Paddy Mayne

Lt Col Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, 1 SAS Regiment

De: Hamish Ross

Narrado por: Alan Turkington

‘Paddy' Mayne was one of the most outstanding special forces leaders of the Second World War. Hamish Ross's authoritative study follows Mayne from solicitor and a rugby international to troop commander in the Commandos and then the SAS, whose leader he later became and whose annals he graced, winning the DSO and three bars, the Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'Honneur.

Mayne's achievements attracted attention, and after his early death legends emerged, based largely on anecdote and assertion. Hamish Ross's closely researched biography challenges much of the received version, using contemporary sources, the official war diaries, the chronicle of 1 SAS, Mayne's papers and diaries, and a number of extended interviews with key contemporaries. It has the support of the Mayne family and the SAS Regimental Association.

In Ross's analysis Mayne is a dynamic, yet principled and thoughtful man, committed to the unit's original concepts; not flawless, but whose leadership qualities and tactical brilliance in the field secured the reputation of the SAS.

©2011 Hamish Ross (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd

Fascinating, possibly a bit defensive?

I gained a fascination about Paddy Mayne after watching the first two seasons of Rogue Heroes and reading Mac. It's clear that Paddy Mayne was actually far different from his depiction in the series. The book is a solid biography of a figure that truly did write history, using his blood as ink (one of my favorite lines/scenes from the show).

I could care less whether Colonel Paddy Mayne was straight or gay or some combination thereof... Yet, I'm a bit suspicious that one of the motivations for this book was to attempt to demonstrate that Paddy was decisively heterosexual, as if homosexuality is shameful. And in this seeming motivation, the effort seems wasted. There wasn't any real evidence that Paddy was gay or straight... only that the person he seemed to care most about, other than his family, was a man.

Rugby player, scholar, and soldier

I had read about Paddy Mayne and some other works, dealing with the covert operations and the Genesis of the special air services during the second world war. His name and exploits figure very prominently in SAS lore. It’s an interesting study of a man who led an extra extraordinary life.

The full real story of an iconic WWII hero

I highly recommend this book to any and all WWII History Buffs, especially those interested in one of the founders of SAS’s full story, Paddy Mayne. This book dispels a lot of the inaccurate myths surrounding Mayne, and shows him as a thoughtful, highly intelligent, complex leader. This book is great. If you are a fan of some of the works by more well known current authors who write a lot about the SAS in WWII, then you must listen to this book.

I will say though that at times this book can be dry and long, especially when listening to the after action debrief reports, and towards the end going over the analysis of his leadership. However, you have to take that in to context, and pair it with other more dramatic accounts by other modern authors. When you do that this book shines and is refreshing, as it offers real stories without embellishing them and goes in to great lengths about Mayne’s post war life.
I would highly recommend this book.

High recommend

Insightful, extremely well done and inspirational. This man and his story are humbling…a wonderful story or a true hero, leader and great man.