Description
Drawing on recently declassified files and interviews with veterans, this is a fascinating history of Bill Stirling and 2SAS - pioneering founders of modern special forces.
David Stirling is the name synonymous with the wartime SAS, but the real brains behind the operation was in fact Bill Stirling, David's eldest brother. Bill was described in the SAS War Diary as a 'man from the shadows'; it was an apt description for, unlike his attention seeking brother, Bill shunned the spotlight. Now for the first time the truth - and the triumph - of 2SAS is revealed. Having originally joined the SOE in March 1940, Bill Stirling sailed for Cairo in 1941 and there had the idea for a small special forces unit to be led by his mercurial brother. But despite some success, David allowed the legendary 1SAS to drift under his leadership. Following his capture, Bill re-directed 2SAS, under his personal command, to the strategy he had originally envisaged: parachuting behind enemy lines to gather intelligence. Fully illustrated with rare and previously unpublished photographs, this compelling history details how 2SAS fought with ingenuity and aggression, from Italy and then into France before heading through Holland into Germany. The unit was capable of attacking by parachute, jeep or landing craft, establishing a template for future special forces' operations. Their feats have been overshadowed by the many books that have focused on David and 1SAS. 2SAS corrects this oversight, revealing that the real innovator was Bill Stirling - the true pioneer of Who Dares Wins.Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
Published: 10/10/2023
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.40lbs
Size: 9.70h x 7.70w x 1.20d
ISBN13: 9781472856739
ISBN10: 1472856732
BISAC Categories:
- History | Military | Special Forces
- History | Wars & Conflicts | World War II | General
- History | Europe | Great Britain | 20th Century
About the Author
Gavin Mortimer is a writer, historian and television consultant whose groundbreaking book Stirling's Men remains the definitive history of the wartime SAS as a whole. He has also written histories of the SBS and the LRDG, again drawing heavily on veteran interviews. His most recent book, David Stirling: The Phoney Major, was critically acclaimed. He was also the National Army Museum's consultant for their exhibition on history of special forces. Gavin has established media contacts with several national newspapers, BBC local radio stations and Talkradio. He was also a guest speaker at the Chalke Valley History Festival in 2019.