The Boy Commandos was a group of kids from international backgrounds who fought villains during World War II. When Joe Simon and Jack Kirby moved over to DC, they were given the freedom to revamp characters or create new ones. Teenage sidekicks like Robin and Bucky had become quite popular with younger readers, so the pair decided on developing a kid gang. With the US on the brink of entering World War II and seeing what the British commandos had been doing in the war effort, they turned their kid gang into the Boy Commandos.

They were introduced in Detective Comics #64 (June 1942), appeared in more issues of that title and World’s Finest Comics, before getting their own book, Boy Commandos, which lasted for 36 issues.

The international team consisted of Brooklyn from the US, Alfie Twidgett from England, André Chavard from France, and Jan Haasan from the Netherlands. Led by Captain Rip Carter, the boys were all orphans with elite commando skills who fought on various fronts of the war.

The lineup underwent some changes with Jan leaving to live with relatives in his home country, André was replaced by a genius named Percy Clearweather, and Alfie’s spot was taken by a Texas boy named Tex.

Years later, the skilled boys grew up to have successful careers. Brooklyn (who was revealed to be Dan Turpin) became a Metropolis Special Crimes Unit Detective, André became the head of the French Intelligence organization, Département Gamma, and Alfie was the head of Statistical Occurrences Ltd. (SOL), an insurance company that specialized in material that could attract superhero activity.

The team reunited during Len Wein’s Blue Beetle run. Alfie had become the president of SOL and was hired to protect a “Star Wars” satellite program. He brought in Jan (who was now working for the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies), André, and their former leader Rip Carter (who had risen to the rank of general). They were expected to collide with European industrialist Klaus Cornelius who was working to resurrect Agent Axis, the Boy Commandos’ old nemesis, but the series ended before the storyline was resolved.