Commando Comics.

[Charles Bannerman]

Remember those graphic pieces of fiction recounting deeds of derring-do in the Second World War? Full of clean shaven, square jawed, heroic Brits, larger than life Yanks, sinister, cheating, Geneva Convention-breaking Nazis and buck toothed, cowardly, POW-abusing Japs. Some wonderful war yarns, though. These mags also seem to have provided the vocabulary for Foundation Level German when that came along in the 80s. Germans, it seems, manage to express themselves entirely through the medium of phrases like "Gott in Himmel", "schweinhund", "kamerad", "jawohl mein oberst", "aaargh" (when shot), "schnell" and "sieg heil". Japs, in contrast seemed to say "aiiieee" when shot and little else other than "banzai". And the Brits, of course, didn't actually get shot very often in Commando comics.

64 smallish pages for as little as 6d in the early 60s, but what were the other series of similar small paged publications? Was "Warlord" one of them or was that a separate comic?

Talking of comics, are there any former Valiant readers out there? Remember Captain Hercules Hurricane and his Pint Sized batman Maggot Malone? The Captain was rather prone to getting into a "ragin' fury" if he was crossed by any "squareheads".

Wonderful days!

[SMEE]

You can still get them in WH Smiths Charles. I remember I once was given a couple of hundred of them as somebody was having a clear out. I never enjoyed the Jap editions as much as the Jerry ones.

[CaleyD]

I used to make a fortune buying these for pennies (or less) at car boot sales and reselling them on ebay  :001:

[canuck]

Used to have great fun  going to friend's houses to swop 10 centers!

[Scotty]

they were great  :003:

[maimie]

my wee nephew is in to all things war and history and someone gave him a couple of old ones not so long ago.

well read they are too!

[Charles Bannerman]

I never enjoyed the Jap editions as much as the Jerry ones.

That's funny... neither did I! Was it because battles against the Germans were in a more familiar European context or was it that victory (since "we" - give or take the odd evacuation of Norway - never seemed to lose in these comics!) over the Third Reich was always sweeter?  :003:

I'm actually quite surprised they're still on sale! I thought PC would certainly have put paid to them by now, but it still seems you can say "achtung Englischer schweinhund" and get away with it!

[Heilandee]

Progressed from Commando books when eh was a lad on to the Sven Hassel books and the antics of the penal corp,then went and joined up thinking life in the military would be a big adventure with spitfires and meschersmitts having dogfights over the white cliffs.....ended up in the NAAFI at Kinloss.The glamour of the brylcreem boys....

[caley100]

    DONNER UNT BLITZEN.... you hav forgotten the most famous phrase of all the books...you schweinhund..

Like you Alan i ' progressed ' on to Sven Hassel, when when you looked back in wonder how Porta and co.survived a week never mind the war...

I ended in the Royal Signals driving about the Yorkshire moors trying to get signal strength... long way from shooting down Heinkels eh?

[Charles Bannerman]

    DONNER UNT BLITZEN....

How could I have forgotten that one?!... and missed out on DUMKOPF as well! Think I'd be struggling to get much better than a Grade 6 in Foundation German with blanks in my vocabulary like that.

[strathyjags]

i have afew in my dads loft,iam sure one is in mint condition and the 2nd or 3rd one released

[CaleyD]

i have afew in my dads loft,iam sure one is in mint condition and the 2nd or 3rd one released

"They Called Him Coward" & "A Guy Needs Guts" - Either or would be worth over ?100 if in Mint Condition

[Heilandee]

[img width=500 height=165]

jeezo this all fair takes me back.....pull up a sandbag

[Kingsmills]

I'm sure I still have a box of these somewhere. I must check the loft to see whether I have a fortune stashed away.

[VIVA LAS TOKLEY]

The Mrs bought me the dirty dozen collection of commando comics for me birthday, Oh it brought back memories. A great read for the throne!

[Action Man]

Progressed from Commando books when eh was a lad on to the Sven Hassel books and the antics of the penal corp,then went and joined up thinking life in the military would be a big adventure with spitfires and meschersmitts having dogfights over the white cliffs.....ended up in the NAAFI at Kinloss.The glamour of the brylcreem boys....

HD's Battle of Britain was fighting over the dogs in the NAFFI at Kinloss.  "Schweinhunds" :sillywave:

[FuriousGeorge]

I've seen massive big, thick books of Commando mags at Borders at the retail park. I was goin to ask the missus to get me a couple for last Xmas, but I thought I was bein a bit immature.

Reading this thread - it's a relief to know that I'm not!

Do I remember right, wasn't Sven Hassel Danish or somethin, but was serving with the Gerries?

What had he done to get sent to a penal battalion?

[Charles Bannerman]

What had he done to get sent to a penal battalion?

Ooooh... duckie.... could you get me signed up for one as well!!!??? :015:

Must head for Borders to get these books of Commando mags!

[The Mantis]

Commando comics had great educational value. I never did any german at school, but the comics have got me through trips to Berlin and Munich. "Donner Und Blitzen" usually gets you a kebab and a beer, "schnell" gets you a double room for the night, and "Englischer Schweinhund" gets you a round of applause.

[caley100]

Aye.. and  ' Ach, mein balden knapper '  gets you a wooly german hat.

[Charles Bannerman]

It seems that the modern generation are not quite in tune with this, though. A pupil asked me for permission to go to a German speaking test to which I resplied "Ach, ve heff vays of making you tokk."

The response - a total blank!

I supposde wandering down Unter den Linden quoting from Commando comics is rather like a German on Princes Street uttering things like "Hoots mon, it's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the noo, jings, crivvens, help ma boab.... we're aaa dooooomed!"

[Heilandee]

When detached over in Germany most Brits seemed to think the German langauge was the same as English, but you had to shout it and say "bitter" at the end

as in "TWO LARGE BEERS....bitter"

[Proctor]

It seems that the modern generation are not quite in tune with this, though. A pupil asked me for permission to go to a German speaking test to which I resplied "Ach, ve heff vays of making you tokk."

The response - a total blank!

I supposde wandering down Unter den Linden quoting from Commando comics is rather like a German on Princes Street uttering things like "Hoots mon, it's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the noo, jings, crivvens, help ma boab.... we're aaa dooooomed!"

And I still remember as a younger Proctor explaining the reference to "don't mention the war" in one of your classes. The young generation don't know anything  :015:

[The Mantis]

Aye.. and  ' Ach, mein balden knapper '  gets you a wooly german hat.

Ach away mun. Everybody knows it's a helmet.

Remember 'your helmut's schoen' 

[caley100]

:015: :015:

What was the other prison camp series with Sgt Shultz, the stupid guard... Hogans heroes orsomething like that?

It was full of the commando jerry talk.