Book review; ” SAS, rogue heroes” by Ben MacIntyre
And what a good read it is. Fast paced and well written, it really is a "can’t put down" book. MacIntyre writes like a novelist rather than a historian so it’s not as heavy going as some military historical tomes.
Officially authorized by the SAS and limited to operations during World War Two, it does paint a glowing picture of the unit, though at times overstating the uniqueness and innovation of their methods and materials.
The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) is mentioned as the unit’s "Taxi drivers" in the North African desert, but the LRDG gave the SAS more than that. They inspired much of the development of the SAS tactics and even borrowed the groups methods. Just one example, MacIntyre implies it was David Stirling’s idea to attach the Vickers K airforce machine gun to vehicles (jeeps in the SAS case) but in fact the LRDG had been using the Vickers K on their trucks for long before the SAS acquired their Jeeps. Likewise that peculiar pirate look of beards and Arab headdress the LRDG men had long adopted before the SAS was formed.
In fact at the end of the war the SAS was still little known in the public consciousness of Britain and the Commonwealth. It was the Long Range Desert Group who were the stuff of legends. That said the book is a good read and I recommend it.
