Introduction

Battle of the Commandos is a European Macaroni-War film directed in 1969 by Umberto Lenzi.

The film had a variety of titles depending on where it was aired:

• Original Title: La Legione dei Dannati (Legion of the Damned).
• Italy: La legione dei dannati.
• West Germany: Die zum Teufel gehen.
• Spain: La brigada de los condenados.
• France: La Legion des Damnes.
• Hong Kong: The Damned Brigade.
• UK & US: Battle of the Commandos.

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Outline

Irish Colonel Charlie McPhearson has just had his platoon of twenty-eight slaughtered by German troops. Angered at his superiors for this suicide mission, he takes convicts on his next, along with fornicating American explosives technician Major Burke, to defuse underwater mines so that a commando squad can prepare for a 10 June invasion to destroy a tank gun. Because Colonel Ackerman, whose troops killed his last platoon, is the leader of the platoon in charge of the gun, McPhearson insists on trying to complete the commandos’ mission.

Cast

• Jack Palance: Col. Charley MacPherson.
• Curd Jürgens: Gen. von Reilow.
• Thomas Hunter: Capt. Kevin Burke.
• Robert Hundar: Pvt. Raymond Stone.
• Wolfgang Preiss: Col. Ackerman.
• Helmuth Schneider: Pvt. Sam Schrier.
• Guido Lollobrigida: Pvt. Tom Carlyle.
• Aldo Sambrell: Sgt. Karim Habinda.
• Diana Lorys: Janine.
• Franco Fantasia: Schiwers, the French Maquis leader.
• Gérard Herter: Lt. Hapke.
• Mirko Ellis: Capt. Adler.
• Bruno Corazzari: Pvt. Frank Madigan.

Trivia

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): Umberto Lenzi.
• Producer(s): Bruno Bolognesi.
• Writer(s): Stefano Rolla, Romano Mascini, Ugo Moretti, Eduardo Manzanos, Rolf Grieminger, and Dario Argento.
• Music: Piero Umiliani and Marcello Giombini.
• Cinematography: Alejandro Ulloa.
• Editor(s): Giese Rohm and Stanley Frazen.
• Production: Tritone Cinematografica (A Coproduction Italian-Spanish-German) (as Tritone Filmindustria-Roma), Eguiluz Films (A Coproduction Italian-Spanish-German) (as Equiluz-Madrid), and Hape-Film Company GmbH (A Coproduction Italian-Spanish-German) (as Hape Film-Monaco).
• Distributor(s): Titanus (1969) (Italy) (theatrical) (presents) (as La Titanus).
• Release Date: 12 August 1969 (Spain) and 17 April 1970 (West Germany).
• Running time: 94 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

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