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SBS – Silent Warriors: The Authorised Wartime History
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER‘A terrific book … It really is one of the most enjoyable histories I’ve read in many a year’ JAMES HOLLAND
‘Riveting … A brilliant account’ DAILY MAIL
THE FIRST AUTHORISED HISTORY OF THE SBS.Britain’s SBS – or Special Boat Service – was the world’s first maritime special operations unit. Founded in the dark days of 1940, it started as a small and inexperienced outfit that leaned heavily on volunteers’ raw courage and boyish enthusiasm. It went on to change the course of the Second World War – and has served as a model for special forces ever since.
The fledgling unit’s first mission was a daring beach reconnaissance of Rhodes in the spring of 1941. Over the next four years, the SBS and its affiliates would carry out many more spectacular operations in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Channel and the Far East. These missions – including Operation Frankton, the daredevil attempt by the ‘Cockleshell Heroes’ to paddle up the Garonne river and sink Axis ships in Bordeaux harbour – were some of the most audacious and legendary of the war.
Paddling flimsy canoes, and armed only with knives, pistols and a few sub-machine guns, this handful of brave and determined men operated deep behind enemy lines in the full knowledge that if caught they might be executed. Many were.
Yet their many improbable achievements – destroying enemy ships and infrastructure, landing secret agents, tying up enemy forces, spreading fear and uncertainty, and, most importantly, preparing the ground for D-Day – helped to make an Allied victory possible.
Written with the full cooperation of the modern SBS – the first time this ultra-secretive unit has given its seal of approval to any book – and exclusive access to its archives, Silent Warriors allows Britain’s original special forces to emerge from the shadows and take their proper and deserved place in our island story.
‘Riveting … A brilliant account’ DAILY MAIL
THE FIRST AUTHORISED HISTORY OF THE SBS.Britain’s SBS – or Special Boat Service – was the world’s first maritime special operations unit. Founded in the dark days of 1940, it started as a small and inexperienced outfit that leaned heavily on volunteers’ raw courage and boyish enthusiasm. It went on to change the course of the Second World War – and has served as a model for special forces ever since.
The fledgling unit’s first mission was a daring beach reconnaissance of Rhodes in the spring of 1941. Over the next four years, the SBS and its affiliates would carry out many more spectacular operations in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Channel and the Far East. These missions – including Operation Frankton, the daredevil attempt by the ‘Cockleshell Heroes’ to paddle up the Garonne river and sink Axis ships in Bordeaux harbour – were some of the most audacious and legendary of the war.
Paddling flimsy canoes, and armed only with knives, pistols and a few sub-machine guns, this handful of brave and determined men operated deep behind enemy lines in the full knowledge that if caught they might be executed. Many were.
Yet their many improbable achievements – destroying enemy ships and infrastructure, landing secret agents, tying up enemy forces, spreading fear and uncertainty, and, most importantly, preparing the ground for D-Day – helped to make an Allied victory possible.
Written with the full cooperation of the modern SBS – the first time this ultra-secretive unit has given its seal of approval to any book – and exclusive access to its archives, Silent Warriors allows Britain’s original special forces to emerge from the shadows and take their proper and deserved place in our island story.
648 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2021
84 people are currently reading
448 people want to read
About the author
Saul David
53 books176 followersSAUL DAVID was born in Monmouth in 1966 and educated at Ampleforth College and Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities (History MA and PhD).
An expert in the wars of the Victorian period, he began writing his first history book when he was twenty-five and has since completed eight more. They include: The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan (1997), a critically-acclaimed biography of the man who led the Charge of the Light Brigade; The Indian Mutiny:1857 (2002), shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature; Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (2004), a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year; and the bestselling Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire (2006). In 2007 he signed a three book deal with Hodder & Stoughton to write a series of historical novels set in the late Victorian period. The first, Zulu Hart, was published on 5 March 2009 to critical acclaim with The Times describing it as a 'rattling good yarn' with 'a compelling, sexy hero who could give Cornwell's Sharpe a run for his money'. He is currently writing a history of the British Army.
An expert in the wars of the Victorian period, he began writing his first history book when he was twenty-five and has since completed eight more. They include: The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan (1997), a critically-acclaimed biography of the man who led the Charge of the Light Brigade; The Indian Mutiny:1857 (2002), shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature; Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (2004), a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year; and the bestselling Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire (2006). In 2007 he signed a three book deal with Hodder & Stoughton to write a series of historical novels set in the late Victorian period. The first, Zulu Hart, was published on 5 March 2009 to critical acclaim with The Times describing it as a 'rattling good yarn' with 'a compelling, sexy hero who could give Cornwell's Sharpe a run for his money'. He is currently writing a history of the British Army.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
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June 4, 2024Detailed, workmanlike, very military history (ie not really written to convey excitement or story) but lots of useful info.
January 2, 2024
Riveting.
4/5
4/5
August 28, 2025
What can easily be described as a rough-shod gang of hopefuls results in an incredibly effective and lethal special force.
A riveting read.
A riveting read.
September 28, 2022
The Special Boat Service is perhaps less well known than its special forces cousin the SAS. Both were formed due to the requirements of the second world war. In the SBS's case to sabotage ships and coastal installations and to survey beaches ahead of landings.
Its members launched in flimsy canoes from submarines and operating at night, though a small force the SBS and its forerunners played a key role in landings in the Mediterranean and of course D-day.
The book offers a detailed account of these and other operations. What's notable is the unconventional - bordering on piratical - nature of the operations and the men who carried them out. Also undeniable is their bravery, particularly following Hitler's infamous 'Commando Order' of 1942 which meant that if captured they faced almost certain execution.
Whilst the wartime activities are well documented, the book glosses over everything afterwards in just a few pages. It would have been nice to see later events dealt with in a bit more detail.
Its members launched in flimsy canoes from submarines and operating at night, though a small force the SBS and its forerunners played a key role in landings in the Mediterranean and of course D-day.
The book offers a detailed account of these and other operations. What's notable is the unconventional - bordering on piratical - nature of the operations and the men who carried them out. Also undeniable is their bravery, particularly following Hitler's infamous 'Commando Order' of 1942 which meant that if captured they faced almost certain execution.
Whilst the wartime activities are well documented, the book glosses over everything afterwards in just a few pages. It would have been nice to see later events dealt with in a bit more detail.
March 12, 2024
A very thorough canter through the plethora of organisations that came together to form the modern Special Boat Service. Sobering reading in many ways, although in comparison with accounts of conventional warfare, unsurprising.
Thoroughly recommended
Thoroughly recommended
December 1, 2021
Sobering read of heroic deeds
Excellent recounting of the exploits of a very brave group of people in WWII. The details of each undertaking are well described whether successful or not .
Excellent recounting of the exploits of a very brave group of people in WWII. The details of each undertaking are well described whether successful or not .
December 16, 2022
Loved the subject matter - way too tedious of a read. I think this could have been compressed into no more than 200 pages by spending less time on the small, minor and often unsuccessful adventures.
Then there’s the attempt to mention every single person who played a role in the service, their background, their medals and bars and their “mentions in despatches”. It feels like watching the credits roll after a movie.
Then there’s the attempt to mention every single person who played a role in the service, their background, their medals and bars and their “mentions in despatches”. It feels like watching the credits roll after a movie.
August 16, 2022
This is the second of two non-fiction WWII books I read back to back and I was struck how similar they were and on completely different subjects. They were both about courageous military fighters, the first, both men and women in occupied France and the various underground organisations like SOE, the Maquis and SIS and this one, exclusively of men from all three British services, who had volunteered to join a nascent organisation whose exploits were as dangerous and any military action can be. Today, most modern military have what are now known as Special Forces of which we mere mortals know very little. The common thread is that they were both British initiatives although our neighbours in France may dispute that suggestion.
From both books, I have been able to advance my historical knowledge of WWII despite having always been a keen reader of this period of history. The book is very well researched and, I thought, beautifully written and I would recommend it to any with a similar interest in this period of militaria.
From both books, I have been able to advance my historical knowledge of WWII despite having always been a keen reader of this period of history. The book is very well researched and, I thought, beautifully written and I would recommend it to any with a similar interest in this period of militaria.
November 25, 2021
This is the story of the Special Boat Service in World War II. It spans 5 years from 1941 to 1945 and ranges across the Mediterranean to Normandy to South East Asia.
The book is a mix of chapters between planning/organizational and operations. I'd say 65% of the book was devoted to operations. And these are the star of the show.
I was dimly aware of some of the operations described in the book and not aware at all of others. As readers, we have the good fortune to have first hand accounts of survivors to make the operations quite gripping.
Basically, we're (mostly) talking about recon, demolition, and limpet mine planting against Axis hulls - mostly done in two man folbots (think of a collapsible kayak) in the dead of night. Very one-on-one type of warfare.
Excellent maps and photos. I only wish more had been told about operations in the Aegean and less on Mark Clark's attempted negotiation with the Vichy French to not resist the Operation Torch Allied landings (as the SBS played basically a transport role here). Good accounts of the role British subs played in the Med (a topic that gets little ink vis-a-vis the role of U-Boats in the North Atlantic)
Readable, not a tortured official history-style account nor an academic account. Recommended for any WWII history buff who is unfamiliar with the role of the SBS.
The book is a mix of chapters between planning/organizational and operations. I'd say 65% of the book was devoted to operations. And these are the star of the show.
I was dimly aware of some of the operations described in the book and not aware at all of others. As readers, we have the good fortune to have first hand accounts of survivors to make the operations quite gripping.
Basically, we're (mostly) talking about recon, demolition, and limpet mine planting against Axis hulls - mostly done in two man folbots (think of a collapsible kayak) in the dead of night. Very one-on-one type of warfare.
Excellent maps and photos. I only wish more had been told about operations in the Aegean and less on Mark Clark's attempted negotiation with the Vichy French to not resist the Operation Torch Allied landings (as the SBS played basically a transport role here). Good accounts of the role British subs played in the Med (a topic that gets little ink vis-a-vis the role of U-Boats in the North Atlantic)
Readable, not a tortured official history-style account nor an academic account. Recommended for any WWII history buff who is unfamiliar with the role of the SBS.
December 8, 2021
It is called an authorised history, but that is a misrepresentation. It really is a book based on privileged access to the collections of the SBS Association. With another exaggeration those collections are called "secret archives".
Exaggeration rarely increases credibility and that is really a shame in this case.
If you read a book of 500 pages in as many minutes and within a few days then it surely has attractions. The stories are gripping, the daring galant and the riscs enormous.
If there is one thing missing, then it is bit more about the experience of being raided i.e. how the other side reacted. How many of the secret operations were actually pulled off without being noticed by the enemy.
The SBS soldiers regularly worked in areas guarded by sentries. They were a few metres from being stepped on. Is it at all possible to guard anything against a determined attempt at sabotage?
As all good books it makes you think and ask more questions.
I strongly recommend it.
Exaggeration rarely increases credibility and that is really a shame in this case.
If you read a book of 500 pages in as many minutes and within a few days then it surely has attractions. The stories are gripping, the daring galant and the riscs enormous.
If there is one thing missing, then it is bit more about the experience of being raided i.e. how the other side reacted. How many of the secret operations were actually pulled off without being noticed by the enemy.
The SBS soldiers regularly worked in areas guarded by sentries. They were a few metres from being stepped on. Is it at all possible to guard anything against a determined attempt at sabotage?
As all good books it makes you think and ask more questions.
I strongly recommend it.
March 6, 2023
This book was an impressive undertaking and a fantastic product of two authors, in a manner. David writes in granular and fairly technical detail that felt dense at times, but, that being said, I frequently caught myself being unable to put the book down. The granular, nearly-technical style of his writing painted a picture more vivid in my head than any other book. It is certainly a historians’, or at least history-lovers’, book and necessitates some dedication, but it’s worth it. He did a great service to an even greater group — and generation — of men.
June 14, 2025
A good history of the WWII SBS. It includes, of course, descriptions of a number of operations, successful and otherwise. Also lots on the interminable wrangling within the UK military establishment. I was left a little confused regarding the relationship of the wartime SBS with the SAS and with the modern SBS. I also would have liked a little bit more on the bread-and-butter operations as the book's focus on particularly notable operations paints a slightly negative overall picture as these notable ops include many failures.
Worth reading.
January 21, 2022
Excellent book on the history of SBS. I was lucky enough to hear Saul speaking at Warfest 2021 and he was compelling on stage as he talked about the SBS in the SWW.
Really well written, straight to the point without the ridiculously long chapters.
Saul writes in such away its not hard to picture yourself in the scene.
This clearly the tip of the iceberg of SBS exploits and Sauls book could easily expand to more volumes.
Great book, do not miss it.
Really well written, straight to the point without the ridiculously long chapters.
Saul writes in such away its not hard to picture yourself in the scene.
This clearly the tip of the iceberg of SBS exploits and Sauls book could easily expand to more volumes.
Great book, do not miss it.
February 4, 2024
A fantastic book, the subject matter is extraordinary of course and if anything more interesting than the flood of recent books on the wartime SAS especially the Coppists. The author brings life to all the subjects he has written on and this is no exception, the pace is fast and exciting like the operations. And for those who study the wartime SAS there are lots of links pointed out. Of course one would line the story to continue in detail into the modern era but that cannot be done (yet!).
October 6, 2024
Very fascinating, glad I could read up more on this somewhat overlooked aspect of the war. The SAS often steal a lot of the thunder in popular media. Refreshing to hear about this. Very well written even scene without action and explaining everything behind the scenes so to speak were fairly understandable. The action scenes were very well written and has some solid ideas about the unknowns of the story. Would definitely recommend to someone with an interest in SBS or special forces in general
May 12, 2024
Quite simply - an absolutely breathtaking slice of history on the lives and bravery of a group of exceptionally talented people.
Many of the episodes I did know about and the writing is so engaging and descriptive that you can almost taste the salt from the sea in which they are set.
A fine tribute to a very special group of people and an excellent read.
Many of the episodes I did know about and the writing is so engaging and descriptive that you can almost taste the salt from the sea in which they are set.
A fine tribute to a very special group of people and an excellent read.
October 31, 2021
An authoritative but rather dry account of the SBS exploits during WW2. Recommended for military history enthusiasts. It demonstrates the difference a small number of exceptional individuals can make.
December 15, 2022
This exceeded expectations, really detailed and thrilling throughout. A great insight into some amazing feats of bravery I had never heard about before. The section of operation Frankton was particulary good.
July 5, 2023
I've done a lot of reading on WWII. I was unaware of the SBS until I came across this at my library. At times there were a lot of names added in and I had trouble keeping some of them straight, but overall it was a good book.
October 30, 2021
Well researched throughout and written in an engaging style.
March 5, 2022
Absolutely superb book, very well researched and full of excellent anecdotes, facts and analysis.
April 2, 2022
An OK book - a lack of useful maps and diagrams made many of the operations difficult to follow. An amazing group of men but I don't feel the book did them full justice.
January 25, 2025
Nice coverage on the sbs history
November 25, 2025
Another first rate book by one of the best current military historians.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews