Commando

Commando (Afrik. kommando), originally a small special military unit of the Boers, used in raids and assaults first against African tribes and later in the Boer War against the British. These units got their name because they were “commandeered” by law from among eligible citizens. In World War II the term was applied, first popularly and later officially, to specially trained troops of the British army, composed of volunteers from all branches of the service. Their duties included reconnaissance work, hit-and-run raids to destroy enemy installations, and sabotage. The World War II equivalent of the British commandos in the U.S. Army were the Rangers (see Special Forces). After World War II both the British and U.S. commando forces were disbanded, although the British Royal Marine Commandos saw action in the Korean War and during the 1956 Suez crisis. During the Arab-Israeli conflict, commando raids were common.