YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 9002Who are the loMMAMPO*? What sort of men are the men of the Commandos and how are they chosen and trained ? They are the crack guerrilla fighters of Britain and they come from every unit of the British Army—cavalry, infantry, artillery, sappers. Their first qualification is a fine physique. They must be alert, quick-thinking and resourceful. Officers of the Commandos choose their men personally, and only after very critical examination. All the men of the Commandos are experienced soldiers when they start, so there is little of the barrack-square discipline in their training. For months in the year, even in the middle of winter, they live inMountain climbing in full equipment is part of the Commando’s training. Commandos are taught to kill their own meat and cut it up for cooking. Swimming in full kit part of an intensive invasion practice by the Commandos.r ■ ; ~— - i - - '• - - pS^" * 1 ■■ g5£$a ~t .' - - ■ •>• /&.*-' —-«i“ •■ -' Jg; Commandos use smoke bombs to cover practice attack on shore defences. Commandos bombing out a sniper’s nest in a realistic mock battle.bivouac tents and learn to get their food off the country by hunting and trapping. Woodcraft and fieldcraft are taught to them by seasoned hunters. Everything possible is done to promote them to’ a state of independence and self-sufficiency. A knife is always in their hands and becomes an instinctive weapon. Their shooting with rifle, machine gun and pistol is expert, and again the weapon is instinctive, and the trigger finger is taught to act almost before the brain has registered a brief glimpse of the target. They are familiar with enemy weapons too. Each man is a boxer and has a knowledge of ju-jutsu. He can swim distances in full kit and keep his rifle dry, he can march sixty miles in a day and he can go without food and water for long periods. He learns to row and to paddle and to handle a boat. He learns to climb steep cliffs and to move across country like a snake. He learns about explosives and the right way to blow up bridges and set fire to stores. He is trained in the more unorthodox methods of fighting.# THE Commando* strike The long barges have crept silently up to the shore. The Commando officer ticks off the seconds on his watch. Suddenly he jerks his thumb towards the deck—“ Upstairs, boys ! ” The men crouch, ready to spring. At the command they bound up the stairs.The attack has started Naval batteries open a cover- ing fire from the sea. The Commandos flow in from the beaches, filtering up the narrow streets and swirling round the strong points. A plan of the town has been care- fully memorised. Each unit takes up its tactical position.Hundreds of gallons of valuable oil—a munition of war which the Nazis sorely need — run blazing into the fjord. The firing of enemy vessels com- pletes the scientific destruction of the defences. These boats have been used by the Nazis as mine-sweepers and mine-layers, and for coastal communication. Now the Nazis will have to build new ones—or steal them from the fishermen in enslaved territories."1 | |M 1 | r f k 1 fi i Jg j. \%V H W ifl iSurvivors of the German garrison surrender keeping their hands well up and clutching impromptu white flags. Can these be the Aryan conquerors of the civilised world, the overlords of Hitler’s Europe ? Below left: The prisoners are loaded on to the barges with the traitor quislings who will later be tried by their own government in London. Below right: The barges speed back to their mother ships. Some carry patriots who voluntarily choose exile in Britain to life in their own country under Nazi domination.Back on board the prisoners are lined up for interrogation. The Commandos proudly display a Nazi flag torn from the actual Headquarters of the ‘ invincible ’ German Army, many of whom now lie dead, staining the snow with their blood—victims and dupes of their Fiihrer’s lust for world power. Once again the Commandos have struck—quickly, quietly and with complete success.The Iommamdo* GET THEIR Objectives MARCH 1941 The Commandos raid Lofoten Islands, Norway All the objects of the: raid were carried out with conspicuous success. Nine German mer- chant vessels and one Norwegian merchant ship under German control were sunk, also a German armed trawler. The oil, cod liver oil and cod fishing factories known to be working for the Germans, were destroyed. 215 German prisoners and 10 quis- lings were brought back.SEPTEMBER 1941 The Commandos raid Spitsbergen, Norway To forestall German plans to seize the coal mines of Spits- bergen, the Arctic island was raided, and the mines put out of action. A large herring-oil factory was also destroyed by Allied troops—among them were men from the Commandos. DECEMBER 1941 The Commandos raid the islands of Vaagsd and Maaldy, Norway Two landings were made accom- panied by Norwegian troops who acted as guides. Not one German escaped from Maaloy where the entire German garri- son was killed or taken prisoner and their dumps of ammunition and stores were blown up. At Vaagso the Commandos landed on a rocky foreshore in face of heavy opposition. Resistance in the centre of the town was particularly stubborn and fierce street fighting took place, but the Germans were finally dis- lodged by mortar fire. At least 120 German soldiers were killed and prisoners were taken. Aconvoy of eight enemy ships was destroyed by the Royal Navy. Shore batteries, oil tanks, ammu- nition dumps and a radio station were destroyed. The operation was an unqualified success. MARCH 1942 The Commandos raid St. Occupied France To the Commandos fell the lot of forcing home the attack in which the gate of the big dry dock at St. Nazaire was blown up. They went ashore in the early hours of the morning and systematically wrecked harbour installations, lock gates and power houses. Led by Colonel Nazaire, Newman, they got through the concentrated fire of German machine guns, fought German troops on their own prepared positions and carried out their demolition work with great effi- ciency. The operation was a complete success..APRIL 1942 The Commandos raid Boulogne British Commandos, under Lord Lovat penetrated the enemy de- fences at Boulogne over a front of half a mile on a reconnaissance raid. German communications were cut and valuable informa- tion on the enemy defences was secured. The Commandos were in enemy territory for two hours and retired with only very light casualties. The raid was a com- plete surprise for the Germans who should have been in a posi- tion to annihilate the small British force, but failed either to prevent them penetrating the defences or to capture them. Again the operation was successful.WHERE NEXT? Printed in Kurland by Cockayne & Co., Ltd., 26S-282, Waterloo Road, London, S.E.l. T51-2865# THE Commando* strike The long barges have crept silently up to the shore. The Commando officer ticks off the seconds on his watch. Suddenly he jerks his thumb towards the deck—“ Upstairs, boys ! ” The men crouch, ready to spring. At the command they bound up the stairs. 4 The attack has started Naval batteries open a cover- ing fire from the sea. The Commandos flow in from the beaches, filtering up the narrow streets and swirling round the strong points. A plan of the town has been care- fully memorised. Each unit takes up its tactical position.Hundreds of gallons of valuable oil—a munition of war which the Nazis sorely need — run blazing into the fjord. The firing of enemy vessels com- pletes the scientific destruction of the defences. These boats have been used by the Nazis as mine-sweepers and mine-layers, and for coastal communication. Now the Nazis will have to build new ones—or steal them from the fishermen in enslaved territories.Survivors of the German garrison surrender keeping their hands well up and clutching impromptu white flags. Can these be the Aryan conquerors of the civilised wcrld, the overlords of Hitler’s Europe ? Below left : The prisoners are loaded on to the barges with the traitor quislings who will later be tried by their own government in London. Below right: The barges speed back to their mother ships. Some carry patriots who voluntarily choose exile in Britain to life in their own country under Nazi domination.Back On board the prisoners are lined up for interrogation. The Commandos proudly display a Nazi flag torn from the actual Headquarters of the ‘ invincible ’ German Army, many of whom now lie dead, staining the snow with their blood—victims and dupes of their Fiihrer’s lust for world power. Once again the Commandos have struck—quickly, quietly and with complete success. Bqfg; '#