This is the authority on special forces, ideal for any level of military enthusiast. So if you want to know about special forces weapons or transport or even their elite use of surveillance equipment including human presence sensors then this is the kit you need.

Jane's Special Forces Recognition Guide

History

Southby-Tailyour, Ewen

Military

Harpercollins

This is a thrilling first-hand account of a dogged, heroic pursuit of the Taliban in Helmand Province by the Royal Marine Commandos. It offers a startlingly honest account of the war in Afghanistan as told by the junior officers, corporals and marines on the ground.

3 Commando Brigade

Biographies & Memoirs

Ebury Press

3 Commando Brigade: Helmand Assault

When the Marines returned to Helmand, they took to the air in search of the enemy.\nWhen the Royal Marines Commandos returned to a chaotic Helmand in the winter of 2008, they realised that to stand any chance of success they would need to pursue an increasingly determined Taliban harder than ever before. This time they were going to hunt them down from the air. With the support of Chinooks, Apaches, Lynx, Sea Kings and Harriers, the Commandos became a deadly mobile unit, able to swoop at a moments notice into the most hostile territory.\nFrom huge operations like the gruelling Red Dagger, when 3 Commando Brigade fought in Somme-like mud to successfully clear the area around the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gar, of encroaching enemy forces, to the daily acts of unsupported, close-quarters 360-degree combat and the breath-taking, rapid helicopter night assaults behind enemy lines -- this was kind of battle that brought Commando qualities to the fore.\nAs with the Sunday Times bestselling 3 Commando Brigade, ex-Marine Lieutenant Colonel Ewen Southby-Tailyour brings unparalleled access to the troops, a soldier's understanding of the conflict and a visceral sense of the combat experience. This is the real war in Helmand as told to him by a hand-picked band of young fellow marines as they encounter the daily rigours of life on the ground in the world's most intense war zone.\nFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

When the Royal Marines Commandos returned to a chaotic Helmand in the winter of 2008, they realized that to stand any chance of success they would need to pursue an increasingly determined Taliban harder than ever before. This time they were going to hunt them down from the air. With the support of Chinooks, Apaches, Lynx, Sea Kings, and Harriers, the Commandos became a deadly mobile unit, able to swoop at a moment's notice into the most hostile territory. From huge operations like the grueling Red Dagger, when 3 Commando Brigade fought in Somme-like mud to successfully clear the area around the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gar, of encroaching enemy forces, to the daily acts of unsupported, close-quarters 360-degree combat and the breath-taking, rapid helicopter night assaults behind enemy lines—this was kind of battle that brought Commando qualities to the fore. An ex-Marine Lieutenant Colonel brings unparalleled access to the troops, a soldier’s understanding of the conflict, and a visceral sense of the combat experience. This is the real war in Helmand as told to him by a hand-picked band of young fellow marines as they encounter the daily rigors of life on the ground in the world’s most intense war zone.

Community & Culture

Andre Hue was something of a daredevil. By the age of twenty the Anglo-Frenchman had survived shipwreck and years undercover in France, sabotaging German supply lines. Returning to Britain, he was recruited by SOE to parachute behind enemy lines on 5 June 1944, to unite resistance forces in Brittany and paralyze local German troops during the Allied invasion. Though Hue's mission was fraught with difficulty—he missed his landing site, his secret base camp became the site of a pitch battle and a band of Cossacks tried to hunt him down—he knew that thousands of lives depended on his success or failure.

The Next Moon

Hue, Andre

Europe

Penguin Global

Andre Hue was a daredevil. By the age of twenty the Anglo-Frenchman had survived shipwreck and years undercover in France, sabotaging German supply lines. Returning to Britain, he was recruited by SOE to parachute behind enemy lines on 5 June 1944, to unite resistance forces in Brittany and paralyse local German troops during the Allied invasion. Though Hue's mission was fraught with difficulty - he missed his landing site, his secret base camp became the site of a pitch battle and a band of Cossacks tried to hunt him down - he knew that thousands of lives depended on his success or failure . . .

Next Moon,The: The Extraordinary True Story Of A British Agent Behind Enemy Line

Leaders & Notable People

Michael, Joseph

Ewen Southby-Tailyour, a Royal Marines commando and landing-craft officer with a string of campaigns under his belt, in 1977 found himself posted to the Falkland Islands to command the small Royal Marines detachment stationed there. He was ordered by the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence to reassess the passive defence of the Islands, make recommendations for a positive and active defence, and, once it had been approved, implement this new concept of operations. His unrealistic remit was to "buy bargaining time in the United Nations" while keeping at bay a determined enemy "for three weeks". There would be no increase in the size of the detachment (42 marines) and no defence-weapons or stores. A keen sailor and navigator, Southby-Tailyour took the opportunity to sail round the Islands, charting many of the bays and beaches for private use, while carrying on a ceaseless battle with the then Governor, and Whitehall, over their differing interpretations of his orders. To say that he became unpopular would be putting it mildly - not least because he smuggled out his wife and family (courtesy of the Argentinian Air Force) to join him in what was an "unaccompanied posting". When the Argentinians invaded the Falklands, it took the MOD little time to realize that they had on hand, since the day he had returned to the UK, the only person who knew the detailed geography of the Islands. And so, on the day of the invasion, Southby-Tailyour was sent for. He found that not all of his advice was appreciated. At one stage Admiral Woodward dismissed his maps and charts, saying that they were too untidy, despite the fact that they were the only ones available in the required detail. Southby-Tailyour was party to nearly all the planning discussions - and arguments. In the end it was generally accepted that he knew more about the Islands than anyone except the Falklanders themselves, who were incommunicado, and so, after helping to plan the initial assault, he was ordered to lead it. Subsequently he helped to plan, and then commanded, all the major seaborne moves of the land forces, including those of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy. This account includes Southby-Tailyour's criticisms of those about him, and also records his love of the Falklands and their abundant wildlife, stark landmass and turbulent waters, as well as the appalling dangers faced by the members of the Task Force in carrying out their duties. That they succeeded was in so small way due to the author, whose efforts were recognized with the award of a modest OBE.

REASONS IN WRITING: A Commando's View of the Falklands War

Pen and Sword Military

A biography of the leader of the famous 'Cockleshell Heroes' who not only recruited and trained the 12 man team, but also designed the canoes used in their attack on enemy shipping in Bordeaux Harbour. He was one of only two men to survive the operation and contact the Maquis. Written with full access to Hasler family archive material.

Blondie: A Biography of Lieutenant-Colonel H G Hasler Dso, Obe, Croix De Guerre, Royal Marines

Combined Books

Blondie Hasler was the leader of the famous 'Cockleshell Heroes'. He designed the canoes which were used in the operation, he recruited and trained the twelve men who made up this most secret team and led them on their daring mission, code name 'Operation Frankton', to attack enemy shipping in Bordeaux harbor. He was one of only two 'Cockleshell Heroes' who came back alive, the other being Bill Sparks, his partner in the cockleshell Catfish. His story is told by former Royal Marine, Ewen Southby- Tailyour. The story of how Blondie managed to make contact with the Maquis once he and Sparks had completed the mission is well worth a book in itself. Although the book offers a new insight into the men that were the 'Cockleshell Heroes' Blondie Hasler was more than just a 'Cockleshell Hero'. Ewen Southby- Tailyour has been given full access to family archive material, which reveals Herbert George Hasler as an extraordinary figure who makes this one of the outstanding biographies of the year.

Blondie: The Life of Lieutenant-Colonel HG Hasler DSO, OBE, RM, founder of the SBS and Modern Single-handed Ocean Racing

Historical

Leo Cooper

This is a revelatory account of three untabulated special forces operations, Plum Duff, Mikado and Kettledrum, that failed to destroy Argentina’s Exocet missiles during the 1982 Falkland’s campaign. In that context alone this book is of international military importance.Using previously unknown material and through interviewing key players who have remained silent for 30 years, Ewen Southby-Tailyour has finally established the truth: that it has taken so long reflects the sensitivities, both military and personal, involved.Interviews with the SAS officer commanding Operation Plum Duff, members of the reconnaissance patrol for Operation Mikado, plus the navigator of the helicopter that flew eight troopers into Tierra del Fuego, has allowed the author to describe the tortuous events that led, instead, to a significant survival story.The RAF [pilots tasked with ‘ crash-landing’ two Hercules onto Rio Grande during Operation Mikado have spoken of the extraordinary procedures they developed: so has the captain of the British submarine involved.The Super Etendard pilots who sank HMS Sheffield and MV Atlantic Conveyor and then ‘attacked’ HMS Invincible, plus a key member of the Argentine special forces and the brigadier defending Rio Grande, add credence, depth and gravitas to the saga.Exocet Falklands is a groundbreaking work of investigative military history.

Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations

Americas

Pen and Sword Maritime

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Southby-Tailyour, Ewen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Southby-Tailyour, Ewen

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Southby-Tailyour, Ewen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Jane's Special Forces Recognition Guide

3 Commando Brigade

3 Commando Brigade: Helmand Assault

3 Commando Brigade: Helmand Assault

The Next Moon

Next Moon,The: The Extraordinary True Story Of A British Agent Behind Enemy Line

REASONS IN WRITING: A Commando's View of the Falklands War

Blondie: A Biography of Lieutenant-Colonel H G Hasler Dso, Obe, Croix De Guerre, Royal Marines

Blondie: The Life of Lieutenant-Colonel HG Hasler DSO, OBE, RM, founder of the SBS and Modern Single-handed Ocean Racing

Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations