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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Special & elite forces
More than half a century after his death, Lt Col. Robert Blair
Mayne is still regarded as one of the greatest soldiers in the
history of military special operations. He was the most decorated
British soldier of the Second World War, receiving four DSOs, the
Croix de Guerre and the Legion d'honneur, and he pioneered tactics
used today by the SAS and other special operations units worldwide.
Rogue Warrior of the SAS tells the remarkable life story of
'Colonel Paddy', whose exceptional physical strength and uniquely
swift reflexes made him a fearsome opponent. But his unorthodox
rules of war and his resentment of authority would deny him the
ultimate accolade of the Victoria Cross. Drawing on personal
letters and family papers, declassified SAS files and records,
together with the Official SAS Diary compiled in wartime and
eyewitness accounts from many who served with him, the picture
emerges of a soldier who, although a flawed hero, was
unquestionably one of the most distinctive combatants of the
campaigns in the Western Desert and Europe.
Following the Nazi occupation of Norway in 1941, the Waffen-SS began recruiting volunteers to serve in their ranks. Initially formed into small volunteer units, these developed into large divisions by 1943, referred to as 'Legions' in Nazi propaganda. Early volunteers were promised that they would not leave Scandinavia and that they would serve under native Norwegian officers – but after the German invasion of the Soviet Union they were deployed to the Leningrad front alongside Dutch and Latvian units, in the 2nd SS Infantry Brigade. These units combined to form the nucleus of a whole regiment within the new 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division 'Nordland'.
Fully illustrated with detailed artwork depicting the uniforms and equipment of the volunteer soldiers, this fascinating study tells the little-known story of the Norwegians who fought with the SS in World War II.
'We've been approached something like 25 times since the war. I
kicked each out the window because they weren't going to make it
with the integrity we require the story of the SAS to be told.' -
Colonel Sir David Stirling, OBE, DSO, Founder of the SAS Based on
over 120 hours of uncovered video and audio tape, The Originals
tells the story of the birth of the SAS in the words of its
founding members for the first time. Even David Stirling, founder
of the regiment, contributed to the project - most historians
believe he died without giving a single interview. It is also a
very human story of a gang of misfits coming together to create a
unit like no other: a maverick son of a Scottish laird; a boy who
lied about his age to enlist; a policeman; a cheeky cockney; a
Lincolnshire boxer; an Irish rugby international imprisoned for
beating up his commanding officer; an Oxford rowing president and a
quietly spoken man of God. The Originals covers the regiment's
formation in 1941 to its supposed disbanding in 1945. With only two
founding members alive today, it is not only an important document
but a thrilling and moving read that will leave you reeling.
NOW WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY W. STANLEY MOSS'S DAUGHTER GABRIELLA
BULLOCK AND AN AFTERWORD BY PATRICK LEIGH FERMOR Ill Met By
Moonlight is the true story of one of the most hazardous missions
of the Second World War. W. Stanley Moss is a young British officer
who, along with Major Patrick Leigh Fermor, sets out in
Nazi-occupied Crete to kidnap General Kreipe, Commander of the
Sevastopool Division, and narrowly escaping the German manhunt,
bring him off the island - a vital prisoner for British
intelligence. As an account of derring-do and wartime adventure,
made into a classic film starring Dirk Bogarde, Ill Met By
Moonlight is one of the most brilliantly written, exciting and
compelling stories to come out of the Second World War.
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