FROM THE DESK OF BEN MACINTYRE

Dear Reader,
The SAS is one of the most famousand mysteriousfighting forces in the world, and 2016
marks the 75th anniversary of its founding. Today we take special forces for granted as
an integral part of every modern army. But at the time of its founding, the SAS was an
experiment, and an unpopular one at that: small groups of highly skilled men, the first
trained to go behind enemy lines and carry out special operations against high-value targets.
Despite early doubters, the SAS quickly grew into the most formidable commando unit of WWII,
and inspired special forces across the world, including the US Delta Force and Navy SEALs.
The SAS was at the sharp end of the Second World Wars toughest assignments, from
spearheading the Allied invasion to parachuting into occupied France for D-Day. Yet
throughout the war, and for many years afterwards, the activities of this specialized
regiment were a closely guarded secret. Rogue Heroes is the authorized history* of that
secret, written with full and unprecedented access to the SAS regimental archivesan
astonishingly rich trove of unpublished material, including top-secret reports, memos,
private diaries, letters, memoirs, maps, and hundreds of hitherto unseen photographs. I also
met with the handful of survivors from the war, who were authorized to speak openly to me
about their experiences.
I came to the history of the SAS fully expecting to find a tale of adrenalized, masculine
derring-do. I discovered something rather different. The wartime history of the SAS is much
more than just a rattling adventure story (though it is certainly that). The project turned
out to be a study of character and an exploration of the nature of courage itself. Recruits
tended to be unusual to the point of eccentricity, people who did not fit easily into the
ranks of the regular army, and while they certainly exhibited extraordinary qualities, they
were also human: flawed, occasionally cruel, and capable of making spectacular mistakes.
The SAS has become a legend, but the true story contains darkness as well as light, tragedy
and evil alongside heroism; it is a tale of unparalleled bravery and ingenuity, interspersed
with moments of raw brutality and touching human frailty. In short, men of the SAS were
misfits and reprobates, part soldiers and part spies...rogue heroes.
Ben Macintyre

*P.S. Note that this is not an official history of the SAS; although I have been generously aided by the SAS Regimental
Association at every stage of its production, the views expressed herein are entirely my own, and not those of the regiment.

ON SALE 10/4/2016 | ISBN: 978-1-101-90416-9

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SAMPLE SELECTION OF THE ARCHIVAL PHOTOS* FEATURED IN

ROGUE HEROES

COLONEL SIR ARCHIBALD

DAVID STIRLING
A descendant of Charles II,
King of Scots, who tried his
hand as an artist, architect,
cowboy and mountaineer
before joining the British
Army and founding the SAS.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL
ROBERT BLAIR
PADDY MAYNE
A solicitor, amateur boxer
and professional Irish rugby
player, also known for his
vicious temper and drunken
misadventures.

LIEUTENANT JOHN
STEEL JOCK LEWES

JOHNNY COOPER
The youngest of the original
SAS volunteers, only nineteen
years old when he joined.
Despite an initial dislike,
developed a close working
relationship with Reg Seekings.

JOHN TONKIN
Known for his constant
joking. Was captured by
Germans during Operation
Devon but managed to
escape. Later captained a
squadron parachuted into
France on D-Day.

SERGEANT PAT RILEY

Principal training officer

of the SAS who helped to form
the first British paratroops
and invented the Lewes Bomb.

A Wisconsin native who

worked in the Cumbrian
mines before joining the
British Army with a fake
British ID. At moments
of danger, he would hum
cowboy songs.

REG SEEKINGS

FITZROY ROYLE MACLEAN

One of the original SAS

volunteers. A dyslexic
amateur boxing champion
who was ferociously loyal,
was extremely competitive,
angered easily and resolved
disputes with his fists.

Diplomat, linguist, explorer

and scion of an ancient
and warlike Scottish clan.
Survived the war and later
served as an MP in the UK
parliament.

*Rogue Heroes features two 8-page black-and-white photo inserts

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