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SAS Great Escapes Three: Gripping True Escape Stories Executed by World War Two Heroes
'Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller' Lee ChildSAS Great Escapes Three recounts the untold stories of six of the most daring escapes pulled off by warriors of the world's most famous fighting force in WWII. Ranging from the birth of the SAS, to the post D-day battles for Nazi-occupied Europe, they cover some of the most iconic operations of the Regiment, and its key characters, while also including untold tales of courage and endurance beyond measure.
368 pages, Paperback
Published January 30, 2025
26 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Damien Lewis
83 books449 followersDamien Lewis became an author largely by accident, when a British publisher asked him if he'd be willing to turn a TV documentary he was working on into a book. That film was shot in the Sudan war zone, and told the story of how Arab tribes seized black African slaves in horrific slave raids. Lewis had been to the Sudan war zone dozens of times over the past decade, reporting on that conflict for the BBC, Channel 4 and US and European broadcasters.
His slavery documentary told the story of a young girl from the Nuba tribe, seized in a raid and sold into slavery in Khartoum, Sudan's capital city, and of her epic escape. The publisher asked Lewis if the Nuba girl would be willing to write her life story as a book, with his help as co-author. The book that they co-wrote was called 'Slave', and it was published to great acclaim, becoming a number one bestseller and being translated into some 30 lanc guages worldwide. It won several awards and has been made into a feature film.
Over the preceding fifteen years Lewis had reported from many war, conflict and disaster zones – including Sudan, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, Burma, Afghanistan and the Balkans (see Author's Gallery). He (and his film crew) traveled into such areas with aid workers, the British or allied military, UN forces or local military groups, or very much under their own steam. He reported on the horror and human impact of war, as well as the drama of conflict itself. Often, he worked alone. Often, he filmed his own material over extended periods of time living in the war or conflict zone.
During a decade spent reporting from around the world Lewis lived in deserts, rainforests, jungles and chaotic third world cities. In his work and travels he met and interviewed people smugglers, diamond miners, Catholic priests 'gone native', desert nomads, un-contacted tribes, aid workers, bush pilots, arms dealers, genocidal leaders, peacekeepers, game wardens, slum kids, world presidents, heroin traffickers, rebel warlords, child prostitutes, Islamist terrorists, Hindu holy men, mercenaries, bush doctors, soldiers, commanders and spies. He was injured, and was hospitalised with bizarre tropical diseases – including flesh-eating bacteria, worms that burrow through the skin and septicemia – but survived all that and continued to report.
It was only natural that having seen so much of global conflict he would be drawn to stories of war, terrorism, espionage and the often dark causes behind such conflicts when he started writing books. Having written a number of true stories, in 2006 he was chosen as one of the 'nation's 20 favourite authors' and wrote his first fiction, Desert Claw, for the British Government's Quick Read initiative. Desert Claw tells of a group of ex-Special Forces soldiers sent into Iraq to retrieve a looted Van Gogh painting, with a savage twist to the tale. That fiction was followed up by Cobra Gold, an equally compelling tale of global drama and intrigue and shadowy betrayal.
Damien Lewis's work, books and films have won the Index on Censorship (UK), CECRA (Spain), Project Censored (US), Commonwealth Relations (UK), Discovery-NHK BANFF (Canada), Rory Peck (UK), BBC One World (UK), BBC-WWF Wildscreen (UK), International Peace Prize (US), Elle Magazine Grande Prix (US), Victor Gollanz (Germany), and BBC One World (UK) Awards. He is a Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
His slavery documentary told the story of a young girl from the Nuba tribe, seized in a raid and sold into slavery in Khartoum, Sudan's capital city, and of her epic escape. The publisher asked Lewis if the Nuba girl would be willing to write her life story as a book, with his help as co-author. The book that they co-wrote was called 'Slave', and it was published to great acclaim, becoming a number one bestseller and being translated into some 30 lanc guages worldwide. It won several awards and has been made into a feature film.
Over the preceding fifteen years Lewis had reported from many war, conflict and disaster zones – including Sudan, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, Burma, Afghanistan and the Balkans (see Author's Gallery). He (and his film crew) traveled into such areas with aid workers, the British or allied military, UN forces or local military groups, or very much under their own steam. He reported on the horror and human impact of war, as well as the drama of conflict itself. Often, he worked alone. Often, he filmed his own material over extended periods of time living in the war or conflict zone.
During a decade spent reporting from around the world Lewis lived in deserts, rainforests, jungles and chaotic third world cities. In his work and travels he met and interviewed people smugglers, diamond miners, Catholic priests 'gone native', desert nomads, un-contacted tribes, aid workers, bush pilots, arms dealers, genocidal leaders, peacekeepers, game wardens, slum kids, world presidents, heroin traffickers, rebel warlords, child prostitutes, Islamist terrorists, Hindu holy men, mercenaries, bush doctors, soldiers, commanders and spies. He was injured, and was hospitalised with bizarre tropical diseases – including flesh-eating bacteria, worms that burrow through the skin and septicemia – but survived all that and continued to report.
It was only natural that having seen so much of global conflict he would be drawn to stories of war, terrorism, espionage and the often dark causes behind such conflicts when he started writing books. Having written a number of true stories, in 2006 he was chosen as one of the 'nation's 20 favourite authors' and wrote his first fiction, Desert Claw, for the British Government's Quick Read initiative. Desert Claw tells of a group of ex-Special Forces soldiers sent into Iraq to retrieve a looted Van Gogh painting, with a savage twist to the tale. That fiction was followed up by Cobra Gold, an equally compelling tale of global drama and intrigue and shadowy betrayal.
Damien Lewis's work, books and films have won the Index on Censorship (UK), CECRA (Spain), Project Censored (US), Commonwealth Relations (UK), Discovery-NHK BANFF (Canada), Rory Peck (UK), BBC One World (UK), BBC-WWF Wildscreen (UK), International Peace Prize (US), Elle Magazine Grande Prix (US), Victor Gollanz (Germany), and BBC One World (UK) Awards. He is a Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 17, 2024
Spotted this, unaware of the previous two Great Escapes books.
The author, Damien Lewis, reminds the reader on page 7, that for much of 1940/41,
Britain was 'the only dog in the fight', facing Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
Britains two later wartime allies were latcomers to the WW2 party.
The Soviet Union signed a neutality pact with Nazi Germany, until Germany invaded Russia. The United States keep its own neutralty, until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour.
Oddly, following this Japanese operation, Hitler decided to declare war between Germany and the US.
A timely read on the 80th anniversary of D Day, and the earlier Allied invasion of Italy,
during which both my father and and uncle were involved. Veterans who spoke little of their wartime service.
This book by Damien Lewis deals with the Italy and France campaigns, with the little reported behind lines strategic deployment by the SAS, to give muscle to existing SOE and partisan operations to disrupt German and Italian military forces, deep behind enemy lines, often with the intention to tie up large forces to protect supply routes, thus preventing them from being used on the front line against the Allies.
In turn these SAS soldiers are often captured and escape from PoW camps, and/or need to carry out escape and evasion over hundreds of miles back to Allied lines, ruthlessly hunted, and if caught.
Quickly executed, under Hitler's notorious 'Commando Order', whereby any Allied soldier caught behind German lines, could be shot. Even when in uniform and had surrendered.
The various stories cover ingunuity in escapes, to the friendly aid of civilians, Italian and French, to the utter physical trials of hiding in freezing mountains from hunter forces, with men suffering injury, illness, malnutrition, hypothermia and utter exhaustion.
In modern SAS training, the 65km Long Drag phase of selection, carrying 55lb plus weapon, food and water. A self navigated individual march through Welsh mountains, to be completed in a strict timeframe.
Long Drag does seem a legacy of these WW2 operations, either to move at speed behind lines through mountains carrying all a, 'shoot and scoot', attack against superior forces in number and weaponry required, to how to use physical fitness to keep ahead of following enemy, bent on hunting you down.
It was telling that in many of the accounts, SAS teams deployed without suitable radios, so had to carry out operations without formal orders, or often the ability to be resupplied with weapon, food, and munitions drops by the brave specialist RAF and US transport pilots. Lewis does pay tribute to one senior US pilot, who despite harsh weather conditions, made accurate supply drops in a mountain valley, with poor visability, to the SAS, SOE and Italian partisans.
There is a touch of the Boy's Own type exploits when looking at WW2 SAS operations.
Lewis does allude to the collateral damage of civilians rounded up and executed, in response to the SAS sabotage and direct attack operations.
The trouble with a book like this, is we don't know how common escaped British or Allied PoW's were, in terms of reaching Allied lines in Italy. So were the SAS escape stories exceptional among British forces? Or were just recorded as exceptional by the SAS, not other units?
Clearly, some stories of escape and evavasion, E&E, were by soldiers or officers, prior to their recruitment by the SAS.
An odd part of the story is how Allied PoWs on crossing from German to Allied lines in Italy, were not routinely shot, but the old, 'Halt, who goes there?'
The SAS escapees recount meeting other Allied soldiers and airmen on their escape routes.
Meaning, the reader does not truly know how exceptional the SAS escapes were, versus other British Army units in Italy? Whatever, their stories are still more than heroic.
In 1944, post D Day Normandy and western France. The SAS, SOE and French Resistance, were tasked with engaging the German forces in the rear, to delay their arrival to reinforce German units in Normandy.
This book spares glory. The Germans, despite the Allied armies on the Normandy beaches, still found the military manpower to locate one unit of the SAS /SOE. Wiping them out.
An SAS officer did obtain vital German military information, that resulted in many deaths to get them extracted back to England, only for that information to be superceeded after the Americans went West after D Day, taking Britnny.
In such a serious book, the only light hearted matter, is one down to the editor. a photo after page 178 on Operation Speedwell in italy in 1943.
One of the greatest SAS escape stories is by a character called, 'Challoner'.
He is recorded on the photo sction after page 178, as "facing capture, torture and EXECUTION by the SS and Gestapo."
Lewis goes on to write that 'Challoner', escaped back to friendly lines, before serving at the D Day Landings.
Perhaps the editor should have popped in the word, 'Mock', before 'Execution'?
The intersting thing about these Lewis books, is getting the bigger, or secret, picture on big army battles.
The use of highly trained elite soldiers to cause disruption behind enemy lines, in the 1940s.
There is a conflict of interst in this series of Great Escapes books, insofar Damien Lewis is such a 'fanboy' of the SAS
An odd
completed summerly
The author, Damien Lewis, reminds the reader on page 7, that for much of 1940/41,
Britain was 'the only dog in the fight', facing Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
Britains two later wartime allies were latcomers to the WW2 party.
The Soviet Union signed a neutality pact with Nazi Germany, until Germany invaded Russia. The United States keep its own neutralty, until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour.
Oddly, following this Japanese operation, Hitler decided to declare war between Germany and the US.
A timely read on the 80th anniversary of D Day, and the earlier Allied invasion of Italy,
during which both my father and and uncle were involved. Veterans who spoke little of their wartime service.
This book by Damien Lewis deals with the Italy and France campaigns, with the little reported behind lines strategic deployment by the SAS, to give muscle to existing SOE and partisan operations to disrupt German and Italian military forces, deep behind enemy lines, often with the intention to tie up large forces to protect supply routes, thus preventing them from being used on the front line against the Allies.
In turn these SAS soldiers are often captured and escape from PoW camps, and/or need to carry out escape and evasion over hundreds of miles back to Allied lines, ruthlessly hunted, and if caught.
Quickly executed, under Hitler's notorious 'Commando Order', whereby any Allied soldier caught behind German lines, could be shot. Even when in uniform and had surrendered.
The various stories cover ingunuity in escapes, to the friendly aid of civilians, Italian and French, to the utter physical trials of hiding in freezing mountains from hunter forces, with men suffering injury, illness, malnutrition, hypothermia and utter exhaustion.
In modern SAS training, the 65km Long Drag phase of selection, carrying 55lb plus weapon, food and water. A self navigated individual march through Welsh mountains, to be completed in a strict timeframe.
Long Drag does seem a legacy of these WW2 operations, either to move at speed behind lines through mountains carrying all a, 'shoot and scoot', attack against superior forces in number and weaponry required, to how to use physical fitness to keep ahead of following enemy, bent on hunting you down.
It was telling that in many of the accounts, SAS teams deployed without suitable radios, so had to carry out operations without formal orders, or often the ability to be resupplied with weapon, food, and munitions drops by the brave specialist RAF and US transport pilots. Lewis does pay tribute to one senior US pilot, who despite harsh weather conditions, made accurate supply drops in a mountain valley, with poor visability, to the SAS, SOE and Italian partisans.
There is a touch of the Boy's Own type exploits when looking at WW2 SAS operations.
Lewis does allude to the collateral damage of civilians rounded up and executed, in response to the SAS sabotage and direct attack operations.
The trouble with a book like this, is we don't know how common escaped British or Allied PoW's were, in terms of reaching Allied lines in Italy. So were the SAS escape stories exceptional among British forces? Or were just recorded as exceptional by the SAS, not other units?
Clearly, some stories of escape and evavasion, E&E, were by soldiers or officers, prior to their recruitment by the SAS.
An odd part of the story is how Allied PoWs on crossing from German to Allied lines in Italy, were not routinely shot, but the old, 'Halt, who goes there?'
The SAS escapees recount meeting other Allied soldiers and airmen on their escape routes.
Meaning, the reader does not truly know how exceptional the SAS escapes were, versus other British Army units in Italy? Whatever, their stories are still more than heroic.
In 1944, post D Day Normandy and western France. The SAS, SOE and French Resistance, were tasked with engaging the German forces in the rear, to delay their arrival to reinforce German units in Normandy.
This book spares glory. The Germans, despite the Allied armies on the Normandy beaches, still found the military manpower to locate one unit of the SAS /SOE. Wiping them out.
An SAS officer did obtain vital German military information, that resulted in many deaths to get them extracted back to England, only for that information to be superceeded after the Americans went West after D Day, taking Britnny.
In such a serious book, the only light hearted matter, is one down to the editor. a photo after page 178 on Operation Speedwell in italy in 1943.
One of the greatest SAS escape stories is by a character called, 'Challoner'.
He is recorded on the photo sction after page 178, as "facing capture, torture and EXECUTION by the SS and Gestapo."
Lewis goes on to write that 'Challoner', escaped back to friendly lines, before serving at the D Day Landings.
Perhaps the editor should have popped in the word, 'Mock', before 'Execution'?
The intersting thing about these Lewis books, is getting the bigger, or secret, picture on big army battles.
The use of highly trained elite soldiers to cause disruption behind enemy lines, in the 1940s.
There is a conflict of interst in this series of Great Escapes books, insofar Damien Lewis is such a 'fanboy' of the SAS
An odd
completed summerly
March 3, 2025
An incredible well sourced book recounting how warriors of the world's best and most famous fighting force, the SAS, carried out five of the most daring escapes of World War Two.
You follow Alfred Parker, Anthony Hough, Harold Challenor, Oswald Cary-Elwes and Robert Walker Brown as they traverse Italian mountains, prisoner of war camps, the deserts of North Africa and the pastures and woodland of France. Well paced I was very impressed with this book.
You follow Alfred Parker, Anthony Hough, Harold Challenor, Oswald Cary-Elwes and Robert Walker Brown as they traverse Italian mountains, prisoner of war camps, the deserts of North Africa and the pastures and woodland of France. Well paced I was very impressed with this book.
May 21, 2025
5 more incredible stories , which you would think were fiction except they are true . Lewis is a great story teller and researcher . The bravery of the people involved is very humbling while the cruelty and brutality is unbelievable and very upsetting reinforcing my view that war is unfrogiveable . Lewis 's style adds to the drama of the story .
March 29, 2025
An excellent read, the strength of the human spirt, the truth is so much more readable than fiction. It is unbelievable what these true heroes achieved. Damien Lewis is a great story teller and historian.
July 21, 2025
Heroes
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews