Recommended Books?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 19/02/2010 11:07:58

What books about the Commandos would you recommend to read?

So far I have:

The Green Beret by Hilary St George Saunders

The Commandos 1940-1946 by Charles Messenger

Nick

Hello Nic,
Try "The Raiders" cant tell you who by, my daughter still has it.
"Commando" by Brigadier Durnford Slater.
one I am reding at present "commando" by Sally Dugan and if you are going to be at Fw there is a paper back available from the FW Museum "Castle Commando" by Gillespie its about the training at Achnacarry Castle and you will find it quite amusing.
Regards Ron

Hi Ron,
Would that be:
The Raiders : the Army Commandos 1940-1946 by Robin Neillands?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 05/11/2007 15:51:58

there is also 'Swiftly they struck' available through Amazon. It details the history of No 4 Commando. Its an excellent read

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_b/202-5358491-1687033?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=swiftly+they+struck

I have about 60 books on the Commandos including ones about the RM Commandos
Excellent ones include: March Past by Lord Lovat...The Commandos at Dieppe by Will Fowler,Marine Commando and its sequel Commando Despatch Rider by Raymond Mitchell, The Middle East Commandos by Charles Messenger, Tobruk Commando by Gordon Landsborough, Ten Commando by Ian Dear,, It Had To Be Tough by James Dunning ( all about the origins of the commando training) 5 books on the St Nazaire raid by Chant , Lucas Phillips , Cooksey , Dorrian and Mason., Inside The Commandos by James Ladd,D- Day Commando by Ken Ford..Commando Fighting Techniques by Jim Wilson and Paul Evans, Beachhead Commandos by A Cecil Hampshire. . 44 RMCommando byTony MacKenzie,, Commando Crusade by Maj -Gen Churchill plus ones about the green berets in the Falklands
Ebay is a great way of purchasing books about the Commandos Type in Commando ,,then click onto where it says Non-fiction books. some gems out there

Okay guys that's a good list there thanks.
what I'll do is compile a list from your lists and post it as a Sticky so everyone can use it as a reference.
Cheers,
Nick

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 05/11/2007 19:10:36

Here are some good reads that were put out a couple of newsletters ago. There are many more that we can add, however I will be discussing with Dan at FW next week the possibility of having a page added where we can add books and leave 'constructive and worthwhile' feedback. Kind regards. Geoff

Geoff,
great - saves me a job :D

see you at FW,

Nick

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 06/11/2007 21:38:39

The classic book by James Dunning (No 4 Cdo) 'It Had to Be Tough: The Fascinating Story of the Origins of the Commandos and Their Special Training in World War II' which is now extremely hard to come by, has now been re-published by US printers Paladin Press under the new title 'The British Commandos - The Origins and Special Training of an Elite Unit'. Go to www.paladinpress.com (cost $20). Jimmy, who also wrote 'The Fighting Fourth' is still very much alive and kicking and still involved with the Commando Benevolent Fund.

Geoff

I have just returned from the Commemerations in Flushing and Zeeland. I was telking to Major Jimmy Dunning before I left and laid a wreath for No4 Commando in Flushing.

I would recommend both books.

Bill

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 06/11/2007 22:43:03

geoffmurray1 wrote:The classic book by James Dunning (No 4 Cdo) 'It Had to Be Tough: The Fascinating Story of the Origins of the Commandos and Their Special Training in World War II' which is now extremely hard to come by...

one for sale on Ebay - £140

Ouch!

Nick

Ive got a signed copy . Marvellous man

I forgot that I had these, which were sent to me by the Clan Cameron Museum

Title Sub Title Author Publisher Year and ISBN
Combined Operations 1940 -1942 Ministry of Information HMSO 1943 pb
Combined Operations The Official Story of the Commandos MacMillan 1943 hb
The Green Beret The story of the Commandos H St G Saunders Michael Joseph 1949 hb
Commando No 3 Commando No 3 Commando J Durnford-Slater Kimber 1953 hb
Swiftly they struck he Story of No 4 Commando M C MacDougall Odhams 1954 hb
Castle Commando Donald Gilchrist Oliver & Boyd 1960 hb
Hand of Steel The enthralling true story of the Commandos Rupert Butler Hamlyn 1980 pb
Don't cry for me The Commandos: D-Day and after Donald Gilchrist Hale 1982 hb
The Commandos 1940 - 1946 Charles Messenger Kimber 1985 0 7183 0553 1
The Commandos 1940 - 1946 Charles Messenger Grafton 1985/91 pb
The Middle East Commandos Charles Messenger William Kimber 1988 hb 0 7183 0645 7
The Raiders The Army Commandos 1940 - 1946 R Neillands Weidenfeld & .. 1989
Ten Commando 1942 - 1945 No 10 Commando Ian Dear St Martin's 1989 hb 0 312 03438 5
The Raiders The Army Commandos 1940 - 1946 R Neillands Fontana 1990 pb
Castle Commando Donald Gilchrist Lochaber D C 1993 pb 0 9522486 0 3
The Commandos: D-Day and after Donald Gilchrist Hale 1994 pb 0 7090 5391 6
Army Commandos 1940 - 1945 M Chappell Osprey 1996 pb 1 85532 579 9
It had to be tough J Dunning Pentland 2000 pb 1 85821 748 2
Beachhead Commandos A Cecil Hampshire
From the Desert to the Baltic Maj-Gen G P B Roberts
Commando Crusade Maj-Gen T B L Churchill
Massacre at Tobruk Peter C Smith
Special Commando Rex Woods
44 (R.M.) Commando Achnacarry to the Arakan 1943 -47 Achnacarry to the Arakan 1943 -47 Tony MacKenzie Tom Donovan 1996 hb 1871085330
Seven Assignments Dudley Clarke Jonathan Cape 1948 hb
March Past Lord Lovat
Don't Cry for Me Donald Gilchrist
Clash by Night Bgdr Mills-Roberts
Once a Marine E G Stokoe

Hello :-)

I have a book titled Commando Attack written by British War Correspondent Gordon Holman and published Dec 1942.

It gives an account of Vaagso, St. Nazaire and Dieppe through a war correspondents view.

Regards,

Colin :-)

To John White
Thanks for your email mate ,, accidently deleted it before I could reply. I will look out for Castle Commando ,, sounds good
A great book to look out for is "The General Salutes A Soldier" by JV Byrne. he was in 11(Scottish) Commando, SAS and No6 Commando. He was captured fighting with the SAS. roughed up badly by the Italians after they found a hidden fighting knive. The Germans saved him and took him away but he escaped and was back for D-day He had quite a war!
Other books I have are Raiders of Arakan by CE Lucas Phillips
The Banzai Hunters by Peter Haining
The Forgotten Invasion by John Grehan
these 3 books mention No5 Commando
also From Omaha To The Scheldt, 47 Commnando by John Forfar