Damien Lewis

V nejtemnějších hodinách války Churchill vsadil na riskantní krok: proti nacistické tyranii nasadil muže, kteří nehráli podle pravidel. Zrodila se první jednotka moderních speciálních sil – skupina dobrodruhů, špionů a sabotérů. Bývalý válečný zpravodaj Damien Lewis odkrývá utajené archivy a líčí příběh mužů, kteří položili základy tajného válčení. Staňte se svědky rekonstrukce operací, jež se odehrávaly v hloubi noci, bez oficiálních rozkazů a slitování. Poznejte hrdiny, kteří v utajení změnili tvář dějin.

A WARTIME MISSION UNLIKE ANY OTHERAutumn 1943: the SAS hijack a train, raid deep into enemy territory, and liberate a concentration camp. A mission so extraordinary, yet so secret, that barely any record exists. Via first-hand testimonies and long-hidden files, Damien Lewis has unearthed the incredible details, bringing to life an astonishing tale of bravery, daring and determination which showcases the SAS at their very finest. ****PRAISE FOR SAS THE GREAT TRAIN RAID'A staggering feat of bravery kept secret for decades, but now the SAS train raid on a concentration camp during the Second World War is detailed in an incredible new book' SUNDAY EXPRESS'Long-hidden files and unseen personal accounts reveal a daring rescue mission from an Italian concentration camp' DAILY TELEGRAPH'There is an enduring appeal about the SAS in Britain, the United States and beyond, in an age when we need heroes who were fighting the good fight more than ever' SUNDAY TIMES'In autumn 1943 the SAS pulled off one of the most audacious missions of the Second World War. And yet the Great Train Raid to liberate Pisticci concentration camp has been relatively unknown until now' TIMES RADIO'Fittingly titled as it features a train and was totally crazy. An unbelievable mission deep into enemy territory to free prisoners from arguably the first concentration camp to come to the attention of the allies... I've read the book cover to cover and it's absolutely astonishing what these people did' TONY LIVESEY, BBC RADIO 5 LIVE

In the spirit of previous volumes, Damien Lewis reveals the untold stories of the war's most daring and audacious escapes as executed by the world's most famous fighting force, the SAS. Reaching back into the earliest origins of the SAS legend, and Operation Colossus, the volume opens with a series of death-defying escapes in Italy, where bluff, deception and audacity win the day. It moves on to an epic solo escape across the sun-blasted Sahara desert, as one man, long given up for dead, achieves the seemingly impossible. It goes on to chronicle one of the most successful raids by the SAS deep behind enemy lines, and how a terribly injured veteran of that mission used the secret escape lines of the Vatican to make it back to Allied lines, in a tale replete with cloak-and-dagger intrigue. From there, the reader is plunged into a series of daring POW-rescue missions, laced with Robin-Hood-style assassinations and robberies, plus a breathtaking getaway at mission's end. And finally, we learn of how one patrol's desperate, close-quarter battle to take an enemy-held fortress, led to tragic loss but an equally daring getaway. Working with the family members of those portrayed, and relying upon unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, war reports and more, this is gripping narrative history at its finest, delivered in typical Damien Lewis edge-of-the-seat style.

So secret was this mission, the SAS seizure of a train to raid deep into enemy territory to liberate a concentration camp, that it wasn''t until 1968 - twenty-seven years after the formation of the SAS - that a short mention of it was made in the Rover and Wizard annual, under the headline ''Who Dares Wins''. No further published record exists. Best-selling author Damien Lewis has unearthed the full incredible story from long-hidden files and first hand-testimony, his latest elite forces narrative delivering a scintillating tale of bravery, daring and determination which simply beggars belief. This is the SAS at their very finest; there is no other mission like it from the Second World War.

THE REAL STORY OF BLAIR ''PADDY'' MAYNE, ENDORSED BY THE MAYNE FAMILY Summer 1944: the SAS were charged with the most crucial D-Day missions, taking on the might of the Nazi Reich deep behind enemy lines.Facing Hitler''s fearsome Panzer divisions with little more than raw courage and their nimble Willys jeeps, it would take maverick thinking and unconventional warfare to survive and overcome. Hunted at every turn, Blair ''Paddy'' Mayne''s SAS would face a bitter and bloody struggle to topple the enemy. Drawing on never-before-seen archive material, bestselling military historian Damien Lewis brings to life the incredible efforts of the SAS as they dared all to bring the war to its close. Praise for Damien Lewis'' books: ''A convincing insight into the terror and adrenaline rush of war'' - Mail on Sunday ''Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller'' - Lee Child''One of the most remarkable stories in the history of Special Forces'' operations'' - Daily Express''A howitzer of a tale'' - Daily Mail''Absolutely gripping'' - Times Radio''Riveting. Extraordinary'' - Dan Snow''An incredible story, and so well told'' - Bear Grylls''Honesty, integrity and real experience that puts you in the thick of the action'' - Billy Billingham

''Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller'' Lee ChildFIVE DARING ESCAPES CARRIED OUT BY THE FAMOUS FIGHTING FORCE DURING WWIIFrom the infamous 1944 desert campaign to the unforgiving terrain of the Vosges Mountains; from a perilous escape across Europe aided by Resistance networks to three Captains fleeing an Italian Prisoner of War camp in 1943, and a death-defying return to Britain via boat, tunnel and train.These inspirational true stories bring to life the do-or-die spirit of the SAS, as they faced an enemy hell-bent on wreaking vengeance.Damien Lewis has worked closely with World War Two veterans and the families of those portrayed, accessing never-before-seen wartime diaries, letters, mission reports, interrogation transcripts and more, to reveal terrifying yet astounding feats of survival from the band of elite soldiers.If you like Great Escapes Four, why not go back and discover the previous instalments in this bestselling series: Great Escapes, Great Escapes Two and Great Escapes Three.

''Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller'' Lee Child''Now that''s a Great Escape! How 34 members of the SAS evaded 5,000 Nazi troops in blizzard conditions, after wreaking havoc in Italian mountain ambush ... The full gripping story of Operation Galia and the incredible escape that followed.'' Mail OnlineFIVE OF THE MOST DARING ESCAPES CARRIED OUT BY THE SAS DURING WORLD WAR TWOSAS Great Escapes Three recounts how warriors of the world''s most famous fighting force, the SAS, carried out five of the most daring escapes of World War Two. Ranging from the very birth of the SAS, to the post D-Day battles for Nazi-occupied Europe, these gripping true stories cover some of the most iconic operations of the regiment, and its key characters, while also including untold tales of courage and endurance beyond compare.Told in classic Damien Lewis style, each account plunges the reader into the escapees'' experiences - sharing the most terrifying yet astounding moments of their lives. They include unimaginable accounts of survival in the face of staggering odds, episodes of nerve-wracking bluff and deception, plus knife-edge ambushes withenemy forces hell-bent on wreaking vengeance.In this new volume of incredible special forces feats, bestselling author Damien Lewis has worked closely with World War Two veterans and the families of those portrayed, accessing wartime diaries, letters, mission reports, interrogation transcripts and more, to relate how the men of the SAS were hunted by the enemy and forced to fight their way out of certain death or capture. Around every corner, upon every decision and every movement lurked the possibility of discovery. Yet with every step, breath and turn taken, these fugitives epitomized the do-or-die spirit of the SAS to overcome.