Commando: Memoirs of a Fighting Commando in World War Two

by John Durnford-Slater

John Durnford-Slater raised and trained the first Commando unit in 1940, became an outstanding leader of special operations and witnessed some of the most daring exploits of World War II. Commando is his remarkable story. Commando sprang into being in 1940 in order to harry Axis forces in pinprick raids that were impossible for regular army units. In the summer of 1940 John Durnford-Slater led the men of 3 Commando in an exploratory operation on Guernsey. A raid on the Loften Islands, off Norway, followed in 1941 and, between 26 and 28 December 1941, the commandos launched their raid against Vaagso. 3 Commando took part in the raid on Dieppe and this was followed by operations in Sicily and Italy, France and, ultimately, Germany itself. The destruction wrought by the commandos was such that Hitler ordered all personnel captured in such raids executed. The commandos' spirit, however, remained undaunted and this is reflected in John Durnford-Slater's exciting and forthright memoirs. Now placed in context by David List's details of 3 Commando's operations, and David Buxton's notes on casualties and awards, this stirring book, long heralded as a classic, now makes its first appearance as a paperback.

Genres: World War II, Adventure, History

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author John Durnford-Slater published the book “Commando: Memoirs of a Fighting Commando In World War Two” in 2020. The original paper edition was first published in 2002.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of violence. This is the story of the British Number 3 Commando Unit in WWII.

The book tells of the unit’s creation, early training, and significant missions. Even though it was first published nearly 20 years ago, it reads well. Brigadier John Durnford-Slater gives a first-person account. He chose the troops in No. 3 Commando, directed their training, and led them in battle.

Some of the Stories he tells sounds more like a Fraternity instead of an elite military unit. One of his statements stood out for me. He said of a Headquarters Staff, “Whether sweeping the floor, controlling the battle, or dying, they did their job well.”

I thought that the 7.5+ hours I spent reading this 222-page WWII history were interesting. The British had their own way of organizing and leading men. I think that the chosen cover art is a little bland. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting piece to read. I like the way it was written. Inside look for first commandos and their training, very eye opening.

[James Stirling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the operations of No. 3 commandos throughout WW2

[Tricia Bagley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

We’ll write, easy to rea d’, easy to follow, easy to pick back up after a period, smooth would be a good word for it. Would read. Another but guess he only had one war.

[Ernest G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Easy read. Very interesting. Author writes with a refreshing, self-deprecating sense of humor.

[Shaun Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read from an individual with a lot of humility and insight into his craft. Not airborne but not too bad!!