The Barnes & Noble Review
They were rogues, reprobates, and ruffians; audacious freethinkers and eccentrics. Some were short a full deck, and others were plug- uglies, dark, cruel, who "blurred the distinction between rough justice and cold-blooded killing." To Britain's military traditionalists during the Second World War, the Special Air Service — SAS for short — were "the sweepings of the public schools and the prisons": impertinent saboteurs, assassins, and damned unsporting. Damned right, says Ben Macintyre in Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit that Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War. The author of A Spy Among Friends and Agent Zigzag sketches a rumbustious, polychromatic group portrait of a young corps of unconventional fighters, more interested in the war than in the army. For what they did — infiltrate themselves behind enemy lines, there to wreak as much havoc on the Axis forces as their imaginations could muster — required self-reliance and instantaneous decision making. (For their own part, the SAS referred to the regular army that snubbed them as "freemasons of mediocrity.")
One of the remarkable aspects of Macintyre's authorized-if-not- official history is that he keeps a cool hand on the theatrics — the availability of daring encounters simply begs for pyrotechnics — while maintaining an edge-of-the-seat narrative. The exploits have an authentic feel — he was able to work from primary source material, which certainly helped — and it is no easy thing to capture the spell of dire circumstance and distill it in such a way to be experiential to those who've never spent a moment wondering where in the darkness that sniper is. The writing gives us a taste of today's Deltas and SEALs, where this type of activity is carried out numerous times, every night, somewhere in the world. Clandestine fighting is nothing new, but its modern manifestation was the brainstorm of an irresponsible, gadabout Scottish aristocrat.
David Stirling dreamed up the SAS while recuperating from a parachuting accident. Unschooled but fascinated by parachuting's military prospects, Stirling simply improvised a test run. Three men threw themselves out of a totally inappropriate aircraft: first a Mr. Lewes, then a Mr. D'Arcy, then Mr. Stirling. "D'Arcy later wrote: 'I was surprised to see Lieutenant Stirling pass me in the air.' " (Another of Rogue Heroes' pleasures are the quotes Macintyre pulls from the diaries and letters of the SAS men.) Stirling, whose chute had fouled, must have been surprised, too, and unhappily. Yet, bed rest following that mishap gave Stirling opportunity to hatch a plan: drop small, highly mobile groups of raiders behind enemy lines to conduct improvisational sabotage and ambushes, sow confusion, sap morale. They would have to be fearless, crazy, or both, but they could be instrumental in disrupting Axis plans. They would also provide what might have been an even greater purpose: "War was not just a matter of bombs and bullets, but of capturing imaginations." Stirling's combination of daring and romance made him the perfect Scarlet Pimpernel. He was the personification of T. E. Lawrence's words: "Nine-tenths of tactics are certain, and taught in books: but the irrational tenth is like the kingfisher flashing across the pool." That, and Stirling's successful wooing of Winston Churchill to form his unit.
Macintyre goes through each SAS operation, long on details while improbably light on his feet: "The SAS had fought desert war, guerrilla war, and conventional war [to their dismay], a war in forests, mountains, and fields, on freezing snow, clinging mud, and baking sand." They were the sharp end of the stick. One day it would be Thermopylae, with a handful of irregulars fighting off an entire Panzer division; the next day, they would be Hannibal in reverse, hightailing it over freezing mountain passes in northern Italy. There are also the particulars, which Macintyre attends to assiduously, such as the Libyan Taxi Service (the Long Range Desert Group, who ferried the SAS around the German flanks) or the two rowboats that passed in the Mediterranean night, one full of SAS men, the other manned by Patrick Leigh Fermor, "on a mission to link up with the Cretan partisans." They "'exchanged shadow greetings' in the twilight, and paddled on." These little intimacies lighten tales burdened by scenes of death and carnage.
The men of the SAS, and the men and women they work with and against, take the limelight in what heretofore was a shadow play. If Macintyre cannot look into their minds, with the exception of a few who survive today, he can read their actions, pick up on their frictions, rivalries, and friendships. They become close enough in view for their deaths to sting and their successes to occasion a hoot of gratification. They are filthy, happy, and dangerous, one an ice cream maker, others including a potato farmer from the Channel Islands, a bagpiper, an international rugby star, and more Scottish aristos than there are crags in the Highlands. As well, Macintyre watches as the war grinds on and even those with a predilection for risk wear thin. Internal demons were gaining ground: "Something was crumbling within." Peace would not come too soon for the SAS.
In the end, Macintyre doesn't have to sing their praises. He lets others do it. Consider the most starched and prickly of all: General Bernard Montgomery, the crustiest of the old-schoolers, who looked on the SAS with a jaundiced eye, but still . . . "The boy Stirling is mad. Quite, quite mad. However, in war there is often a place for mad people."
Peter Lewis is the director of the American Geographical Society in New York City. A selection of his work can be found at writesformoney.com.
Reviewer: Peter Lewis
The New York Times Book Review - Max Boot
The origins of the S.A.S. are recounted with verve by the veteran British historian and journalist Ben Macintyre, who has made a specialty of writing about clandestine operations in World War II and beyond…This is hardly the first time the S.A.S. story has been told…but Rogue Heroes is the best and most complete version of the tale, because Macintyre was granted access to a hitherto-secret scrapbook known as the SAS War Diary…[A] highly enjoyable and entertaining narrative…
The New York Times - Michiko Kakutani
Ben Macintyre's suspenseful new book…reads like a mashup of The Dirty Dozen and The Great Escape, with a sprinkling of Ocean's 11 thrown in for good measure…Mr. Macintyre draws sharp, Dickensian portraits of these men, and he displays his usual gifts here for creating a cinematic narrative that races along, as Mr. Stirling's crews find themselves in one harrowing situation after another…attempting to extricate themselves from dire predicaments that would test the resourcefulness, never mind stiff upper lip, of James Bond…Mr. Macintyre is masterly in using details to illustrate his heroes' bravery, élan and dogged perseverance…Rogue Heroes…provide[s] a gripping account of the early days of S.A.S. and some understanding of just how rapidly it revolutionized a form of modern war that has grown ever more important as governments seek to find alternatives to traditional and costly wars of occupation.
Publishers Weekly
07/25/2016
Macintyre (A Spy Among Friends), who specializes in writing about espionage and clandestine operations, describes the founding and operations of the British Army’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) regiment during WWII, in this well-written and comprehensive history. The SAS was born not from the staff work of military professionals but from the imagination of a very junior officer who was convalescing in a hospital. Macintyre uses unprecedented access to the SAS official records, along with memoirs, diaries, and interviews with the few surviving veterans, to chronicle the major operations, key personalities, successes, and failures of the regiment in WWII. He vividly captures the bravery and the sheer audaciousness of the SAS troopers and their leadership operating hundreds of miles behind enemy lines. Macintyre also illuminates their faults, including failed operations, lack of discipline, and drunkenness. He demonstrates that even in a global war, a few uniquely talented, imaginative, and bold individuals of relatively junior rank can have a major impact. Macintyre delivers a solid history and an enjoyable read that will appeal to those interested in military history as well as readers who enjoy real-life tales of adventure. Agent: Ed Victor, Ed Victor Ltd. (U.K.). (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Named a "Top 10 Title for 2016" by the Washington Post and NPR
“Ben Macintyre’s suspenseful new book, Rogue Heroes, about the founding of Britain’s S.A.S. during World War II, reads like a mashup of 'The Dirty Dozen' and 'The Great Escape,' with a sprinkling of “Ocean’s 11” thrown in for good measure… Mr. Macintyre draws sharp, Dickensian portraits of these men, and he displays his usual gifts here for creating a cinematic narrative that races along… Mr. Macintyre is masterly in using details to illustrate his heroes’ bravery, élan and dogged perseverance…a gripping account of the early days of S.A.S.”
—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
"Rogue Heroes is a terrific story of human enterprise, endurance and achievement and vividly brings to life an extraordinary cast of characters…. An absorbing story of derring-do, told with skill and flair.”
—Wall Street Journal
“[A] riveting new history… Macintyre has produced yet another wonderful book… even minor characters bristle with life.... This is the spot in the book review where I’m supposed to find some point to quibble with, some omission, some historical inaccuracy, some flaw. Sorry to disappoint. The fact is Macintyre has produced yet another wonderful book. As Captain What What might have put it, this is a ripping good read.”
—The Washington Post
"Rogue Heroes is a thrilling saga, breathtakingly told, full of daring and heroes… One of the many virtues of this volume… is the surprising small asides tucked into these pages, tiny truths that give the book depth along with derring-do.”
—The Boston Globe
“Rogue Heroes is the best and most complete version of the tale...a highly enjoyable and entertaining narrative.”
—New York Times Book Review
“One of the remarkable aspects of Macintyre’s authorized-if-not-official history is that he keeps a cool hand on the theatrics…while maintaining an edge-of-the-seat narrative. The exploits have an authentic feel…and it is no easy thing to capture the spell of dire circumstance and distill it in such a way to be experiential to those who’ve never spent a moment wondering where in the darkness that sniper is.”
—Christian Science Monitor
“[This] entertaining World War II history will keep you tossing and alert late into the night.”
—Florida Times-Union
“Rogue Heroes provides an inside look at an important struggle.”
—Galveston Daily News
“Mr. Macintyre demonstrates superb skill as a journalist and a writer in this riveting book that takes readers into a long-past and still-frightening world of what real war was like.”
—The Washington Times
“[A] well-written and comprehensive history . . . Macintyre uses unprecedented access to the SAS official records, along with memoirs, diaries, and interviews with the few surviving veterans, to chronicle the major operations, key personalities, successes, and failures of the regiment in WWII. He vividly captures the bravery and the sheer audaciousness of the SAS troopers and their leadership operating hundreds of miles behind enemy lines. . . . Macintyre delivers a solid history and an enjoyable read that will appeal to those interested in military history as well as readers who enjoy real-life tales of adventure.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A rollicking tale of ‘unparalleled bravery and ingenuity, interspersed with moments of rank incompetence, raw brutality and touching human frailty.’”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A brilliant account…The author offers vivid information…The story will echo the voices of future generations of special forces hear in Marcus Luttrell’s Lone Survivor and Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down. Macintyre’s masterly storytelling highlights the bravery of these valiant men.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“A superb study of wartime daring. A compelling tale full of jeopardy: bone-shattering parachute drops, terrifying night-time raids on Nazi airfields, fizzing explosive fuses, near escapes in screaming jeeps, harrowing marches through deserts, frozen forest encounters with desperate Germans and mad, edgy drinking bouts that could end with grenades being flourished.”
—Daily Telegraph
“Told with brilliance. 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.”
—Evening Standard
“Follows the SAS from its early days in north Africa to the end of the war. Throughout the tales of scarcely believable heroism, derring-do, courage, camaraderie and endurance come faster than the bullets out of a Vickers machine gun. Meticulously researched. Macintyre 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.”
—Daily Express
“A refreshing account of the origins of the regiment of balaclava-clad silent killers during the Second World War. 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.”
—Evening Standard (A Book of the Year)
“Thrilling. Ben Macintyre is the ideal narrator.”
—Spectator
“Macintyre tells it with flair. A great read of wartime adventuring.”
—Richard Overy, The Guardian
“A master at setting the pulse racing, Macintyre relates stories of raw courage and daring.”
—Tony Rennell, Daily Mail
“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.”
—The Times
“Grippingly readable. Macintyre tells the extraordinary story of the SAS compellingly.”
—Scotsman
“Fascinating, entertaining, insightful, thoughtful. Macintyre tells the story of the early years of the SAS with panache.”
—Mail on Sunday
“Macintyre writes with the diligence and insight of a journalist, and the panache of a born storyteller.”
—John Banville, author of The Sea and The Untouchable
“By far the best book on the SAS in World War II—impeccably researched and superbly told.”
—Antony Beevor, author of D-Day and Stalingrad
“We all have to come from somewhere. Rogue Heroes gives a glimpse deep down the rabbit hole into how the special forces world started. This is a great look at how a motivated bunch of badasses changed the tide of war and carved the path for the rest of us to follow.”
—Marcus Luttrell, former U.S. Navy SEAL and author of Lone Survivor
'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'
—Laurence Rees, author of World War II Behind Closed Doors
Library Journal
05/01/2016
A writer-at-large for the London Times who's had best-selling hits with books like Agent Zigzag, Macintyre chronicles the little-known Special Air Service (SAS), a secret organization during World War II that parachuted highly trained soldiers behind enemy lines to sabotage the German war effort. Resisted by some as a violation of the rules of war, the SAS was said to have changed the course of the war—and how wars are fought generally. Macintyre has been appointed its chief historian.
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2016-07-19
An “authorized” but not “official” or “comprehensive” history of Britain’s swashbuckling Special Air Service.Times (London) writer at large Macintyre (A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal, 2014, etc.) was given full access to SAS archives and particularly the “War Diary,” an invaluable compilation of original documents gathered in 1946. The author makes engaging use of those archives. In 1941, the war was not going well, especially in North Africa. As Macintyre clearly shows, the SAS fighters were rowdy, undisciplined, inspiring men who were more harnessed than controlled, and they were to function as a small, independent army inflicting damage out of all proportion to their size. They fought a new sort of war, one without rules, based on a concept of stealth and economy. Their founder, David Stirling, built a group of guerrillas who planned to get behind enemy lines for quick, effective attacks. Their initial setup included very little, so they just stole what they needed from a nearby New Zealand regiment away on maneuvers. During their first operation, they parachuted in, but after a disastrous failure, they looked for a better entry. Connecting with the Long Range Desert Group gave them their own “Libyan Taxi Service” run by men who knew the desert as well as any Bedouin. American Jeeps were the next piece, refitted to become all-terrain combat vehicles. The SAS stole into German airfields, attached their specially adapted bombs to planes, and were well away before the fireworks. After Winston Churchill’s son reported on his time in the SAS, the prime minister summoned Stirling to dinner in Cairo, where he made a bold play to take full control of all of the special forces. These were incredibly courageous men who often seemed allergic to discipline but who fought hard and died throughout Africa and Europe. A rollicking tale of “unparalleled bravery and ingenuity, interspersed with moments of rank incompetence, raw brutality and touching human frailty.”
