SAS

'Impeccably researched, superbly told - by far the best book on the SAS in World War II' - Antony BeevorIn the summer of 1941, at the height of the war in the Western Desert, a bored and eccentric young officer, David Stirling, came up with a plan that was radical and entirely against the rules- a small undercover unit that would inflict mayhem behind enemy lines. So began the most celebrated and mysterious military organisation in the world- the SAS.Now, the SAS has finally decided to tell its astonishing story. It has opened its secret archives for the first time, granting historian Ben Macintyre full access to a treasure trove of unseen reports, memos, diaries, letters, maps and photographs, as well as free rein to interview surviving Originals and those who knew them.The result is an exhilarating tale of fearlessness and heroism, recklessness and tragedy; of extraordinary men who were willing to take monumental risks. It is a story about the meaning of courage.

“Impeccably researched, superbly told - by far the best book on the SAS in World War II”

This book has many strengths but perhaps its greatest is how thought-provoking it is -- Laurence Rees Sunday Times
Macintyre provides a riveting history of a revolutionary fighting force . . . A ripping good read Washington Post 10 Best Books of 2016
The sharp style and sly wit reveal some pretty acute insights into the politics of the nation's favourite undercover boys Evening Standard Books of the Year
So good and so much more than the boys own adventure you might think it will read like. Ben is a brilliant writer Dermot O'Leary

Ben Macintyre is the multimillion-copy bestselling author of books including Colditz, Agent Sonya, SAS- Rogue Heroes, The Spy and the Traitor, Agent Zigzag, Operation Mincemeat and A Spy Among Friends. He is a columnist and Associate Editor at The Times, and has worked as the newspaper's correspondent in New York, Paris and Washington. Several of his books have been made into films and television series, including Operation Mincemeat, A Spy Among Friends and SAS- Rogue Heroes.

THE BESTSELLING HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR THE FIRST EVER AUTHORIZED SAS BOOK AS SEEN ON THE BBC 'Reads like a mashup of The Dirty Dozen and The Great Escape , with a sprinkling of Ocean's 11 thrown in for good measure. Macintyre is masterly in using details to illustrate his heroes' bravery, lan and dogged perseverance. A gripping account' New York Times 'A superb study of wartime daring. A compelling tale full of jeopardy: bone-shattering parachute drops, terrifying night-time raids on Nazi airfields, fizzing explosive fuses, near escapes in screaming jeeps, harrowing marches through deserts, frozen forest encounters with desperate Germans and mad, edgy drinking bouts that could end with grenades being flourished' Daily Telegraph 'Told with brilliance. The SAS are still about the best of their kind, and how they began to achieve this is an exotic saga indeed. No one will ever tell it better than this' Evening Standard + INCLUDE THE 'AUTHORISED WARTIME HISTORY' STAMP FROM THE HARDBACK

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