Commando War Stories In Pictures

[Babelfish]

Anyone else grow up reading these in the '60s and '70s? I recently offloaded my "Commando" stash, a large heavy box full of them that had spent four decades or so gathering dust in my late Mum's loft, and the oldest of which dated back to 1971.



I confess I had great fun re-reading a few of them before I sold them off, it was great nostalgia, even though through older & wiser eyes you realise that they glorify, glamorise and sanitise the horrible business of war to a toe-curling, embarrassing degree. But my pals & I were avid readers & collectors when we were kids and from the age of (roughly) 8 to 14, I just couldn't get enough of them. Stirring titles, great stories, inspirational heroes, seriously cool artwork – they had the lot.

At one stage it got to the point where my Mum laid down the law and said I wasn't to buy any more because she thought I was getting "obsessed" with them and "wasting" all my pocket money on "those ridiculous war books", and a big family row ensued (my Dad was more lenient because sometimes he enjoyed reading them as well). But after leaving it a few weeks to wait for the dust to settle, I secretly started buying them again and carried on adding to my ever-growing stash on the quiet.

A few years later I'd grown out of them so into the loft they went, and instead I (cough) started accumulating a different secret stash (shuffles shiftily in chair) that had to be concealed from my Mum (mainly with titles like "Mayfair", "Knave" and "Fiesta") ….. but that's another story .

Around the same time there was a rival series called "War Picture Library" and "Battle Picture Library" from another publisher. Similar kind of thing and sometimes the stories were a bit darker, like when the story's main hero would end up getting killed (which rarely if ever happened in the "Commando" stories). I had a few of those too but was very much a "Commando" brand loyalist.

Great memories of growing up back in the days when there were still only two genders and no-one was offended by anything.

- Steve

 

[valiant]

I used to have a fair collection, too! There's a guy at our club who collects the original artworks and has connections with the artists. He displays at our show each year.

 

[red tom]

As a serving soldier in the 70s these were referred to as training manuals and were passed around the barrack room. Our senior nco was known as Sgt Rock.

 

[custer760]

I also loved these as a kid in 60s-70s Sheffield and also left behind a large stash.My mom threw them away years later.
Used to read The Victor comic as a little en then moved on to Commando.
Great stuff
Regards
Pete

 

[Paul Kernan]

Loved them in the 60's and early 70's. And a bit 'culturally insensitive' by todays standards. Loved Victor, Hotspur and Warlord too amongst others

 

[Mirofsoft]

In France, the first serie was published between 1959 - 1960 6 booklets
But they continued with a second batch of 354 from 1960 from 07 to 24 the format stayed the same, then they changed to pocket size
Price today for 1 to 6 estimated between 5 to 10€ . No price estimation after .
This was N°1 :

 

[Babelfish]

There's a guy at our club who collects the original artworks and has connections with the artists. He displays at our show each year.

That's the kind of thing that I'd collect if money were no object and I had enough wall space (and if it were just me deciding what goes on the walls). As it is, I made do with scanning the covers for the sake of nostalgia, before I let them go.

As a serving soldier in the 70s these were referred to as training manuals and were passed around the barrack room. Our senior nco was known as Sgt Rock.

Great anecdote that!

I also loved these as a kid in 60s-70s Sheffield and also left behind a large stash.My mom threw them away years later.
Used to read The Victor comic as a little en then moved on to Commando.

I too (briefly) cut my teeth on Victor before coming to the conclusion that Commando were way more cool. Didn't know you lived in Sheffield Pete. My home city from the age of 7 (Sheffield address & post code anyway, we actually lived just over the county border in north Derbyshire).

Loved them in the 60's and early 70's. And a bit 'culturally insensitive' by todays standards.

Their cultural insensitivity, political incorrectness and sometimes very lazy stereotyping - "Eat lead Antonio" (says the RAF fighter pilot as he blasts the Italian biplane from the skies), "that'll fix your ice cream machine for keeps" - that kind of stuff was all part of the charm Paul (and still is in this dreary age of finger-wagging puritanical wokery).

In France, the first serie was published between 19519 - 1960 6 booklets But they continued with a second batch of 354 from 1960 from 07 to 24 the format stayed the same, then they changed to pocket size. Price today for 1 to 6 estimated between 5 to 10€ . No price estimation after .
This was N°1

Pretty certain that's a completely different publication and nothing to do with the UK one, only the title is the same. The UK "Commando" first appeared in 1961 (did the UK publishers D.C. Thompson "steal" the title"?) and is still going today- albeit with a fraction of the circulation that it had at its peak in the 1960s & 1970s. Interesting to read that you guys had your own equivalent though. I wasn't aware of that.

- Steve

 

[Babelfish]

A few more evocative covers ....

 

[Nap]

Hi Steve

Loved reading these , sneaked them into house ...my mother wasn't keen ......she found them ....nude yet bed alongside some " educational material " ....Ouch !

Loved Charley's War when it came out .....on all , Commando , Victor , Battle etc the artwork was great .....a good idea that guy at Steve's club has bet the display does look good




Good thread

Nap

 

[Babelfish]

Occasionally they'd put out a light-hearted "comedy" story like these two, but those were usually a bit rubbish.

We wanted our Commando books to be all about shooting, fighting, and shit getting blown up. If we wanted comedy we'd watch "Porridge", "Rising Damp" or Tommy Cooper!

The "hero" of the first story here appears to have been inspired by the Lofty character in "It Ain't Half Hot Mum".



- Steve

 

[Paul Kernan]

My old mum had no issues with these but she lost it on me when I brought the Sven Hassel books home. Anyone remember them (Tiny, Legionnaire, Porta, Old Man)?

 

[custer760]

Loved the Sven Hassel books as well Paul,they were the first real books that got me into reading.....well apart from Robinson Crusoe,Treasure Island etc as a kid....but yes...Sven Hassel as a young adult was the way.There was a film made a long time ago with his books in mind,think Oliver Reed and Donald Pleasence played in it.Funny how most of us have grown up watching the same movies and reading the same literature.....great.
Regards
Pete

 

[Babelfish]

Sven Hassel as a young adult was the way.There was a film made a long time ago with his books in mind,think Oliver Reed and Donald Pleasence played in it.Funny how most of us have grown up watching the same movies and reading the same literature.....great.

The movie was "Wheels Of Terror", based on one of his books. Set on the Russian front. I had it on VHS at one time. If I remember right, Reed and Pleasance both played German generals.

I never read much Sven Hassel, but after I outgrew the Commando stories I did read a lot of Leo Kessler, which was a very similar type of thing. My Mum didn't approve of those either but again, my Dad would usually borrow my latest purchase off me once I'd finished reading it.

- Steve

 

[harrytheheid]

Think I was around six when my Dad brought home one of the very first issues of "The Hornet" - he had obviously bought it for himself but couldn't bring himself to admit it.
The cover story featured Hugh Gough and his experiences during the Sepoy uprising at Meerut in 1857; thus began my life-long interest in The Indian Mutiny.
In the late-1960's, I had an order in at the local newsagents for "Commando" - think it was four issues every two weeks, but I might be mistaken.
The storylines ended up being a bit too predictable for me though, so I soon changed over to their "darker" rivals, "War Picture Library" and "Battle Picture Library".
Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane to simpler none-wokery times Steve.