SAS: The Illustrated History of the SAS
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The SAS began as a lie, a story of a British parachute unit in the North African desert, to convince the Axis they were under imminent threat. The lie was so effective that soon a small band of men were brought together to make it real. These recruits were the toughest and brightest of their cohort, the most resilient, most dynamic and most self-sufficient. Their first commanders, David Stirling and Paddy Mayne, would go down in history as unorthodox visionaries. Yet this book tells much more than the usual origin story of the unit and seeks out less well-known leaders like Bill Fraser, who was essential in helping the SAS achieve fame for their devastating raids. By looking beyond the myth, this book brings back to life a group of men who showed immense bravery and endured unimaginable risks behind enemy lines.
Written with the full cooperation of the SAS and with exclusive access to SAS archives, Levine draws on individual stories and personal testimony, including interviews with veterans and family members. On every page, the book gives a visceral sense of what it was like to fight and train in the SAS in both North Africa and Europe during the Second World War, focusing on their failures as well as their successes.
This book is vivid with the characters of the men, their eclectic personalities, their strengths, weaknesses and many disagreements. Levine has uncovered a remarkable portrait of this enigmatic unit with photographs and stories long thought lost to history
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Joshua Levine has written seven bestselling history books including several titles in the Forgotten Voices series. Beauty and Atrocity, his account of the Irish Troubles, was nominated for the Writers’ Guild Book of the Year Award. On a Wing and a Prayer, his history of the pilots of the First World War, has been turned into a major television documentary. He has written and presented a number of programmes for BBC Radio 4. Most recently he has acted as historical advisor on Christopher Nolan’s movie, Dunkirk. Born in the Bahamas, he was a criminal barrister in a previous life. He lives in London.
