![]() ![]() This may confuse some readers, as it juxtaposes enormous forces – such as the Spartan Army of Ancient Greece, of say 10,000 men – with the minuscule SAS, of perhaps 400-600 men. ![]() ![]() The fetish for special forces was not without its critics: another British general (who shall remain nameless) having the audacity to describe the hallowed SAS as ‘dustbin men who think they are brain surgeons’.įor Fiennes, the words ‘elite’ and ‘special forces’ appear interchangeable. This obsession is to some extent nurtured by the aura of mystery that surrounds special forces – though the miasma of secrecy was fatally punctured by the publication of the frankly astonishing and disgraceful revelations of a former commanding officer of the SAS, General Peter de la Billière. This obsession has risen to a veritable crescendo since the events of 9/11 and the subsequent War on Terror. Ever since the dramatic Iranian Embassy Siege of 1980, the press, and to some degree the public, have been obsessed by the idea of special forces. Indomitable to the last, Fiennes then headed for the Arabian desert and service with the SAF, an epiphany in his life, and one from which he has drawn the inspiration for this splendid book.įiennes had picked his moment well. By his own frank admission, Fiennes was fortunate to avoid a custodial sentence. In an incident in which he was dubbed the ‘Baronet Bomber’ by the press, he was to be ‘Returned To Unit’ (RTU) by the SAS for ‘misuse’ of plastic explosives, in an abortive plot to demolish the film set of Doctor Dolittle, then located in the rural idyll of Castle Combe. ![]() Undeterred, Fiennes progressed via the gruelling selection process to the SAS, where again the goddess Fortuna deserted him. Scene of the crime, thus leading to eventual discovery and punishment. In the excitement, Fiennes’ men inadvertently left an RSG beret at the On one occasion, while serving with the RSG in the late 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, he managed to paralyse the entire Kiel Canal system for five hours when an unruly corporal under his command fired a magnesium flare that hit a Russian/Soviet tanker. Henty, with a dash of Boy’s Own Magazine, interspersed with numerous autobiographical anecdotes from his own military and polar exploits.Ĭharmingly honest, it is clear that Fiennes’ earlier military career was not without incident. Fiennes’ inspiration and style very much resemble the works of the late G.A. This book, however, is inspired by an eight-year military career that included service with the Royal Scots Greys (RSG), the SAS, and the Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces (SAF). Sir Ranulph Fiennes is, perhaps, Britain’s most celebrated adventurer – the oldest Briton to summit Everest, the only holder of two clasps to the Polar Medal, and a man who famously amputated his own frost-bitten fingers with a hacksaw in a garden shed. THE ELITE: THE STORY OF SPECIAL FORCES – FROM ANCIENT SPARTA TO THE WAR ON TERROR ![]()
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