Kirjahaku

Stanley Hollis won the Victoria Cross when, on the 6th of June 1944, he single-handedly stormed a German pillbox before going on to save the lives of two comrades. Drawing on Hollis's personal diaries and letters, the author describes the real man behind the heroic image.

The exclusive, authorised inside story of the tough LRDG raiders of the Second World War, drawn from the unpublished records of the famous force. The unit won unrivalled mastery of the North African desert in their wide-ranging and heavily armed trucks, earning grudging praise even from Rommel, the Desert Fox himself, for their skilful reconnaissance, punishing raids and powers of evasion.

The Special Air Service (SAS) was formed in the North African desert in 1941, the brainchild of Colonel David Stirling. He bequeathed to the present day a simple, unshakeable fact – a small force of well-trained, well-armed, determined men operating way behind enemy lines can achieve damage and destruction totally out of proportion to its size. This concept remains as true today as it was then.A unique combat unit was created; copied but never equalled – the much feared SAS. Mike Morgan tells the story of the SAS, from its beginnings in the Second World War, through its involvement in the ‘bush wars’ of the 50s and 60s, and the more secretive military operations of the Cold War era, through to the Gulf Wars of more recent years. Nearer to home, the anti-terrorist duties of the SAS are covered – for example, the Iranian Embassy siege. He also looks at what it takes to be an SAS soldier, their selection and training, their weapons and equipment, and their links to the Special Forces of other nations. A series of appendices cover gallantry awards and a timeline of the regiment.

Stanley Hollis won the Victoria Cross when, on the 6th of June 1944, he single-handedly stormed a German pillbox before going on to save the lives of two comrades.D-Day's only Victoria Cross winner, Hollis was uniquely recommended for this coveted award twice on 6 June. A tough, working-class rebel, Hollis was no model soldier: he was forever being 'busted' to corporal for various misdeameanours, only to win his stripes back again.Few soldiers can have seen as much close combat action as Stanley Hollis. He fought with the Green Howards at Dunkirk, in the Western Desert, in Italy, on D-Day and through France and Germany to the end of the war. Seriously wounded and taken prisoner by the Afrika Korps, Hollis was personally congratulated by Rommel, then made a daring escape.In Italy, he was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal and was later mentioned in despatches, going on to undertake a dangerous undercover reconnaissance of the Normandy invasion beaches. On 6 June 1944 Stanley Hollis was involved in two actions that led to his award. During the primary assault, Hollis single-handedly stormed a German pillbox, saving his company from certain injury and death and enabling them to open the main beach exit. Later that day he saved the lives of two comrades trapped by heavy gunfire in a collapsing house.Fully illustrated with archive photographs and ephemera, this unique biography of a little-known British Second World War hero shows the real man behind the heroic image. Mike Morgan has received the Hollis family's full co-operation and draws exclusively on personal diaries, letters and other memorabilia.

Mike Morgan presents 25 stories about the larger-than-life exploits of the SAS and SBS in World War II, supported by a selection of rare archive and action shots.These vivid stories, including some new and previously unpublished, supported by an updated selection of rare archive and action photographs, explore the larger-than-life escapades of the Special Air Service in the Second World War. From an SAS Jeep patrol in France, outnumbered fifty-to-one, who shot their way out to safety in their bullet-riddled vehicle and killed a quarter of their SS opposition, to an SAS soldier who talked his way through enemy roadblocks in North Africa in full British uniform and tore a strip off the guard for neglecting to check his papers, this is the first comprehensive collection of all the best stories in one book.

Malcolm Tensor was a spy for the British government--one of the best. Sixteen years after wild magic was unleashed on an unsuspecting world and monsters stalk every corner of the globe, he's the leader of a Kill-or-Contain squad. His mission: to scour the north of the UK for unregistered magical creatures and... take care of them by whatever means necessary. He, too, was transformed by the explosion of magic so long ago, but he's still a patriot, and he knows his duty. When terrorists strike at the heart of the new order, Tensor is astonished to find his team reassigned to normal duties. Why is he being sidelined? Why does the government need so many monsters rounded up? Tensor won't stop until he finds the answers, no matter the cost. There is evil lurking beneath the center of London... evil older than anything he can imagine...