The Regiment : The Real Story of the SAS - The First Fifty Years

Michael Asher

ISBN 10: 0670916331 / ISBN 13: 9780670916337

Published by Penguin Viking, 2007

About this Item

On 4 May 1980, seven terrorists holding twenty-one people captive in the Iranian Embassy in London's Prince's Gate, executed their first hostage. They threatened to kill another hostage every thirty minutes until their demands were met. Minutes later, armed men in black overalls and balaclavas shimmied down the roof on ropes and burst in through windows and doors. In seconds all but one of the terrorists had been shot dead, the other captured. This was most people's first acquaintance with a unit that was soon to become the ideal of modern military excellence - the Special Air Service regiment. Few realized that the SAS had been in existence for almost forty years, playing a secret role almost everywhere Britain had fought since World War II, and had been the prototype of all modern special forces units throughout the world. In The Regiment, Michael Asher - a former soldier in 23 SAS Regiment - examines the evolution of the special forces idea and investigates the real story behind the greatest military legend of the late twentieth century. 2007, First edition, first printing. A near fine copy only marked by light soiling on the fore edges. The d/w is unclipped and fine and now in a protective cover. 1.5 Centimeters X 16.3 Centimeters X 9.75 Centimeters.

Seller Inventory # 17089878

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Regiment : The Real Story of the SAS - The First Fifty Years
• Publisher: Penguin Viking
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670916331
• ISBN 13: 9780670916337
• Binding: Hardback

About this title

Synopsis

On 4 May 1980, seven terrorists holding twenty-one people captive in the Iranian Embassy in London’s Prince’s Gate, executed their first hostage. They threatened to kill another hostage every thirty minutes until their demands were met. Minutes later, armed men in black overalls and balaclavas shimmied down the roof on ropes and burst in through windows and doors. In seconds all but one of the terrorists had been shot dead, the other captured.

For most people, this was their first acquaintance with a unit that was soon to become the ideal of modern military excellence – the Special Air Service regiment. Few realized that the SAS had been in existence for almost forty years, playing a discreet, if not secret, role almost everywhere Britain had fought since World War II, and had been the prototype of all modern special forces units throughout the world.

In The Regiment, Michael Asher – a former soldier in 23 SAS Regiment – examines the evolution of the special forces idea and investigates the real story behind the greatest military legend of the late twentieth century.

About the Author

Michael Asher has served in the Parachute Regiment and the SAS. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and has won the Ness Award of the Royal Geographical Society and the Mungo Park Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for Exploration. All four of his Death or Glory novels are available from Penguin in paperback and ebook.