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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

How Churchill's Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops

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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Written by: Damien Lewis
Narrated by: NIgel Carrington
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About this listen

From the award-winning historian, war reporter, and author Damien Lewis (Zero Six Bravo, Judy) comes the incredible true story of the top-secret "butcher-and-bolt" black ops units Prime Minister Winston Churchill tasked with stopping the unstoppable German war machine. Criminals, rogues, and survivalists, the brutal tactics and grit of these "deniables" would define a military unit the likes of which the world had never seen.

When France fell to the Nazis in 1940, Churchill declared that Britain would resist the advance of the German army - alone, if necessary. Churchill commanded the Special Operations Executive to secretly develop of a very special kind of military unit that would operate on their own initiative deep behind enemy lines. The units would be licensed to kill, fully deniable by the British government, and a ruthless force to meet the advancing Germans.

The very first of these "butcher-and-bolt" units - the innocuously named Maid Honour Force - was led by Gus March-Phillipps, a wild British eccentric of high birth, and an aristocratic, handsome, and bloodthirsty young Danish warrior, Anders Lassen. Amped up on amphetamines, these assorted renegades and sociopaths undertook the very first of Churchill's special operations - a top-secret, high-stakes mission to seize Nazi shipping in the far-distant port of Fernando Po, in West Africa.

Though few of these early desperadoes survived WWII, they took part in a series of fascinating, daring missions that changed the course of the war. It was the first stirrings of the modern special-ops team, and all of the men involved would be declared war heroes when it was all over.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare focuses on a dozen of these extraordinary men, weaving their stories of brotherhood, comradely, and elite soldiering into a gripping narrative yarn, from the earliest missions to Anders Larssen's tragic death, just weeks before the end of the war.

©2016 Damien Lewis (P)2021 Quercus
Armed Forces Great Britain Wars & Conflicts
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What the critics say

"A truly astonishing story." (Weekend Sport)

"Kill without mercy, party like there's no tomorrow: Churchill's secret band of fearless warriors broke hearts, rules, and the Nazis' spirit." (The Daily Mail)

"A valuable addition to World War II history, and a harbinger of the sort of war that the United States and other countries are learning to wage in the 21st century." (Washington Times)

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Adventure Abound

The stories are great but it would be better if the narrator gave it some ‘oomph’. No one should be falling asleep to the most exciting WWII stories ever told. British narration should not be allowed to be dry and boring af with stories like this. Honestly someone like Jason Stratham gravely manly voice reading this would give this book real justice it richly deserves. Listen to it at x2 speed so at least you don’t fall asleep. For full effect, enjoy it with a well aged whiskey to savour the feeling part of the story. (Yeah, it’s that kind of book.)

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