Book – published by Headline on November 6 2014
Special Ops Heroes tells the true stories of exceptional courage behind the world’s largest collection of British and Commonwealth Special Forces medals – amassed by Lord Ashcroft.
In his new book, Lord Ashcroft returns to the subject of his 2008 bestseller Special Forces Heroes and recounts the extraordinary tales behind more than fifty new groups of medals that have been added to his collection in the intervening years.
Using diaries, eye-witness accounts, medal citations, letters and interviews with the medal recipients themselves, Special Ops Heroes tells the inspirational stories of men who have been prepared to go undercover, behind enemy lines or be part of a small raid against a larger force – high-risk missions that could end in capture followed by a long imprisonment, torture or death.
The book includes accounts of the early missions by members of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), the reconnaissance and raiding group formed in 1940 that was a pre-cursor to the SAS. It also highlights audacious action by members of the SAS during the Second World War, as well as later twentieth century conflicts including Northern Ireland, the Falklands and the Gulf.
Action behind enemy lines requires a special sort of premeditated bravery. It is this “cold courage” that Lord Ashcroft celebrates in these stories of the remarkable valour of some of the bravest men ever to put on a British military uniform.
The Foreword to the new book has been written by Andy McNab, the SAS hero turned best-selling writer. He says Special Ops Heroes tells “amazing stories of courage” and describes the book as “a page-turner”.
All author’s royalties from Special Ops Heroes are being donated to two military charities: the Special Air Service (SAS) Regimental Association and Walking With The Wounded.
- Special Ops Heroes is published by Headline in hardback on November 6 2014.