HISTORY:
In 1942 the Allied goverments had determined that the assistance of a handful of metahumans, including Freedom Alliance and others, was not sufficient. The Germans had begun deploying their Night Squad, Rocketmen, and other projects in earnest. The US and Great Britain decided to make use of a more unusual resource: criminals.

While initially the program only included highly skilled, but non-powered individuals, initial success led them to recruit metahuman criminals into the group as well. The 'Chain Gand Commandoes', as they were known, were offered a full or partial pardon for their past crimes in return for two years of military service that included both front line and special missions operations. Many criminals volunteered, some because of the chance for freedom, others because they hated the Nazis as much as their heroic counterparts.

The group saw action through the end of the war, with an unspecified number of casualties. The project was reopened several times for use in later conflicts as well, but never with the same degree of success.

MEMBERSHIP:
The membership constantly changed as some felons were pardoned and released, and others died. Here is a sampling of some of the membership as it stood early on in the project.

Flit (Annie O'Casey):
Irish-born villainess with the ability to fly at superspeed. She hated the Nazis with a passion, otherwise her powers might have precluded her from joining the team. She provided quick recon capabilities to the team.

Paperdoll (unknown):
Higly-skilled woman with incredible disguise and acting talents. She was a quick-change artist, amateur linguist, skilled actress, and more. She commonly used her talents to infiltrate enemy installations, dressed as either a man or woman, in preperation for an assault, or to help others gain entry. It is believed she survived to be pardoned, and was later recruited by the CIA.

Proxy (William Grand):
British supervillain who had the ability to duplicate the powers of any metahuman he touched. He would not gain memories or skills, but had an instictive knowledge of how to use the newfound abilities. He couldn't mix-and-match abilities from different metahumans, but he wasn't forced to assume any abilities on touch either. He is believed to have died during a mission when he attempted to mimick the abilities of a German metahuman who had no actual powers.

Quietus (Saul Van Buren):
American hitman who worked for various organized crime families in New York and Chicago. He was an expert marksman, and capable in a variety of hand-to-hand weapons. He remained silent and aloof most of the time, but was the first choice for a partner by many of his companions. He survived his two years and returned to America.

Rime (Corina Cross):
Canadian-born American villainess with the ability to generate extreme cold, and ice. She was known for her extreme emotions, being warm and passionate at one turn, and turning bitter and vengeful at another.

Runt (Paul Yarnell):
British supervillain, he was only 3 feet tall but was able to lift several tons and appeared to be nearly impervious to physical damage. He provided muscle for the group until he disappeared mysteriously during a mission, it is not known if he was killed, defected, or went AWOL.

Scoundrel (Jean-Paul LeStrade):
French-born American supervillain who employed a Zorro-esque style and costume. He carried throwing stilettos, a razor-sharp rapier, and a whip tipped with paralyzing poison. He irked Extrano Mysterioso, who felt Scoundrel mimicked his style, but developed a relationship with Esprit over those missions where the Commandoes worked closely with the Freedom Alliance. He was pardoned, and joined the Maquis, the French resistence organization. It is not known if he survived the war.

Tide (John Kirk):
American water-breathing villain who utilizes a variety of ocean-based devices, and abilities. He employed a dart gun that used blowfish poison, had a natural radar-sense like a dolphin, and had a mechanical crab-claw that he sometimes used in hand-to-hand combat. He used his abilities to get close to German seaside, or riverside installations, and U-boats.