Popski's Private Army
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€19.99
In October 1942, with the sanction of the army, Vladimir Peniakoff (nicknamed Popski) formed his own elite fighting force. By befriending and enlisting desert Arabs, he was able to penetrate deep into German territory without being detected - over the next year, 'Popski's Private Army' carried out a series of raids behind the German lines that were truly spectacular.
A bestseller when it was first published in 1950, POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY is a classic account of the war in the desert, and later in Italy, as seen through the eyes of a maverick soldier, hailed as the Second World War's answer to T.E. Lawrence.
Vladimir Peniakoff served with the Long Range Desert Group from 1940 to 1942, before forming his own force. He rose to lieutenant-colonel in rank, and was decorated for bravery by Britain, France and Belgium. He died in 1951.