Speed, Aggression, Surprise

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Brought to you by Penguin.

The Who Dares Wins Pioneers

The origins story of the SAS is a myth.
This is the real story of how the world's preeminent Special Forces came into existence.

Speed, Aggression, Surprise is a fly-on-the-wall, character-driven story of how, from the wreckage of Dunkirk, emerged the idea of guerrilla Commando units who could inflict devastating 'mosquito stings' on larger, and better-armed opponents.

It's a story of how the shock of defeat propelled an unlikely group of renegades into the frontline of the war. An adventure that reaches back from the trenches of the Western Front to high piracy in the deserts of North Africa to the final assault on Germany. It's a story that comes together in the corridors of headquarters, on long nights at the long bar in Shepherd's Hotel in Cairo, and on the deadliest battlefields in history, around a cast of insubordinate mavericks who didn't fit into the tight military hierarchy.

Jumping between dramatic accounts from the field and back-channel power negotiations, and pulling in a cast of characters that includes Evelyn Waugh, Ernest Hemingway and Randolph Churchill, as well as a lot of alcohol, amphetamines and grenades, this is the real story of the SAS as you have never seen it before.

© Tom Petch 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

Awesome! The true story of the men who invented Special Forces warfare is even more compelling than the mythology
ANDY McNAB
We rightly value the SAS as a precious national jewel. However its is rarely seen in its full splendour, embedded in our national sceptre of strategic operations - in which the UK excels. To marvel at this phenomenon you must read this book. Well written, entertaining - with breathtaking depth of research telling a genuinely new story of an old tale
Colonel Tim Collins OBE
A genuinely fresh and insightful account of the origins of the SAS. Combining extraordinary depth of research with an understanding born of first-hand experience, this is the page-turning and revelatory story of how a small group of men tried to change the way that war was fought and, in doing so, led to the formation of the world's first special force
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
I thought I knew this story. I didn't. Tom Petch's account of the creation of the Special Forces is more complex, more compelling and more inspiring than the versions we've previously heard. And the fate of the men who have been written out of history - until now - gives it a profoundly poignant conclusion
John Nichol, bestselling author of TORNADO
Gripping and fascinating in equal measure... A highly readable, fast-paced and enjoyable account of the SAS, packed with unforgettable characters and thrilling adventures
Will Iredale, bestselling author of The Pathfinders
A fascinating study of a complex and innovative man
Aspects of History
The mystique and exploits, past and present, of the SAS continues to be a source of fascination to the public. This excellent book by an author who served in the regiment strips away the myth from the reality, reveals new information, and presents a lucid account of the making of this elite and lethal force.
Kim Sengupta, World Affairs Editor, The Independent
I can honestly say that this book is the best there is on that subject
Mars and Minerva, The SAS Regimental Association

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