David Abrutat is an ex-Royal Marine Commando and former Reconnaissance specialist who has been long being fascinated with the Second World War and the work of clandestine forces around the world. He is currently an Associate Fellow and Lecturer on the MA Security and Intelligence Studies in the Department of Economics and International Studies at the University of Buckingham.
'[The] author of this outstanding book says he has long been in awe of the fortitude and resilience of the elite men and women who volunteered for special services duty during World War Two. He's certainly paid tribute to them here. Particularly interesting are the many previously untold first-hand accounts...It's a wonderful experience for us to share the author's journey through recently declassified top secret documents, letters, diaries and personal accounts...Throughout 20 fascinating and impeccably researched chapters we meet many heroes and heroines...Vanguard is a powerhouse in the canon of military history works' Britain at War 'Among the numerous books published to mark the 75th anniversary of D Day, Vanguard must surely rank among the very best' Gill Dowdall-Brown