A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II - Hardcover

Shannon Monaghan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 059349122X ISBN 13: 9780593491225

Publisher: Viking Press USA, 2024

Synopsis

There have always been special warriors; Achilles and his Myrmidons are the obvious classical examples. What we now think of as 'special operations,' however, were born in World War II, and one of the earliest and most exciting units formed was Britain's SOE. In the early years of the war, when Britain stood alone against the Nazis, Winston Churchill put them on a mission to 'set Europe ablaze': to foment local revolt, to gather intelligence, to blow up bridges, and to do anything that could help to disrupt the Axis cause. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men follows four SOE officers who distinguished themselves in this fight: the Spanish Civil War veteran Peter Kemp, the demolitions expert David Smiley, the born guerrilla leader Billy McLean, and the political natural Julian Amery. With new and extensive research, including unprecedented access to private family papers that reveal the men's unbreakable bonds and vibrant personalities, Shannon Monaghan has uncovered a story of war in the twentieth century that, due to the secretive nature of the SOE's work, has remained largely unknown. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men is a thrilling and inspiring story of four remarkable men who, through sheer determination and daring, as well as unwavering friendship and loyalty, fought for a better world.

About this title

About the Author

Shannon Monaghan is a historian of modern war. She started her career interning in international arms transfers at the State Department. Since then, she has worked in strategy consulting and data analytics, ridden a road bike over the Continental Divide, and taught writing at Harvard. She earned degrees in history from Yale (BA) and Boston College (MA, PhD).

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking Press USA
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 059349122X
• ISBN 13: 9780593491225
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400