Fighting With Popski's Private Army

by Park Yunnie, Ben Owen, Don Yunnie

This is the story of Popski's famous fighting unit, in the words of his second-in-command. Captain Bob Yunnie, MC, aka Park Yunnie, became the first recruit to the special unit founded in Cairo by Major Vladimir Peniakoff (Popski). As Eighth Army advances towards Tripoli, PPA sets out in jeeps across the desert to mount raids behind the Mareth Line. Yunnie relives the ensuing action at Gafsa and Kasserine, and vividly depicts the sorties which took the men straight across the German Line of Command. As Tunis falls to the Allies on 7 May 1943, PPA train for raids on the Italian mainland. They are dropped by RAF gliders in central Italy, where they set about blowing up strategic targets while waiting for the Allied landings. Yunnie is given his own patrol, and in the narrative that follows, colourful characters flit in and out of the front-line action in the mountains of Southern Italy. Yunnie's account is an honest, extremely personal, expose of the thrills and occasional pitfalls of life with Popski and his men. He captures the tumultuous nature of fighting in a nomadic unit that drifted between British and American command, but whose contribution to the Allied war effort in North Africa and Italy remains immeasurable.

Genres: History, World War II, Military Fiction

386 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2002

Reviews

[Iain Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this a different story of wild things tearing around blowing up things is the lyrical writing, and the obvious affections the author has for the lands and people among who he does his dangerous work. The desert of the Sunussi Tribesmen and the mountainous regions of Southern Italy could not be more different, but Yunnie extracts the best of them, without omitting some faults.
Wonderful book. Read Popski's own book straight after.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirates and Heroes

Could not put it down, my own rebel yearning that my youth had the chance these maniacs made to fully savor life, on the side of the angels, heedless of their fates and dismissive of authority and military custom. Why has this not been a film series? It would put James Bond and Hollywood heroes to shame! Highest recommendation!

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

True to life that many will never know

Having been operating in Africa and the Middle East, this book and the author's descriptive eloquence made this most enjoyable. The thrill of combat and the comardre will never leave nor will the scars not the physical ones those in the head. Read and enjoy. Live life to the full no one knows when it will end.

[Will Macmillan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeding do done

I was introduced to the PPA by my father, a genuine desert rat (1/6 Queens, 7 armou red) who prized Popskis own account in his library... This is a great account of B Patrols war, highly readable and engaging

[b james · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fascinated by this book, although as a non-fiction book about war it was a considerable departure for me. Yunnie stayed mostly on the right side of repetition and it offered a novel insight into the North African and Italian theatres of war - with a refreshing lack of jingoism.

[Mr Alan D Brabbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally Gripping

Cracking rollercoaster of a book. Loved it. Read it! I recommend thiis book to anyone who enjoys an immersive (true) story.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unconventional warfare

Many years ago I read about Popski's Private Army. So when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. This the story of an unconventional type of war that seems to be the domain of the British Army during World War Two. Now there will be people that think this is a load of bull crap. However like the SAS and the LEFT thiese thing happened. This book is more a memoir than an action adventure story. Now there is some action, but it is more about the bonds that form between men in combat and how they face the uncertainty of live or die situations. If you are interested in the history of World War Two then this is a book to read.

[Iain · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for those interested in behind-the-lines actions and first person accounts of WWII. Second only to MacDonald's fantastic "Quartered Safe..." in my experience of first person accounts.

[Leopoldo Nuti · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the great surprises of the year.... I came to it expecting an intriguing yet somewhat simplistic war story, and it turned out to be written in a very lively, captivating style. A different look at world war II in North Africa and Italy.