the 7th & 8th RM Battalions eventually being transferred to that Theatre. The battalion machine gun companies and brigade mobile companies had been gathered together as the 15th RM Machine Gun and 18th RM Mobile (Reconnaissance) Battalions respectively in December 1940, but the divisional HQ was not formed until February 1941 under Major-General Robert Sturges. Under his direction the Division reformed back into two functional brigade groups, with the 101st & 102nd RM Brigades both forming their own brigade artillery regiments, each with the addition of an anti-tank and anti-aircraft battery to their existing light howitzer batteries. In May 1941 the 103rd RM Brigade was officially re-designated a training brigade with responsibility for the 15th & 18th support battalions, and the newly raised 9th & 10th RM Battalions. In July 1942 the Division underwent its final re-organisation. The 103rd RM Brigade was disbanded and replaced by the 104th RM (Training) Brigade, with the 9th & 10th RM Battalions being re-assigned to the 101st & 102nd Brigades respectively to form a division of two brigades of three battalions each. At the same time Divisional Artillery HQ was raised, absorbing the former brigade artillery regiments to form a Field Regiment, Anti-Tank Regiment and Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The machine gun and reconnaissance support battalions were to have been supplemented by an engineer battalion, but this never exceeded Field Company strength. Royal Marine Division Operations In August 1940 the RM Division, though still only at the strength of 2 light brigades, undertook formal embarkation, on-ship, and debarkation exercises on transports before departing for Freetown, Sierra Leone for Operation Manacle: 101st RM Brigade 1st RM Battalion from the Clyde on the SS Ettrick 5th RM Battalion on the SS Karanja 102nd RM Brigade 2nd RM Battalion on the SS Kenya 3rd RM Battalion on the MS Sobieski (though A Company were on the Ettrick) Though deployed off Dakar, the Free French coup failed and the RM Division troops returned to Freetown. 101st Brigade were withdrawn back to the Clyde in October 1940, but 102nd Brigade remained on standby in Freetown, not rejoining the 101st in West Scotland until February 1941. By this time the Commandos had become established under Combined Operations HQ as the British amphibious raiding force, and operational opportunities for the RM Division proved elusive. Despite extensive training in beach assault landings, proposals for use of the RM Division in the Lofoten Islands