Origin of "Commando"...

[Guns Garrett]

Today's useage of the word "Commando" is usually meant to refer to a Special Forces-type soldier ("He's trained as a commando."), or a type of operation ("The unit conducted a commando raid").  In fact, the term had rather mundane origins that sort of grew...

The South African Dutch settlers of the 18th and 19th centuries - "Boers" - were much like the American settlers of the same period.  There was no "standing army", even after the Boer colonies/settled areas became quasi-self-govering Republics.  To provide for mutual military protection against attacks and depradations by the local African tribes (and later British meddling), communites formed militias of able-bodied men  (and boys) who provided themselves with their own weapons and mounts.  Each district formed a militia unit known as a "Kommando" (Dutch/Afrikaans "command), and were commanded by a "Kommandant".  A Kommando was roughly of Regimental size, and districts were further broken down into wards or boroughs of company size, commanded by a "Veld-Kornet" (Field Cornet), roughly equivalent to a junior Lieutenant/Ensign/SubAltern.  Attendance/service was NOT mandatory, but shirking what was considered a civic duty was met with social stigma, and "unofficial" local governmental harrasment.

The South African veldt, being a lot of wide-open spaces, the Kommando were utilized as mounted infantry, and usually preferred hit-and-run raids and guerilla-type warfare rather than a static or conventional type battle strategy.  They were excellent horsemen, and accomplished marksmen because of their lifestyle of herding/droving, and game hunting for survival.  The civilian-soldiers wore plain "farmer's clothes" usually of rough wool or linen, and usually a brown or tan color, and often quite ragged in appearance, since they had no  system of supply.  They were usually armed with the common civilian or military weapons of the time, preferring the rifle over pistols or muskets.  With the advent of the breech-loader, favorites included the Snider, Westley-Richards "monkey-tail", Martini-Henry, and perhaps the most favored, the Westley-Richards Falling Block (known as the "Free State Martini").  By the end of the 19th Century, the Boers had armed themselves with the 1895 Mauser (as well as captured Lee Metfords and Lee-Enfields).

Though the British had little regard at first for the Boer, considering him to be a backward, unkempt and ragged "provincial", they quickly learned to respect their fighting style of using high mobility, hit-and-run tactics, stealth, camoflage, and even deceit and trickery.  While deriding these tactics as "ungentlemanly" and even "uncivilised" - they still had to admit they were effective.  A young Winston Churchill was a participant in the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), and what he saw impressed him.  Later, as Lord of the Admiralty and Prime Minister, he pressed the British military to form elite, fast-moving, highly-trained and proficient units within the Army and Royal Marines, to be known as "Commandos".  The US military also formed such units:  Marine Raiders, the Army (Darby's) Rangers, and the 1st Special Service Force ("Devil's Brigade").

In the years since the forming of these units in the 1940's, "Commando" has morphed from being the name of a specific unit (Boer militia) into a descriptive term for any sort of elite "special forces"-type unit, a type of tactic, or even individuals conducting such operations.  

(NOTE:  The GERMAN use of the term "Kommando" is of such horrible and repellant reputation, I choose not to discuss its useage here)

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

There is some information available on the Boer Kommandos.  This link is to a sub-board of the Anglo-Boer War forum;

http://www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/boer-units/1953-boer-forces  Of interest is the highlighted link to the Caroline Kommando

[ChuckBurrows]

Just FWIW - the term Boer (meaning famer) is considered highly derogatory/insulting by all of the Afrikaaners (their name for themselves) I know personally when "others" call them Boer.  It's kind of like getting called "whitey" or "cracker" - on the other hand it can also be like the N word - OK when used by blacks to blacks but you dare not use the term if you are not black - not trying to be PC but just so you know there are two sides to the story.....

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I read the article on the Scandinavian Corp from the link I posted above.  I noted that a Swede named Wilhelm Gustafsson served the Boer cause.  He is probably not related to me, Carl Gustafson, but now I have a persona for GAF!!!! Most of the members of this corps were either miners or sailors.  My family were farmers, but in a mining district near Nykoping, Sweden.

Now I have to acquire an '88 commission rifle as that was the issue arm of the Scandinavian Corp.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I am pasting in the 2d paragraph from the wikipedia article on the 2d Boer war;

"The conflict is commonly referred to as The Boer War but is also known as the South African War outside South Africa, the Anglo-Boer War among most South Africans, and in Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog ("Second War of Liberation" or lit. "Second Freedom War") or the Engelse oorlog (English War)."

It seems that the (mostly) Dutch settlers in South Africa used the term Boer themselves.  I'm aware that they also used other terms for themselves. Afrikaans being common. Political correctness as a concept was not a common sentiment a Century ago. By the way, it seems that the "Boers" may have won this war as within the following 10 years they did form the government of the Union of South Africa.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Nice history lesson!

[Tascosa Joe]

And all this time I thought "Commando" was Jenifer Anniston without underwear on "Friends".     Seriously, thanks to all for the history lessons.

[Guns Garrett]

And all this time I thought "Commando" was Jenifer Anniston without underwear on "Friends".   

Also called "Going cowboy" :-O  ("Mike and Molly")
First time I ever heard a term for it was "Going Elvis"...never figured that one out...