Being there . . . . as promised, among PEN & SWORD MILITARY – CASEMATE’s recent arrival onthis reviewer’s front porch of five of its latest hot off the presses World War II titles for his “BestWWII Book Buys for Christmas” columns – – “R Patrol – LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP”. Authoredby brilliant authority-historian, Brendan O’Carroll, buffs, enthusiasts, and aficionados who havestudied the LRDG, of course, know just about all there is concerning that tough, nay, heroicallybrave, British desert unit created nine months after the start of WWII (3 September 1939) inJune 1940, the start of Churchill’s “Western Desert” campaigns. It was created and organized byBritish Brigadier Ralph Bagnold who commanded it until August 1941. Provided with toughspecially adapted desert trucks, as were the specially adapted troops themselves, theyreconnoitered behind German-Italian lines, while inserting spies who wired back criticalintelligence and dared risk lightning attacks on enemy, especially Rommel’s gasoline dumps,loosely guarded airfields, and hastily established headquarters.THE MOST SPECTACULAR CAREFULLY PREPARED ALLIED RAIDERS OF WORLD WAR II, THE LRDG,THE LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP, TELL THEIR COURAGEROUS STORIES IN THEIR OWN WORDSSUPPORTED BY WARTIME OPERATIONAL REPORTS, DIARIES, PERSONSAL LETTERS, AND POST-WAR INTERVIEWS. FULLY ILLUSTRATED, INCLUDING MAPS, DOCUMENTS, EVEN RARE PAYBOOKENTRIES, VARIOUS RECOGNITION PROFILES, INFORMATION AND DATA ORDINARILLY IGNORED,ESTABLISHES “R PATROL” AS THE MOST COMPLETE LRDG REFERENCE YET PUBLISHED.Reviewed and highly recommended by Don DeNevi as a high valued Christmas gift:“R PATROL – Long Range Desert Group”, by Brendan O’Carroll. Pen & Sword MILITARY,Philadelphia, dist. CASEMATE PUBLISHERS: 2024, 295 pages, hardcover 7” x 10”, $49.95 disc.Visit, www.penandswordbooks.com, or, E-mail: Uspen-and-sword@casematepublishers.com.Brendan O’ Carroll, who authored this substantial achievement, holds the reader’s interestto the end, and for good reason. Previously, he had written and watched published EIGHT “LongRange Desert Group” related books, mostly focused on the activities of the New Zealand patrols(W, T, AND R) within the LRDG saga. In this, his 9 th ninth, he tells the story in depth and in all itsglory, hardly mentioned in earlier-by-decades books by equally good writers. Here, Brendan,who lives in Auckland, New Zealand, provides a human touch to the R – patrol story, examiningthe thoughts, observations, and emotions of those who were part of the patrol. It is alsorepresentative of similar experiences of all those who served, including the British and SouthernRhodesian troops who made up the LRDG. To further enhance his accounts, Brendanmeticulously gathered over the years 288 hitherto unpublished personally taken photos,including maps and artwork. Virtually every photo comes close to being as sharp as if taken byan official photographer.As far as the personal stories are concerned, each describes in detail the recollections of theR patrol member, the formation of his unit (exceedingly rare), the early missions of the R patrol,its vehicles, supplies, weapons and battle equipment. In addition, R patrol worked closely with
the SAS in supporting the Eighth Army and undertaking the Road Watch. In addition, the author
includes accounts of air attacks, ground actions against enemy convoys, and engagements witharmored cars.Endearing are the concluding chapters focusing upon the end of service in 1945, the
immediate aftermath happenings, and the popular LR Group “Good-byes, good lucks!”
