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A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II
The untold story of four special operations officers who fought together behind enemy lines across multiple theaters of World War II, and then continued to serve, officially and unofficially, for decades after in the hottest parts of the Cold War
There have always been special warriors; Achilles and his Myrmidons are the obvious classical examples. What we now think of as “special operations,” however, were born in World War II, and one of the earliest and most exciting units formed was Britain's SOE. In the early years of the war, when Britain stood alone against the Nazis, Winston Churchill put them on a mission to “set Europe ablaze”: to foment local revolt, to gather intelligence, to blow up bridges, and to do anything that could help to disrupt the Axis cause. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men follows four SOE officers who distinguished themselves in this the Spanish Civil War veteran Peter Kemp, the demolitions expert David Smiley, the born guerrilla leader Billy McLean, and the political natural Julian Amery.
With new and extensive research, including unprecedented access to private family papers that reveal the men's unbreakable bonds and vibrant personalities, Shannon Monaghan has uncovered a story of war in the twentieth century that, due to the secretive nature of the SOE’s work, has remained largely unknown. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men is a thrilling and inspiring story of four remarkable men who, through sheer determination and daring, as well as unwavering friendship and loyalty, fought for a better world.
There have always been special warriors; Achilles and his Myrmidons are the obvious classical examples. What we now think of as “special operations,” however, were born in World War II, and one of the earliest and most exciting units formed was Britain's SOE. In the early years of the war, when Britain stood alone against the Nazis, Winston Churchill put them on a mission to “set Europe ablaze”: to foment local revolt, to gather intelligence, to blow up bridges, and to do anything that could help to disrupt the Axis cause. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men follows four SOE officers who distinguished themselves in this the Spanish Civil War veteran Peter Kemp, the demolitions expert David Smiley, the born guerrilla leader Billy McLean, and the political natural Julian Amery.
With new and extensive research, including unprecedented access to private family papers that reveal the men's unbreakable bonds and vibrant personalities, Shannon Monaghan has uncovered a story of war in the twentieth century that, due to the secretive nature of the SOE’s work, has remained largely unknown. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men is a thrilling and inspiring story of four remarkable men who, through sheer determination and daring, as well as unwavering friendship and loyalty, fought for a better world.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 11, 2024
Shannon Monaghan's A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men is an example of good writing undone by an unwieldy scope. In this case, Monaghan chooses to follow four British special operatives through World War II and the Cold War afterwards. Does that sound like a lot? Because it is too much.
It is a crying shame, though. Monaghan clearly has an affection for these characters and has done her research. This is not a "bad" book by any stretch of the imagination, but the fatal flaw is a big one. The problem is that in order to do tell each story, she needs to introduce dozens of other characters while often doubling back in time to catch the reader up. This results in a strange habit of Monaghan telling stories backwards, such as when one character was in jail. The author states he just got out and then goes back in time to explain what happened. This temporal whiplash happens often and does not let anyone's story truly resonate.
The best example is Julian Amery's brother, Jack. Without giving too much away, he was demonstrably different from Julian and his ultimate fate suggests a fascinating backstory. Unfortunately, Monaghan has to condense much of the story into a few pages, when this could probably be its own book. Often, we get told what people are like instead of seeing what they are like through their actions.
However, there is a lot to learn from the book, especially the overall conditions within Albania and the surrounding area in World War II. This area is often overlooked and I learned quite a bit even if it felt a bit superficial. Ultimately, I wouldn't tell anyone not to read this book, but I would suggest that you may not get the full story you are hoping for.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Viking Books.)
It is a crying shame, though. Monaghan clearly has an affection for these characters and has done her research. This is not a "bad" book by any stretch of the imagination, but the fatal flaw is a big one. The problem is that in order to do tell each story, she needs to introduce dozens of other characters while often doubling back in time to catch the reader up. This results in a strange habit of Monaghan telling stories backwards, such as when one character was in jail. The author states he just got out and then goes back in time to explain what happened. This temporal whiplash happens often and does not let anyone's story truly resonate.
The best example is Julian Amery's brother, Jack. Without giving too much away, he was demonstrably different from Julian and his ultimate fate suggests a fascinating backstory. Unfortunately, Monaghan has to condense much of the story into a few pages, when this could probably be its own book. Often, we get told what people are like instead of seeing what they are like through their actions.
However, there is a lot to learn from the book, especially the overall conditions within Albania and the surrounding area in World War II. This area is often overlooked and I learned quite a bit even if it felt a bit superficial. Ultimately, I wouldn't tell anyone not to read this book, but I would suggest that you may not get the full story you are hoping for.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Viking Books.)
September 25, 2024
There are, indeed, wild stories contained within these pages of the exploits of four individuals within Britain's SOE: Peter Kemp, David Smiley, Billy McLean, and Julian Amery. The writing is great, the extensive amount of research that went into this book is apparent, but these special soldiers, for me, were indistinguishable. I was reading their names, but I couldn't separate one man's actions from another's. I was given their backgrounds, but I couldn't remember whose was whose. They even looked similar in their pictures! I applaud the author for digging up these remarkable stories, even shedding light on a few controversial incidents that were muddled in the official records (and the epilogue made the whole read worthwhile), but the characters, while undoubtably brave and daring and worth being told about, their indistinctness detracted from the whole.
**I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.**
**I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.**
March 27, 2025
These men were some pretty amazing individuals - not only in what they achieved but also in what they endured. The book tells the story of a much more complicated geo-political landscape both during WWII and in the years thereafter than the average person realizes. What was a global war also encompassed multiple smaller turf wars for dominance among various ethnic groups, particularly as they foresaw the end of the Axis powers and therefore were positioning themselves for control after the war, to the point where some (many) would collaborate with the Germans in order to achieve supremacy over their local rivals. These were treacherous waters for these Special Ops men to venture into, but they did, nevertheless.
My only critique of the book as a whole is that the narrative didn't flow smoothly - each chapter jumped into a new situation (location) - albeit with the same characters, so it felt more like a series of anecdotal stories than a continuing narrative, but all in all it was an interesting read.
My only critique of the book as a whole is that the narrative didn't flow smoothly - each chapter jumped into a new situation (location) - albeit with the same characters, so it felt more like a series of anecdotal stories than a continuing narrative, but all in all it was an interesting read.
September 2, 2024
My ex-intelligence agency husband LOVED this book : Churchill had a great idea!
December 30, 2024
This was a good book, but not a great one. I liked that it didn't end abruptly at the end of the major conflict but went into detail about where the men ended up after the war, how they engaged in various parts of the Cold War, etc. That was a great thing, but there's not a lot of incredible reading here to be had.
I'd recommend this to people interested in the subject for recreational purposes, but I can't say that if you're in the military and looking for your next book for professional development that this should be it.
I'd recommend this to people interested in the subject for recreational purposes, but I can't say that if you're in the military and looking for your next book for professional development that this should be it.
August 18, 2025
Overly nostalgic for a vision of a British Empire not congruent with the historical narrative. Post-Suez Revisionist to the point of being friendly to French interests in Vietnam
July 10, 2025
Very history based . Border line textbook like but if you like history and war history to be exact , it’s a great read .
March 5, 2025
Four remarkable men who led special forces in World War II
The subtitle of Shannon Monaghan’s book, A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II, gave fair warning. Unfortunately, I missed the point. In no way could the men of Britain’s SOE, SAS, Commando, and other World War II special forces units be considered “forgotten.” Countless millions of words have been published in books alone—hundreds of them, no doubt. Admittedly, the story she tells, which focuses on four upper-class British officers, delves into areas less generously covered in other books. Albania, Abyssinia (later Ethiopia), Yugoslavia, Thailand, and China, in World War II. And several other countries where Britain struggled to disentangle itself from its imperial history in the decades following the war. But forgotten? Not a chance.
Four decidedly untypical soldiers
Monaghan builds her story around the military careers of David Smiley, Billy McLean, Julian Amery, and Peter Kemp. They “fought together behind enemy lines throughout the Second World War in North Africa, Europe, and Asia and then together continued to serve, officially and unofficially, for decades after.”
Kemp was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War—on the Nationalist side, unlike nearly all of the 4,000 other Brits who fought for the Republicans against Francisco Franco’s fascist forces. And the other three men, privileged to a fault, all come across as decidedly conservative. She characterizes Smiley as a demolitions expert, McLean as a “born guerrilla leader,” and Amery as a “political natural.” Amery’s father was in Winston Churchill’s Cabinet, and more than once bailed out his son and his colleagues when they fought with their superiors. In other words, these four men were anything but typical of the soldiers who fought in special operations in the war.
A confusing story others have told much better
Although all four of Monaghan’s heroes were active in Britain’s armed forces beginning soon after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, their joint exploits in the SOE didn’t begin until four years later in 1943. Although we follow their careers in several countries, Monaghan’s focus is squarely on their efforts in Albania, Yugoslavia, and Thailand. Unfortunately, her account is chronological. The result is that her story fails to come across as coherent. It’s filled with digressions as some of the men transfer in and out of operations. Both Damien Lewis and Ben Macintyre have done a far better job conveying the story of Britain’s special forces in the war. Each has written several books on the topic.
About the author
As she notes on her website, “Shannon Monaghan is a historian of modern war. She started her career interning in international arms transfers at the State Department. Since then, she has worked in strategy consulting and data analytics . . . and taught writing at Harvard for the better part of a decade.” Monaghan possesses degrees in history from Yale University (BA) and Boston College (MA and PhD).
The subtitle of Shannon Monaghan’s book, A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II, gave fair warning. Unfortunately, I missed the point. In no way could the men of Britain’s SOE, SAS, Commando, and other World War II special forces units be considered “forgotten.” Countless millions of words have been published in books alone—hundreds of them, no doubt. Admittedly, the story she tells, which focuses on four upper-class British officers, delves into areas less generously covered in other books. Albania, Abyssinia (later Ethiopia), Yugoslavia, Thailand, and China, in World War II. And several other countries where Britain struggled to disentangle itself from its imperial history in the decades following the war. But forgotten? Not a chance.
Four decidedly untypical soldiers
Monaghan builds her story around the military careers of David Smiley, Billy McLean, Julian Amery, and Peter Kemp. They “fought together behind enemy lines throughout the Second World War in North Africa, Europe, and Asia and then together continued to serve, officially and unofficially, for decades after.”
Kemp was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War—on the Nationalist side, unlike nearly all of the 4,000 other Brits who fought for the Republicans against Francisco Franco’s fascist forces. And the other three men, privileged to a fault, all come across as decidedly conservative. She characterizes Smiley as a demolitions expert, McLean as a “born guerrilla leader,” and Amery as a “political natural.” Amery’s father was in Winston Churchill’s Cabinet, and more than once bailed out his son and his colleagues when they fought with their superiors. In other words, these four men were anything but typical of the soldiers who fought in special operations in the war.
A confusing story others have told much better
Although all four of Monaghan’s heroes were active in Britain’s armed forces beginning soon after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, their joint exploits in the SOE didn’t begin until four years later in 1943. Although we follow their careers in several countries, Monaghan’s focus is squarely on their efforts in Albania, Yugoslavia, and Thailand. Unfortunately, her account is chronological. The result is that her story fails to come across as coherent. It’s filled with digressions as some of the men transfer in and out of operations. Both Damien Lewis and Ben Macintyre have done a far better job conveying the story of Britain’s special forces in the war. Each has written several books on the topic.
About the author
As she notes on her website, “Shannon Monaghan is a historian of modern war. She started her career interning in international arms transfers at the State Department. Since then, she has worked in strategy consulting and data analytics . . . and taught writing at Harvard for the better part of a decade.” Monaghan possesses degrees in history from Yale University (BA) and Boston College (MA and PhD).
May 6, 2025
This biography of four brave, eccentric men (Julian Amery, Peter Kemp, Billy McLean and David Smiley) is far-ranging and intricate. Their lives spawned six tumultuous decades of the 20th Century, and there were very few "trouble spots" that one or more of them didn't fight in. The cast of characters is large, so expect to often flip pages and re-check names. I did. The most interesting aspect of their stories is how they symbolize the reaction to a gradual but massive shift in power that began in 1917 and by 1970 had transformed a third of the world into collectivist, authoritarian states. The quiet, dangerous men ensured that neither Fascism nor Stalinism would conquer the West militarily, but they shared with almost all their peers a habit of wishful thinking. Free people are open about the failings of their nations. Democracies are far from perfect. Their flaws were honestly exposed, while in contrast, as Ms. Monaghan writes, "...the Soviets and their Communist allies around the world, from Hoxha to Ho Chi Minh, lied through their teeth about everything from economic figures to the gulags and the liquidation of millions." The idealistic, especially the young, always yearn for a world that's black and white, reduced to a simple question of good versus evil. Those willing to hide the truth and control information always look good. Those who admit their mistakes always look evil. This war of ideas began even as the quiet, dangerous men were fading from the scene, and it has never stopped. In the long run, it was not arms that threatened Western Democracy but ideas. Today, those screaming the loudest for peace and justice are convinced the West is corrupt and its ideas must be swept away. Sadly, it is much harder to convince them that a new world dominated by the likes of Ali Khamenei, Ergodan, Putin and Xi Jinping might not be the Socialist utopia they dream of. Highly recommended.
September 21, 2024
A story that was long waiting to be written. The story of four loyal men, each with their own character, talents, strengths and idiosyncrasies who came together behind enemy lines in dangerous times, during World War II and the Cold War, to fight for a cause they believed in, the British cause. Aligning themselves with a whole cast of characters, guerrilla leaders, monarchs, communists and warring tribesmen, sometimes in very trying and dangerous circumstances, putting their own lives in jeopardy, in order to advance the interests of the English government they served. This book is James Le Carre on steroids except, believe it or not, all of it is true. Their individual and collective stories have been housed in the Imperial War Museum in London and in the memories of those who worked alongside them and still survive. Shannon Monaghan has laboriously researched these incredible stories in order to enlighten us all on the bravery, the commitment and the extraordinary achievements of these rare men who never bragged about their clandestine operations and who went to their graves mostly unknown and unsung by all but a handful of people. It is a great gift to history. Today when everyone uses social media to broadcast their exploits to the world, it is refreshing to discover that there was once a time when modesty prevailed, when bragging about your achievements was considered vulgar. These four men deserved much praise but they remained silent. Shannon Monaghan has revealed their extraordinary stories for the first time. This book should be a movie!
October 25, 2024
I can’t remember how I stumbled across this title, but it sounded really good - a band of brave and resourceful intelligence men fighting a secret front during WWII and watching the seeds of the Cold War being sown in front of them.
Unfortunately, not so much in practice. The writing was rather juvenile and felt somewhat disorganized. I could tell the author really respected and admired these men (and rightly so), but I didn’t see how the larger picture was going to materialize. I largely skimmed it from the halfway point.
As stated above, I had it in my head that this book promised to educate me on how the Cold War emerged even in the teeth of WWII. However, it didn’t, and I was very disappointed. It was an homage to some truly outstanding men who played major roles in the war, and later geopolitics of the Cold War. But I never got the bigger picture I was looking for, and even though these men were incredible and did amazing things, it never coalesced into a cohesive narrative.
I guess I had mislaid expectations that were not realized.
Unfortunately, not so much in practice. The writing was rather juvenile and felt somewhat disorganized. I could tell the author really respected and admired these men (and rightly so), but I didn’t see how the larger picture was going to materialize. I largely skimmed it from the halfway point.
As stated above, I had it in my head that this book promised to educate me on how the Cold War emerged even in the teeth of WWII. However, it didn’t, and I was very disappointed. It was an homage to some truly outstanding men who played major roles in the war, and later geopolitics of the Cold War. But I never got the bigger picture I was looking for, and even though these men were incredible and did amazing things, it never coalesced into a cohesive narrative.
I guess I had mislaid expectations that were not realized.
November 29, 2025
While admittedly a very long book fully of details that could likely have been done without, the net effect is one of integration (albeit, much more positive that the experiences themselves must have felt).
Told in a very British sort of way, I found the different backgrounds and experiences of these soldiers across decades of conflict and around the world to be quite telling about the nature of war itself (not any one war, in the way that phrase is often applied, but all of the places at war at any one point in time).
For the WWII or SOF history buff, it’s a must read - for others, it’s a reminder of the spirit that still pervades (for good and ill) the hearts of many patriots in many places and times.
Told in a very British sort of way, I found the different backgrounds and experiences of these soldiers across decades of conflict and around the world to be quite telling about the nature of war itself (not any one war, in the way that phrase is often applied, but all of the places at war at any one point in time).
For the WWII or SOF history buff, it’s a must read - for others, it’s a reminder of the spirit that still pervades (for good and ill) the hearts of many patriots in many places and times.
October 16, 2024
I love this genre of books, and am usually really pleased with my choices. This one fell a little short of my expectations. This one was recently reviewed in the WSJ, and sounded really interesting.
To be fair, there are a lot of interesting people and stories of daring operations behind enemy lines spanning 4 decades. The problem with this book is that it suffered from scope creep. There are tangential stories about people somehow related to the main heroes that have nothing to with the story, making the book unnecessarily long. I think the book would have been better had the author been more focused.
To be fair, there are a lot of interesting people and stories of daring operations behind enemy lines spanning 4 decades. The problem with this book is that it suffered from scope creep. There are tangential stories about people somehow related to the main heroes that have nothing to with the story, making the book unnecessarily long. I think the book would have been better had the author been more focused.
December 19, 2024
The story of four loyal men, each with their own character, talents, strengths and idiosyncrasies who came together behind enemy lines in dangerous times, during World War II and the Cold War, to fight for a cause they believed in, the British cause.
Aligning themselves with a whole cast of characters, guerrilla leaders, monarchs, communists and warring tribesmen, sometimes in very trying and dangerous circumstances, putting their own lives in jeopardy, in order to advance the interests of the English government they served.
Aligning themselves with a whole cast of characters, guerrilla leaders, monarchs, communists and warring tribesmen, sometimes in very trying and dangerous circumstances, putting their own lives in jeopardy, in order to advance the interests of the English government they served.
June 10, 2025
Very compelling read! This book keeps you turning the pages, it was just a shame for me that I had to take a break from it for a few days! While I was aware of the SOE I never understood the impact these four individuals had within the organization, their backgrounds and around the world in covert operations. Truly amazing lives led by all of them, a generation I feel we do not see the same caliber anywhere today! And yes, thank you to the authors daughter for convincing her to include photos of the four in this book!
March 6, 2025
On the positive side, this book was clearly well researched. It opened my eyes to the wars within wars between Communists and “republicans” that largely exploded at the end of WWII. The problem, as stated by other reviews, is that the scope of the story (or stories) is extremely large, which tends to make the telling confusing. I had similar observations about “Rogue Heroes” by Ben Macintyre, an author whose books I almost always love.
October 27, 2025
I'm probably not a very good one to judge this book, as I'm not a history buff. But I thought I'd try it as it was on a must-read list. It opens with a list of characters, which I'm sure is super helpful when you're reading it, to keep everyone straight. However, for me, it was just intimidating, like, "oh no! I'm going to have to try and remember all of these people?!" I only made it through a couple of pages before I gave up. Dnf.
December 18, 2024
This book follows four British special operations soldiers and their exploits in war. They are a courageous group who sometimes disregard orders yet still emerge successful. Their stories were exciting and amusing and sometimes quite sad.
Read
February 5, 2025I found this book hard to follow; so many characters and history on meetings and accomplishments. It kind of read like a fiction novel because of how much these four men accomplished in so many places.
February 6, 2025
This book was interesting because it’s about battles during WW2 that are less known and talked about. However, I found it really hard to track where everyone was and found it to be more about specific people and what they did versus the overall part of the war.
August 24, 2025
A quintessential British story of "gentlemen warriors" whose exploits started before WW2 and extended to the fall of the Berlin Wall. At times, the book reads like a novel. As the author points out in the afterward, sources - even modern ones - must always be taken as suspect.
December 16, 2024
Excellent writing, and research. but, too big of a scope for size of book.
February 1, 2025
Incredible lives
Born in 1940, casual student of history and 30 years of US Army service, this book is an invaluable look behind the history that surrounded my life!
Born in 1940, casual student of history and 30 years of US Army service, this book is an invaluable look behind the history that surrounded my life!
May 9, 2025
The dimensions added to these military men and women through stories of their courage, humanity, purpose and humor had me cheering for each one of them at every stage of the book.
August 27, 2025
It took me forever to get through this one. It took me a long time to get in the grove with it but once it did it was pretty good. I enjoyed it.
November 30, 2025
I really want to finish this book but it’s too textbook for me.
July 16, 2025
I think the author tried to cram too much into the book at the cost of needed background info. that would have improved the flow. I was constantly googling names and events to get more info that would allow me to tie the storyline together. Often times, I decided to read on and not go down the rabbit hole. The book did contain a lot of insightful info about post WW ll political and Cold War struggles which I enjoyed learning.
July 5, 2025
So mid. Boring tbh
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews