the royal marine commandos

[zzxxee]

have the hardest basic training in the world anyone agree/disagree

[paddywak]

Never having been in the forces, I'm not qualified to answer this question, but whenever you see a documentary on any elite unit such as the Paras, French Foreign Legion, American Rangers or Marines to name a few they all seem to make this claim. I look forward with interest to the views of our many members who have served and actually under gone these training courses

[craft1948]

Well I wouldn't mind a few of them......

[sqad617]

One of my son's was in the Marine Commandos and another in the Para's and SAS.

They both argue about that point, but talking to them over the years i would put my money on the Marines.

[mrs_overall]

Sqad, pass me the smelling salts...

<<<<,drool>>>>.uniforms>>>>>

[sqad617]

Olive....calm down my love. I will put on any uniform that you want........perhaps not the Girl Guides though.

[mrs_overall]

Sqad, thanks for the offer but Robert Morley in a marines uniform might not quite do it for me.....

[zzxxee]

mr zzxxee was in the royal marines for 15 years and sbs for 6 and when he did his training it is the longest training course in the world nearlly 8 months and to become a royal marine comando you also get your para wings so its part of the training therefore royal marines do far more intense training than the paras

[zzxxee]

was expecting more people to offer opinions on this

[Lonnie]

I doubt anyone here is qualified to give an answer, unless they've had the experience of doing Basic Training with units in other countries.

Nice to think it though.

[derekpara]

Selection courses, like Para 'P Company' are designed to produce troops for specific types of operations. Paras are trained as shock troops and expect to be surrounded, as they are meant to be dropped behind enemy lines, although they are used as front line infantry at the moment.

Marines are selected and trained for sea based assaults on ship and shore targets, and some are para trained for special operations as well.

My Para training was pretty stressful and knackering - and the staff tried to get you to drop out - not succeed !

I'm not going to say whether RM selection is tougher than Para Reg, and I've known marines fail the Para P company course, so horses for courses.

[Booldawg]

Someone at work who's an ex-para was talking about this and also said what Derek did; some Marines had failed P company.

I think that para training is more 'aggresive' rather than athletic; both demanding in their own ways. He was telling me about the 'milling' they do - sounds pretty crazy tbh even if I was 18 again I dont think I could do it.

It is said that by the time a RM recruit has completed his basic training he has the fitness levels of an olympic athelete.

[zzxxee]

its an interestin debate isnt it? but i suppose unless you experience it first hand for both paras and marines its hard to know first hand

[derekpara]

Yes, BOOLDAWG, the Para Reg encourages and expects aggression. Fighting each other or local civvies does not result in very much punishment in my experience.

In my milling match ( and it's fighting, not boxing) I caught my opponent on the ear with the laced part of the boxing glove. The poor bloke's ear nearly came off and blood flew everywhere and he went onto one knee. . When I stepped back the NCO staff thumped me hard on the side of my head and screamed at me to step in and hit the bloke again. I went to do as he ordered and the staff stopped me just in time. They wanted to see (a) I would obey orders and (b) I had what they called the killer instinct. It went against the grain with me a bit but I wanted to pass.

[Suzieb]

My boyfriends a royal marine commando, from what he said the training was pretty intense. But it doesn't sound nearly as intense as the training for Special Forces. By the heck!

[gary2411]

appart from the sas the marines training is different from infantry training alot more specialised