SAS Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre

Although I, in common with most people, have been aware of the SAS for many years, it was not until I read this book that I realised that it was the first special forces regiment in the world, providing the template for all those others we now know, from the Seals of the USA, to the Sayeret of Israel.

The idea of small groups of specially trained soldiers, who to were infiltrate enemy held areas to sabotage, and destroy military assets, before vanishing into the night, was conceived by David Sterling, an eccentric officer, once described by Monty as quite mad. Until he proposed the scheme the military leaders of all nations saw warfare as between two or more armies, confronting each other on the battlefield, and the proposal to employ what many would regard as piratical thugs met with considerable resistance. Fortunately, Winston, the great man himself, was totally supportive of Stirling, and overrode all objections from those who thought that they were still fighting in the fields of Flanders.

As detailed by Macintyre the early missions of the SAS were disastrous failures, and it was only when Stirling realised what now seems obvious, that dropping men by parachute into the desert, was fraught with problems, but that using the resources of the Long Range Desert Group provided a safer method, that the successes began to mount up.

Ben Macintyre introduces many of the heroic characters who made the SAS what it became, and because this is an essentially true story, one sees many die young. It would be invidious to pick out a few of these brave men for special mention, although 'Paddy' Mayne does deserve attention, as, not only was he possibly the most larger than live figure involved, but he also became leader after Stirling was captured, and eventually consigned to imprisonment in Colditz castle.

The first part of the book concerns the Desert War which, although bloody, was, thanks to the Germans being of the regular Army, the 'Afrika Korps', led by a brilliant, but decent general, Rommel, it was conducted in a manner consistent with the Geneva Convention, despite the SAS inflicting enormous damage upon the Axis forces. However, when the action transferred to Sicily, Italy, France and finally Germany, the true nature of the Nazis became apparent, with Hitler's 'Commando' order, which led to the murder of all captured SAS men. Those who constituted the Waffen-SS, who did most of the killing,  were the contemptible murderers, who massacred anyone who stood in their way.

Although the men of the SAS were as hard as nails, and apparently fearless, they were also civilised, and, when they were the first Allied soldiers to enter Belsen concentration camp, the psychological shock of discovering just what the Germans had been doing to millions of innocents shook them to the core.

Of course, since the Second World War, a period not covered by the book, the SAS have become an almost mythical organisation, but they are still there, acting as a last line of defence against terrorists, and other enemies. I happen to know one, recently retired, a good family man, but one whom one would not be advised to attack, as one group of three thugs that tried ended up in hospital.

Ben Macintyre's style is accessible, the book is an entertaining, fast paced, read, and I recommend it to anyone who is proud of Britain's military achievements.