They were escaped prisoners-of-war, desperate to risk anything rather than be recaptured. They had even put on enemy uniforms, armed themselves with enemy weapons. There was nothing they would not do to avoid going back into captivity.
Introduction
A former Commando staffer once told me that he almost used to dread whenever the much-loved 1963 war film "The Great Escape" had been on television. Long before satellite movie channels, streaming, or even DVD, the antics of Steve McQueen, James Garner et al were solid, reliable Christmas/Easter/Bank Holiday entertainment on the British small screen.
The latest viewing usually led to a flurry of hopeful story synopses identical to the movie (as if the staff were unaware of it) or queries as to whether Commando had "done" that particular tale - and if not, why not?
So, as you'll see here, Commando does occasionally do prison camp stories but they have to be different to the aforementioned Hollywood classic. This one delivers the goods. It has a fairly dark edge, which is enforced by Ian Kennedy's magnificent, moody cover.
Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor
First Published in January 1977 as issue number 1093, then in November 1990 as issue number 2419
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