Commando: The Illustrated History of Britain's Green Berets

by David Reynolds, Patricia Knatchbull (Foreword)

This is the story of the development of the Commandos from the courage and tragedy of Dieppe in 1942 to the biggest amphibious landings in history at Normandy on 6 June 1944, as well as the post-war conflicts in Palestine, Suez, Malaya, Cyprus, Borneo, the Falklands, Northern Iraq and Ulster. A final chapter brings the account fully up-to-date, as it discusses the role of the Commandos in Afghanistan following the terrible events of September 11th. David Reynolds documents the development in the 21st century of Britain's Royal Marine Commandos as a key element of the UK's rapid deployment force. Equipped with new assault ships and a purpose-built helicopter carrier, the green berets are on permanent readiness for operations anywhere in the world. They are, in essence, Britain's "masters of flexible response."

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database. For more information please see David Reynolds.

A Professor of International History and a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. He was awarded a scholarship to study at Dulwich College, then Cambridge and Harvard universities. He has held visiting posts at Harvard, Nebraska and Oklahoma, as well as at Nihon University in Tokyo and Sciences Po in Paris. He was awarded the Wolfson History Prize, 2004, and elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2005. He teaches and lectures both undergraduates and postgraduates at Cambridge University, specialising in the two world wars and the Cold War. Since October 2013 he has been Chairman of the History Faculty at Cambridge.

Reviews

[Ben G · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I don't think the blurb in this Goodreads preview is correct. It makes reference to the Desert Rats which isn't explcitly what this book is about..?

Bought on a whim from Oxfam. I have an interest in the armed forces having never served in the military, although my father did as did many other of my relatives. I think the pinnacle of those forces maybe regarded as the infantry - who often pay (and are most likely to of all regiments / corps) the ultimate costs of any armed conflict they are sent into fight, by our governments.

This book begins with the formation of 'Commando' battalions during the 2nd World War and their actions in providing swift and rapid attacks on enemy infrastructure and their role in the D-day landings. It charts the post-war years beginning with the Commando role being assimilated into the structure of the Royal Marines and the battles these Royal Marine Commando's fought in Malaysia, Aden and notably the Falklands. There is a chapter dedicated to the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland and the roles the RM played in this conflict.

Training to become a Commando is covered in some earlier chapters where training was conducted at Achnacarry during WWII before moving (via some other establishments) to its current home of Lympstone. The role of the 3 Cdo Brigade and it's wider application to protecting UK interests around the world in the form of mounting amphibious operations (inter alia) and the Corps interaction with allies (US and Dutch Marines) is also covered. A fascinating and tacit lesson in UK contemporary (post-WWII) history.