Secrets & Lies: Elite Fighting Units

by Howard Watson

The incredible story of 25 of the world's most secretive & deadly fighting units, from the Spartans of Ancient Greece to modern-day SAS & Navy Seals who dare to perform raids in the heart of enemy territory whatever the odds. The covert operations, methods, & dark secrets of the units, are exposed, revealing what makes a supreme military unit. The gripping stories of battles & special operations through historical sources & personal narratives. Details of the special skills behind a top unit's method. Illustrations, photographs, & fact boxes giving the lowdown on each unit.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Gabe Poon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book documents the stories of 25 elite fighting units. Included are ancient forces, such as the 300 Spartans, to modern soldiers such as the SAS and the Navy SEALs. It describes the failures and successes of each force and their exploits. Some, like the Roman Empire's Praetorian Guard, became corrupt and fought for reward. Others, like Russia's Alpha Group, are highly secretive and not much is known about them. In all, it is an interesting book, but is full of typos.

[Sidsel Sander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meget populærhistorisk og MEGET krigromantisk, men også ok sjov at læse.

[Juliane Norske · Rating 5 out of 5]

A legit good book on interesting units from ancient times till now. There's great information to be seen even if you're familiar with some of them - and the descriptions of the lesser known ones definitely got me interested in knowing more about them.

[Taddow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many topics, if you want a thorough analysis then you have to read several books on the same topic to get a detailed understanding. This book does not provide an in-depth analysis of the various military units featured, but it does provide a decent snapshot of them and is worth reading for that aspect. It goes over some elite units that I was not aware of, but I could think of some that were left out- of course, the book's size would certainly be many more pages should the author's intention had been to include every elite military unit throughout history and the world. Overall, I enjoyed reading this.