David Stirling: The Authorised Biography Of The Creator Of The SAS

by Alan Hoe

As a young lieutenant in 1941, David Stirling won a battle against military bureaucracy - he was able, against all odds, to introduce a new concept in fighting. Although it was disbanded after the war, the effectiveness of the Special Air Service resulted in its being re-formed six years later to meet the specialized demands of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism in a host of limited-intensity conflicts. Based on three years of research in the UK, Africa, France and the Middle East, this biography seeks to explain Stirling's personal philosophies, drive, sensitivity and courage. Alan Hoe was a friend of Stirling and a long-serving member of the SAS. As "James March" he wrote "The Negotiator", and was a co-author of "Terrorism - Threat and Response".

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, World War II, War

512 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 1992

Reviews

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive book on David Stirling. Gives great insight into why the individual drive and diversity of the early SAS made it such a unique special force, and the template for their modern counterparts.

[Poppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

After 7 months of reading on and off, I've finished this!
My fascination with the SAS started last year when I watched SAS: Rogue Heroes (go watch on TVNZ) and this book was an interesting insight into the very busy life of the creator of this unique unit. I will say that I skim read some of the post-ww2 stuff as that was not my focus, but from this book I have concluded that David Stirling was an incredible human being.