Full name: The Phantom Major: The Story of David Stirling and the SAS Regiment

Author: Virginia Cowles Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Purchase/reserch links: LibraryThing Amazon Goodreads ISBNs: 9780553125856 0553125850

"Stirling's Desert Raiders" (also published under the titles "The Phantom Major" and "Who Dares, Wins") was one of the first military history books I read, and I have returned to re-read it about four or five times. I don't really know what it is that I like about it so much--the unbelievable raids on Rommel's North Africa forces that it documents, the style in which it is written (which makes it read like a swashbuckling Indiana Jones installment), the desert survival stories it details, or simply the amazing history it records. But whatever the reason, I love this little book.It is the story of the man (and his fellow soldiers) who in WWII invented the approach to warfare we now call special operations. It is also the book on which the old TV series "The Rat Patrol" was based. And it is a forgotten classic. Not as gritty, somber, and self-conscious as is most contemporary military history, this story of David Stirling is actually fun to read. And given the stoic take on hardship and suffering that was characteristically British at the time, you have to consciously remind yourself that this is real history, not make-believe.Highly recommended--if you can find a copy! It's long been out of print.