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Commando: Winning World War II Behind Enemy Lines
June 1940: As Britain's soldiers limped home from Dunkirk, a maverick Army officer was already devising a bold plan to hit back at the enemy. His idea was to revolutionise military thinking and change the face of warfare for ever.
Relying as much on stealth and guile as on courage and stamina, the Commandos brought to the battlefield the skills of the guerrilla. Trained by an unconventional band of experts, and led by a big-game hunter, a film star, a Highland chief and an eccentric wielding a bow and arrow, they became the spearhead of the Allied drive for victory.
Weaving together official documents, new research and veterans' own accounts, Commando reveals for the first time the exhilarating full story of WWII's most formidable fighting force.
Relying as much on stealth and guile as on courage and stamina, the Commandos brought to the battlefield the skills of the guerrilla. Trained by an unconventional band of experts, and led by a big-game hunter, a film star, a Highland chief and an eccentric wielding a bow and arrow, they became the spearhead of the Allied drive for victory.
Weaving together official documents, new research and veterans' own accounts, Commando reveals for the first time the exhilarating full story of WWII's most formidable fighting force.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 13, 2017
This book starts off like a comedy but ends on a high note, sort of. The author starts with the creation of the commandos and how they were useful for lifting the spirits of the British people after fighting a defensive war at the start of the second world war.
The book gives details on the creation of the Special Boat Service and the Special Air Service. The beginning was not impressive at all and their missions were a mix of mishaps and luck than skill. However, these men who became commandos were courageous and would stop at nothing to achieve their objectives.
The book gives details about many such missions, some ending disastrously while others achieved their objectives but at a high cost.
I preferred "The ministry of ungentlemanly warfare" to this but they are different so this should be read for completeness.
The book gives details on the creation of the Special Boat Service and the Special Air Service. The beginning was not impressive at all and their missions were a mix of mishaps and luck than skill. However, these men who became commandos were courageous and would stop at nothing to achieve their objectives.
The book gives details about many such missions, some ending disastrously while others achieved their objectives but at a high cost.
I preferred "The ministry of ungentlemanly warfare" to this but they are different so this should be read for completeness.
May 24, 2017
Probably pretty useful if you're researching individual raids. Not enough continuity if you're just reading as a book. It appears that the vast majority of raids failed because of lack of planning, lack of training, or just sheer incompetence or bad luck. The few that were successful usually resulted in all, or most, of the force being wiped out. It appears the war was won because of luck, not competence.
I'll admit I gave up about half way through the book.
I'll admit I gave up about half way through the book.
August 9, 2024
An excellent history of commando operations in WW2. Similar to Saul David's equally good history of British airborne forces in style and detail. Covering from inception of the commando concept to the end of the war, including many significant operations.
June 30, 2017
Good run down of Commando operations, along with a realistic view of their impact.
February 2, 2023
Interesting and engaging book about Britain's elite fighting force, The Commandos.
January 28, 2014
Few military terms are more revered than Commando. Mention it, and immediately images spring to mind of balaclava-headed men with a knife across their teeth, scaling a wall to an enemy fortress on their way to dispose of the enemy commander.
This book delivers the complete story of the men who served in Commando units during World War 2. It takes you right from the fledgling units which tested the premise of extremely tough, resourceful, and brave men attempting small team warfare against heavily defended enemy units, and the need for reconnaissance on the ground, to the final days of the war.
You will be amazed by the men who dreamed up the Commando warfare tactics and strategy, as well as their stubborn and non-negotiating approach to their colleagues. Many of the commanders of Commandos simply wanted a unit that would fight the way the leader wanted, and would not want to merge with another unit so as to get a more efficient force. This is evident especially in the first few raids, where the tactics were not yet solid, and losses ran high.
The book is handily divided into chapters on individual raids, the names of which (ARCHERY, FRANKTON, and OVERLORD to mention a few) have entered folklore as feats of bravery. As you read the raid stories, you gain an insight into how the Commando warfare evolved, from armed reconnaissance to high-risk canoe-borne mining operations, and specialist attacks on artillery batteries and other such heavily fortified enemy positions. At the same time you will see how rigid the military is in considering new and unconventional methods of warfare, and will despair when you think of the men who lost theor lives to bureaucracy and leader dissent.
There is no question whatsoever about the bravery of individual Commandos. Some of the stories are unbelievable and harrowing, such as the FRANKTON raid into Bordeaux. You will feel the chill the Commands felt, when they tried to escape after the raid and had to swim in freezing water to avoid capture. The author does a splendid job in taking you along to the raids, and some sequences of this book are real page-turners.
And yet, he makes no effort to exaggerate the results of the raids. So often a raid cost the Commando team half or more of its men, and the results that were brought back were negligible in the big picture. Still, Hitler was so incensed by the Commandos work that he issued a directive to kill on sight every Commando captured, even if this is in direct opposition to the Geneva Conventions. This directive meant that the Commandos gained even more respect from the enemy forces.
Of course, a successful Commando raid (such as the one on the radar installation in Bruneval) could yield substantial rewards, but the win-to-loss ratio of most raids stands definitely in the red. One can only marvel at the willingness of men to volunteer to the Commando forces; probably they felt that in this war of total destruction, it would be better to burn bright and die fighting than to wither away in a massed attack on enemy positions.
The book has some interesting pictures too, and is very well written. I recommend it to any WW2 aficionado.
This book delivers the complete story of the men who served in Commando units during World War 2. It takes you right from the fledgling units which tested the premise of extremely tough, resourceful, and brave men attempting small team warfare against heavily defended enemy units, and the need for reconnaissance on the ground, to the final days of the war.
You will be amazed by the men who dreamed up the Commando warfare tactics and strategy, as well as their stubborn and non-negotiating approach to their colleagues. Many of the commanders of Commandos simply wanted a unit that would fight the way the leader wanted, and would not want to merge with another unit so as to get a more efficient force. This is evident especially in the first few raids, where the tactics were not yet solid, and losses ran high.
The book is handily divided into chapters on individual raids, the names of which (ARCHERY, FRANKTON, and OVERLORD to mention a few) have entered folklore as feats of bravery. As you read the raid stories, you gain an insight into how the Commando warfare evolved, from armed reconnaissance to high-risk canoe-borne mining operations, and specialist attacks on artillery batteries and other such heavily fortified enemy positions. At the same time you will see how rigid the military is in considering new and unconventional methods of warfare, and will despair when you think of the men who lost theor lives to bureaucracy and leader dissent.
There is no question whatsoever about the bravery of individual Commandos. Some of the stories are unbelievable and harrowing, such as the FRANKTON raid into Bordeaux. You will feel the chill the Commands felt, when they tried to escape after the raid and had to swim in freezing water to avoid capture. The author does a splendid job in taking you along to the raids, and some sequences of this book are real page-turners.
And yet, he makes no effort to exaggerate the results of the raids. So often a raid cost the Commando team half or more of its men, and the results that were brought back were negligible in the big picture. Still, Hitler was so incensed by the Commandos work that he issued a directive to kill on sight every Commando captured, even if this is in direct opposition to the Geneva Conventions. This directive meant that the Commandos gained even more respect from the enemy forces.
Of course, a successful Commando raid (such as the one on the radar installation in Bruneval) could yield substantial rewards, but the win-to-loss ratio of most raids stands definitely in the red. One can only marvel at the willingness of men to volunteer to the Commando forces; probably they felt that in this war of total destruction, it would be better to burn bright and die fighting than to wither away in a massed attack on enemy positions.
The book has some interesting pictures too, and is very well written. I recommend it to any WW2 aficionado.
March 16, 2017
Commandos are an excellent source of action story heroics -- from World War II when they first began to be used and called by that name even to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Their daring tactics and obvious bravery sometimes lend them an outsized reputation for effectiveness and impact, as historian James Owens outlines in his 2012 book Commando: Winning WW2 Behind Enemy Lines.
Owens shows how a handful of officers saw the need for small, quick striking forces to attack different enemy positions that needed Allied attention, so to speak, but didn't warrant full-scale assaults. Gradually, they developed several units for this clandestine work, which focused on sabotage more than anything else although they did sometimes involve gathering intelligence. Commando soldiers needed an extra helping of daring, bordering on recklessness in some cases, as well as the intelligence and initiative to operate on their own and make snap decisions. Additional training in close-quarters combat, languages, explosives and some decidedly non-sporting methods of dispatching the enemy silently also formed part of the commando skill set.
In reality, most commando missions cost heavily in lives, as sometimes less than half a team would return from a mission. And few paid off with the designed results and a particular installation or facility destroyed or crippled by the raid. Owens outlines this all quite clearly and makes a similar point towards in summary remarks at the end of the book. Whether the commandos of WWII were effective more in the minds of their fellow soldiers seeking any signs of fighting back during the dark times pre-D-Day, or in setting Axis forces off-kilter in fearing a raid on any dark night, Owens is clear that they were all brave men who believed their cause as well as the sacrifices it sought worth the risks they took.
Original available here.
Owens shows how a handful of officers saw the need for small, quick striking forces to attack different enemy positions that needed Allied attention, so to speak, but didn't warrant full-scale assaults. Gradually, they developed several units for this clandestine work, which focused on sabotage more than anything else although they did sometimes involve gathering intelligence. Commando soldiers needed an extra helping of daring, bordering on recklessness in some cases, as well as the intelligence and initiative to operate on their own and make snap decisions. Additional training in close-quarters combat, languages, explosives and some decidedly non-sporting methods of dispatching the enemy silently also formed part of the commando skill set.
In reality, most commando missions cost heavily in lives, as sometimes less than half a team would return from a mission. And few paid off with the designed results and a particular installation or facility destroyed or crippled by the raid. Owens outlines this all quite clearly and makes a similar point towards in summary remarks at the end of the book. Whether the commandos of WWII were effective more in the minds of their fellow soldiers seeking any signs of fighting back during the dark times pre-D-Day, or in setting Axis forces off-kilter in fearing a raid on any dark night, Owens is clear that they were all brave men who believed their cause as well as the sacrifices it sought worth the risks they took.
Original available here.
February 17, 2014
This book didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know and whilst tryin to give an overview didn't really achieve anything much. Was still interesting though but...
August 22, 2014
Lots of interesting information and exciting stories, but the writing lacked a spark for me. I found the book a bit of a chore.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews