2SAS: Bill Stirling and the forgotten special forces unit of World War II

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But was he really a military genius or in fact a shameless self-publicist who manipulated people, and the truth, for this own ends? Their first commanders, David Stirling and Paddy Mayne, would go down in history as unorthodox visionaries. By looking beyond the myth, this book brings back to life a group of men who showed immense bravery and endured unimaginable risks behind enemy lines. In this gripping and controversial biography Gavin Mortimer analyses Stirling's complex character: the childhood speech impediment that shaped his formative years, the pressure from his overbearing mother, his fraught relationship with his brother, Bill, and the jealousy and inferiority he felt in the presence of his SAS second-in-command, the cold-blooded killer Paddy Mayne. His formation of the Special Air Service in the summer of 1941 led to a new form of warfare and Stirling is remembered as the father of special forces soldiering. Some books MAY have a red or black dot or line on the edge of the page by the spine. Yet this book tells much more than the usual origin story of the unit and seeks out less well-known leaders like Bill Fraser, who was essential in helping the SAS achieve fame for their devastating raids. The authorised illustrated history of the SAS by the number one bestselling author of Dunkirk, Joshua Levine. That's why the price is so AMAZING.