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SAS Ghost Patrol: The Ultra-Secret Unit That Posed As Nazi Stormtroopers
The Ultra-Secret Unit That Posed As Nazi Stormtroopers The Most Daring Mission Ever UndertakenSAS Ghost Patrol is the explosive true story of the day in 1942 when the SAS donned Nazi uniforms to perpetrate the most audacious and daring mission of the war. Beyond top secret, deniable in the extreme (and of course enjoying Churchill's enthusiastic blessing), this is one of the most remarkable stories of wartime lawlessness, eccentricity and raw courage in the face of impossible odds - a thoroughly British undertaking.What unfolded - the longest mission ever undertaken by Allied special forces - was an epic of daring, courage, tragedy and survival that remains unrivalled to this day, and which rightly became a foundation stone of Special Forces legend. Written with Lewis's signature authenticity and dramatic verve, SAS Ghost Patrol is peopled by a cast of the utterly maverick and the extraordinary. In its quirky eccentricities and outrageous rule-breaking, this is a story that only the British could have authored, and with such panache and aplomb. It may read like the stuff of impossible myth or folklore, but every single word is true.
368 pages, Paperback
Published May 31, 2018
697 people are currently reading
1353 people want to read
About the author
Damien Lewis
83 books451 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 - 30 of 98 reviews
March 7, 2020
I had read before starting this that the title was misleading since the book was actually about a WW2 British Army unit called the Special Interrogation Group, which was predominantly made up of German Jews who had managed to get out of Germany in the 1930s, and who volunteered for the British Army out of an understandable desire to hit back at the Nazis. The SIG undertook infiltration missions for the British, their fluent German making it much easier for them to pose as German soldiers. The author actually opens the book by defending his choice of title.
Despite what I had read beforehand, I wouldn’t really say the book was only about the SIG. They do feature, but this is more an account of a series of co-ordinated raids launched by British and Commonwealth Special Forces against a variety of Axis-held towns in Libya in September 1942. Attacks were made against Tobruk (by the SIG and the Commandos), Benghazi (by the SAS) and Barce (by the Long Range Desert Group). The variety of units involved is indicative of the unusual proliferation of special forces in the British military during WW2. Largely this came about because of Churchill, who was always impressed by the type of people who pursued this kind of warfare. All the targets were hundreds of miles behind the Axis front line, which at the time was at El Alamein. The Germans and Italians had been tipped off about the attacks on Benghazi and Barce, and from the Allied point of view the raids had, at best, mixed results. The book concentrates on the attacks launched against Tobruk and Barce.
This is what I would describe as an old-fashioned type of war story. I think the author has tried to pay tribute to the prodigious bravery and determination of those who went on these gruelling and extremely risky missions. I knew something of the Barce raid from other reading, but I didn’t know any of the detail of the Tobruk raid. Damien Lewis’ account focuses on a number of the individuals involved, and in many ways the book reads like a thriller, but with the added factor that this was a real life story, so the reader knows there may not be a Hollywood style happy ending for everyone involved. The book ends with an epilogue that describes how some of the individuals involved got back to the British lines (those who made it). Their journeys involved amazing levels of fortitude.
This was an excellent read. I would say it would be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in WW2 or in military history.
Despite what I had read beforehand, I wouldn’t really say the book was only about the SIG. They do feature, but this is more an account of a series of co-ordinated raids launched by British and Commonwealth Special Forces against a variety of Axis-held towns in Libya in September 1942. Attacks were made against Tobruk (by the SIG and the Commandos), Benghazi (by the SAS) and Barce (by the Long Range Desert Group). The variety of units involved is indicative of the unusual proliferation of special forces in the British military during WW2. Largely this came about because of Churchill, who was always impressed by the type of people who pursued this kind of warfare. All the targets were hundreds of miles behind the Axis front line, which at the time was at El Alamein. The Germans and Italians had been tipped off about the attacks on Benghazi and Barce, and from the Allied point of view the raids had, at best, mixed results. The book concentrates on the attacks launched against Tobruk and Barce.
This is what I would describe as an old-fashioned type of war story. I think the author has tried to pay tribute to the prodigious bravery and determination of those who went on these gruelling and extremely risky missions. I knew something of the Barce raid from other reading, but I didn’t know any of the detail of the Tobruk raid. Damien Lewis’ account focuses on a number of the individuals involved, and in many ways the book reads like a thriller, but with the added factor that this was a real life story, so the reader knows there may not be a Hollywood style happy ending for everyone involved. The book ends with an epilogue that describes how some of the individuals involved got back to the British lines (those who made it). Their journeys involved amazing levels of fortitude.
This was an excellent read. I would say it would be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in WW2 or in military history.
December 28, 2017
When Captain Henry Cecil Buck was captured and became a POW, his desperate attempt to escape by dressing as a German officer and stealing a German truck became the basis of an idea of such magnitude that at first no one thought it could be done. But Buck’s escape in September 1941 proved there was a high chance it could be.
With Rommel having taken over Tobruk and with 30,000 allies as POWs, Churchill was determined to have his revenge. The forming of a highly secret force, which included fluent German speakers, was going to march across the desert to attack from the land to regain Tobruk. No one believed it could be done – but with the “Germans” overseeing the newly-formed POWs, they felt they could bluff their way through enemy lines.
Desperation, extreme courage and bravery; and manned by volunteers who were well aware that this was a suicidal mission, the British were convinced the sheer audacity of the plan would work…
SAS Ghost Patrol by Damien Lewis is a breathtaking, intense and gripping account of a highly secret mission that has been hidden in the vaults since the end of WWII, until now. The story of the unit of men who posed as Nazi stormtroopers to regain a parcel of land (Tobruk) which had been wrested from its owners by brutal force. Damien Lewis has meticulously researched this story, which reads as a thriller, but nevertheless is completely, breathtakingly true. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read and review.
With Rommel having taken over Tobruk and with 30,000 allies as POWs, Churchill was determined to have his revenge. The forming of a highly secret force, which included fluent German speakers, was going to march across the desert to attack from the land to regain Tobruk. No one believed it could be done – but with the “Germans” overseeing the newly-formed POWs, they felt they could bluff their way through enemy lines.
Desperation, extreme courage and bravery; and manned by volunteers who were well aware that this was a suicidal mission, the British were convinced the sheer audacity of the plan would work…
SAS Ghost Patrol by Damien Lewis is a breathtaking, intense and gripping account of a highly secret mission that has been hidden in the vaults since the end of WWII, until now. The story of the unit of men who posed as Nazi stormtroopers to regain a parcel of land (Tobruk) which had been wrested from its owners by brutal force. Damien Lewis has meticulously researched this story, which reads as a thriller, but nevertheless is completely, breathtakingly true. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read and review.
September 9, 2018
Published in 2017, 75 years after the events in North Africa, Damien Lewis' SAS Ghost Patrol follows the actions of Special Forces in the attempt to retake Tobruk from Axis forces.
But the story opens in September 1941 with British POW Capt. Henry Cecil Buck, who speaks German, escaping his captors by dressing in the uniform of a German officer, commandeering a truck and setting out for the allied line. This audacious act leads to a covert operation where native speaking German Jews who had fled Nazi Germany for the British Mandate in Palestine (later Israel) and eager to fight, are drilled extensively in the ethos, slang and operation methods of the Afrikakorps, and equipped with German vehicles and weapons.
Illustrated with maps and photos, Lewis traces the journey of the men of the SIG (Special Interrogation Group) lead by Buck, ‘B’ group commandoes and the LRDG (Long Range Desert Group) under David Lloyd Owen, wearing their trademark keffiyeh headdress, as they travel south from Cairo to the Kharga Oasis, then west, navigating by sun compass and “dead reckoning”, to cross the border into Libya to Kufra Oasis, where they are given their top secret instructions.
From Kufra they strike north to LG 125, the forbidding Sahara terrain, searing heat and bitter cold pushing men and vehicles to the limits. They meet up with Major David Sterling’s fledgling SAS before the SAS head for Benghazi, and Jake Easonsmith’s men to Barca to destroy enemy aircraft and fuel dumps around the town. Both operations are to deflect from the main objective, a night-time raid to penetrate the fortifications at Tobruk, 200 miles further east, disguised as Afrikakorps taking captured POWs to the holding cells there, instead to destroy the anti-aircraft emplacements and fuel depots, to allow British troops to land from the sea.
Taken from diaries and war records, Lewis engrosses the reader in the fierce fighting, the heat and noise of battle, the advances and setbacks, those killed, captured or made their escape back into the desert, hiding from spotter planes. In the epilogue he writes of the citations and the fate of many involved. The title is a little misleading, however this does not detract from an absorbing account of their bravery.
But the story opens in September 1941 with British POW Capt. Henry Cecil Buck, who speaks German, escaping his captors by dressing in the uniform of a German officer, commandeering a truck and setting out for the allied line. This audacious act leads to a covert operation where native speaking German Jews who had fled Nazi Germany for the British Mandate in Palestine (later Israel) and eager to fight, are drilled extensively in the ethos, slang and operation methods of the Afrikakorps, and equipped with German vehicles and weapons.
Illustrated with maps and photos, Lewis traces the journey of the men of the SIG (Special Interrogation Group) lead by Buck, ‘B’ group commandoes and the LRDG (Long Range Desert Group) under David Lloyd Owen, wearing their trademark keffiyeh headdress, as they travel south from Cairo to the Kharga Oasis, then west, navigating by sun compass and “dead reckoning”, to cross the border into Libya to Kufra Oasis, where they are given their top secret instructions.
From Kufra they strike north to LG 125, the forbidding Sahara terrain, searing heat and bitter cold pushing men and vehicles to the limits. They meet up with Major David Sterling’s fledgling SAS before the SAS head for Benghazi, and Jake Easonsmith’s men to Barca to destroy enemy aircraft and fuel dumps around the town. Both operations are to deflect from the main objective, a night-time raid to penetrate the fortifications at Tobruk, 200 miles further east, disguised as Afrikakorps taking captured POWs to the holding cells there, instead to destroy the anti-aircraft emplacements and fuel depots, to allow British troops to land from the sea.
Taken from diaries and war records, Lewis engrosses the reader in the fierce fighting, the heat and noise of battle, the advances and setbacks, those killed, captured or made their escape back into the desert, hiding from spotter planes. In the epilogue he writes of the citations and the fate of many involved. The title is a little misleading, however this does not detract from an absorbing account of their bravery.
July 12, 2025
Damn good book, very well written and really enjoyable. Good to read about what our boys did in the desert. Highly recommend
January 30, 2018
I'll start of by saying that the book's title is a bit misleading. The unit in question is the SIG (Special Interrogation Group), a collection of, mostly, German Jews recruited in the middle east, volunteering to fight against the Nazi regime. The author does go into detail about how that unit was formed and trained but the meat of the book focusses on the Tobruk raid of 1942.
The book's subject is really interesting, and I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't really know anything about the raid on Tobruk, I knew a lot about the raid on Barce, the 'diversionary' raid to mask the real target.
The story starts in a stilted fashion, jumping about in time and location, but when it starts, the writing whizzes along, a real page turner.
I want to read more!
The book's subject is really interesting, and I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't really know anything about the raid on Tobruk, I knew a lot about the raid on Barce, the 'diversionary' raid to mask the real target.
The story starts in a stilted fashion, jumping about in time and location, but when it starts, the writing whizzes along, a real page turner.
I want to read more!
July 15, 2022
Damien Lewis had me hooked by the end of the first chapter. If the remainder of the book fulfilled the promise of action, heroism, and manhood presented within the first few paragraphs, I knew I was in for a great story, and a good read. Lewis did not disappoint.
The title is somewhat misleading, in that the mission to retake Tobruk, which is the heart of the book, involved a coalition of military units, and the least of them more than measured up to the elite SAS. However, the willingness of that unit and its commander to perform their black ops missions disguised as members of Rommel's Afrika Korps, was a critical component for the success of the Allied mission to retake Tobruk in 1942.
The author begins with the events that spawned the idea for this style of covert mission, continues with the recruitment and training of its forces, and then presents a fairly exhaustive account of the mission to retake Tobruk, and its aftermath. This is military history writing at its best. All the essential details are reported. All the main characters are given life, so that you want to cheer when they are successful, catch your breath when they are threatened, and feel the loss of a hero when one falls in the battle. In my opinion, there are no wasted words; the entire account seems to be told just right.
I look forward to my next book by Lewis. If he is new to you, as he was to me, SAS Ghost Patrol is a great first work to explore.
The title is somewhat misleading, in that the mission to retake Tobruk, which is the heart of the book, involved a coalition of military units, and the least of them more than measured up to the elite SAS. However, the willingness of that unit and its commander to perform their black ops missions disguised as members of Rommel's Afrika Korps, was a critical component for the success of the Allied mission to retake Tobruk in 1942.
The author begins with the events that spawned the idea for this style of covert mission, continues with the recruitment and training of its forces, and then presents a fairly exhaustive account of the mission to retake Tobruk, and its aftermath. This is military history writing at its best. All the essential details are reported. All the main characters are given life, so that you want to cheer when they are successful, catch your breath when they are threatened, and feel the loss of a hero when one falls in the battle. In my opinion, there are no wasted words; the entire account seems to be told just right.
I look forward to my next book by Lewis. If he is new to you, as he was to me, SAS Ghost Patrol is a great first work to explore.
February 15, 2022
A story I have never come across before. The actions and conditions faced were interesting and inspiring. Easy to follow and well researched.
December 20, 2025
(3.5 stars) A fun read if a bit romanticized. I was expecting more of a discussion of why the SAS won over certain Axis intelligence forces. What I got instead was a blow by blow war story about the merry men of the SIG, British Commandos, and Long Range Desert Group that was fun, if taken with a grain of salt. You get the impression that there were definitely some less savory, less glorious details left out of these stories.
The North Africa campaign is definitely a part of ww2 I’ve heard a lot less about so it was a really refreshing book in that respect.
The North Africa campaign is definitely a part of ww2 I’ve heard a lot less about so it was a really refreshing book in that respect.
November 4, 2023
I enjoyed this book. These kind of historical non fiction can be a difficult read but Damien Lewis brings the narrative alive with his writing style. Not too many adjectives as that would be unfitting of the men of sas, sign, lrdg and the commandos. Yet again another exploit of the war highlights that the best soldiers are not always the ones you would expect - Haselden comes to mind.
October 14, 2017
It was my privilege to be asked by the author to write a review of his book.
I was gripped from the first page and the momentum goes on building until the very end.
'SAS Ghost Patrol' is the incredible true story of special forces posing as POW's and their German escorts piercing deep behind enemy lines to spearhead a combined Allied land, sea and air attack on the North African port of Tobruk during WWII.
It has all the elements of a bestselling thriller - incredible true story, meticulously researched and superbly written. Conjuring up the images of a blockbusting film, the story moves at breathless pace to it's conclusion and combines accounts of unbelievable daring, relentless commitment and heroism but also treachery and betrayal.
Damien Lewis had blown away the cobwebs and sands of time to put flesh on the bones of long dead heroes so they may tell their story for this and future generations.
I do not award my 5-stars lightly - this is an amazing read!
I was gripped from the first page and the momentum goes on building until the very end.
'SAS Ghost Patrol' is the incredible true story of special forces posing as POW's and their German escorts piercing deep behind enemy lines to spearhead a combined Allied land, sea and air attack on the North African port of Tobruk during WWII.
It has all the elements of a bestselling thriller - incredible true story, meticulously researched and superbly written. Conjuring up the images of a blockbusting film, the story moves at breathless pace to it's conclusion and combines accounts of unbelievable daring, relentless commitment and heroism but also treachery and betrayal.
Damien Lewis had blown away the cobwebs and sands of time to put flesh on the bones of long dead heroes so they may tell their story for this and future generations.
I do not award my 5-stars lightly - this is an amazing read!
August 7, 2018
Brilliant, entertaining this is how history should be written. I used the audio book and listened late into the night. Brave men .
Too often we hear, couldn't put down, a real page turner. These phrases could all be used when describing this book but there was something more then this.......I felt like I was there along side all of them. It felt like my narration. I've never read or listened to a more enthralling story of the daring do in war.
Too often we hear, couldn't put down, a real page turner. These phrases could all be used when describing this book but there was something more then this.......I felt like I was there along side all of them. It felt like my narration. I've never read or listened to a more enthralling story of the daring do in war.
July 30, 2018
A great true story written well, keeping it as entertaining as a good novel. I lost track of who's who a few times but the mission was clearly defined and the tale was epic. Highly recommended for lovers of this type of military history.
April 19, 2021
Real edge of the seat action while being factual. Damien Lewis has a rare talent for putting history on a page in a way that transports the reader right there.
At the end you feel the loss of those that died as if you really knew them and pride in what they achieved.
Highly recommended this book.
At the end you feel the loss of those that died as if you really knew them and pride in what they achieved.
Highly recommended this book.
January 30, 2024
What an astonishing account of a single night of action. Okay, so admittedly, the first half deals with the build-up to the main event, but there's so much detail here, pooled from so many different perspectives and thoroughly researched (although some artistic licence is undoubtedly used). Reading the epilogue, you learn so much about the mixed fortunes of the event's heroes, in the immediate aftermath but also the years to come. It's incredible to think that any British soldier walked out of this situation alive.
Everyone needs to read this. I dare you not to be blown away by the bravery on show.
Everyone needs to read this. I dare you not to be blown away by the bravery on show.
October 9, 2022
It was one of the best historical books that i have ever read. It was rich in history, but read just like a storybook. It seemed mythical and never seemed to stop amazing me. If i could give it more than 5 stars I really would. I recommend this book to every WW2 history lover out there
October 19, 2023
Wow what a book. A story I am not familiar with and finding out about the SIG was very interesting. Incredible what all these men went through and with such a well written account I couldn't put this book down until ot was finished.
October 19, 2018
This book is an account of a real life raid on Tobruk in WWII undertaken by (among others) the forerunners of the SAS. I listened to it as an audio book. The facts about the raid are undeniably compelling and impressive and it was not something that I had heard about before. However, I didn't take to the style in which the story was told. This was not helped by the narrator who barked out the text in the authoritative manner of a senior commanding officer. There were lots of hackneyed and cliched descriptions that could have been lifted straight out of one of the Commando comic books I read when I was young. Despite this, I am still glad I read this to learn about this astonishing bit of WWII history.
July 13, 2018
Possibly the best book I've read to date. Superbly written, thrilling and captivating throughout. couldn't put it down, was left wanting more at the end. Will certainly be trying something else from Damien and on the look out for more tales of the LRDG & SIG.
December 25, 2024
ADVENTURES AND MISHAPS OF THE ORIGINAL SPECIAL FORCES
When Winston Churchill launched the storied Special Operations Executive (SOE) on June 13, 1940, just a month had passed since he moved into 10 Downing Street. Yet France had fallen to Hitler’s minions and the British Expeditionary Force had barely escaped annihilation at Dunkirk. But the SOE came into existence rapidly. Three existing secret units merged on July 22, 1940. Soldiers, secret agents, and analysts of the Foreign Office, the War Office, and MI6 constituted the backbone of the new organization. Within days, they launched operations in France, Norway, and North Africa, making them the first examples of guerrilla warfare in World War II. The most dramatic of these took place in Egypt and Libya. There, British forces attempted to prevent Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from seizing the Suez Canal. They’re the subject of Damien Lewis’s breathless account, SAS Ghost Patrol: The Ultra-Secret Unit That Posed as Nazi Stormtroopers.
A BLOW-BY-BLOW ACCOUNT OF GUERRILLA WARFARE IN WORLD WAR II
Lewis details how SOE was just one of several units engaged in irregular warfare in North Africa. The Special Air Service (SAS), Special Boat Service (SBS), and Commandos had all come into existence during the same period as the SOE. They shared the mission of taking the fight to the enemy. Yet each had its own unique character, complicated by the addition of the Special Interrogation Group. The SIG consisted of native German speakers dressed in Nazi uniforms (chiefly German and Austrian Jews) who had fought in Palestine.
The combination of these disparate groups led to tension that verged on open conflict when men from all five organizations came together in a bold (not to say reckless) mission to capture Rommel’s strategic base at Tobruk. It lay hundreds of miles behind the lines, across what seemed an impossibly long stretch of open desert. Lewis relates their progress as six separate columns, trudged step-by-step, across the barren reaches of the Sahara. SAS Ghost Patrol is an adventure story that’s all the more exciting for having been true.
ONE DRAMATIC MISSION WITHIN A LONG LIST OF OTHERS
It’s easy for a casual British or American reader to get the impression that World War II in Europe was fought largely in France. After all, the bulk of popular accounts involve tales of daring operations by the SOE, the American OSS, and the maquis and the story of the Normandy invasion. Of course, any reader with even a cursory knowledge of the war’s true scope understands that that’s nonsense. Even discounting the war in the Pacific, World War II qualified as a worldwide conflict, with the Allies and the Axis facing off in Africa, South America, and the Middle East, as well as Western and Eastern Europe. Yet many of us who consider ourselves well-informed about the war can still carry with us a distorted view of the conflict.
For example, the (almost) full list of SOE operations shows dramatically how wide-ranging was the organization’s use of guerrilla warfare in World War II. It included countless top-secret missions across the breadth of Europe, from Albania and Austria to Sweden and Yugoslavia. But Damien Lewis, with the instinct of the novelist he might otherwise have been, focuses in SAS Ghost Patrol on one of the largest and most audacious missions Churchill’s secret warriors undertook in the course of the war. It’s a terrific starting point for understanding the dynamics of the efforts by the SOE and its similar organizations to “set Europe ablaze.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Damien Lewis—not to be confused with the actor of a similar name—is a British author and filmmaker. He has written more than 20 books on military subjects, including both biographies and memoirs and thrillers, and has produced 20 films. He has also reported from conflict zones around the world. Lewis was born in 1966.
When Winston Churchill launched the storied Special Operations Executive (SOE) on June 13, 1940, just a month had passed since he moved into 10 Downing Street. Yet France had fallen to Hitler’s minions and the British Expeditionary Force had barely escaped annihilation at Dunkirk. But the SOE came into existence rapidly. Three existing secret units merged on July 22, 1940. Soldiers, secret agents, and analysts of the Foreign Office, the War Office, and MI6 constituted the backbone of the new organization. Within days, they launched operations in France, Norway, and North Africa, making them the first examples of guerrilla warfare in World War II. The most dramatic of these took place in Egypt and Libya. There, British forces attempted to prevent Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from seizing the Suez Canal. They’re the subject of Damien Lewis’s breathless account, SAS Ghost Patrol: The Ultra-Secret Unit That Posed as Nazi Stormtroopers.
A BLOW-BY-BLOW ACCOUNT OF GUERRILLA WARFARE IN WORLD WAR II
Lewis details how SOE was just one of several units engaged in irregular warfare in North Africa. The Special Air Service (SAS), Special Boat Service (SBS), and Commandos had all come into existence during the same period as the SOE. They shared the mission of taking the fight to the enemy. Yet each had its own unique character, complicated by the addition of the Special Interrogation Group. The SIG consisted of native German speakers dressed in Nazi uniforms (chiefly German and Austrian Jews) who had fought in Palestine.
The combination of these disparate groups led to tension that verged on open conflict when men from all five organizations came together in a bold (not to say reckless) mission to capture Rommel’s strategic base at Tobruk. It lay hundreds of miles behind the lines, across what seemed an impossibly long stretch of open desert. Lewis relates their progress as six separate columns, trudged step-by-step, across the barren reaches of the Sahara. SAS Ghost Patrol is an adventure story that’s all the more exciting for having been true.
ONE DRAMATIC MISSION WITHIN A LONG LIST OF OTHERS
It’s easy for a casual British or American reader to get the impression that World War II in Europe was fought largely in France. After all, the bulk of popular accounts involve tales of daring operations by the SOE, the American OSS, and the maquis and the story of the Normandy invasion. Of course, any reader with even a cursory knowledge of the war’s true scope understands that that’s nonsense. Even discounting the war in the Pacific, World War II qualified as a worldwide conflict, with the Allies and the Axis facing off in Africa, South America, and the Middle East, as well as Western and Eastern Europe. Yet many of us who consider ourselves well-informed about the war can still carry with us a distorted view of the conflict.
For example, the (almost) full list of SOE operations shows dramatically how wide-ranging was the organization’s use of guerrilla warfare in World War II. It included countless top-secret missions across the breadth of Europe, from Albania and Austria to Sweden and Yugoslavia. But Damien Lewis, with the instinct of the novelist he might otherwise have been, focuses in SAS Ghost Patrol on one of the largest and most audacious missions Churchill’s secret warriors undertook in the course of the war. It’s a terrific starting point for understanding the dynamics of the efforts by the SOE and its similar organizations to “set Europe ablaze.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Damien Lewis—not to be confused with the actor of a similar name—is a British author and filmmaker. He has written more than 20 books on military subjects, including both biographies and memoirs and thrillers, and has produced 20 films. He has also reported from conflict zones around the world. Lewis was born in 1966.
June 22, 2025
The backdrop to this story is the British attempt to mount a large military operation comprising Special Forces coming from the desert plus a sea-borne force of marines, navy and air force to retake the important port of Tobruk (located in Libya, North Africa) and release 30,000 POW’s during WW2. The author’s focus is the success and bravery of the motley crew of Special Forces – comprising army commandos, the SAS (Special Air Service), the SBS (Special Boat Service) and the SIG (Special Interrogation Group). SIG was a specialist group of German speaking Jews from Palestine who wore German uniforms to allow them to penetrate the German/Italian/Arab units entrenched around Tobruk.
Unfortunately, despite the brilliant success of the Special Forces Tobruk remained in the enemies’ possession. The major force of regular troops aboard British ships could not land due to inferior equipment, lack of air superiority and shortages of ammo etc. However, the partial British successes did weaken the Axis powers and enabled them to kick the Germans and Italians out of North Africa for good later that year.
This is the first book by Damen Lewis that I’ve read and I found it somewhat confusing. Was I reading a novel? Or an accurate work of non-fiction? Neither, I concluded. There was little dialogue all thru the story and zero character development. 99% of the book is written in the third person so it came across as dry. The author did complete extensive research so it must be historical? No, because he admits he fictionalized people and events to make the story flow.
The most impressive and interesting part of Lewis’ work is the beginning and conclusion. The author describes in some humorous detail the differences between the SAS and the commandos – the SAS lived and operated in the desert where water is scarce, clothing is what works for you in the heat and food is rationed; in comparison the commandos though rough and tough were regular soldiers wearing proper uniforms, were well shaved and just couldn’t understand how such a ragtag bunch of gaunt, hairy, disheveled guys could achieve any military success. At the conclusion Lewis describes what happened to all the leading characters after the British withdrew. Most of them were wounded, some badly. Most escaped capture, some wandered the desert for months living off the kindness of Arabs. A few died but many survived, received medical treatment, got medals for their gallantry and returned to fight in Europe. I found the conclusion to be most moving part of the story as the will to live, get better and then carry on fighting is a true example of British fortitude.
Unfortunately, despite the brilliant success of the Special Forces Tobruk remained in the enemies’ possession. The major force of regular troops aboard British ships could not land due to inferior equipment, lack of air superiority and shortages of ammo etc. However, the partial British successes did weaken the Axis powers and enabled them to kick the Germans and Italians out of North Africa for good later that year.
This is the first book by Damen Lewis that I’ve read and I found it somewhat confusing. Was I reading a novel? Or an accurate work of non-fiction? Neither, I concluded. There was little dialogue all thru the story and zero character development. 99% of the book is written in the third person so it came across as dry. The author did complete extensive research so it must be historical? No, because he admits he fictionalized people and events to make the story flow.
The most impressive and interesting part of Lewis’ work is the beginning and conclusion. The author describes in some humorous detail the differences between the SAS and the commandos – the SAS lived and operated in the desert where water is scarce, clothing is what works for you in the heat and food is rationed; in comparison the commandos though rough and tough were regular soldiers wearing proper uniforms, were well shaved and just couldn’t understand how such a ragtag bunch of gaunt, hairy, disheveled guys could achieve any military success. At the conclusion Lewis describes what happened to all the leading characters after the British withdrew. Most of them were wounded, some badly. Most escaped capture, some wandered the desert for months living off the kindness of Arabs. A few died but many survived, received medical treatment, got medals for their gallantry and returned to fight in Europe. I found the conclusion to be most moving part of the story as the will to live, get better and then carry on fighting is a true example of British fortitude.
August 21, 2020
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
Truth is stranger than fiction they say. I was completely taken up in this detailed account of perhaps, the most audacious mission ever attempted by the burgeoning clandestine forces of the British military during World War II. This little known raid takes place at Trobruk in Libya near its western border with Egypt. It's the North Africa campaign and Nazi Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the "Desert Fox," had wrested control of this port city from the Allies in June of 1942. The Allied stronghold of Cairo and the Suez Canal were now threatened. This engagement, code named "Operation Agreement," was a bold plan in September that year to take it back. Lewis' well researched account is compelling, concise, and absolutely captivating. You're drawn in with the first chapter and you quickly find yourself rooting for these men and their commanders. I loved that through Lewis' brilliant prose, you felt like you really got to know these incredibly courageous men and what they were going through. I did think a few times Lewis slipped into hyperbole which was completely unnecessary given these soldier's reality, but it's a minor criticism. I particular liked his epilogue where we learn what happened to the men who made it out. If you like World War II history, you'll absolutely love this book!
Truth is stranger than fiction they say. I was completely taken up in this detailed account of perhaps, the most audacious mission ever attempted by the burgeoning clandestine forces of the British military during World War II. This little known raid takes place at Trobruk in Libya near its western border with Egypt. It's the North Africa campaign and Nazi Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the "Desert Fox," had wrested control of this port city from the Allies in June of 1942. The Allied stronghold of Cairo and the Suez Canal were now threatened. This engagement, code named "Operation Agreement," was a bold plan in September that year to take it back. Lewis' well researched account is compelling, concise, and absolutely captivating. You're drawn in with the first chapter and you quickly find yourself rooting for these men and their commanders. I loved that through Lewis' brilliant prose, you felt like you really got to know these incredibly courageous men and what they were going through. I did think a few times Lewis slipped into hyperbole which was completely unnecessary given these soldier's reality, but it's a minor criticism. I particular liked his epilogue where we learn what happened to the men who made it out. If you like World War II history, you'll absolutely love this book!
May 10, 2021
4.0 Stars.
This book puts the reader right in the middle of the action of a clandestine unit that participated in infiltration operations and engaged in gun battles, but it is not about the SAS nor it does not comprehensively cover the objective of the mission, "Operation Agreement", a failed joint British-New Zealand-Rhodesian land and sea assault on Tobruk considered a major Allied disaster, from 13 to 14 September 1942. It minimizes the fact that the British alone lost several hundred men, a cruiser, two destroyers, torpedo boats and landing crafts.
The SIG (Special Interrogation Group) unit formed with German-speaking Jewish volunteers from British Palestine did take part of operations behind enemy lines and did team up with some "Operation Agreement" groups including the SAS under David Stirling.
The SIG was disbanded after the Tobruk debacle and integrated into other units.
Although about an abject defeat, it still is a good read, which I'd pair with Ben Macintyre's "Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War", on David Stirling and the birth of the SAS (Special Air Forces) with Sir Winston Churchill's direct involvement and approval, a Five-Star read and far more uplifting.
This book puts the reader right in the middle of the action of a clandestine unit that participated in infiltration operations and engaged in gun battles, but it is not about the SAS nor it does not comprehensively cover the objective of the mission, "Operation Agreement", a failed joint British-New Zealand-Rhodesian land and sea assault on Tobruk considered a major Allied disaster, from 13 to 14 September 1942. It minimizes the fact that the British alone lost several hundred men, a cruiser, two destroyers, torpedo boats and landing crafts.
The SIG (Special Interrogation Group) unit formed with German-speaking Jewish volunteers from British Palestine did take part of operations behind enemy lines and did team up with some "Operation Agreement" groups including the SAS under David Stirling.
The SIG was disbanded after the Tobruk debacle and integrated into other units.
Although about an abject defeat, it still is a good read, which I'd pair with Ben Macintyre's "Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War", on David Stirling and the birth of the SAS (Special Air Forces) with Sir Winston Churchill's direct involvement and approval, a Five-Star read and far more uplifting.
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January 6, 2025The book is well-researched and, generally, well-written, but it can be confusing. The main characters are all members of British "Special" forces-the SAS, SBS, and the Long Range Desert Group. There may also be a fourth group, but I found it hard to tell whether the term "Commando", used mostly toward the end of the story, actually refers to a separate unit, or to the entire group of units assembled in North Africa. They are all brought into the action at the same time, in an effort-I think- to dislodge Rommel and his staff from North Africa. What is made clear at the story's beginning and borne out through what follows is that most of the soldiers are ready to take whatever happens in stride. They are there to get a job done. One element of the conflict that is not confusing is that most of their opponents are not Germans, but Italians. Even at the end, when some of the special forces find it necessary to surrender, they are received differently by their two Axis opponents. I won't say more, because the book IS worth reading, particularly when situations like the surrender are being described.
June 8, 2025
This is an amazing story and very well written. It strikes a great balance between sharing meticulous historical facts and telling the story in an engaging and, when appropriate, entertaining way.
SAS Ghost Patrol tells of the forming of the units in WW2 that would later make up units like the SAS.
I sometimes struggle with stories such as these. The men involved were all heroic. But, many of them were necessarily brutal. The men who made up the ranks of the units that were precursors to the SAS and then the SAS itself were not ordinary soldiers. Often, they were men who didn't fit in regular units.
They had to create a whole new form of warfare to fight a new kind of war. Much of what they did is familiar to us today, but at the time it was unheard of.
In the end, their trek across 2000 miles of desert in order to strike at the enemy was stranger and greater than any fiction. It's the kind of heroics that if someone made it up it would be called unbelievable.
It is one of the best books I've listened to in a long time.
SAS Ghost Patrol tells of the forming of the units in WW2 that would later make up units like the SAS.
I sometimes struggle with stories such as these. The men involved were all heroic. But, many of them were necessarily brutal. The men who made up the ranks of the units that were precursors to the SAS and then the SAS itself were not ordinary soldiers. Often, they were men who didn't fit in regular units.
They had to create a whole new form of warfare to fight a new kind of war. Much of what they did is familiar to us today, but at the time it was unheard of.
In the end, their trek across 2000 miles of desert in order to strike at the enemy was stranger and greater than any fiction. It's the kind of heroics that if someone made it up it would be called unbelievable.
It is one of the best books I've listened to in a long time.
August 31, 2018
Tolerable for readers who want "a rattling good yarn," I suppose, less a contribution to narrative history than a sign of the ways sensationsal TV "documentaries" are overtaking the public library as the locus of popular knowledge. This is not a "one of the great untold stories of WWII" as the cover blurb asserts, and is not professionally edited. (One of the raiders, an officer in the London Scottish regiment, wore in action its kilt of hodden gray, early camouflage when adopted during the redcoat era. The wearer is mentioned later as "resplendent" in his kilt -- which makes the story go but at the price of misinformation. . .)
October 21, 2019
„Sas. Komandosi Jego Królewskiej Mości” to typowy suchy, nie porywający dokument (jak dla mnie). Nie był zły, bo zawiera ciekawe informacje historyczne, wydarzenia, działania przeciwko niemieckiemu wrogowi, ale jednak sama konstrukcja książki mnie nie porywa, wręcz zmuszała do szybkiego kartkowania. Należy jednak oddać hołd bohaterom którzy walczyli i umierali za swój kraj w bardzo ciężkich warunkach. Pod tym względem sama potrzeba upamiętnienia, zapisania i przekazania faktów jest pięknym i potrzebnym zabiegiem.
December 30, 2022
I have read and even written about WW2 but, I had no idea about the raid on Tobruk. I read this book on a trip to Egypt in 2022. Driving across the desert I tried to conjure up the expireinces of the men in this book. It is a very interesting story and well-written, a real page turner as they say and I finished it in nearly a single sitting. A cut above the usual hagiography of the genre. A bit loose with some of the historical facts which is one of the reasons I took it down a notch. I also don't like fictional dialogue and it was probably not necessary. Also the title is a bit misleading.
September 22, 2024
more than a “stiff upper lip”!! more like a stiff titanium spine!!!
Most every country has proud military heritage. That’s not to say all armies deserve praise!!! But of those that do,
I have to praise the British & all the sovereign countries under their monarchy!! Some of the bravest, most daring & cunning soldiers hail from there. It always surprises me how many were from the aristocracy!! You don’t see that in all countries!! These men fought to the last bullet & the acts of bravery are incredible.
Most every country has proud military heritage. That’s not to say all armies deserve praise!!! But of those that do,
I have to praise the British & all the sovereign countries under their monarchy!! Some of the bravest, most daring & cunning soldiers hail from there. It always surprises me how many were from the aristocracy!! You don’t see that in all countries!! These men fought to the last bullet & the acts of bravery are incredible.
December 3, 2019
I was born in 1961, and brought up by a normal English family, and the vibes I got from my parents in my formative years were that we won the war and Germans are bad. Torbruk and El Alamein are names synonymous with WWII in North Africa but it's only when you delve deeper into the history of the second world war via accounts like this that you can understand what was really going on. I thoroughly enjoyed the read despite it not being something I would normally get stuck into.
August 17, 2021
Yet another gripping tale, of beyond heroic actions from some extraordinary individuals set an impossible task, yet not afraid to stand up and be counted. I wish very much I was taught more of this as youngster at school back in the mid 80's, as much as the Romans were also fascinating, this is far more relevant, informative and needs to be retold to a younger generation who move ever more further away from the generation that saved the world.....
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