vikings are brought back from Afghanistan they will be used by the Royal Marines on training exercises".
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
which operates the Viking BvS 10
BvS 10
The BvS 10 is an All Terrain Armoured Vehicle produced by BAE Systems Land Systems Hagglunds of Sweden. This vehicle, referred to as the All Terrain Vehicle - ATV or VIKING by the UK forces, was originally developed as a collaboration between industry - Hägglunds Vehicle AB - and the UK Ministry...
, All Terrain Vehicle. It is the successor to the Royal Marines Armoured Support Company, and is in effect on permanent loan from operational command of 3 Commando Brigade
3 Commando Brigade
3 Commando Brigade is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces and the main manoeuvre formation of the Royal Marines. Its personnel are predominantly Royal Marines, supported by units of Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery, The Rifles, and the Fleet Air Arm, together with other Commando...
to the Battle Group currently in Afghanistan. It is based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset.
In the Second World War, the RMASG was formed to give British and Commonwealth forces heavy fire support in the opening attacks of the Normandy Landings.
History
The original Royal Marines Armoured Support Group was formed in World War II and took part in the Invasion of Normandy giving fire support. It was equipped primarily with Centaur IV tanks equipped with a 95mm howitzerOrdnance QF 95 mm Howitzer
The Ordnance QF 95-mm Howitzer was a British Howitzer built in two versions during the Second World War. The Tank Howitzer version was accepted for service use, but an Infantry Howitzer version was not accepted for service use.-Design and development:...
as well as smaller numbers of the Sherman tank used as artillery observation posts or command vehicles. Organisationally the Group consisted of two "Armoured Support Regiments", plus an independent "Armoured Support Battery". Each Regiment consisted of two Armoured Support Batteries, and in total, the group consisted of 5 Armoured Support Batteries.
Each Battery was further subdivided into four Troops, with each Troop equipped with four Centaur IV and one Sherman tank, giving a total of 80 Centaur and 20 Sherman tanks in the entire Group. The Group did not fight as a single military formation but rather was divided between the British & Canadian D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
beaches.
- 1st Royal Marine Armoured Support Regiment at Gold BeachGold BeachGold Beach was the code name of one of the D-Day landing beaches that Allied forces used to invade German-occupied France on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
comprising the 1st Battery (A, B, C, and D Troops) and the 2nd Battery (E, F, G and H Troops). - 2nd Royal Marine Armoured Support Regiment at Juno BeachJuno BeachJuno or Juno Beach was one of five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. The sector spanned from Saint-Aubin, a village just east of the British Gold sector, to Courseulles, just west of the British Sword sector...
comprising the 3rd Battery (J, K, L and M Troops) and the 4th Battery (N, O, P and Q Troops). - 5th Royal Marine Independent Armoured Support Battery at Sword BeachSword BeachSword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord; the Allied invasion of German-occupied France that commenced on 6 June 1944...
comprising R, S, T and V Troops.
The World War II RMASG was disbanded two weeks after D-Day (D+14). The present day Royal Marines Armoured Support Group was formed on 10 December 2007.
Role and equipment
RMASG is under the overall control of 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines and is the armoured element of 3 Commando Brigade equipped with the Viking armoured vehicle. The Viking BvS10 All Terrain Vehicle, is a protected tracked vehicle which can be configured for troop transport, command and control and other tasks. Viking is equipped with the 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun and some crewmen are armed with the L22 carbine version of the British SA-80 rifle.Viking has been deployed operationally with British Forces in southern Afghanistan, supporting both 3 Cdo Bde and other roulement
Roulement
Roulement is a term used by the British Army to signify major combat units that are deployed on short tours of duty, normally for 6-months duration....
s. The need for the RMASG came about because the Viking was so successful with 3 Cdo Bde on Op Herrick 5
Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...
that the incoming forces on Op Herrick 6 requested that the Vikings stay on creating a problem as the Army has no Viking trained drivers. The solution was the RMASG, an expanded unit that could continue to operate the Viking for future roulements, this led to the drivers of the RMASG having one of the highest operational tempos in the forces.
Future requirements
On 12 June 2008 the British Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
publicly issued a notice stating that "There is a requirement under consideration for an All Terrain Military vehicle that is armoured, amphibious and fitted with (or fitted for but not with) weapon systems, in a supporting role to VIKING, to replace the existing BV206
Bandvagn 206
Bandvagn 206 is a tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier developed by Hägglunds for the Swedish Army. It consists of two units, with all four tracks powered...
". The new system would be known as the All Terrain Vehicle Support (ATV(S)) and be capable of high mobility operation in a variety of terrains and threat environments as well as being amphibious. A need for between 47 and 212 ATV(S) was foreseen at an estimated cost of between £100 million to £250 million. However just over a month later on 17 July 2008 the contract notice setting out the requirement for ATV(S) was cancelled. The Ministry of Defence gave the following reason:
The requirement for an All Terrain Military Vehicle (ATV (S)) under LASS1A/0340 has been delayed due to internal reviews. It is anticipated that a revised announcement will be advertised in the UK MoD Defence Contracts Bulletin in mid 2009 and the revised announcement will also be sent to the EDA for inclusion in the Electronic Bulletin Board (EBB) at that time.
On 19 December 2008 the Ministry of Defence announced that 100 Singapore Technologies Kinetics
Singapore Technologies Kinetics
ST Kinetics is the land systems and specialty vehicles arm of ST Engineering. In 2000, ST Engineering acquired the Chartered Industries of Singapore through ST Automotive, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, and the new company was named ST Kinetics...
Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier
Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier
The Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier is a twin chassis multi-purpose articulated tracked carrier jointly developed by ST Kinetics and the Defence Science & Technology Agency for the Singapore Army.-Design:...
vehicles would be purchased as an Urgent Operational Requirement to replace the Viking vehicles in use in Afghanistan. The new vehicle would be known in British service as the Warthog and enter service in 2009. The press release further stated that "When the Vikings are brought back from Afghanistan they will be used by the Royal Marines on training exercises".