Alan West

A very British coup: SBS – Silent Warriors reviewed

The riveting story of how a few men saw the potential for clandestine marine operations against our German enemy and came up with plans for using collapsible canoes

Troops landing at Juno Beach on 6 June 1944. Credit: Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images

The vast majority of the British public, and even military historians, have never heard of them. COPPists — a combination of naval navigators and submariners with SBS (Special Boat Service) swimmers — played a key role in the planning and execution of Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion of Europe. Admiral Ramsay, the architect of the naval element, said: ‘On their operations depended to a very great extent the final success of Operation Overlord.’

Who were these people, and what exactly did they do? Saul David provides the answers in a detailed analysis of the development of seaborne special forces formed in Britain’s darkest hour to take the offensive against the seemingly invincible German war machine. He has shown great skill in pulling the disparate threads of unit reports into a cohesive story. Many of these reports of operations from secret SBS archives were embargoed until now, and it is unsurprising that today’s SBS considers the book the authorised wartime history.

It is a riveting story, and very British. In 1940 a few visionary men who saw the potential for clandestine marine operations against our land-focused German enemy came up with plans for using collapsible canoes or Folbots. Men from all parts of society and from all over the empire made up select groups of canoeists. We get a vibrant picture of them, their backgrounds and foibles. Those recruited were generally quiet and understated. Roger Courtney, the father of the SBS, had a sign on his desk that read: ‘Are you tough? If so get out. I need buggers with intelligence.’ They were without exception daring and brave.

Often deployed in submarines, Folbotists were given this advice in the event of being depth-charged:

Pay no attention, read an improving book (it might be held upside down but it doesn’t matter, it is the impression that counts), everyone is just as tense as you are and nothing can be done about it.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in