SAS Great Escapes Four - Author’s Note - Chapter One to Selected Bibliography

Jul 30, 2026

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SAS Great Escapes Four recounts true Second World War special-forces operations, presented with careful attention to place, time, and narrative coherence despite inconsistent surviving testimonies. The author explains the scarcity of survivors, the secrecy surrounding Allied special-forces service, and the frequent contradictions found across diaries, letters, signals logs, and war records. A methodology is described for selecting the most likely scenario when accounts diverge, alongside standardized spelling, grammar corrections, and simplified acronyms to improve readability.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages259

Reading Time6 h 39 min

Author’s Note

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements on Sources

References to Sources

Selected Bibliography

Picture Section

Charities Endorsed by the Author

OCEANOFPDF.COM ALSO BY DAMIEN LEWIS (in suggested reading order) Second World War SAS Brothers in Arms SAS Forged in Hell SAS Daggers Drawn SAS Shadow Raiders The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare The Flame of Resistance Hunting Hitler ’s Nukes SAS Ghost Patrol SAS Band of Brothers SAS Italian Job The Nazi Hunters SAS Great Escapes SAS Great Escapes Two SAS Great Escapes Three War Dog Smoky the Brave Judy: A Dog in a Million Modern Day Elite Forces Cobra 405 SAS Bravo Three Zero (with Des Powell) A Dog Called Hope (with Jason Morgan) Operation Certain Death Operation Mayhem (with Steve Heaney) X Platoon (with Steve Heaney) Bloody Heroes Zero Six Bravo Sergeant Rex (with Mike Dowling) Operation Relentless [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) This ebook published in 2025 by Quercus Editions Limited Carmelite House 50 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DZ An Hachette UK company The authorised representative in the EEA is Hachette Ireland, 8 Castlecourt Centre, Dublin 15, D15 XTP3, Ireland (email: [info@hbgi.ie](info@hbgi.ie)) Copyright © 2025 Omega Ventures Limited The moral right of Damien Lewis tobe identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library EBOOK ISBN 978 1 52944 112 3 Quercus Editions Ltd hereby exclude all liability to the extent permitted by law for any errors or omissions in this book and for any loss, damage or expense (whether direct or indirect) suffered by a third party relying on any information contained in this book. Ebook by CC Book Production [www.quercusbooks.co.uk](www.quercusbooks.co.uk) [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) For the Great Escapees as depicted in these pages. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go Always a little further: it may be Beyond the last blue mountain barred with snow, Across that angry or that glimmering sea, White on a throne or guarded in a cave There lives a prophet who can understand Why men were born: but surely we are brave, Who take the golden road to Samarkand. The Golden Road to Samarkand James Elroy Flecker [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Contents SAS Great Escapes Four Also By Title Copyright Dedication Epigraph Picture Credits Author ’s Note Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Acknowledgements Acknowledgements on Sources References to Sources Selected Bibliography Picture Section Charities Endorsed by the Author [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Picture Credits Picture credits (in order of appearance): 1. Courtesy the Mayne family 2. Courtesy the Davis family 3. Courtesy the Nash family 4. Courtesy Special Forces Roll of Honour – [https://www.specialforcesroh.com](https://www.specialforcesroh.com) [5](5). IWM BU 1162 6. Courtesy the Appleyard family 7. IWMA 14970 8. IWM NA 674 9. Courtesy Fondation de la France Libre 10. Public domain 11. Courtesy Service historique de la Défense 12. Courtesy Service historique de la Défense 13. Courtesy Verney family 14. Courtesy Gibbs family 15. Courtesy Gary Hull 16. Courtesy Gibson family 17. Courtesy Gibson family 18. Courtesy Gibson family 19. Courtesy Gibson family 20. Courtesy Graham & John Alcock 21. Courtesy US military 22. Courtesy US military [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Author ’s Note There are sadly few survivors from the Second World War operations depicted in these pages. Throughout the writing of this book I have endeavoured to be in contact with as many as possible, pl

FAQs

Why does the author emphasize the difficulty of reconstructing WWII special-forces stories?

Few survivors remain, and many accounts were kept secret or shared only later. Memories and written records can differ in details, timescales, and locations, and chronologies may conflict.

How does the author handle conflicting testimonies and sources?

Where accounts are particularly confused, the author uses a “most likely” scenario approach: if multiple testimonies or sources support a time, place, or sequence of events, that account is treated as most likely.

What editorial approach is used to make the book easier to read?

Speech sections draw from contemporary accounts such as diaries, letters, and memoirs. Spelling is standardized, grammar corrected, and acronyms simplified (for example, “Amm” rendered as ammunition and “Ack” as acknowledge).

Jul 30, 2026

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