Impeccably researched, superbly told – by far the best book on the SAS in World War II

Told with deceptive brilliance… one the finest books of its kind. Macintyre has a wonderful eye for eccentricity, and the narrative is peppered with extraordinary characters. At times there is more than a whiff of PG Wodehouse or Evelyn Waugh. The SAS are still about the best of their kind, and how they began to achieve this is an exotic saga indeed. No one will ever tell it better than this

Excellent… accessible yet authoritative. Delivers stories of tremendous adventure and derring-do, but also offers more than straightforward military history. This book has many strengths but perhaps its greatest is how thought-provoking it is

The author has written about a fascinating subject in a way that would make any thriller writer proud. As a work of military history it is thorough and highly entertaining. It would be nigh on impossible to praise it too highly

Ben Macintyre’s coverage of the SAS in north Africa and, later, Italy, France and Germany, is brilliant, blending gripping narratives of fighting with descriptions of the fears of individual soldiers before battle and their reactions to its horror… Britain’s martial pantheon is full of outnumbered heroes who wouldn’t throw in the sponge. Henry V’s band of brothers at Agincourt, the redcoats at Waterloo, the defenders of Rorke’s drift, and the paras who charged at Goose Green are part of the tradition that embraces the SAS. This book explains why

A master at setting the pulse racing, Macintyre relates stories of raw courage and daring by extraordinary men

Meticulously researched, splendidly told, immensely entertaining and often very moving

Thrilling … An extraordinary book

Macintyre provides a riveting history of a revolutionary fighting force. Using unprecedented access to British Special Air Service regimental archives, Macintyre has gleaned fascinating material. A ripping good read

A wonderfully refreshing account of the origins of the regiment of balaclava-clad silent killers during the Second World War… The sharp style and sly wit reveal some pretty acute insights into the politics of the nation’s favourite undercover boys