The 5th (Belgian) SAS in the Second World War

From clandestine operations with the French and Belgian resistance, through assisting evaders after the ill-fated Arnhem operation, acting as Montgomery’s eyes during the Ardennes counteroffensive, spearheading Canadian and Polish armoured formations during the liberation campaign in the Netherlands, to the defeat of Germany and the arrest of high-ranking Nazis, the Belgian SAS was one of the components of the British-led multinational Special Air Service Brigade conducting special operations from Normandy to the fall of the Third Reich. This first-ever history of the wartime Belgian SAS published in English is the result of extensive research based on previously classified archives and integrating first-hand accounts from founder members’ unpublished memoirs. Addressing all enthusiasts of special operations history, this book explains the broader context to guide the uninitiated, while simultaneously offering the expert military historian unprecedented insight and detail into the recruitment, training and operations of an elite unit raised in Britain, whose commanding officer accepted no compromises to achieve its goals, and which took every opportunity to bring the fight to the enemy, living by its motto ‘Who dares wins’. Containing both dramatic and humorous personal stories, the book features numerous rare wartime photographs from private archives, alongside detailed appendices covering personnel records, casualties, battle honours, and awards.

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