Anyone watched, or looking forward to watching, this? I believe it's on MGM's streamer, EPIX.

Maybe it hasn't hit the service yet.

Link

The book was good.

Came across this video clip by the same title, so I would assume that there is a book, a documentary, and a TV show or mini-series all by the same title.

Local library had the documentary so I watched that this weekend. It's a 3 episode (1 hour long each) documentary, based on two sources of material. The first source was known as "The War Diary", which was maintained and kept secure in a SAS vault, written by SAS members, essentially detailing their orders, missions/ operations, results, and casualties. The War Diary is kept in a leather binder captured from the Germans during a WW II SAS mission and bears NAZI markings.

The second source of material is from interviews. Although long since passed when this documentary was released in 2017, a handful of the original members of SAS, including the originator of the SAS concept, David Stirling, had been interviewed in 1987, and those interviews are included in this documentary. There is one member who is 96 years old at the time of this documentary, and it's not clear whether he is still alive.

A few of the "re-enactments" including the narrator are a bit overly dramatic, maybe even a tad cheesy, but several still included vehicle types the SAS used in WW II that were interesting to see being driven...but the archival photos and short actual war film clips, along with commentary from the actual original members more than makes up for the short cheesy re-enactment moments.

The documentary covers the period from the SAS inception in WW II, their campaigns in Africa, Sicily, and D-Day France to discovering the Belsen Concentration Camp, to its disbandment shortly after the war.

The experiences and comments from the original members range from wry and funny, to heartbreaking, especially when they describe some of the civilian casualties they encountered, the concentration camp prisoners, as well as several instances when they had to leave dead or dying camrades or allies behind in order to complete their missions. Both their successes and failures are mentioned, and the stories of what lengths Stirling went to to even get SAS created and expanded into a regiment alone make the documentary worthwhile.

Luckily, another forum thread had recently mentioned that The Desert Fox was free on YouTube and I just finished watching that, and Rommel's actions in Africa loosely dovetail into the SAS Africa operations. If I can find the time I may re-watch this documentary, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the SAS, or in WW II history.

This clip is not from the documentary, but thought I'd include it in the post as a sample from the TV show or mini-series (??)

@ 3 minute


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QumXVbpw8YU

Edited: in double-checking apparently the titles mentioned are similar but different. The documentary that I mentioned watching is called SAS Rogue Warriors.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Modern Day Savage,

I've been watching this on Epix and the first two episodes are available to viewers. So far, I like it. Interesting characters, good production values.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10405370/

quote:

Originally posted by pulicords:
I've been watching this on Epix and the first two episodes are available to viewers. So far, I like it. Interesting characters, good production values.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10405370/

ditto,

watched the first 2 last night

Thanks for posting! I hadn’t heard of this. Just the kind of series I like!

Is there any basis in fact that Paddy Mayne was a homosexual and the head of British Intelligence in Cairo was a transvestite/transgender?

I'm not bringing woke into this thread, the show itself does that. I've not seen evidence of the above in the various publications I've read that deal with the history of the SAS.

Also, Paddy's assault on a superior officer as depicted in the series is, by other accounts, false. Apparently in real life the offending dude was a major who disliked Paddy as much as Paddy disliked him and shot Paddy's dog while Paddy was on a mission and revenge was taken upon his return. Nothing whatsoever to do with Paddy protecting the honor of his "boyfriend".

As Critical Drinker would say... "Fuck off, show!"

From a historical perspective, this show looks about as accurate to the lives and actions of these SAS founders as "Crimson Tide" was to SSBN operational life (Yeah, no fish tanks, dancing in berthing, etc.). Which is a shame because the true story is fantastic enough to tell on its own merits and not be embellished with bullshit from the man-children and feminazis of Hollyweird.

I'd be interested to read tac's review of this series as he's probably the one best qualified to give an opinion regarding how true it is to actual people and events.

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:
Is there any basis in fact that Paddy Mayne was a homosexual and the head of British Intelligence in Cairo was a transvestite/transgender?

Mayne was not homosexual; however Dudley Clarke was known to wear women’s clothing as a disguise even though Clarke was neither homosexual or a transvestite.

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
Local library had the documentary so I watched that this weekend. It's a 3 episode (1 hour long each) documentary... is called SAS Rogue Warriors[/b].

It'll costya from every where you can watch it except Dailymotion. They have all three episodes.
LINK

We signed up for a free 7 day subscription. We'll be through it in half that and kill the sub. MGM plus

I just starting watching this series on Amazon Prime. I'm three episodes in and I like it so far.

It's definitely entertaining.

Not entirely historically accurate, but it makes up for it with style.

(Similar in style and tone to Guy Ritchie's recent "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" film, which was a similar take on the British SOE in WW2, and likewise sacrificed historical accuracy for fun action. Though Rogue Heroes does take things a bit more seriously.)

Season 1 is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Season 2 just debuted, but it's exclusive to MGM+, and they're only releasing one episode per week. So I'll wait another couple months for all the S2 episodes to be released, then grab a 7 day trial of MGM+, watch the entire Season 2, and cancel the trial.

I watched the first season on Prime and I was entertained. I'm sure it is not 100% historically accurate but I don't really care, it is just a movie based on true events.

I think they are making a second season. I certainly hope so I love me some Paddy Mayne.

Episode One of Season Two is up.

It is about the Special Raiding Squadron (SRS) (Mayne's SAS was renamed for this phase of the war) attack on Capo Murro di Porco, the opening gambit of Operation Husky, the invasion of Europe via Sicily.

While not entirely historically accurate, it was nonetheless accurate enough of a WWII history geek like myself.

Episode Two drops tomorrow.

Another vote for the book.

Does the unit portrayed in this series have any connection to the old TV show The Rat Patrol?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Does the unit portrayed in this series have any connection to the old TV show The Rat Patrol?

The units discussed in the book, yes.

I don’t remember too much about the TV show, but the book is about the origins and World War II operations of the Special Air Service. The operations started in the North African desert, but later the SAS was involved in other parts of the European theater. As I recall about the TV show it was loosely based on the British army units that ran around the desert attacking the German army and air force. The SAS wasn’t the only British force involved in such operations (the name of the other mentioned in the book escapes me at the moment), but they were the best well known.

The SAS was briefly disbanded after WWII (or threatened with disbandment), but resurrected not long after for operations elsewhere. Those later operations are not covered in detail like the WWII activities.

"Rat Patrol" was very loosely based on the actions of both the SAS and the Long Range Desert Group during the North African Campaign. (Though Americanized, as both the SAS and LRDG were British units.)

The LRDG was a unit formed early in WW2 to focus on deep desert reconnaissance operations against the Germans and Italians in North Africa, doing similar to what the SAS would later go on to do as well: using heavily armed and desert-adapted jeeps and trucks to travel long distances through the deep desert and around behind enemy lines. But the LRDG had a bit more of a focus on recon and intelligence-gathering, whereas the later SAS was more focused on direct action/raiding, though the LRDG partook in offensive operations as well.

The LRDG initially provided transportation for the SAS on their early raids against Axis bases in North Africa, until the SAS learned the tricks of desert travel, plus proved their worth and were allocated addition resources, at which point they were able to provide their own transportation and didn't have to keep hitching rides from the LRDG.

The LRDG played a huge role in mentoring and guiding the fledgling SAS. So while the LRDG were not formally part of the SAS, they are considered part of the SAS's legacy/brotherhood. (Similar to SEALs and UDTs.)


In Season 1 of Rogue Heroes, the SAS encounter (and recruit from) the LRDG after their abortive first operation. They were the guys in the jeeps/trucks who rescued the straggling SAS survivors from the desert and then took them to the new SAS base. One or two of the LRDG guys then stuck around to help the SAS.

As usual, RogueJSK, thanks for all that. A good, succinct summary.
The Long Range Desert Group was the other organization I was thinking of, but I borrowed the book and didn't have it available to refresh my memory.