From the author of D-Day: “an amazing tale of how the world’s very
first special force was created specifically for North Africa during
WWII” (Books Monthly). The origins of most of the West’s Special
Forces can be traced back to the Long Range Desert Group, which
operated across the limitless expanses of the Libyan Desert, an area
the size of India, during the whole of the Desert War from 1940 to
1943. After the defeat of the Axis in North Africa, they adapted to
serve in the Mediterranean, the Greek islands, Albania, Yugoslavia,
and Greece. In the process, they became the stuff of legend. The
brainchild of Ralph Bagnold, a prewar desert explorer featured in
fictional terms in The English Patient, the LRDG used specially
adapted vehicles and recruited only men of the right temperament and
high levels of fitness and endurance. Their work was often dangerous,
always taxing, exhausting, and uncomfortable. They were a new breed of
soldier, and the Axis never managed to field a similar unit. Once the
desert war was won, they transferred their skills to the Mediterranean
sector, retraining as mountain guerrillas, serving in the ill-fated
Dodecanese campaign, then in strife-torn Albania, Yugoslavia, and
Greece, fighting alongside the mercurial partisans. In addition, the
LRDG worked alongside the fledgling SAS and established, beyond all
doubt, the value of highly trained Special Forces, a legacy which
resonates today. “Genuinely gripping, a tale of eccentrics and their
high adventures during very dangerous times.” —Classic Military
Vehicle
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781612003375
Publisert
2015
Utgiver
Vendor
Casemate
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter