The Men Who Made the SAS: The History of the Long Range Desert Group

Established in June 1940, the Long Range Desert Group was the inspiration of scientist and soldier Major Ralph Bagnold, a contemporary of T.E Lawrence who, in the inter-war years, explored the North African desert in a Model T Ford automobile.

Mortimer takes us from the founding of the LRDG, through their treacherous journey across the Egyptian Sand Sea and beyond, offering a hitherto unseen glimpse into the heart of this most courageous organisation, whose unique and valiant contributions to the war effort can now finally be recognized and appreciated.

Praise for Gavin Mortimer:

With unparalleled access to SBS’s archive, Mortimer draws on private papers to produce the definitive account of the SBS’s extraordinary exploits in WWII. - Sunday Telegraph

The SBS is finally being recognised thanks to a remarkable new book. Author Gavin Mortimer spent more than a decade interviewing veterans, scrutinising SBS archives and poring over recently declassified documents to write The SBS in World War 2. - Daily Mirror

This gripping first-hand account of the raid is one of many previously unpublished resources that Mortimer’s book draws on. - The Times

Mortimer deserves full credit for assembling a mountain of material and presenting it with lucidity and balance - Philip Ziegler, Daily Mail