I have never heard much about the British Special Boat Service and was pleased to hear of this book as it tells of the SBS exploits that were never really told fully before.

The book tells the story of the SBS from its conception from within the Special Air Service (SAS) in 1942 through to the end of World War II when it was disbanded. The story covers the missions and history of the unit, its men and the major impact they had on the war in and around the Mediterranean. Like the SAS the SBS were very highly trained and ruthless. They were experts in Guerilla warfare and exploiting the Germans weaknesses and local country side whenever they could.

The SBS used hit and run tactics on German airbases and installation in and around the Mediterranean to help reduce the forces available to attack the Allies as they fought in North Africa and Italy. They were used intensively in actions on the Greek islands to hinder the German war effort.

The book is very well written and tells the story with passion and gives detailed accounts of the missions and of this small band of highly trained soldiers.

The book helps show the extreme courage and dedication of the small team as they fought against great odds with very little support and not much intelligence.

This book was very interesting and I managed to read it in two sessions as I could not put it down while travelling on business. It held my interest and pulled you in to the missions while showing the human side of the conflicts they were involved in.

This book includes many photographs that are good quality and help you relate better to the men described in the book.

Overall Evaluation

This publication is definitely recommended to anyone interested in History and especially the British Special forces

My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample, and for IPMS USA for allowing me to review it.