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SBS: Special Boat Squadron
August 1942.
A party of British commandos were on a submarine off Beirut, nervously cramming themselves with ham sandwiches and tea. The small landing party undertook an amphibious commando attack on Rhodes. Twenty-four-year-old Sgt Tom (Tommy) Bishop, was among them. He was from the Scots Guards and is a natural soldier, but refused several commissions as he hated responsibility.
Following the disastrous Rhodes mission, however, Bishop finally accepts a commission running the Special Service Brigade. Bishop's unit is small and highly trained, masters at getting into enemy installations, locating and taking secret material and getting out alive. But this latest mission is more extreme and dangerous than any before it, and there's no guarantee that Bishop or any of his team will survive. . .
A party of British commandos were on a submarine off Beirut, nervously cramming themselves with ham sandwiches and tea. The small landing party undertook an amphibious commando attack on Rhodes. Twenty-four-year-old Sgt Tom (Tommy) Bishop, was among them. He was from the Scots Guards and is a natural soldier, but refused several commissions as he hated responsibility.
Following the disastrous Rhodes mission, however, Bishop finally accepts a commission running the Special Service Brigade. Bishop's unit is small and highly trained, masters at getting into enemy installations, locating and taking secret material and getting out alive. But this latest mission is more extreme and dangerous than any before it, and there's no guarantee that Bishop or any of his team will survive. . .
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2021
8 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Iain Gale
44 books40 followersIain Gale has always had a passion for military history. He is the Editor of the National Trust for Scotland magazine and Art critic for Scotland on Sunday. He lives outside Edinburgh with his wife and children. His first novel, Four Days in June, is a stand-alone military adventure set on the battlefields of Waterloo.
He is also the writer of eleven non-fiction books.
He is also the writer of eleven non-fiction books.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 16, 2022
Inspired by actual events, the book tells the exciting story of the wartime exploits of the Special Boat Squadron, an elite group of ‘intelligence commandos’ created to carry out undercover missions.
Having together survived a disastrous operation that may in fact have been doomed from the start, Hunter and Woods are comrades on the battlefield but rivals in other respects. Cherchez la femme, as they say. However, as Woods explains, ‘If you think I’m fool enough to allow some petty differences to come between me and the life of a brother officer and a man I count as a friend, then you’re very much mistaken’. As the reader will discover, that principle will be tested beyond measure.
The circumstances which have given rise to the mission Hunter, Woods and their teams are asked to undertake may seem a little unlikely but of course there were a number of surprisingly unorthodox operations carried out during WW2.
The book features appearances by real life figures such as Xan Fielding and the flamboyant Patrick Leigh Fermor. WW2 film buffs may recall the latter was played by Dirk Bogarde in Ill Met by Moonlight which dramatised an actual but equally daring SOE operation in Crete. Included in the book’s characters is a rather famous author whose manner of introducing himself is likely to make you chuckle but whose role is, again, based on historical fact.
I particularly liked the way the book illustrated the courage of the Cretan resistance fighters – the andartes – who assisted Allied undercover operations. Their very personal reasons for wanting to do so are often harrowing to read about, even more so because they reflect the well-documented real life experience of those under German occupation.
The team assembled to carry out the mission possess, as Woods remarks, ‘unusual, or should I say […] unique abilities’. Amongst their skills are safe-cracking, knowledge of explosives, communications, code-breaking – and of course silent killing. Although we mainly see things through Hunter’s eyes, the author provides the reader with occasional glimpses into the thoughts of the other team members, most memorably Phelps. It’s a reminder that, although highly trained, they can still experience fear and doubt. And that, although a mission may be planned down to the last detail, things can go wrong and, when they do, the weakest link in the chain is the most dangerous.
SBS Special Boat Squadron, with its tense action scenes, daring accounts of undercover operations and colourful cast of characters, will appeal to fans of wartime adventures such as The Guns of Navarone.
Having together survived a disastrous operation that may in fact have been doomed from the start, Hunter and Woods are comrades on the battlefield but rivals in other respects. Cherchez la femme, as they say. However, as Woods explains, ‘If you think I’m fool enough to allow some petty differences to come between me and the life of a brother officer and a man I count as a friend, then you’re very much mistaken’. As the reader will discover, that principle will be tested beyond measure.
The circumstances which have given rise to the mission Hunter, Woods and their teams are asked to undertake may seem a little unlikely but of course there were a number of surprisingly unorthodox operations carried out during WW2.
The book features appearances by real life figures such as Xan Fielding and the flamboyant Patrick Leigh Fermor. WW2 film buffs may recall the latter was played by Dirk Bogarde in Ill Met by Moonlight which dramatised an actual but equally daring SOE operation in Crete. Included in the book’s characters is a rather famous author whose manner of introducing himself is likely to make you chuckle but whose role is, again, based on historical fact.
I particularly liked the way the book illustrated the courage of the Cretan resistance fighters – the andartes – who assisted Allied undercover operations. Their very personal reasons for wanting to do so are often harrowing to read about, even more so because they reflect the well-documented real life experience of those under German occupation.
The team assembled to carry out the mission possess, as Woods remarks, ‘unusual, or should I say […] unique abilities’. Amongst their skills are safe-cracking, knowledge of explosives, communications, code-breaking – and of course silent killing. Although we mainly see things through Hunter’s eyes, the author provides the reader with occasional glimpses into the thoughts of the other team members, most memorably Phelps. It’s a reminder that, although highly trained, they can still experience fear and doubt. And that, although a mission may be planned down to the last detail, things can go wrong and, when they do, the weakest link in the chain is the most dangerous.
SBS Special Boat Squadron, with its tense action scenes, daring accounts of undercover operations and colourful cast of characters, will appeal to fans of wartime adventures such as The Guns of Navarone.
October 11, 2022
The SBS are a new and ruthless group of soldiers put together in the Second World War. Their job is to infiltrate places others can’t. Their mission is to retrieve documents from a safe on a base on a Greek island. The only problem is the base is controlled by the Germans.
They will have to be stealthy and secretive if they are going to succeed.
Two teams set off - one to cause a distraction and the other to complete the mission.
Can they prevail against all the odds or will this be a mission too far?
This an excellent book, in what I hope will turn into a series.
Iain Gale writes ‘war’ better than most and this book is no exception.
This novel is a masterful piece of wartime literature that had me absorbed throughout and a book I throughly recommend. Quite excellent.
They will have to be stealthy and secretive if they are going to succeed.
Two teams set off - one to cause a distraction and the other to complete the mission.
Can they prevail against all the odds or will this be a mission too far?
This an excellent book, in what I hope will turn into a series.
Iain Gale writes ‘war’ better than most and this book is no exception.
This novel is a masterful piece of wartime literature that had me absorbed throughout and a book I throughly recommend. Quite excellent.
December 31, 2022
Having read one of Iain's books before, I looked forward to reading this one, and was not diasappointed.
Inspired by actual events, the story centres on the wartime exploits of the Special Boat Squadron during an operation in Crete during the Second World War.
The characters are beautifully drawn, the action moves at a reasonable pace, and the setting is so well described at times that I felt I was there with them.
Iain explores the nature of the characters and their relationships well, and the added dimension of a shared love interest also brings a sharp edge to the main characters' relations.
I enjoyed the book and would recommend Iain's books to anyone who enjoys a great war story!
Inspired by actual events, the story centres on the wartime exploits of the Special Boat Squadron during an operation in Crete during the Second World War.
The characters are beautifully drawn, the action moves at a reasonable pace, and the setting is so well described at times that I felt I was there with them.
Iain explores the nature of the characters and their relationships well, and the added dimension of a shared love interest also brings a sharp edge to the main characters' relations.
I enjoyed the book and would recommend Iain's books to anyone who enjoys a great war story!
October 6, 2022
This story provides an exciting and informative look into the Special Boat Squadron missions in WW2. The author captures the tense atmosphere in the lead-up to the assignments and the type of characters drawn into covert operations. Based on actual events, it has an intrinsic historical interest that immerses the reader in the time and place.
Believably flawed characters make the story credible, with a good balance of introspection and action in the text.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Believably flawed characters make the story credible, with a good balance of introspection and action in the text.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
November 9, 2022
Excellent Historical Fiction
Thoroughly enjoyed this read, fast paced and believable/likeable characters. I did know anything of Crete during WWII so enjoyed learning about it thru this book. Hope the author will create a series of SBS tales carrying on from this tale. Recommend this as an excellent read
Thoroughly enjoyed this read, fast paced and believable/likeable characters. I did know anything of Crete during WWII so enjoyed learning about it thru this book. Hope the author will create a series of SBS tales carrying on from this tale. Recommend this as an excellent read
October 14, 2022
Just one of those books where you feel like a fly on the wall watching the story unfold before you! A very good read and insight in to the early days of covert operations during the war. Has the foundations to make a great book series.
October 16, 2022
No nonsense WW2 thriller. Deftly plotted and paced. Good read
October 17, 2022
A fun and interesting read covering special operations in Crete in preparation for the invasion of Italy of which I knew little. The prose is well paced and well written. The development of the primary protagonists, Hunter and Woods, was reasonably well done given the approach. Credulity was stretched in a few places but that is not unusual in a fictional account and did not impair the enjoyment of the story. SBS puts Iain Gale on my radar, and I will watch for more work from him going forward.
March 16, 2023
A very in depth and technical portrayal of war time fighting. For me personally, the chapters were too long, the descriptions would be perfect for a wartime history buff but for general people was again long and confusing. The small parts of human communication were both fun and illuminating but overshadowed by an almost text book style writing style
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews