A controversial examination of the events as told by McNab and Ryan in their memoirs. Asher, a former territorial SAS member, repudiates the more gung ho aspects of the B20 myth with eye witness accounts from Iraqis. The operation is recounted in a superbly detailed way. Nicols focuses on several key characters and the reader follows them through the battle. Before the pandemic, I went to Belfast to do a fundraiser for injured police officers. We had a female officer with an MP5 in her bag and a covert convoy," he says. It is incredibly refreshing to read of these fabulously daring missions: of men of astonishing courage blowing up bridges, surveying invasion beaches, sinking ships in harbour and making clandestine rendezvous with secret agents – all by canoe and midget submarine …This is a terrific book, written with all the gusto, thrills and heady excitement these SBS operations richly deserve. It really is one of the most enjoyable histories I’ve read in many a year’

The first problem is the mission. The SBS has historically specialized in coastal reconnaissance. A vital task that is also done quietly. Successful recces involve slipping onto a coastline, assessing the beach, then slipping out unnoticed. A vital task, but not one that makes for terribly exiting stories (excluding those from WWII). The second problem is the vagueness of stories. Parker explains that SBS units deployed to certain regions (usually alongside other units like the SAS) but rarely provides mission details, often stating that they were “involved” with missions like intelligence gathering.He wrote it, in part, because he feels the SBS deserves some of the admiration his previous books have won for the SAS, and also to pay tribute to the huge number of people - "air assets, medical assets, communications assets" - involved in such a complex operation. All his books have to be vetted by the Ministry of Defence, but hardly anything was changed in this one because he jokes: "It makes them look good!" This is a terrific book, written with all the gusto, thrills and heady excitement these SBS operations richly deserve. It really is one of the most enjoyable histories I’ve read in many a year. Ashdown, a former SBS man himself, would be proud.

He must have been about 70 years old," recalled Courtney, "and had a brown leathery wiriness remarkable in a man of that age. He had come about 500 miles in a week, but he apologised mildly for being late; he stated that he had stopped once or twice along the coast to sample the seaweed." A compact but fact-filled book which charts SAS history from World War 2 all the way until the current war on terror. There's plenty of colour photos throughout, along with little snippets of info on weapons, tactics etc, which makes this a great resource for dipping into every now and then.Despite battling heavy winds, a rising swell and a hole in their canoe (a gash they tried to stem with one of their Commando woolly hats), they managed to breach the defences of a major enemy port, having reached their target, set the mines, escaped again and rendezvoused with the launch only minutes before their canoe sank. Duncan Falconer is the pseudonym of an author and former Special Boat Service commando. [1] As a child, he was raised in an orphanage in North London before being adopted by a family from Battersea. [2] Military career [ edit ] Paddling flimsy canoes, and armed only with knives, pistols and a few sub-machine guns, this handful of brave and determined men operated deep behind enemy lines in the full knowledge that if caught they might be executed. Many were. The Special Boat Service is perhaps less well known than its special forces cousin the SAS. Both were formed due to the requirements of the second world war. In the SBS's case to sabotage ships and coastal installations and to survey beaches ahead of landings.

Riveting … Saul David has shown great skill in pulling the disparate threads of unit reports into a cohesive story. The knowledge of those involved, their bravery and jeopardy, will grip the general reader’ Immediately the weather and the powerful tidal set took hold of the mass of boats and swept them steadily, innocent and unknowing, to the east… The whole assault force on 'Omaha' had slipped sideways." The book is a mix of chapters between planning/organizational and operations. I'd say 65% of the book was devoted to operations. And these are the star of the show. The training regime in Courtney's SBS was brutal and relentless. One punishing exercise lasted three days and nights, remembered recruit Stan Weatherall, as they paddled the more than 80 miles across the Firth of Clyde where they "effected a landing at Craignish Point". This is the story of a unit that seems very difficult to tell. Part of the problem may be the missions of the unit itself. The other part may be the secrecy that the unit maintains; but telling the story of the Special Boat Service seems to be quite problematic.

In regards to United States Special Operations Forces, it is the Army units that tend to be less vocal about their exploits (Rangers, Special Forces, and Delta Force, though popular media exists about all three), while the Navy units (particularly the SEAL Teams) are seen as glory hounds and media darlings due to the sheer volume of books, TV shows, films, and former SEALs turned celebrities that exist out there. Yet their many improbable achievements – destroying enemy ships and infrastructure, landing secret agents, tying up enemy forces, spreading fear and uncertainty, and, most importantly, preparing the ground for D-Day – helped to make an Allied victory possible. Two of Courtney's best operators were Lieutenant Robert "Tug" Wilson and Marine Wally Hughes who would, over eight months in 1941, execute a succession of daring operations.