Learn more
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
OK
Commando to Captain-Generall: The Life of Brigadier Peter Young Kindle Edition
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPen & Sword Military
- Publication dateNovember 15, 2007
- File size12.0 MB
Product details
- ASIN : B00K1KIS94
- Publisher : Pen & Sword Military (November 15, 2007)
- Publication date : November 15, 2007
- Language : English
- File size : 12.0 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 367 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,456,340 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #557 in Historical Italian & Roman Biographies
- #713 in Historical Italy Biographies
- #970 in History of Astronomy
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2013COMMANDO TO CAPTAIN-GENERAL, The Life of Brigadier General Peter Young. More interesting than I had anticipated. His World War Two and post-war exploits were fascinating.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2010Peter Young is one of those larger than life personalities one hears about in the military history and wargaming hobby. He stands large in both these fields even though many know little of him. This was certainly the case with myself. I knew that he had published some older, colorful books on popular topics of military history, and perhaps had an inckling that he had been some kind of WW2 soldier, but little more.
This chatty and breezy Bio helps to fill in a lot of the gaps about him. Peter was cutting edge in a lot of fields. He was one of the founders of the British Commandos in 1940 when the call went out to find a few desperate indivduals to strike back at Nazi occupied Europe. Peter Young was one of them. He trained No.3 Commando and developed modern raiding tactics first-hand. Peter saw action in nearly evey theater of the war. The descriptions we get of his actions are not the hard-hitting episodes one assumes Commando raids to be from the movies. Lots of tedious planning seems often followed by chaotic and unsure action. Results varied on these raids with a lot of effort often producing little in the end. Still, the point was to hit back at the enemy while Britain was on the defensive. Peter and No. 3 Commando did just that.
As the war progresses the Commando raids switch from offshore raids in Norway to tactical operations in support of offensives in Italy, France and Burma. Peter was in on all these developements and prided himself as an innovator and trainer. He had a large ego, but unlike many he could back it up as he usually was the one in the front moving the operation along. When one considers that he was involved in such operations as the murderous Dieppe Raid its amazing that he survived the war virtually unscathed. He had a keen tactical sense, and knew that fire combined with rapid movement was the key to carry a position from the enemy. One can see that he had significant impact on modern Commado tactics.
His post war service saw him working for Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion in Jourdan during the 1950s. He we see Peter not only as a fighting man, but as a Peacekeeper as well. He vainly tried to balance the very difficult Arab-Isreali border situation during the uneasy years following the creation of the Jewish State. He correctly surmised that the Palestinian issue would haunt future generations unless resolved quickly. Certainly he was proved correct in that one! The innate political instabaility of the Arab World as it became infected with the fanatical nationalism of Nasser's Egypt finally forced him and his wife out. Its touch and go leaving, but Peter thrives in such environments even if his wife was less happy about it!
The last part of his life sees the development of the Military History Department at Sandhurst. Here we see Peter gathering in some of the finest authors in Military History. Such household names as Chandler, Duffy, Holmes, Adair and others all were nurtured by Peters love of military history. They all got their start with him. They would go on to create some of the best and most popular books on warfare ever written in the English language. Their influence continues today.
Perhaps Peter's most amusing sideline was his love of wargames. Here he takes a chapter out from HG Wells and other early developers of this great hobby. Peter continued the English tradition and love of wargaming with miniature figures. He may not have had much to do with board wargames yet, but his influence and books supporting the hobby was certainly felt. He even takes the process one step further and founds the re-enacting hobby. Here its a love of the English Civil War combined with his legendary humor that builds an entire Interest. Peter's larger than life jovial nature is key in creating what would become the Sealed Knot, the premier English re-enacting society for pre-20th century military history. This combination of serious appreciation of history as well as his innate sense of fun is what made Peter so popular in all the hobbies he nourished and founded. He made them approachable and fun to the general public.
His legacy continues today even if many don't not know of him directly which until this book included myself. A light, and loving portrait of a man and his times, whose wartime expereince combined with his interests and passions to leave a lasting monument of himself. A great read for those into the hobbies that Peter Young influenced and created from his own active immagination.
Top reviews from other countries
- GBReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Almost complete.
This is a fascinating and compelling account of an ambitious and capable man born to this country just at the time when it would need him the most.
I have titled this, "almost complete" because I believe there would be a lot more to tell but for modesty and probably some censorship.
- bryan samainReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2015
4.0 out of 5 stars I served in Normandy in 1944 in First Commando Brigade ...
I served in Normandy in 1944 in First Commando Brigade --in which Peter Young commanded No 3 Army Commando, one of the
four Army and Royal Marines Commando units comprising the Brigade. He was widely admired and respected as a first-class
professional Army officer and pioneer Commando leader. This book presents a most interesting and highly readable account not
only of his Commando career (during which he was highly decorated) but also of his subsequent experiences with the Arab Legion
in Jordan. He later founded the Sealed Knot re-enactment society, devoted to the re-creation of English Civil War battles, for
which many members of the public also remember him. Bryan Samain (author of 'Commando Men')
- A. E. FinnReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2022
3.0 out of 5 stars You need to know your army vocabulary!
I have read some of Peter Young's books about the civil war and bought this find out about the man.
The book is an interesting read but does get bogged down on two fronts. The descriptions if his actions in WW2 need a detailed knowledge of the battles and what is going on. Otherwise ut is a series of accounts of small actions over farms, houses or roads. Also, there seems to be almost no remorse from Peter Young over casualties. The second problem is you need to know your army terms. Okay things like RSM can be deduced but I struggled to get an idea what the units were. 3 commando, 3 troop, the brigade, a section and so on. It is a bit difficult to see how many men the author is talking about.
- Chris JReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Brigades peter young
I came into contact with Peter young as a young warmer and must admit to being in some awe of him. As such I enjoyed reading the book which gave me insight into the character. Had I known more about his wartime history I would have been truly in reverence.
- frank buddReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars Life in the Commandos
A well written account of life as it was during the Second World War. More intimate detail of Commando training would have been appreciated,but a good read nonetheless.