The SAS in World War II

by Gavin Mortimer

The SAS are among the best-trained and most effective Special Forces units in existence. This book is the incredible story of their origins, told in their own words. During the summer of 1941, a young Scots Guard officer called David Stirling persuaded MEHQ to give its backing to a small band of 60 men christened 'L Detachment'. With a wealth of stunning photographs, many from the SAS Regimental Archives, the book captures the danger and excitement of the initial SAS raids against Axis airfields during the Desert War, the battles in Italy and those following the D-Day landings, as well as the dramatic final push into Germany itself and the discovery of such Nazi horrors as Belsen.
An exhaustive account of an elite organization's formative years, "The SAS in World War II "is the fruit of Gavin Mortimer's expertise and his unprecedented access to the SAS Regimental Archives. Incorporating interviews with the surviving veterans, it is the definitive account of the regiment's glorious achievements in the years from 1941 to 1945.

Genres: History, World War II

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2011

About the author

For a detailed biography, to learn more about all the books I have written and to discover my forthcoming projects, please visit my website at the above link.

Reviews

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The exploits of an elite unit during WWII are described in this book.

Some of the early parts were interesting, but the later sections were very dry / academic. It was surprising to hear how ramshackle the unit was at the beginning.

[Nishant Pappireddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice book about the SAS during WW2.