Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War

David Stirling came from an aristocratic family and served in a respected regiment (the Scots Guard), two qualities that instantly conjure up a familiar stereotype: a young officer bearing the weight of centuries of tradition on his shoulders and determined -- to use a modern phrase -- to uphold the brand, brave and determined in battle, but suspicious of departures from the traditional conduct of war, and actively allergic to innovation. In fact, Stirling was nothing of the sort. His brilliant, if undisciplined, mind changed the course of World War II on the North African front, and helped to lay the groundwork for the modern special operations warfare.

Rogue Heroes is equally Stirling's story and the story of the unit he founded: the show more Special Air Service (SAS). Beginning in 1942, Stirling and his men waged unconventional warfare deep behind enemy lines, relying on aircraft, parachutes, and heavily armed jeeps for mobility and surprise. They struck vulnerable, high-value targets like airfields and fuel depots, attacking under cover of darkness, wreaking havoc, and slipping away into the night before the enemy could organize a counterattack. Not for nothing was Stirling known as "the Phantom Major," and not for nothing did the SAS choose "Who Dares Wins" as its motto.

Macintyre tells the intertwined stories of Stirling and the SAS in engaging style. His descriptions of behind-the-scenes raids are gripping, and his portraits of the latter-day pirates who carried them out -- men like Stirling's chief co-conspirator Jock Lewes and the legendary team leader Paddy Mayne -- are vivid. Reading the early history of the SAS, you can see the roots of fictional narratives like The Dirty Dozen and Kelly's Heroes, but also the latter-day remakes of The Italian Job, Mission Impossible, and Ocean's 11. Gratifyingly, Macintyire narrates the heroics in a coolly understated way, resisting the tempation to "make the story more exciting" by layering it in breathless prose. It's the right choice: The story doesn't need it.

A great deal has been written about the SAS, but if you want to read the proverbial "one book" on the subject, or find a good place from which to start a deeper dive, this is an excellent choice. show less

Rogue Heroes, by Ben MacIntyre, is a fascinating story of the special services unit that operated behind enemy lines in North Africa, Italy, and Europe. It includes a large cast of memorable characters and stunning accounts that read like a novel. MacIntyre blends the historical records with letters to home and diary excerpts into a very readable story. It is easy in a book of this nature to get caught up with stats and details, but that is not the case here. I found myself reading this at the same pace I would an exciting novel.
One of the highlights of this book is that it focuses on an area that is rarely recounted in the general histories of World War II. I have read many books set in this theater, and yet knew very little about this show more fascinating unit.
My only complaint - and thus 4 starts - is that this book just begs for maps and pictures and there aren't any of either. Maps showing the locations of the action would have added to the experience and understanding of the difficulties of some of the missions. show less

Digging deep into the SAS Regimental Archives, Ben Macintyre has produced a history of the SAS proceeding from the formation through the regiment’s activities during WWII. Macintyre has the ability to render a specific period in time extremely compelling and readable. He has done that here. Macintyre coaxes the personalities from various regiment members, some long dead, which brings the book alive.

The SAS was the creation of David Stirling, a Scot described by Winston Churchill’s son, who was under Stirling’s command, as “one of the few people who think of the war in three-dimensional terms.” Stirling and Jock Lewes, who was later killed in action, developed a fighting force that broke the mold of traditional combat to that show more point, sneaking deep behind enemy lines and creating havoc through hit-and-run raids and bombings. They harassed German forces in the African desert, creeping onto airstrips and blowing up planes, and disrupting supply lines. “The SAS was pioneering a new sort of war, so asymmetrical as to be almost lopsided.” “This was war on the hoof, invented ad hoc, unpredictable, highly effective and often chaotic.” Macintyre tells the story with verve. show less

This biography of the birth and WWII exploits of the SAS was very-well researched from their archives and first-hand reminiscences. The initial start-up and actions in Egypt and neigbouring countries during the desert war with the Afrika Corps was the most interesting to me.

Once the exploits moved into the European and Russian theatres, I lost a sense of the camaraderie. The horrors of the Nazi camps was too difficult to do anything but skim, so that is a personal bias.
History buffs will perhaps have more positive insights, but I thought the personalities so well-developed initially as the rogue misfits, were relegated to the greater events later in Europe.

Ben Macintyre is certainly accomplished in writing creatively and brought some show more interesting aspects of SAS history forward without glorifying the situation. show less

Ben McIntyre ( despite a recent sidestep into the life of the British traitor Kim Philby) happily resides in world of WWII Britain. He has made a cottage industry of book after excellent book based largely upon newly declassified documentation. This latest effort details the successes and travails of the Special Air Service. The highly mobile unit outside the usual chain of command was formed as a response to the needs for modern warfare methods. The SAS was initially used to brilliant effect in North Africa. They could attack targets on the fly, appearing and disappearing into the desert night, after wreaking maximum damage and chaos with a minimum of personnel or supplies. Exceedingly demoralizing to the Axis Forces.

I have always show more enjoyed McIntyre's writing for its narrative arc and his eye for the telling detail. I particularly enjoyed his telling of the unit's founding under David Stirling - a rogue if there ever was one, but a rogue's who's idea came at exactly the perfect moment in the war effort. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a crew of military misfits, chaffing under the usual command, but wily tacticians and commandos. Rogue Heroes, addressing an entire unit for an entire war, will perforce be broader in scope as many of his prior works. Those often dealt with specific missions (Operation Piecemeal), individuals (Agent ZigZag) or a group of double agents (Double Cross). This latest effort rightly takes its place alongside. A great read, particularly for those, like me, who can never get enough of history, politics and WWII. show less

With Rogue Heroes, Ben Macintyre presents another interesting military narrative which tells the history of the SAS (Special Air Service), Britain's secret special forces unit of World War II. Running counter to traditional warfare tactics, the SAS approach was to insert small groups of highly trained men behind enemy lines to destroy high-value targets, such as aircraft, supply depots, rail lines, and roads. In telling the story, Macintyre, as he did so well in Operation Mincemeat, again effectively paints the portraits of a colorful cast of characters, with special attention given to explaining the mental makeup of the men and the profound psychological scars the war had on them. Initially, the SAS operated in the desert terrain in show more North Africa, and it is these exploits in the that are the most riveting. The unit is later reconfigured and redeployed in Europe, engaging in more standard military assignments, and this part of the narrative, absent the novelty of the "desert rat" missions, is somewhat less engaging to the reader. Nevertheless, there are moments of truly great emotion and poignancy that the author presents all the way through, and Macintyre's artful skill of bringing these heroic men to life is woven throughout, and ultimately holds the book together. show less

This is a book deserving of a Spielberg-helmed HBO miniseries. Telling the true story of the Special Air Service, Britain's behind-enemy-lines special operations force (and the model for much of the rest of the world's), MacIntyre breathes life into the eclectic characters who pioneered this vector of asymmetric warfare.

Like most wars, the early stages are the most romantic: the imagining and forging of the elite unit in the vast Libyan desert is immersive, riveting, and deserving of 2/3rds of the book's pages. The book then follows these men (and those they recruited) through Italy and France, daring escapes from both POW camps and Administrative conflict, and the war's end in Germany.

If you have taken the time to read this review, show more you will enjoy reading this book. After you finish, at least one friend and likely multiple family members will also enjoy reading it. You should write your name largely, in indelible ink, in several locations to ensure its return. If you are a Hollywood studio head or megastar, you should immediately purchase the film rights. show less