Howling Commandos

"I know this sorry excuse for a unit is called the "Howling Commandos", but do you mugs have to keep your gums flapping 24-7?"

- Dum Dum Dugan

The Howling Commandos were a World War II elite combat unit of the originally led by Captain America.

After the war and Captain America's apparent death the unit continued and was led by Dum Dum Dugan.

Recruited by Captain America
The Howling Commandos were formed out from various rescued P.O.W.s by Captain America to help him take out every HYDRA base they could find in Europe and were very successful.

HYDRA Raids
"Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country."

- Smithsonian Narrator

The Howling Commandos were responsible for the capture of Arnim Zola during a raid on a train in the Alps. It was on this mission that Bucky Barnes was lost and presumed dead.

They also participated in attacking Johann Schmidt's last base along with other U.S. forces led by Chester Phillips. The battle was eventually won, but at the cost of Captain America.

After Captain America was lost over the Arctic Ocean, the Howling Commandos assisted the during.

Dum Dum Dugan and Jim Morita were sent to Austria with Strategic Scientific Reserve agent Peggy Carter to take possesion of artifacts at the last known HYDRA Facility located there. They captured HYDRA General Werner Reinhardt, his troops and an Obelisk classified as an 0-8-4.

On V-E Day, the Commandos assembled in London and mourned the loss of Captain America.

After the War
"You guys are the Howling Commandos." "I hate that name."

- Rick Ramirez and Happy Sam Sawyer

Following World War II the Commandos served as a tactical team for the 107th Infantry Regiment. Some members eventually abandoned the unit but new recruits came. In 1946, the Howling Commandos were called by Peggy Carter to help her, SSR agent Jack Thompson, and his team in infiltrating a Leviathan base camp in Belarus. They met Carter and the team and escorted them to Belarus. Infiltrating the facility, they discovered various methods of dispensing subliminal messages. They encountered a little girl supposedly left behind, and Dum Dum Dugan went to comfort her, only to be non-fatally stabbed by the girl, who quickly shot and killed Junior Juniper before escaping.

Going deeper into the facility, the team found the scientists Nikola and Ivchenko. Freeing them, they ran into an ambush where Nikola tried to use Happy Sam Sawyer as a hostage. Ivchenko killed Nikola, allowing the Commandoes and Carter's team to escape.

The Howling Commandoes said goodbye to Carter and her team, with Dugan giving Ivchenko his bottle of bourbon. .

Later in 1946, Dum Dum Dugan joined Howard Stark during the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Exhibit
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. created an exhibit which featured Captain America with the original Howling Commandos. After his battle with and rescue of Captain America, Bucky Barnes went to see the display, which reminded him of his past.

Howling Commando Gear
Antoine Triplett's mother allowed her son to have a suitcase filled with many of the gadgets that the Howling Commandos used over the years, so that Coulson's Team could take down the Centipede Project.

Trivia

 * In the comics, the Howling Commandos were a elite US military unit formed by Happy Sam Sawyer and lead by Nick Fury, that fought many supervillains like Wolfgang von Strucker, Heinrich Zemo and the Red Skull during World War II. After the war, many of the Commandos members joined S.H.I.E.L.D., and different iterations of the team were created.
 * The Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of the Howling Commandos share traits with the Invaders, a WWII's superhero group that was led by Captain America and included James Barnes and James Montgomery Falsworth among their ranks. In the non-canon video game Captain America: Super Soldier, the Howling Commandos are called the Invaders.
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Antoine Triplett's grandfather is one of the Howling Commandos.
 * Junior Juniper came up with the name "Howling Commandos".
 * Peggy Carter occasionally joined the Howling Commandos for certain missions.

Behind the Scenes

 * The Howling Commandos were never referenced as such in Captain America: The First Avenger. They were referenced as the 107th in the descriptive audio track on the DVD and Blu-ray for the film. Not until the episode The Iron Ceiling were they called both the 107th and the Howling Commandos.