SAS Band of Brothers: The Last Stand of the SAS and Their Hunt for the Nazi Killers

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The author also discusses the role of 190 and 620 Squadrons, flying four-engine Short Stirling bombers which, although obsolete as heavy bombers, performed superbly in their new role of dropping special forces and agents behind enemy lines, and undertaking airdrops to resistance groups. At its vanguard went a few hundred elite forces soldiers, the Royal Navy warship carrying them bearing the iconic winged dagger emblem on its prow, plus the motto ‘Who Dares Wins’. Barkworth's team were not exactly made in his upper-class image — his second-in-command was Sergeant Fred 'Dusty' Rhodes, who'd been a gardener in Barnsley before the war — but they were all brilliant and relentless former SAS men.

SAS Band of Brothers: The Last Stand of the SAS and Their SAS Band of Brothers: The Last Stand of the SAS and Their

A few months back, I read D-Day Girls, a history of SOE operatives who prepared the way for Operation Overlord by arming resistance cells, passing information along to the Allies, and helping to wreak havoc on the ground in France. It bears all his hallmarks - an epic, page-turning special forces narrative based on hitherto unavailable personal testimony and private family archives. Even in wartime, its clandestine status had been unpopular with some of the top brass and now, evidently, there was no longer any need for it. But they fell victim to an entrapment; the Gestapo used fake radio signals to lure them into an ambush. Next, we are taken through some of the unthinkable missions undertaken during the Second World War and Damien takes us in for a closer look at Operation Gain, when men were dropped behind enemy lines after D-Day.Lewis has poignantly told the stories of these men and their missions with respect and determination. The other players, whose accounts form the basis of this book, are Lieutenant Rex Wiehe, a Mauritian, Corporal Serge Vaculik, a Czech who had joined the Free French and Corporal Thomas ’Ginger’ Jones, and a miner from Wigan. This amazing book has filled in so many gaps, and it commemorates all those consigned by Hitler to the Nacht und Nebel; the night and fog. In the summer of 1943, the largest invasion fleet ever assembled sailed for fortress Europe, aiming to bulldoze its way onto Nazi shores. Amazingly, despite being sick from wounds the Germans had allowed to fester, Garstin managed to spearhead an escape bid.

SAS Band of Brothers by Damien Lewis | Hachette UK SAS Band of Brothers by Damien Lewis | Hachette UK

We are enriched by this story, and, we can only hope that in the future when we send our soldiers into harm’s way we can find, yet, again, such men. SAS Band of Brothers is replete with action, peppered with great characters, and features two of the most daring escapes of WWII. I am in the habit of reading for an hour before going to sleep, but this book kept me reading for an hour. Miraculously, two of the condemned men managed to escape, triggering one of the most secretive Nazi-hunting operations ever, as the SAS vowed to track down every one of the war criminals who had murdered their brothers in arms .

Luckily, after the “Acknowledgments” section I discovered many black and white photos from the World War II period that was covered in the book. I only wish the photos had been inserted earlier in the book rather than after I had read the whole book. In a country crawling with the enemy, their mission is to prevent Hitler from rushing his Panzer divisions to the D-Day beaches and driving the Allies back into the sea. This may seem to be an unusual name for a team of highly professional soldiers but then this is only the first of many extraordinary features of this operation. Turns out this Damien Lewis is not the actor who starred in the series but a military historian, one who specialises in world war two to boot.

Damien Lewis Author – Bestselling Author

Led by Captain Patrick Garstin MC, this elite band destroyed scores of enemy targets, before executing one of the most daring escapes of the war. Damien and James discuss the consequences for SAS troops captured by the Nazis, and the SAS War Crimes Investigation Team - set up in May 1945 - which was responsible for bringing Nazis to justice and for the continuation of the SAS. Miraculously, two escaped, triggering one of the most-extraordinary Nazi-hunting operations, in an unrelenting bid to seek out those responsible for the deaths of their comrades. What followed was a certain group of men to fined the truth to such deaths (murder) and find those responsible and bring to justice!Biography: Damien Lewis is a number one bestselling author whose books have been translated into over forty languages worldwide. Churchill's warriors were to shatter all known rules of warfare, taking the fight to the enemy with no holds barred. This was a very interesting book and I was really surprised to learn about this group of British soldiers. This spellbinding account brings to life the exploits of a brave band of warriors, one of whom was my uncle, Colonel Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne DSO, who commanded the SAS for much of WWII.

SAS band of brothers - Damien Lewis - The Bookery SAS band of brothers - Damien Lewis - The Bookery

Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. This book takes the reader through SAS activities in German occupied France in a way that makes it difficult to put down. The skill of pilots and crews is highlighted, culminating in the audacious extraction of SABU-70 from Étampes aerodrome by a C47 – truly the stuff of Hollywood.As a result of the Germans’ Funkspiel (‘radio game’), SABU-70’s next raid was a disaster, and they were ambushed at their drop zone. Surviving the disbandment of the SAS in September 1945, the WCIT continued to operate secretly alongside the War Office’s own war-crimes investigation unit and brought to trial the six men responsible for the execution of the members of SABU-70. The mission was overseen from London's Hyde Park Hotel by its general manager, Lieutenant-Colonel Brian Franks, who had been a senior SAS commander but took a civilian job now that the regiment was officially no more. This spellbinding account brings to life the exploits of a brave band of warriors, one of whom was my uncle, Colonel Blair 'Paddy' Mayne DSO, who commanded the SAS for much of WWII. I actually thought this book was about a different subject, which was at first disappointing, but damn am I glad of the mistake!