Overview

With riveting combat writing and masterful research, award-winning historian and #1 internationally bestselling author Damien Lewis delivers the remarkable true story of Britain’s infamous  Special Air Service (SAS) forces, their legendary commander, and the impossibly daring, historic mission to liberate Europe via the largest invasion fleet ever assembled. By the author of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - now a major motion picture. July 1943: The largest invasion fleet ever assembled sailed for fortress Europe, aiming to bulldoze its way onto Nazi shores. At its vanguard went a few hundred elite forces soldiers. The Royal Navy warship carrying them—a former passenger ferry transformed for battle—bore the iconic winged dagger emblem carved on its prow, plus the motto ‘Who Dares Wins,’ painstakingly fashioned with the most rudimentary tools by Sergeant William ‘Bill’ Deakins, the foremost explosives expert on board and a Royal Engineer by trade. Led by the SAS commander Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne, these war-bitten, piratical raiders were tasked with the impossible—to be the first among the fleet—the very tip of the spear—to bludgeon their way through the most heavily defended enemy shoreline, enabling the ensuing forces to follow on. If they succeeded, it would mark the turning point in the war. If they failed, the consequences were unthinkable. Against all odds, outnumbered some fifty-to-one, and facing a ferocious series of cliffside defenses, they would have to dare all as never before. So begins the true story of the SAS’s incredible mission, an endeavor replete with surprise, shock, action, heroism, and glory, not to mention treachery, dismay—and the longstanding personal aftershocks of brutal and bloody years spent at war.

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9780806542706

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"Praise for Damien Lewis' WWII History Books   ""Exhaustively researched, powerfully written, and utterly gripping. Blows the doors off!"" —Bear Grylls, host of Running Wild, and former British SAS Serviceman on Churchill's Hellraisers   ""A true story that reads better than any thriller."" —Dan Snow, Award-winning British historian on Churchill's Shadow Raiders   ""Lewis presents a richly detailed and nail-biting tale. For readers who enjoy well-told history and scholars of World War II."" —Library Journal on Churchill's Shadow Raiders   ""Anyone who wants to learn more about the origins of the British Special Forces should read this book. It intertwines historical research and eyewitness testimony to tell the untold story of heroism, courage, and ingenuity."" —Military Press on Churchill's Shadow Raiders   ""Superb...Reads like an adventure novel and the reader may be excused in forgetting that it is a history book."" —SOFREP on Churchill's Shadow Raiders   ""Damien Lewis' wondrously realized Churchill's Shadow Raiders isn't a work of fiction, but that doesn't stop it from reading like a top-notch thriller fashioned by the likes of Jack Higgins or Frederick Forsyth... The narrative is so riveting and powerful that it's easy to forget you're reading fact instead of fiction. Lewis writes with the alacrity of the great Erik Larson while displaying an even keener sense of storytelling."" —The Providence Journal on Churchill's Shadow Raiders   ""Lamentably the role of technology in the Second World War has received relatively little attention compared to major campaigns, particularly given the importance of technology in winning the war. The conflict was fundamentally a technological race for better military intelligence and improved weaponry. In this regard, Damien Lewis' Churchill's Shadow Raiders reveals the crucial role of radar in defeating the Luftwaffe, itself a precedent for the Anglo-American landings in 1944."" —The Churchill Bulletin on Churchill's Shadow Raiders   ""A little-known behind-the-lines spectacular led by two heroic British officers. Successful niche military history for a popular audience."" —Kirkus Reviews on Churchill's Hellraisers   ""Military historian Lewis delivers an action-packed account of special operations missions against Nazi forces in Northern Italy during WWII...He sets a brisk pace and laces the narrative with colorful character sketches. Battleground history buffs will be entertained."" —Publishers Weekly on Churchill's Hellraisers"

Author Information

Damien Lewis is an award-winning historian, war reporter, and bestselling author. He spent over two decades reporting from war, disaster, and conflict zones around the world, winning numerous awards. He has written more than twenty books, including The Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare, Agent Josephine, Churchill’s Band of Brothers, SAS Ghost Patrol, and The Nazi Hunters. His work has been published in over forty languages, and many of his books have been made, or are being developed, as feature films, TV series, or as plays for the stage. Lewis is a Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Visit him online at DamienLewis.com.

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