SAS: Rogue Heroes
The authorized history of the SAS — misfits and poets blowing up airfields behind Rommel's lines.
The Verdict
The birth of modern special forces, told with the regiment's secret archive thrown open. Ben Macintyre charts the SAS from its improvised beginnings in the North African desert — a handful of misfits, dreamers, and hard cases raiding airfields far behind Rommel's lines — into a new kind of warfare. He has the eye for the brilliant and the unhinged that the story demands, and the access to tell it straight, including the unromantic violence. The origin of a legend, documented rather than mythologised. Now a hit television series.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- The origins of the SAS and special forces
- Readers who want audacious true raids
- Macintyre with first archival access
- The basis for the Rogue Heroes series
Look elsewhere if you want
- A sober tactical study
- Readers wanting the wider desert campaign
- Those who prefer myth to the messy reality
Why We Rated It 4.5
Historical Context
SAS: Rogue Heroes traces the founding and early operations of the Special Air Service in the North African desert from 1941, when small teams raided Axis airfields and supply lines behind the front. Published in 2016 with access to the regiment's archive, it was adapted into a television series.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-1101904183
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
Other Books About the Same Events
More by Ben Macintyre
Frequently Asked Questions
- When and where was the SAS founded?
- In the North African desert in 1941, initially to raid Axis airfields and supply lines deep behind the front.
- Is this the book behind the TV series?
- Yes — the series SAS: Rogue Heroes is based on Macintyre's book.