Speed, Aggression, Surprise

The Secret Origins of the Special Air Service

Tom Petch

$24.99

Paperback

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English

W H Allen
21 November 2023

British & Irish history; Air forces & warfare; Special & elite forces; War & defence operations

Ex-SAS Commander and award-winning filmmaker provides a fascinating, myth-busting story of the REAL origins of the SAS, for fans of Ben Macintyre

'Awesome!' ANDY McNAB | 'You must read this book' Colonel TIM COLLINS OBE | 'Extraordinary' Sir RANULPH FIENNES

Forget what you thought you knew. Discover the REAL story of how the SAS was created.

From ex-SAS Commander Tom Petch, this is the never-before-told story of how the world's preeminent Special Forces came into existence. Flashing between dramatic accounts from the frontlines and power negotiations in Westminster, it's an adventure that reaches from the trenches of the Western Front to piracy in the deserts of North Africa, to the final assault on Germany.

Drawing on hidden archives and told with captivating drama, it focuses on two characters largely overlooked in the traditional narrative - Dudley Clarke the mastermind, and William Fraser the frontline operator. Without them there would never have been an SAS.

'Gripping and fascinating... Packed with unforgettable characters and thrilling adventures' WILL IREDALE, bestselling author of The Pathfinders

By: Tom Petch
Imprint: W H Allen
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 126mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 356g
ISBN: 9780753559406
ISBN 10: 0753559404
Pages: 496
Publication Date: 21 November 2023
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Tom Petch served for eight years in the British Army, as a tank commander, adjutant, aide de camp and a Troop Commander of 22 SAS. His military experience gives him a unique perspective on recently declassified archives, operation reports, accounts and interviews of the original SAS and their commanders. He is now an award-winning film director and producer whose debut film, The Patrol, won the Raindance Film Festival. He is also the great-great-great-grandson of Samuel Shepheard, who founded Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo where the SAS was born.

Reviews for Speed, Aggression, Surprise: The Secret Origins of the Special Air Service

Gripping and fascinating in equal measure... A highly readable, fast-paced and enjoyable account of the SAS, packed with unforgettable characters and thrilling adventures * Will Iredale, bestselling author of The Pathfinders * I thought I knew this story. I didn't. Tom Petch's account of the creation of the Special Forces is more complex, more compelling and more inspiring than the versions we've previously heard. And the fate of the men who have been written out of history - until now - gives it a profoundly poignant conclusion. * John Nichol, bestselling author of TORNADO *