The Special Air Service (The SAS) are perhaps the Special Forces Regiment. With an almost unparalled experience and a rich history that is encapsulated by their motto ‘Who Dares Wins’. The story which follows is not of course a complete account of all the deeds of this remarkable regiment. If such a record could be compiled it would require several volumes and, even then, there would be gaps because some of those who took part in the early raids are dead or untraceable, and many of the later...

Douglas Haig is probably the most controversial figure in British military history. No previous commander ever oversaw such enormous casualties. By 1917 Haig commanded the largest army Britain had ever put into the field; over two million men. The horrors of the First World War still stun the imagination and make it almost impossible for the ordinary reader to reach a calm appraisal of Haig, particularly since opinions among military historians and biographers have varied widely. He has been...

The Special Boat Squadron, or SBS, is one of the most admired, respected and feared Special Forces units in the world. The date of the formation of the SBS is a matter of some debate. Officially it is the 14th April 1942, but long before that date SBS forces had been harassing the enemy in an unofficial existence; soon it was to be put on a more formal footing. Today, decades after the final curtain has dropped on World War II, it is a mystery to many people, particularly those in the regular...

Very few living men have taken part in a battle, and many must wonder how they would acquit themselves if ever they had to. A medieval battle was a very complex affair; it was far from being a simple kill or be killed. It could be won or lost at any stage; it could turn on the action of one man, and it could settle nothing, or alternatively the fate of a nation. But for the majority, when thinking of a battle, the overriding question would be: how would I behave? What would happen to me? Woul...

On 23 April 1918 a force drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines launched one of the most daring raids in history. The aim was to block the Zeebrugge Canal, thereby denying U-boats access, although this mean assaulting a powerfully fortified German naval base. The raid has long been recognised for its audacity and ingenuity but, owing to the fact that the official history took too much notice of the German version of events, has long been considered only a partial success. In this stirrin...

Often described as Britain's answer to Rommel, the charismatic and courageous Sir Brian Horrocks was one of the most successful field commanders of the Second World War, much of which he spent working with Montgomery. His tireless drive and brilliance were admired and respected not only by Montgomery but by very many around him. Philip Warner once again shows us the man behind the image in his own revealing and engaging way. Tracing his journey from youth through the hurdles and troubles of...

Very few living men have taken part in a battle, and many must wonder how they would acquit themselves if ever they had to. A medieval battle was a very complex affair; it was far from being a simple kill or be killed. It could be won or lost at any stage; it could turn on the action of one man, and it could settle nothing, or alternatively the fate of a nation. But for the majority, when thinking of a battle, the overriding question would be: how would I behave? What would happen to me? Woul...

Within these pages the vivid and colourful story of a remarkable episode in the 'high empire' period of British history. The Mahdi's rising in the Sudan in the 1880's, which started as a localised Holy War against the 'decadent' Turkish/Egyprian overlords, was soon to engulf a million square miles of territory and force the hand of the British Liberal Government, whose reluctance to get involved paved the way for the early disasters of the Hicks' expedition and Gordon's death at Khartoum. Th...

Invasions are as old as the history of mankind. The possibility of Britain being invaded today is obviously very remote in spite of the disturbing memories of the Nazi's poised to swoop onto these shores in 1940 and previous attempts, both abortive and successful, reaching back into prehistoric times. Concisely and vividly Philip Warner once again engages with his readers and reveals much about this fascinating journey from the earliest raiding parties seeking new land to cultivate to the wou...

Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl of Khartoum and of Broome, was Britain's last great military hero. his face became known to millions before his death in 1916 because it appeared on the recruiting posters of World War I over the caption 'Your Country Needs You'. Kitchener's ambition was all for his country. His qualities were evident in the campaigns in Sudan and South Africa. His belief that British influence was good and that the strengthening and extension of British influence was es...

On 6th June 1944 there took place the greatest seaborne invasion in the history of mankind. The Allies, who had been planning and preparing for that day for over four years, launched a massive assault on the northern shore of France. It was on a scale which is never likely to be repeated, for the development of weapons of mass destruction has made it unlikely that such a large, vulnerable concentration of force would ever be assembled again. In a war which saw one massive military action afte...

The story of the achievements of the Empire pioneers has been obscured in recent years by the attention given to continual changes in emergent countries. But the origins of the British Empire, the motives, determination and sheer courage of the early settlers, is a story of which any nation would be proud. Many of the settlements started off peacefully, but troubles usually followed soon enough. There was fighting with other nations similarly bent on colonial expansion - such as the French in...