book: The Mammoth Book of Special Forces: Over 30 Missions of Ultimate Danger Behind Enemy Lines, from the...

book: The Mammoth Book of Special Forces: Over 30 Missions of Ultimate Danger Behind Enemy Lines, from the ... | Jon Lewis ...

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	• The Mammoth Book of Special Forces: Over 30 Missions of Ultimate Danger Behind Enemy Lines, from the ... Jon Lewis Running Press, 2004 - 512 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Why they are "special"

This one of two military history books I recently re-read, the other being The Mammoth Book of Special Ops. This volume was edited by Jon E. Lewis and consists of eyewitness accounts and/or analyses of "30 missions of ultimate danger from behind enemy lines" that extend throughout the 20th century, from T.E. Lawrence's "The Revolt in the Desert - Special Force Operations, Arabia, 1917" until Eric Bailey's "Fighting Fire with Fire with Fire, 22 SAS, Afghanistan, 2002). Of special interest to me is the fact that the same core principles of special operations (i.e. special ops) that are evident in most (if not all) of the 30 accounts can be traced back in time at least to ancient Troy. As Lewis observes in his brief but remarkably comprehensive Introduction, "...what did Odysseus do but use `specially trained, equipped, and organized' forces to gain entry into Troy by concealing them inside the Wooden Horse?" Specifically, exceptional preparation, focus, stealth, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and teamwork as well as highly specialized skills and speed of execution when conducting operations behind enemy lines.

Of course, which accounts are of greatest interest will vary from one reader to the next. Those that I found most fascinating include:

"Cockleshell Heroes"
(Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment, France 1942)
Patrick Pringle
Comment: According to Pringle, this was the problem to be solved: "Something had to be done about the German ships at Bordeaux. They were sailing regularly to and from Japan. They were running the Allied blockade, taking out prototypes of German weapons and equipment - and bringing back rubber and other raw materials vital in war. Either the ships should be destroyed in the harbour, or the port itself would have to be made unusable." Pringle's account of is of Operation Frankton and a raid led by then Major Herbert ("Blondie") Hasler. FYI, the cockleshell was a canoe that Hasler co-designed with Fred Goatley to meet the mission's strict specifications.

"The Attack on Rommel's HQ"
(11 Scottish Commando, North Africa 1941)
Richard Arnold
Comment: Under the command of Lieutenant Geoffrey Keyes, six officers and fifty-three of other ranks were delivered by submarines to attack Rommel's headquarters (at Beda Littoria, halfway between Tobruk and Bengaz) and either kill or capture him.

"Eagle Claw"
(Delta Force, Iran 1980)
Ian Westwell
Comment: The objective was to rescue 56 U.S. nationals who were held as hostages in Tehran. The group was led by Colonel Charles Beckwith. The Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta (i.e. Delta Force) was Beckwith's "brainchild" and established in 1977, inspired by the British 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (i.e. SAS) with which he served in 1962-63.

"Interrogation"
(SOE, France 1944)
Bruce Marshall
Comment: According to Marshall, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was formed in 1940 as an amalgamation of various British secret service department, and charged with the co-ordination of `all action, by way of sabotage and subversion, against the enemy overseas.'" In this account, Frederick Yeo-Thomas (his code names "Shelley" and "White Rabbit") parachutes into France to coordinate the Resistance groups and, only four months before D-Day, is captured and interrogated by the Gestapo. And then....

As this review is composed in the U.S. on Memorial Day, 2007, I am especially grateful for books such as this because they help me to understand and appreciate even more the courageous women and men as well as their missions that demonstrate what is "special" about special forces.

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Fully up-to-date, this riveting collection includes the most recent operations into Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia, and features the entire range of special forces from SAS, Commandos, and Rangers to Navy SEALS and Paratroopers. Among the legendary "behind the lines" operations of the Special Forces from their formation in 1940 onwards are the Green Berets in Vietnam, the Royal Marine Commandos in the Falklands, the SBS in the Aegean in WWII, and US Navy SEALS in the Gulf War. The Mammoth Book of Special Forces contains thirty true and graphic accounts of the most heroic missions ever undertaken behind enemy lines.

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