The True Story Of The Sas

The true and incredible story of the origins of a unit that would become legendary during the Second World War, and remains to this day one of the best Special Forces outfits in the world.

1941. Almost all of Europe is under the Nazi heel. Great Britain still holds out, but the situation worsens with every passing day. And in North Africa, gateway to the Middle East and its immense oil reserves, Rommel now threatens Egypt, keystone of British defences. In those desperate times, three men (David Stirling, Blair Mayne and ‘Jock’ Lewes), three unconventional officers, band together to create a small, elite unit that will become a military legend: the SAS.

After the disaster that was their first mission, the SAS refused to give up, and their second wave of raids proved a powerful validation of the concept behind their unit. Unfortunately, they still have many enemies at headquarters, and now they must capitalise on their success. While they lack neither daring nor imagination, they will have to contend with an enemy who knows how to adapt, and learn to live with the terrible human cost of the war ...

The true story of one of the most dramatic and sustained special operations in military history When American and British forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, select teams of special forces and intelligence operatives got to work looking for the WMD their governments had promised were there. They quickly realized no such weapons existed. Instead they faced an insurgency—a soaring spiral of extremism and violence that was almost impossible to understand, let alone reverse. Facing defeat, the Coalition waged a hidden war within a war. Major-General Stan McChrystal devised a campaign fusing special forces, aircraft, and the latest surveillance technology with the aim of taking down the enemy faster than it could regenerate. Guided by intelligence, British and American special forces conducted a relentless onslaught, night after night targeting al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups. Mark Urban's Task Force Black reveals not only the intensity of the secret fight that turned the tide in Baghdad but the rivalries and personal battles that had to be overcome along the way. Incisive, dramatic, exceptionally revealing, the war in Iraq cannot be understood without this book.

A former SAS sergeant reveals the devastating and extraordinary details of the most horrifying assignment ever undertaken by the regiment.

The soldiers of the SAS are among the most ruthless and efficient in the world. Their daring and determination have made Britain's top-secret military unit one of the most feared and respected special forces in existence. True Stories of the SAS is a history of the deeds done by these lethal men as they faced danger with calm courage. From the parachute raids and jeep attacks of World War II to covert activity in the Gulf War, the SAS have fought in each major conflict of the last fifty years. Their every mission is a tale of inspired strategy and decisive action, from the fight for the German-held islands of the Aegean to the struggle against the Communists in the Malayan jungle and their spectacular success at the Iranian Embassy siege in London. These astonishing stories reveal the bravery, endurance and sheer military brilliance that have made the SAS truly a force to be reckoned with.

twelve months after the September 11 attacks shook the world, Martin 'Jock' Wallace was awarded the nation's third highest military honour for bravery - the Medal of Gallantry - for his actions in the war against terror in south-eastern Afghanistan.At the age of 32 and a signalman with the elite Special Air Service Regiment, Wallace's courage under fire during Operation Anaconda helped save the lives of 80 American soldiers and two Australians (including himself), who were ambushed by up to 1000 Al Qaeda terrorists and taliban hard-liners in a life and death battle. It is a gripping account of modern warfare against the most dangerous enemy of the 21st Century and will detail every second of those 18 perilous hours in Hell's Half Pipe when Al Qaeda forces outnumbered the US and Australian troops by 100 to 1.18 Hours is a comprehensive account about the blooding of a new Australian hero, Martin Wallace, a country boy from tamworth, and his coolness under fire of the soldiers that day.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The incredible untold story of World War II’s greatest secret fighting force, as told by the modern master of wartime intrigue—now a limited series on Epix! “Reads like a mashup of The Dirty Dozen and The Great Escape, with a sprinkling of Ocean’s 11 thrown in for good measure.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times ONE OF NPR’S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • “Rogue Heroes is a ripping good read.”—Washington Post (10 Best Books of the Year) Britain’s Special Air Service—or SAS—was the brainchild of David Stirling, a young aristocrat whose aimlessness belied a remarkable strategic mind. Where most of his colleagues looked at a World War II battlefield map and saw a protracted struggle, Stirling saw an opportunity: given a small number of elite men, he could parachute behind Nazi lines and sabotage their airplanes and supplies. Defying his superiors’ conventional wisdom, Stirling assembled a revolutionary fighting force that would upend not just the balance of the war, but the nature of combat itself. Bringing his keen eye for detail to a riveting wartime narrative, Ben Macintyre uses his unprecedented access to the SAS archives to shine a light on a legendary unit long shrouded in secrecy.

DON'T MISS OLLIE OLLERTON'S MUST-HAVE SURVIVAL GUIDE, HOW TO SURVIVE (ALMOST) ANYTHING! PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER OLLIE OLLERTON CO-HOSTS SAS: WHO DARES WINS ALONGSIDE ANT MIDDLETON, JASON FOX and MARK BILLINGHAM. THIS IS HIS INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY Where is your break point? Is it here? Facing the gruelling SAS selection process on one leg, with a busted ankle and the finish line nowhere in sight? Or here? Under heavy fire from armed kidnappers while protecting journalists en route to Baghdad. Or is it here? At the bottom of a bottle, with a family in pieces, unable to adapt to a civilian lifestyle, yearning for a warzone? Ex-Special Forces soldier and star of TV's SAS: Who Dares Wins, Ollie Ollerton has faced many break points in his life and now he tells us the vital lessons he has learnt. His incredible story features hardened criminals, high-speed car chases, counter-terrorism and humanitarian heroics - freeing children from a trafficking ring in Thailand. Ollie has faced break points in his personal life too, surviving a freak childhood attack, run-ins with the law as a teenager rebelling against a broken home, his self-destructive battles with alcohol and drug addiction, and his struggles with anxiety and depression. His final redemption as an entrepreneur and mental health charity ambassador has seen him overcome adversity to build a new and better life. 'Everyone has the capacity for incredible achievement, because it's only when it's crunch time, when you're down to your last bullet - when you're at break point - that you find out who you really are.'

Despite the heroic efforts of L Detachment, the unit’s victories haven’t managed to stop the advance of the German war machine. Soon, Rommel is at the gates of Egypt, and losses mount among David Stirling and Paddy Mayne’s men – some crueller than others. In the end, they will have to reinvent themselves and give everything to push back the Desert Fox and earn their name at last: The Special Air Service!