Drawing on recently declassified files and interviews with veterans, this is a fascinating history of Bill Stirling and 2SAS - pioneering founders of modern special forces. David Stirling is the name synonymous with the wartime SAS, but the real brains behind the operation was in fact Bill Stirling, David-s eldest brother. Bill was described in the SAS War Diary as a -man from the shadows-; it was an apt description for, unlike his attention seeking brother, Bill shunned the spotlight. Now for the first time the truth - and the triumph - of 2SAS is revealed. Having originally joined the SOE in March 1940, Bill Stirling sailed for Cairo in 1941 and there had the idea for a small special forces unit to be led by his mercurial brother. But despite some success, David allowed the legendary 1SAS to drift under his leadership. Following his capture, Bill re-directed 2SAS, under his personal command, to the strategy he had originally envisaged: parachuting behind enemy lines to
