In autumn 1943 a band of SAS mavericks and freethinkers were alerted to the presence of a 'place of hell' - a concentration camp; arguably the first to come to the notice of the Allies. As German forces were poised to evacuate the prisoners, shipping all deep into Nazi Germany, any rescue mission was a race against time. With audacity and daring to the fore, the SAS decided that only one means might succeed: to hijack a train and steam it scores of kilometres through hostile territory, posing as the enemy, to raid the camp and rescue those held there.
Known to all as 'Operation Loco', this mission became the SAS's calling card. Teaming up with US intelligence agency the OSS, the Op Loco veterans would be parachuted deep into enemy territory, charged by Churchill and Roosevelt to execute a further series of daring prisoner-of-war rescue missions. Spending months behind enemy lines, and often given up for dead, they executed a string of breathtaking 'Robin Hood' style actions - robbing from and assassinating key fascists and Nazis, to fund their POW rescue work.
In a masterpiece of narrative storytelling, acclaimed author Damien Lewis has unearthed the incredible true story from unpublished manuscripts written by those who were there, plus long-hidden files, diaries, letters, war reports and more, while working closely with the families of these legendary wartime heroes. He delivers a scintillating tale of bravery, daring and ingenuity executed against all odds, one that takes the breath away.
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PRAISE FOR SAS THE GREAT TRAIN RAID
'A staggering feat of bravery kept secret for decades, but now the SAS train raid on a concentration camp during the Second World War is detailed in an incredible new book' SUNDAY EXPRESS
'Long-hidden files and unseen personal accounts reveal a daring rescue mission from an Italian concentration camp' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'There is an enduring appeal about the SAS in Britain, the United States and beyond, in an age when we need heroes who were fighting the good fight more than ever' SUNDAY TIMES
'In autumn 1943 the SAS pulled off one of the most audacious missions of the Second World War. And yet the Great Train Raid to liberate Pisticci concentration camp has been relatively unknown until now' TIMES RADIO
'Fittingly titled as it features a train and was totally crazy. An unbelievable mission deep into enemy territory to free prisoners from arguably the first concentration camp to come to the attention of the allies... I've read the book cover to cover and it's absolutely astonishing what these people did' TONY LIVESEY, BBC RADIO 5 LIVE