It's the moment a pilot dreads most - when he first discovers that he's lost his nerve.
Hands that have always been rock-steady now tremble as they touch the joystick. His mouth is dry with fear, a cold sweat breaks out on his brow.
Flight Lieutenant Ted Ridge knew all the signs. But only he knew he wasn't fit to fly his Mosquito bomber on any more raids.
And then the RAF picked him for a specially dangerous flying job - a job that no one else could tackle. Ted Ridge just couldn't convince them that he wasn't still the best Mossie pilot they had.
Introduction
In today's enlightened times, post-traumatic stress disorder more accurately describes the phenomenon of service personnel being overwhelmed by the demands of active service in a war zone. In 1964, losing their nerve was the term used. Though this Kenner script deals with that situation but in a typically Commando way, it's not hard to read a deeper meaning into this story with echoes of the famous Amiens prison raid - Operation Jericho.
That's if you don't get completely distracted by Ken Barr's movie poster-style cover and Gordon Livingstone's gritty, angular inside art.
Read it twice...just to make sure.
Calum Laird, Commando Editor
Note: Original released as Commando No 108 (March 1964) and re-issues as No 619 (February 1972).
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