The Special Boat Squadron was Britain's most exclusive Special Forces unit during World War II. Highly trained, totally secretive, and utterly ruthless, the SBS was established as an entity in its own right in early 1943, having previously operated under the auspices of the SAS during the war in North Africa. Unlike its sister unit, which numbered more than one thousand men, the SBS never comprised more than one hundred. Led by men such as the famed Victoria Cross recipient Anders Lassen, the SBS went from island to island in the Mediterranean, landing in the dead of night in small fishing boats and launching savage hit-and-run raids on the Germans.

By the end of the war they had served in Italy, the Balkans, and mainland Greece, and following the cessation of hostilities, their deeds were airbrushed out of history by an establishment that had never warmed to their piratical exploits. Through unrivaled access to the SBS archives and interviews with the surviving members of the unit, Gavin Mortimer has pieced together the dramatic exploits of this elite fighting force, illustrated with images of their daring actions, finally granting the unit the recognition they so richly deserve.

Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1. Birth of the Boat Service
Chapter 2. From Service to Squadron
Chapter 3. Sick in Sardinia
Chapter 4. A Close Call in Crete
Chapter 5. Armistice and Uncertainty
Chapter 6. The Germans Fight Back
Chapter 7. Defeat in the Dodecanese
Chapter 8. New Recruits for a New Year
Chapter 9. Piracy on the High Seas
Chapter 10. Turkish Deceit for the SBS
Chapter 11. Caught, Questioned, Vanished
Chapter 12. Vengeance
Chapter 13. Germany on the Run
Chapter 14. Into the Balkans
Chapter 15. The Nazis' Greek Tragedy
Chapter 16. Adriatic Offensive
Chapter 17. Andy Lassen's Big War
Chapter 18. The End of the Odyssey
Glossary
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index