Behind Enemy Lines

The Special Forces Patrol Who Changed the Course of WWII
Damien Lewis new bestseller brings Archie Gibson’s story to life, as if his voice speaks from beyond the grave.

Archie Gibson’s initiation into desert warfare almost proved to be his last. Barrelling through the sand dunes at the wheel of his truck, Gibson spied a searing flash of light up ahead, the signature of a feared German 88mm gun firing . right at him. He leapt from his speeding vehicle just before it was torn apart and turned into a flaming inferno.

Gibson’s response to his near-death experience was typical: his next vehicle he christened ‘Wha Daur’ – a phrase culled from the Scottish ballad, Who dares meddle with me? Wha Daur proved to be the slowest, most ugly and unwieldy of their Long Range Desert Group patrol – the unit that served as the forerunners of the SAS – but that didn’t stop Gibson from spearheading a string of daring and audacious missions.