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Rogue Heroes

the History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War
Jan 07, 2019IndyPL_SteveB rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
War is Hell. But at the beginning of World War Two, it was still considered polite Hell. Even with the memories of the trenches from World War One, much of the early Second World War was fought not too much differently from the ways of war two hundred years earlier. Inserting “small groups of highly trained men behind enemy lines, to carry out special operations against high-value targets” was considered not quite “sporting.” However, as it became clear that the German Army was not going to play the “not quite sporting” game, it became apparent that something new was called for -- a new strategy with a new kind of soldier. The history of the Special Air Service (SAS) is fascinating and fully documented by the author, who was given complete access to the records of the SAS in the war, as well as the ability to interview the modern survivors. But I caution you that it is bloody and violent indeed. This is not a World War Two comedy. The Nazi SS troops took few prisoners and were well known to destroy entire villages, killing everyone, to make their points. Late in the war, the SAS began using similar tactics with the SS troops they would capture or defeat. If you are interested in military strategy and the psychology of the kind of men who would find it an entertaining challenge to risk their lives in the most dangerous possible situations, this would be a fine book.