The Special Air Service (SAS) is the grandfather of all special forces units. Every time you read about the exploits of the SEALS or Green Berets you are looking at organizations built on the lessons of the SAS. Rogue Heroes is described as an authorized history, but not an official one of the creation of the SAS and its service in World War II. MacIntyre was given huge access to the SAS archive, but still tries to write an objective and critical study of the organization.
The SAS was the creation of David Stirling, probably the world’s worst soldier. Stirling was described as lazy, disobedient, and libel to go AWAL. He, however, had one great idea. While serving in North Africa it occurred to him that since most of the fighting was done on a narrow strip bordering the coast of the Mediterranean it might be possible to infiltrate small groups of men behind enemy lines by going through the desert. Getting permission to create a unit, Stirling proceeded to raid inside to great effect. So good, in fact, that he was eventually captured and sent to a high security prison in Germany. His organization lived on and expanded. By the end of the war there were 2 British SAS regiments, 2 French SAS regiments, and a Belgian SAS regiment.
MacIntyre’s tone is largely laudatory of the SAS, however he does acknowledge when things didn’t go as well as they should. The first raid by the SAS resulted in many of them being captured and almost nothing being attacked or destroyed. Also, he notes that many in the SAS were probably at least mentally disturbed if not psychotic. Paddy Mayne, who would eventually rise to command 1 SAS, tended to go on violent drunken benders, and was described by MacIntyre as “a man with enough internal demons…to populate a small hell.” However the reader always has the feeling that there is more to the story than MacIntyre or the SAS are letting on. This may be partially due to the fact that the modern day SAS never admits to having done anything.