Author Nicholas Jellicoe published the book “George Jellicoe: SAS and SBS Commander” in 2021. This is Mr. Jellicoe’s second book.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of violence. The book tells the story of George Jellicoe and both the SAS and SBS.

While this is in part a biography of George Jellicoe, it also addresses the creation of both the SAS and SBS. The book covers a lot about the struggle for those units to survive. Jellicoe was an important figure in those organizations. Included are details of many of the North African missions taken on during the early years of WWII. A great deal of attention is also given to the battle for the Greek Islands.

Jellicoe was an essential founding member of the special service organizations. When the war ended, he was involved with the liberation of Greece. He also found himself having to deal with the communist resistance forces there.

Jellicoe enjoyed a very successful military career during the war. Post-war he joined the Foreign Office. This led him into the world of intelligence and espionage. After he left the Foreign Office he was successful for a while in British politics. Jellicoe was active in and found a leadership role in many public organizations. He enjoyed a very full and eventful life.

I enjoyed the 12.5 hours I spent reading this 336-page WWII history. This book is a bit of an amalgamation. It tells of the life of George Jellicoe. It is also is a history of the early days of the SAS/SBS and those who served there. I have had the opportunity to read other books about the SAS and SBS. This one complements those by adding details about some of their operations. The book is an academic look at Jellicoe, the SAS, and the SBS. It includes many details and references. The names of several of those involved with the organizations are included. This made the book a little tedious to read. It also seemed to ramble a little in the storytelling. The last few chapters of the book deal with Jellicoe’s post-war career. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

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An interesting book which details the early years of the SAS and SBS, covering operations in the Mediterranean as well as operations in North Africa.
Some of the operations had more detail in their description whilst others were just mentioned with no detail.
I found the book became a little stale in places, becoming repetitive and losing my interest.
I enjoyed the book, but would have preferred more detail in the operations including first persons perspective.

An interesting history of the SAS and SBS during WW2. The author weaves not only the story of George Jellicoe into the book, but also many other figures from those organizations. There is a good balance of first hand accounts and stories of the various actions that took place. A very good read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.