|
|
One of the many problems faced by the Allied planners before the invasion of Normandy was what, if any, use they could find for the SAS (and other Special Forces organisations that had emerged from the fighting in North Africa). Quite close to D-Day it was decided to send a number of SAS parties into occupied France, ready to try and slow down German reinforcements as they moved towards Normandy. These SAS parties were normally meant to operate with the French Resistance, and in particular the armed Maquise, who were present in ever increasing numbers. This book looks at the operations carried out by 1 SAS, with a second volume already published looking at 2 SAS.
The operations themselves were something of a mixed bag. Operation Bulbasket ended in disaster when most of the SAS troopers were captured and executed by the Germans. Some began too late to have much impact, although they were able to interfere with the German retreat. One was marked by controversy when the commanding officer’s official reports failed to match up with any other reports or any known attacks. However others were a great success, and saw the small SAS forces work well with the local Resistance to carry out effective attacks on the Germans.
The detailed accounts of the operations make you realise just how dangerous they were. The SAS were normally dropped into areas with some suitable areas to hide in – normally large forests – but there couldn’t be too remote otherwise the SAS wouldn’t have been able to carry out their missions. The Germans and their French allies were active in most of these areas, and there was always the chance that they would find and attack the SAS camps. The aim was always for the SAS to be on the offensive, but there are plenty of examples here where it was the Germans doing the attacking.
The historical accounts are followed by tour guides to each area of operations. These are different to normal battlefield accounts, as the SAS operated in larger areas and sometimes for quite some time, so they are general tours of an area, visiting key areas of interest, rather than chronologically organised battlefield tours. As a result we get many photographs of the areas as they are now, illustrating that many are still heavily wooded and isolated.
This is a good approach to this topic – I like the combination of mission histories and tour guides, and I think the balance between the two is about right, so we get plenty of detail on the actual operations, which is then tied nicely to the tours.
Chapters
1 – Operation Titanic
2 – Operation Bulbasket
3 – Operation Houndsworth
4 – Operation Gain
5 – Operation Haggard
6 – Operation Kipling
7 – Legends of the SAS
8 – The Bond that Endures
Author: Gavin Mortimer
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 192
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
Year: 2023