Commando Force 133

by Bill Strutton

World War II. The heroic story of a desperate battle against the German Army

215 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1980

About the author

William Harold "Bill" Strutton was a screenwriter and novelist from South Australia. He worked on some of the best-remembered 1960s television shows including Ivanhoe, The Saint, The Avengers, Riptide and Doctor Who.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those "Bantam War Books," which I used to see everywhere back in the 60s and 70s. Now, of course, they're harder to find! This book was originally published in Britain in 1961; this Bantam edition was published in 1981. It's about British Commandos who had been formed into "Commando Force 133" to hold an island in the Adriatic Sea called Vis. Needless to say, I had never heard of "Vis," but it is one of the islands off the coast of Dalmatia, the farthest one off the coast. During WWII, it was a part of Yugoslavia; now, I think it's part of Croatia.
The British on Vis were working with Yugoslav Partisans under the command of Tito. The relations between the British and the Yugoslavs makes for one of more interesting aspects of the story. Both groups were composed of tough soldiers but the Yugoslavs did not care much about discipline and the Brits, as we could expect, were highly disciplined...Another difference was that the Partisans included women, some very tough women.. Together, the commandos and partisans made raids on the German-held islands off the Dalmatian coast as well as prepared for a German attack on Vis.
The story focusses on Doctor Jim Rickett, who tried to cope with the casualties with a poorly equipped hospital. He was able to improvise and actually set up his hospital using parts from shotdown bombers.
There is quite a cast of colorful characters, such as "Mad Jack" Churchill, a Commando officer. For the Yugoslavs, there's Madame Zena, a partisan leader and "Chicago Mary", a dedicated Communist ( who had lived in Chicago). There are several Americans who appear in the story, as there was a team of Army Rangers attached to the Commando Force.
I checked out some info about the author, Bill Strutton (1918-2003). An Australian, he had served in the Australian Army on the island of Crete, where he was captured by the Germans. As well as a novelist, he was a screenwriter for such British television shows as "Doctor Who" and "The Avengers."

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a little misleading since it's not really about a "commando force", but a British medical team operating on the island of Vis off the coast of Yugoslavia. Interesting to read about a theater of the war that I think is somewhat neglected by historians. There isn't direct battlefield reportage here, but the story of how the medical team was set up and was able to operate with basically no reliable source of medical supplies was surprisingly suspenceful and exciting. Quite the colorful cast of characters as well, from the Yugoslav partisans, fisherman, and peasants, to the British commandos, and a variety of "soldiers of fortune" who asked to be posted to Vis in search of adventure with Tito's partisans. I like finding these old "Bantam War Books" in used book stores, they're a reliable source for a good WWII non-fiction read.

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about an area of WWII I literally knew nothing about. Not so much about the Commando Operations as it is about the medical crew thats been dispatched to the island to set up a field hospital. Still a very interesting and quick reading book that provides good insight in to British and Yugoslav relations.