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From the makers of NEW ELITE FORCES THE CRACK TROOPS WHO FOUGHT TO DEFINE HISTORY’S GREATEST WARS D-DAY Discover how the SAS wreaked havoc behind enemy lines during Operation Overlord ln a o t i it g i d i D E IMMORTALS KNIGHTS NINJAS DELTA FORCE Meet the ﬁnest troops of Driven by their faith, these These highly trained Inside the savage NDON ancient Persia, an endless devoted soldiers willingly died assassins stalked the ﬁrestorm that inspired SECOEDITI army of 10,000 men for the Holy Land shadows of feudal Japan Black Hawk Down G e tty ImagesGetty Images WELCOME TO A WORLD OF BLOOD AND STEEL Humanity has waged war since it first emerged on the plains of Africa, a natural capacity for violence harnessed and unleashed on a larger scale in service of a greater cause. Yet while early skirmishes were usually between lightly armed tribes, in time war became a profession, one populated by different calibres of warrior. Inevitably, the best fighters rose to the top. From the battlefields of ancient Greece to feudal Japan, imperial France, the jungles of Vietnam and the streets of Mogadishu, in Elite Forces you will meet some of history’s finest soldiers, crack troops trained and trusted to turn the tide of battle or fight to the death in defence of their ruler. You will find out how a Persian Immortal prepared for war, discover the origins of the formidable Gurkhas, storm the Iranian embassy with the SAS and witness a savage gunfight in a war-ravaged African capital. You will also meet men who served a cruel and deluded tyrant, pillaged towns for profit and assassinated targets in cold blood. This is war, and these are the soldiers who have shaped some of the bloodiest conflicts man has ever witnessed. G e tty Im a g e s ELITE FORCES Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Bookazine Editorial Editor Charles Ginger Designer Steve Dacombe Compiled by Thomas Parrett Senior Art Editor Andy Downes Head of Art & Design Greg Whitaker Editorial Director Jon White History of War Editorial Editor Tim Williamson Senior Designer Curtis Fermor-Dunman Senior Art Editor Duncan Crook Cover images Getty Images, Alamy Photography All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove International Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw [email protected] www.futurecontenthub.com Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Matthew Eglinton Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Managers Keely Miller, Nola Cokely, Vivienne Calvert, Fran Twentyman Printed in the UK Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9001 History of War: Elite Forces Second Edition (HWB4488) © 2022 Future Publishing Limited We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this bookazine was sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. The paper holds full FSC or PEFC certification and accreditation. All contents © 2022 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. 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Future plc is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne company quoted on the Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford London Stock Exchange Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand (symbol: FUTR) www.futureplc.com Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 Part of the bookazine series ELITE FORCES CONTENTS THE FIRST ELITES 102 10 ANCIENT ELITES Since the dawn of war kings and commanders have relied on crack troops to make the difference in battle 20 THE WARRIORS OF GOD Sworn to rid the Holy Land of ‘infidels’, these fanatical Christian crusaders bathed the Middle East in blood 32 SHADOW WARRIORS From skulking in the dark to scaling castle walls, these highly skilled assassins could reach even the most well-protected warlords 40 BLOOD AND COIN 94 Only the most ruthless mercenaries could hope to survive the Thirty Years’ War. Meet the men who willingly killed for coin 46 DEATH OF THE SAMURAI Once the most formidable warriors in all of Japan, these sacred swordsmen were ultimately undone by the march of technology and time 52 THE IMPERIAL GUARD Hailed as Napoleon’s finest, just how crucial was the Old Guard to one of history’s greatest commanders? A WORLD AT WAR 62 THE GURKHAS Uncover the history and recruitment processes that have shaped one of the most-feared forces around 72 SAS: D-DAY MISSIONS 52 20 As Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy undercover guerrillas wreaked havoc behind German lines in a bid to aid the invasion of occupied Europe 82 HITLER’S BRUTAL WAFFEN SS 40 Inside the minds and methods of the most savage soldiers ever to march to war 94 BRITAIN’S SECRET ARMY Confronted with the threat of invasion, Britain set about assembling a force that would disrupt Germany’s efforts at every turn “NEVER YIELD TO FORCE; NEVER YIELD TO THE APPARENTLY OVERWHELMING MIGHT OF THE ENEMY” – WINSTON CHURCHILL 6 CONTENTS 82 32 THE COLD WAR AND BEYOND 102 MAC V SOG 128 Shrouded in secrecy and dropped into the jungle, this unit waged an undeclared war against the mages communist North and paid a heavy price Getty I 108 OPERATION NIMROD With hostages’ lives on the line inside a besieged Iranian embassy there was only one unit to call: the SAS 120 DELTA AT MOG A survivor recounts the bloody day that inspired Black Hawk Down 128 SPECIAL FORCES OF THE WORLD From America to South Korea, this map reveals the locations of elite units across the globe 62 120 72 7 STORY OF THE VIETNAM WAR THE FIRST ELITES 10 ANCIENT ELITES Since the dawn of war kings and commanders have 40 relied on crack troops to make the difference in battle 20 THE WARRIORS OF GOD Sworn to rid the Holy Land of ‘infidels’, these fanatical Christian crusaders bathed the Middle East in blood 32 SHADOW WARRIORS From skulking in the dark to scaling castle walls, these highly skilled assassins could reach even the most well-protected warlords 40 BLOOD AND COIN Only the most ruthless mercenaries could hope to survive the Thirty Years’ War. Meet the men who willingly killed for coin 46 DEATH OF THE SAMURAI Once the most formidable warriors in all of Japan, these sacred swordsmen were ultimately undone by the march of technology and time 52 THE IMPERIAL GUARD Hailed as Napoleon’s finest, just how crucial was the Old Guard to one of history’s greatest commanders? 32 20 10 8 THE FIRST ELITES 46 main Public Do 52 9 ANCIENT ELITES MEET THE SOLDIERS WHO STRUCK FEAR INTO THE HEARTS OF THEIR OPPONENTS WORDS: SCOTT REEVES 10