Commando

by John Durnford-Slater

Commando is the real and exciting story of one of the most important units of World War II. The Commando unit played an important role in Britain's successes and, here, Durnford-Slater gives his first-hand and unique point of view on everything that happened. Brigadier Durnford-Slater raised and trained the first Commando unit in 1940, and Commando tells the brilliant story of an outstanding leader and some of the most courageous exploits of the Second World War. In 1940, 3 Commando was created to harry opposition forces in raids impossible for regular army units. Durnford-Slater led No. 3 Commando on an exploratory operation in Guernsey in summer 1940, and never looked back after that. From there, No. 3 Commando orchestrated raids on the Loften Islands and Vaagso in Norway and Dieppe, as well as operations in Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. The commandos were so effective at creating destruction that Hitler personally ordered that all fighters captured during these missions be executed. Despite this immense threat, the commandos' spirit remained undented and extremely high. This excellent, first-hand account explains the creation of Commando, the nature of their operations, the high level of camaraderie between the men and the effect that they had on the course of the War. It is an exciting and instructive guide to what really went on with Commando.

Genres: World War II, Adventure, History

Paperback

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!!