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The Birth of British Special Forces
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The Birth of British Special Forces (Hardback)

How the Guards Regiments Helped Forge the SAS, Commandos and Paras

P&S History > Fonthill: History P&S History > Reference P&S History > Social History World History

Imprint: Fonthill
Pages: 224
Illustrations: 21 mono illustrations
ISBN: 9781036196042
Published: 30th April 2026
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The Birth of the British Special Forces reveals how the Household Division became the driving force behind Britain's special forces during the Second World War. Drawing on primary sources, Charles Trumpess traces the transformation from parade ground to battlefield, showing how Guards officers like Robert Laycock, David Stirling and Frederick Browning leveraged social connections to create the Commandos, LRDG, SAS and Parachute Regiment. Through character portraits, this book follows the evolution of this elite branch from No. 8 (Guards) Commando to present-day G Squadron, 22 SAS. It reveals how Caterham's punishing training produced the self-reliance essential for special operations, how White's Club became an unofficial recruiting centre, and why the ‘old boys' network’ proved crucial to wartime innovation.

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