The Regiment: The Real Story of the SAS by Michael Asher

by Michael Asher

On 4 May 1980, seven terrorists holding twenty-one people captive in the Iranian Embassy in London's Prince's Gate, executed their first hostage. They threatened to kill another hostage every thirty minutes until their demands were met. Minutes later, armed men in black overalls and balaclavas shimmied down the roof on ropes and burst in through windows and doors. In seconds all but one of the terrorists had been shot dead, the other captured. For most people, this was their first acquaintance with a unit that was soon to become the ideal of modern military excellence - the Special Air Service regiment. Few realized that the SAS had been in existence for almost forty years, playing a discreet, if not secret, role almost everywhere Britain had fought since World War II, and had been the prototype of all modern special forces units throughout the world. In "The Regiment", Michael Asher - a former soldier in 23 SAS Regiment - examines the evolution of the special forces idea and investiga

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Nonfiction, Military History, War, British Literature

Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Michael Asher is an author, historian, deep ecologist, and notable desert explorer who has covered more than 30,000 miles on foot and camel. He spent three years living with a traditional nomadic tribe in Sudan.

Michael Asher was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in 1953, and attended Stamford School. At 18 he enlisted in the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, and saw active service in Northern Ireland during The Troubles there in the 1970s.

He studied English Language & Linguistics at the University of Leeds. at the same time serving in B Squadron, 23rd SAS Regiment. He also studied at Carnegie College, Leeds, where he qualified as a teacher of physical education and English.

In 1978-9, he worked for the RUC Special Patrol Group anti-terrorist patrols, but left after less than a year. He took a job as a volunteer English teacher in the Sudan in 1979.

The author of twenty-one published books, and presenter/director of six TV documentaries, Asher has lived in Africa for much of his life, and speaks Arabic and Swahili. He is married to Arabist and photographer Mariantonietta Peru, with whom he has a son and a daughter, Burton and Jade. He currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

Reviews

[Det · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. It's a good insight into the formation of the SAS though

[Lee Yun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, a thorough, engaging and compelling account of the SAS, especially its early heroes.

[William Gaffney · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent insight into how the elite operate and think!

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best history of the special air service around

[Aviator · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe next time.

[Peter Nielsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative and intriguing look at the history of the SAS from its beginning in WW2 to the Gulf War.

[Thomas Hunter Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar

Great History of the SAS my favorite is the beginning with the formulation of the SAS and their shared engagements with the LRDG.

[rabbitprincess · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me reading this book followed the same pattern as The Defence of the Realm, by Christopher Andrew: a nice fat non-fiction tome about British intelligence/military history that I tucked into with abandon at first but then had to stop reading as I found myself becoming almost uncomfortably overstuffed with information. But oh, what information! I loved the tales of derring-do, especially those of Paddy Mayne, he who ripped out aircraft instrument panels with his bare hands, blew up a railway line no fewer than seven times (then was told by HQ to stop as the British were now using the line), and did a parachute drop while wearing formal service dress and carrying a wind-up gramophone and records in his leg-bag. What a character. I also liked the way the story was told -- as a former SAS member, Asher speaks the jargon and uses it well. Of course, I may have an advantage in interpreting military jargon because I come across a lot of it at work, but I still think it's fairly accessible. Recommended for military history buffs.

[Filth Ritual]

I am revisting this book simply because of my current borderline obsession with T.E. Lawrence and Asher's thorough biography of him that I am currently reading. This book first came to my attention when I was seeking out information, books, history's etc of the British SAS as told by former memembers. At the time I believe my SAS book collection to number only a dozen or so books (now closer to 50)and was keen to learn of Asher's experiences, interpretations of events and personal reflections. As with so many former SAS personal, Ahser attempt to pack as much experience into his life as feasibly possible. The insert of the dust jacket reads like a list of accomplishements of a dozen people. I am not re reading this book currently rather referencing events and locations in order to better understand Ahser and his journey to unravel further the legend of Lawrence of Arabia.

[Jim Heivilin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This appears to be a concise history of the Special Air Service. It's good reading and I enjoyed it, however I would like to find out more about the author's background to lend more validity to the later chapters (primarily the period after the Falkland's War) since there seem to be so many conflicting accounts of later SAS history.

When I got past all the illustrations I found the footnotes and references so it is well researched. That makes me more confidant of his information.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most complete history of the SAS I have seen. It follows all the ops, all the personalities. Written by an ex member, this history has all the successes and all the mistake writ large. I totally enjoyed reading it and think almost anyone would have a great time with this book. And a must-have for any wargamer/military history enthusiast....

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

These guys run an ultra with a 50kg bergen on their backs, kill themselves physically and then have the mental capacity to begin their jobs.