British commandos are among the most celebrated soldiers of the Second World War. Their daring, ingenuity and bravery have given rise to an almost legendary reputation that makes it difficult to appreciate fully their role and their true value as fighting men.Stephen Bull, in this in-depth study of commando tactics and history, seeks to dispel the myths and the misunderstandings that surround them, and he places these elite troops of 70 years ago in the context of their times. He also demonstrates that the idea of the commando took time to develop and that commando operations were far from always successful. Commando tactics amphibious, mountain, close quarter were forged through the often-painful experience of raids and combined operations. And commando tactics and organization remained in a state of flux throughout the war as new situations and challenges arose.Stephen Bulls vivid account will be essential reading for anyone who is interested in commando fighting techniques and the early history of special forces.

In this authoritative, in-depth account, military author and historian James F. Dunnigan uncovers the fascinating evolution of the world's deadliest warriors, from skilled prehistoric hunters, through Stoss Truppen', British SAS, Russia's Spetnaz, the Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrols of the Vietnam War, antiterrorism commandos, SWAT teams, and the commando wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. With brilliant analysis and gripping descriptions, Dunnigan explores the minds, methods and decisive battles of elite forces. This inside look shows the way warfare has changed forever.'

The Navy SEALs. The Green Berets. Delta Force. These are just a few examples of what are known as ""special ops"" -- unique fighting forces trained to beat overwhelming odds on every mission. Using principles like speed, purpose, repetition, surprise, and simplicity, elite units such as these have throughout history accomplished extremely challenging tasks against vastly superior forces. When something seemingly impossible must be achieved, special ops forces are the ones called upon for a miracle. Just as special ops are needed for critical tasks in battle, ultra-high achievers are needed for special circumstances in business: situations where time is important, when resources are low or insufficient, where you are challenging conventional wisdom or established competitors, or where crisis is imminent. But can commando techniques really work in business? If you can inspire and lead your employees to work at peak performance, they will accomplish dramatic, almost fantastic feats for you -- just as fighting commandos do in battle situations. Secrets of Special Ops Leadership reveals the essential methods commando leaders employ, using dramatic real-life stories of commando leadership from biblical times all the way up through Iraq and Afghanistan in 2005, and showing how similar techniques are used by present-day business leaders such as Steve Jobs, Mary Kay Ash, Robert Townsend, and others. You'll learn the fourteen core practices of special ops leadership, including how to: * Create the Best If you think you can just call some of your regular employees together and give them a pep talk and an impossible task to do, you're wrong. Business commandos aren't born. They must be created. Your first task as a special ops business leader is to recruit, select, train, and motivate the right people. * Build a Commando Team Using models such as Carlson's Raiders, who fought for the U.S. Marines during World War II, the book explains how to work with different personalities, agendas, priorities, and motivations to create a team that works efficiently and effectively to get the job done. * Dare the Impossible Like the Sayeret Mat'kal, the Israeli Special Ops unit that staged the miraculous raid on Entebbe to free hostages on an Air France plane hijacked by terrorists in 1976, successful business ops must aggressively seek out opportunities and know when to transcend conventional thinking to stage an assault and take action. When they've got the right problems to work on, business commandos can do many times the work of normal employees, accomplish more with less, complete projects against looming deadlines, and create innovative new products and strategies. Secrets of Special Ops Leadership gives you the ammunition you need to get a business commando unit up and running and achieve the impossible for your organization.

Having taught unarmed combat, karate and related disciplines in the Middle East, Wilson and Evans present a realistic approach to using your body as a powerful and effective weapon in combat situations. The chokes, strangles, breakaways, releases, locks, throws, sweeps, blocks and counters in this extensively illustrated guide incorporate Asian fighting arts and Western combat schools of self-defense.

Marcinko's phenomenal #1 "New York Times" bestseller "Rogue Warrior" chronicled the astounding adventures of his 30-year career as a Navy commando. Now, the "Rogue Warrior" employs his trademark no-holds-barred style and hard-earned know-how to spell out a surefire system for winning in any arena.

Before the Green Berets...Before the Navy SEALs...Before the Army Rangers...There was the Long Patrol. November 1942: in the hellish combat zone of Guadalcanal, one man would make history. Lt. Col. Evans Carlson was considered a maverick by many of his comrades-and an outright traitor by others. He spent years observing guerrilla tactics all over the world, and knew that those tactics could be used effectively by the Marines. Carlson and an elite fighting force-the 2nd Raider Battalion-embarked upon a thirty-day mission behind enemy lines where they disrupted Japanese supplies, inflicted a string of defeats on the enemy in open combat, and gathered invaluable intelligence on Japanese operations on Guadalcanal. And in the process they laid the foundation for every branch of Special Forces in the modern military. Here, for the first time, is a riveting account of one man, one battalion, and one mission that would forever change the ways of warfare.