Rogue Heroes

Now a limited series on Prime Video! SAS: ROGUE HEROES, starring Connor Swindells, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Allen, and Dominic West The incredible untold story of World War II’s greatest secret fighting force, as told by the modern master of wartime intrigue. Ben Macintyre's latest book of derring-do and wartime intrigue reveals the incredible story of the last truly unsung secret organization of World War II—Britain's Special Air Service, or the SAS. Facing long odds and a tough slog against Rommel and the German tanks in the Middle East theatre, Britain turned to the brainchild of one its most unlikely heroes—David Stirling, a young man whose aimlessness and almost practiced ennui belied a remarkable mind for strategy. With the help of his equally unusual colleague, the rough-and-tumble Jock Lewes, Stirling sought to assemble a crack team of highly trained men who would parachute in behind enemy lines to throw monkey wrenches into the German war machine. Though he faced stiff resistance from those who believed such activities violated the classic rules of war, Stirling persevered and in the process created a legacy. Staffed by brilliant, idiosyncratic men whose talents defied both tradition and expectations, the SAS would not only change the course of the war, but the very nature of combat itself. Written with complete access to the never-before-seen SAS archives (who chose Macintyre as their official historian), Rogue Heroes offers a powerfully intimate look at life on the battlefield as lived by a group of remarkable soldiers whose contributions have, until now, gone unrecognized beyond the classified world. Filled with wrenching set pieces and weaving its way through multiple theatres of our grandest and most terrible war, this book is both an excellent addition to the Macintyre library and a critical piece in our understanding of the war's unfolding.

“Should appeal to readers who enjoy the Captain Underpants and Wimpy Kid series.” - School Library Connection on Kid Normal Since becoming Kid Normal, Murph Cooper and the Super Zeroes – fellow students with arguably less-than-useful talents like the ability to conjure tiny horses from thin air – have been catching bad guys all over the place. But being a hero isn't easy, especially when you can't tell anyone about your epic adventures and your classmates still don't believe you've got what it takes. And then, far away in a top-secret prison, the world's most feared supervillain breaks his thirty-year silence. His first words? “Bring Kid Normal to me!” This supervillain was responsible for stealing the powers from some of the greatest Heroes Alliance members of all time. Does Murph have what it takes to bring him down? With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this laugh-out-loud story proves that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

THE BOOK BEHIND THE UPCOMING BBC SERIES SAS: ROGUE HEROES, STARRING JACK O'CONNELL, ALFIE ALLEN AND DOMINIC WEST. From the secret SAS archives and bestselling author Ben Macintyre: The first ever authorized history of the SAS. 'A master at setting the pulse racing' Daily Mail ________________ In the summer of 1941, at the height of the war in the Western Desert, a bored and eccentric young officer, David Stirling, has a vision for a new kind of war: attacking the enemy where they least expect it - from behind their own lines. Despite the intense opposition of many in British High Command, Winston Churchill personally gives Stirling permission to recruit the toughest, brightest and most ruthless soldiers he can find. And so begins the most celebrated and mysterious military organisation in the world: the SAS. With unprecedented access to the SAS secret files, unseen footage and exclusive interviews with its founder members, SAS: Rogue Heroes tells the remarkable story behind an extraordinary fighting force, and the immense cost of making it a reality. ________________ 'Thorough and highly entertaining. It would be nigh on impossible to praise it too highly' Daily Express 'Impeccably researched, superbly told - by far the best book on the SAS in World War II' Antony Beevor 'Told with deceptive brilliance . . . one the finest books of its kind' Evening Standard

Never before told, Ben Macintyre's The Englishman's Daughter is a harrowing tale of love, duplicity and their tragic consequences, which haunt the people of Villeret eight decades after the Great War. "I have a rendezvous with death, at some disputed barricade." Alan Seeger, 1916 In the first days of World War I four soldiers, left behind as the British army retreated through northern France under the first German onslaught, found themselves trapped on the wrong side of the Western Front, in a tiny village called Villeret. Just a few miles from the Somme, the village would be permanently inundated with German troops for the next four years, yet the villagers conspired to feed, clothe and protect the fugitives under the very noses of the invaders, absorbing the Englishmen into their homes and lives until they could pass for Picardy peasants. The leader of the band, Robert Digby, was a striking young man who fell in love with Claire Dessenne, the prettiest maid in the village. In November 1915, with the guns clearly audible from the battlefront, Claire gave birth to Digby's child, the jealous whispering began, and the conspiracy that had protected the soldiers for half the war started to unravel.

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Rogue Heroes tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Ben Macintyre’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of Rogue Heroes includes: Historical context Chapter-by-chapter overviews Profiles of the main characters Detailed timeline of events Important quotes and analysis Fascinating trivia Glossary of terms Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work About Rogue Heroes:The History of the SAS, Britain’s Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre: Ben Macintyre’s Rogue Heroes is a gripping account of the inception of the British SAS, or Special Air Service, during World War II, which became the forerunner to modern military special forces. In mid-1941, the Axis attack on Europe and North Africa knocked Great Britain onto the ropes. Facing the brilliant German general Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox,” British forces in North Africa were fighting a losing campaign. An iconoclastic young officer named David Stirling conceived an entirely new form of warfare, based on daring attacks by small groups of highly trained soldiers on large strategic targets, striking deep from behind enemy lines. This revolutionary unit became the SAS and changed the nature of warfare itself. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.

A hilarious, illustrated middle-grade adventure about a superhero with no superpowers! "Should appeal to readers who enjoy the Captain Underpants and Wimpy Kid series.†? - School Library Connection When Murph Cooper begins his new school several weeks into the year, he can't help but feel a bit out of his depth. And it's not because he's worried about where to sit, making friends, and fitting in. It's because his mom has accidentally enrolled him at a school for superheroes. And unlike his fellow students, who can control the weather or fly or conjure tiny horses from thin air, Murph has no special abilities whatsoever. But Murph's totally normal abilities might just be what the world needs. Because not far away is a great big bad guy who is half man and half wasp, and his mind is abuzz with evil plans . . . and when he comes after the best and the brightest, it's up to Murph to be the real hero. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this laugh-out-loud story proves that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

The previously personal untold story of the making of a young Commando and SAS soldier in World War 2, from Sark to Stalag VIIA. On his death, Sergeant H Stokes of 2 SAS left a journal that revealed what his life had been like growing up in the shadow of approaching war, which described what life was like operating behind enemy lines in France, the Mediterranean and Italy. In August 1939, an 18 year old Stokey, as he was known to his war-time comrades, left his home in Birmingham to attend a two-week Territorial Army (TA) Camp in Devon, and in those two-weeks he was mobilised when Hitler invaded Poland. This young TA soldier would never put on civilian clothes for another six years. This book charts his journey through 12 Commando, his move to the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF) and eventually on to the 2nd Special Air Service (SAS), and his capture, escape, and recapture behind enemy lines in Italy and Germany in 1944.

'The best biography I've read recently' – Colin Bateman, Sunday Independent An excellent examination of Mayne... Ross corrects many of the myths about him that have flourished over the years - History of War magazine 'This welcome reassessment, officially backed and well-researched, sets the record straight' – Soldier Magazine 'Paddy' Mayne was one of the most outstanding special forces leaders of the Second World War. Hamish Ross's authoritative study follows Mayne from solicitor and rugby international to troop commander in the Commandos and then the SAS, whose leader he later became and whose annals he graced, winning the DSO and three bars, the Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'Honneur. Mayne's achievements attracted attention, and after his early death legends emerged, based largely on anecdote and assertion. Hamish Ross's closely researched biography challenges much of the received version, using contemporary sources, the official war diaries, the chronicle of 1 SAS, Mayne's papers and diaries, and a number of extended interviews with key contemporaries. Ross's analysis shows Mayne to be a dynamic, yet principled and thoughtful man, committed to the unit's original concepts. He was far from flawless, but his leadership and tactical brilliance in the field secured the reputation of the SAS, proving he was every bit a rogue hero.