Publisher's Synopsis
'Riveting. Extraordinary. A real-life thriller.' Dan Snow
'Truly revelatory. The SAS at their very finest in WWII, and after, hunting down the Nazi war criminals.' Mark 'Billy' Billingham
'In June 1944 my father, Captain Patrick Garstin MC, led a band of warriors into war to help liberate Europe. He paid the ultimate price, as did others in his patrol. But with gritty determination, the SAS brought their killers to justice. I was one year old when my father was executed, so sadly never knew him. This amazing book has filled in so many gaps, and it commemorates all those consigned by Hitler to the Nacht und Nebel; the night and fog.' Sean Garstin
'This spellbinding account brings to life the exploits of a brave band of warriors, one of whom was my uncle, Colonel Blair 'Paddy' Mayne DSO, who commanded the SAS for much of WWII. He led his men on numerous behind-the-lines missions, and this compelling read does their memories full justice.' Fiona Ferguson, nee Mayne
'So much more than just a war story... While it involves death and suffering and terrible acts of cruelty, it also highlights the enduring qualities of courage and loyalty, of kindness and humanity, resourcefulness and resilience - qualities of which today's world is much in need.' Amy Crossland, daughter of Major Eric 'Bill' Barkworth, Chief of the SAS War Crimes Investigation Team
June 1944: the SAS parachute deep into occupied France, to wreak havoc and bloody mayhem. In a country crawling with the enemy, their mission is to prevent Hitler from rushing his Panzer divisions to the D-Day beaches and driving the Allies back into the sea.
Led by Captain Patrick Garstin MC, a man supposedly invalided out of the military due to his war injuries, rarely had a wilder bunch of raiders been assembled. Dispatched on the personal orders of Colonel Blair Mayne DSO, this elite band included gritty former miner Thomas 'Ginger' Jones, John 'Rex' Wiehe, 'banned' from frontline combat due to his war wounds, plus Serge 'Frenchy' Vaculik, who's journey to escape the enemy and join the SAS beggared belief.
Having blown to pieces scores of prize targets, Garstin's patrol executed one of the most daring escapes of the war ... only to fall victim to shocking betrayal. Captured, imprisoned and tortured terribly by the Gestapo, they faced execution in a dark French woodland on the orders of Hitler himself. But miraculously, two would escape, triggering one of the most-extraordinary Nazi-hunting operations ever ...
Summer 1945: with WWII officially over one team embarked upon a shadow war all of their own. Armed with knowledge earned first-hand in the torture chambers of the Gestapo, the race was on to bring to justice the Nazi war criminals who had murdered their brothers in arms. In a deniable, deep-cover operation backed by Winston Churchill himself, the 'the Secret Hunters' would expose Nazi Germany's darkest crimes, doggedly tracking down those they most sought.
Breathtaking and exhaustively researched, SAS Band of Brothers is based upon a raft of new and unseen material provided by the families of those who were there. It reveals an epic of courage, maverick-spirted daring and bloody betrayal, plus the gripping quest for vengeance and justice that lasted through to 1948 and beyond.
