The Long Range Desert Group in Action 1940–1943

Author: Brendan O'Carroll
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526777428
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Book Description
This first pictorial history of the LRDG “covers all aspects of [its] work and the vehicles and weapons they used in their devastating raids” (Beating Tsundoku). The Long Range Desert Group has a strong claim to the first Special Forces unit in the British Army. This superb illustrated history follows the LRDG from its July 1940 formation as the Long Range Patrol in North Africa, tasked with intelligence gathering, mapping and reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines. Manned initially by New Zealanders, in 1940 the unit became the LRDG with members drawn from British Guards and Yeomanry regiments and Rhodesians. So successful were the LRDG patrols, that when the Special Air Service was formed, it often relied on their navigational and tactical skills to achieve their missions. After victory in North Africa the LRDG relocated to Lebanon before being sent on the ill-fated mission to the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean. Serving independently, when the Germans overwhelmed and captured the British garrisons, many LRDG personnel escaped using their well-honed skills. Many images in this, the first pictorial history of the LRDG, were taken unofficially by serving members. The result is a superb record of the LRDG’s achievements, the personalities, their weapons and vehicles which will delight laymen and specialists alike. “Well written . . . The photographs brought together here are a stunning selection despite the various quality as it shows the men and machines living the war they fought in.”—Armorama “A must-read page turner.”—Richard Gough, military author and historian “Informative and full of exciting detailed accounts of operations that occurred throughout the LRDG’s reign of terror on the Axis forces during the war.”—AMPS

The Long Range Desert Group in World War II

Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472819349
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
A major illustrated history of the Long Range Desert Group from the foremost expert on British wartime special forces. Formed in June 1940 for the purpose of gathering intelligence behind enemy lines, the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) played a secretive but vital role in North Africa during World War II. Highly trained in mechanized reconnaissance and specializing in desert operations, the unit provided support to the Special Air Service (SAS) in missions across the vast and treacherous terrain of the Western Desert. In this highly illustrated history of the LRDG, Gavin Mortimer reveals the origins and dramatic operations of Britain's first ever special forces unit.

Ghost Patrol

Author: John Sadler
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612003370
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
From the author of D-Day: “an amazing tale of how the world’s very first special force was created specifically for North Africa during WWII” (Books Monthly). The origins of most of the West’s Special Forces can be traced back to the Long Range Desert Group, which operated across the limitless expanses of the Libyan Desert, an area the size of India, during the whole of the Desert War from 1940 to 1943. After the defeat of the Axis in North Africa, they adapted to serve in the Mediterranean, the Greek islands, Albania, Yugoslavia, and Greece. In the process, they became the stuff of legend. The brainchild of Ralph Bagnold, a prewar desert explorer featured in fictional terms in The English Patient, the LRDG used specially adapted vehicles and recruited only men of the right temperament and high levels of fitness and endurance. Their work was often dangerous, always taxing, exhausting, and uncomfortable. They were a new breed of soldier, and the Axis never managed to field a similar unit. Once the desert war was won, they transferred their skills to the Mediterranean sector, retraining as mountain guerrillas, serving in the ill-fated Dodecanese campaign, then in strife-torn Albania, Yugoslavia, and Greece, fighting alongside the mercurial partisans. In addition, the LRDG worked alongside the fledgling SAS and established, beyond all doubt, the value of highly trained Special Forces, a legacy which resonates today. “Genuinely gripping, a tale of eccentrics and their high adventures during very dangerous times.” —Classic Military Vehicle

Vehicles of the Long Range Desert Group 1940–45

Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472842162
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Book Description
A fascinating study of the specialized vehicles, kit and techniques of the Long-Range Desert Group who pioneered long-range desert warfare in World War II and worked closely with the embryonic SAS. The Long Range Desert Group was one of the most famous special units of World War II, operating heavily modified vehicles deep behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and support the raids of David Stirling's new Special Air Service. When war broke out, a pre-war explorer and army officer, Ralph Bagnold, convinced Middle East Command of the need for a reconnaissance force to penetrate into Italian-held desert. Bagnold tested four types of vehicles over rocks and through soft sand to find the best one for his new unit. He selected the Chevrolet WB (30 CWT) as the signature vehicle of the Long Range Desert Group because it is 'fast, simple and easy to handle'. With left-hand steering, horizontal grill and round fenders on the rear wheels, these trucks proved themselves popular and effective. The durability of the Chevrolets was demonstrated in January 1941 with an audacious raid on the Italian fort/air strip at Murzuk, hundreds of miles behind enemy lines. This book explains the detail of all the vehicles of the LRDG, as well as their modifications, driving techniques and special kit for surviving behind enemy lines in one of the most hostile environments on earth.

The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean

Author: Brendan O'Carroll
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 152677738X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 424

Book Description
A history of the British Army unit’s deployment to and defense of a group of islands between Greece and Turkey during World War II. Shortly after the invasion of Sicily, in order to distract German attention from the Italian campaign, Churchill ordered the occupation of the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean. The Long Range Desert Group, retraining in Lebanon, were now part of Raiding Forces, Middle East, along with the Special Boat Service and No 30 Commando. In support of 3,000 regulars in 234 Brigade, the LRDG landed covertly on Leros establishing observation posts, reporting movement of enemy shipping and aircraft. In October the LRDG were ordered to assault the island of Levitha, losing forty highly skilled men killed or captured. The Germans invaded Leros with overwhelming force on 12 November 1943, five days later the battle was over. While many British troops were captured most of the LRDG and SBS escaped. Their individual stories make for enthralling reading. A measure of the intensity of the fighting is the fact that the LRDG lost more men in three months in the Aegean than in three years in the desert operating behind enemy lines. The author, an acknowledged expert on the LRDG uses official sources, both British and German, and individual accounts to piece together the full story of this dramatic, costly but little-known campaign. It is a valuable addition to the history of special forces in the Second World War. Praise for The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean “O’Carroll provides an interesting and informative read about a little known action by a World War II era special operations unit and an important part of SOF history.” —SOF News

Long Range Desert Group

Author: W. B. Kennedy Shaw
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1848328591
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 157

Book Description
A “moving, exciting and authentic” chronicle of the British Army’s legendary recon and raiding unit in the desert of North African during WWII (The Observer). During its two-and-a-half years fighting in North Africa, from 1940 to 1943, the Long Range Desert Group became the acknowledged master of the desert. This small, highly mobile force made a name for itself through daring exploits and vital reconnaissance far behind enemy lines. Emerging from the depths of the desert, the LRDG would raid airfields or attack Axis lines of communication along the Mediterranean coast—then vanish, only to reappear hundreds of miles away. First published in 1945, Long Range Desert Group is a classic of military nonfiction. With its brilliant description of the desert’s harsh beauty and its exciting chronicle of LRDG activities, it has lost none of its gripping, visceral power. “A remarkable record, told simply, unpretentiously and with engaging humor.” —The Manchester Guardian

The Long Range Desert Group

Author: Karl-Gunnar Norén
Publisher: Helion
ISBN: 9781915113061
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
The world's most respected special forces unit, the Special Air Service (SAS), was inspired by another irregular unit, the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) or simply Ghost Patrol. You may now accompany the authors in Ghost Patrol vehicles far, far behind Rommel's lines. While doing so you will acquire insights into some extreme raids and reconnaissance missions. You will become familiar with tactics and inventions of the Ghost Patrol that are still relevant today. This book is also the story of an LRDG research expedition to modern Egypt undertaken in original WWII Jeeps and described as a "2300-mile Sahara epic" by Classic & Sports Car magazine. Original LRDG training notes and other tips for extreme travellers are included.

The SAS in World War II

Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472808762
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
A gripping history of the SAS in World War II, supported by a collection of rare images from the SAS Regimental Association. The SAS are among the best-trained and most effective Special Forces units in existence. This book is the incredible story of their origins, told in their own words. During the summer of 1941, a young Scots Guard officer called David Stirling persuaded MEHQ to give its backing to a small band of 60 men christened 'L Detachment'. With a wealth of stunning photographs, many from the SAS Regimental Association, the book captures the danger and excitement of the initial SAS raids against Axis airfields during the Desert War, the battles in Italy and those following the D-Day landings, as well as the dramatic final push into Germany itself and the discovery of such Nazi horrors as Belsen. An exhaustive account of an elite organization's formative years, The SAS in World War II is the fruit of Gavin Mortimer's expertise and his unprecedented access to the archives of the SAS Regimental Association. Incorporating interviews with the surviving veterans, it is the definitive account of the regiment's glorious achievements in the years from 1941 to 1945.

The SBS in World War II

Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472804813
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Book Description
A gripping history of Britain's Special Boat Squadron in World War II, drawing on veteran interviews and including rare photographs from the SAS Regimental Association. The Special Boat Squadron was Britain's most exclusive Special Forces unit during World War II, and yet its exploits have been largely forgotten. This book tells its story. Highly trained, totally secretive and utterly ruthless, the SBS was established as an entity in its own right in early 1943. Unlike its sister unit, which numbered more than 1,000 men, the SBS never comprised more than 100. Led by men such as the famed Victoria Cross recipient Anders Lassen, the SBS went from island to island in the Mediterranean, landing in the dead of night in small fishing boats and launching savage hit and run raids on the Germans. Through unrivalled access to the archives of the SAS Regimental Association and interviews with the surviving members of the unit, Gavin Mortimer has pieced together the dramatic feats of this elite fighting force. In this new and updated paperback edition, featuring additional content including new text and photographs, the unit and its members are finally granted the recognition that they so richly deserve.

Kos and Leros 1943

Author: Anthony Rogers
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472835093
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
This title is an illustrated account of the autumn 1943 battle for the Dodecanese, as Winston Churchill attempted to secure the Aegean islands in the wake of the Italian armistice. The occupation was a gamble intended to increase pressure against Germany and at the same time possibly provide encouragement for Turkey to join the Allies. Spearheaded by the Special Boat Squadron and the Long Range Desert Group, garrison troops were deployed to the Italian-occupied Dodecanese, but they were too late to prevent the Germans from taking control of the key island of Rhodes and its all-important airfields. An all-out German offensive followed. Air force and naval units supported a series of assaults by infantry and paratroopers, including specialist forces of the Division Brandenburg. Within three months, only Castelorizzo was still in British hands. Rhodes, Kos and Leros remained under German occupation until May 1945 and the end of the war in Europe. The Dodecanese would be Adolf Hitler's last enduring victory – and the last enduring British-led defeat.