SBS

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Riveting … Saul David has shown great skill in pulling the disparate threads of unit reports into a cohesive story. The knowledge of those involved, their bravery and jeopardy, will grip the general reader’ Having provided his superiors with proof of concept ‑ by paddling up to and then sneaking aboard a heavily guarded ship in Inveraray harbour in the Scottish Highlands ‑ he was allowed to form the Folbot Troop, later renamed the Special Boat Section. It is incredibly refreshing to read of these fabulously daring missions: of men of astonishing courage blowing up bridges, surveying invasion beaches, sinking ships in harbour and making clandestine rendezvous with secret agents – all by canoe and midget submarine …This is a terrific book, written with all the gusto, thrills and heady excitement these SBS operations richly deserve. It really is one of the most enjoyable histories I’ve read in many a year’

Immediately the weather and the powerful tidal set took hold of the mass of boats and swept them steadily, innocent and unknowing, to the east… The whole assault force on 'Omaha' had slipped sideways."On their last operation together, Wilson almost drowned in freezing water. "Wetsuits were in the future," commented a submarine officer. They eventually placed seven limpets on the tanker's stern before making their getaway, arriving at their rendezvous more than an hour late, and with the canoe so filled with water that it would have sunk within 15 minutes. What a terrible, brutal conflict the Second World War was: some 60 million dead, cities laid waste, many more millions displaced, the horrors of the Holocaust and unspeakable misery. Saul David’s last book dealt with the ghastly Battle of Okinawa, probably the bloodiest most brutal battle of them all, so it is incredibly refreshing to read of these fabulously daring missions: of men of astonishing courage blowing up bridges, surveying invasion beaches, sinking ships in harbour and making clandestine rendezvous with secret agents – all by canoe and midget submarine. Each adventure is relayed with all the relish of a Commando comic. Paddling flimsy canoes, and armed only with knives, pistols and a few sub-machine guns, this handful of brave and determined men operated deep behind enemy lines in the full knowledge that if caught they might be executed. Many were. A terrific book … It really is one of the most enjoyable histories I’ve read in many a year’ JAMES HOLLAND

The first problem is the mission. The SBS has historically specialized in coastal reconnaissance. A vital task that is also done quietly. Successful recces involve slipping onto a coastline, assessing the beach, then slipping out unnoticed. A vital task, but not one that makes for terribly exiting stories (excluding those from WWII). The second problem is the vagueness of stories. Parker explains that SBS units deployed to certain regions (usually alongside other units like the SAS) but rarely provides mission details, often stating that they were “involved” with missions like intelligence gathering. Partly as a result of the Coppists' report, the number of invasion beaches was raised from three to five. Nervous about giving the game away, the Americans chose not to accept the Coppists' offer to signpost their beaches ‑ Omaha and Utah ‑ on D-Day.A compact but fact-filled book which charts SAS history from World War 2 all the way until the current war on terror. There's plenty of colour photos throughout, along with little snippets of info on weapons, tactics etc, which makes this a great resource for dipping into every now and then. Falconer served the majority of his military service with the SBS. During his time in the military, he also served with the SAS, and 14 Intelligence Detachment, deployed to Northern Ireland with each for one year and two and a half years respectively. After he left the Detachment he took a sabbatical for a year before returning to the SBS where he was posted to MAT ("Maritime Anti-Terrorism") operations in which he was involved in a number of exercises retaking oil rigs and tankers. [3] After the SBS [ edit ] A hard man to replace, Wilson has been a model for SBS operators ever since: small-framed but deceptively strong, a team player but capable of independent action, an intelligent problem solver, eager to embrace new technology and as brave as a lion. Another prominent early SBS man was Major Gerald Put ashore in the wrong place, the American troops were massacred. More than 2,000 died on Omaha on June 6, 1944. The value of beach markers was demonstrated a short way to the east of Omaha where Coppist teams in two midget submarines ‑ X20 and X23 ‑ successfully guided in British and Canadian landing craft. He must have been about 70 years old," recalled Courtney, "and had a brown leathery wiriness remarkable in a man of that age. He had come about 500 miles in a week, but he apologised mildly for being late; he stated that he had stopped once or twice along the coast to sample the seaweed."