Commando: Memoirs of a Fighting Commando in World War II - Softcover

Durnford-Slater Dso, Brigadier John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853674796 ISBN 13: 9781853674792

Publisher: Greenhill Books, 2002

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

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.

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenhill Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1853674796
• ISBN 13: 9781853674792
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240