Sting of the Scorpion: The Inside Story Of The Long Range Desert Group

It is a very good print of the book. The pictures are nice and the text is an historical accound of the LRDG.It is based on accounts of different men who served put in historical order.I found it very interesting and it has details on events only known by name or significance and not so much on detail as to what happened.It includes the show of ingenuity by these men to face and overcome the difficulties presented to them, either of a mechanical nature or when the enemy was after them.Really interesting and nice book. A must for anyone interested in WW2 history.

OK, for me this book hit the spot. I didn't know anything about the LRDG and bought the book to find out more. Can't remember the reason why I wanted to find out more, maybe it was the uprising in Libya and the names of the towns involved kicked of something in my mind. Anyhoo.. the book was well researched and well written. I know exactly who the Long Range Desert Group are now, what they did, and why. A British special forces team that operated deep in the Egyptian and Libyan desert during the second world war keeping tabs on Italian and German troop movements and attacking them when necessary. The group formed the basis for the SAS and other specialist military groups that operate today. Well recommended, and deserves to be made into a good film (movie).

A well researched and put together book. My original interest was in the SAS in the North African Desert, but this book revealed to me the equally daring role of the LRDG.

Unlike so many worthy (dull!) academic books written about WWII, this book cuts to the chase. It tells the first hand tales of those who actually served in (and created) the LRDG in a thrilling 'Boys Own' way. Many of these tales are culled from the LRDG's own 'Association' magazine and cover the full 5 yars of the LRDG's life (both in the African deserts and in other locations around the globe). It also covers their time working alongside the newly formed SAS. A great story, well told.

Disappointed

This book arrives well before the date I was told and was in immaculate condition for the price I paid for it. It is the story of a small group of men who lived and fought behind enemy lines in the desert of North Africa in World War 2.in some of the most hostile conditions. Their story is not talked about a lot but they managed to do a lot of damage to the enemy and also gathered in valuable information.

Really interesting absorbing read, a subject I've long been interested in & what a band of brothers they were!!!!

EXCEPTIONAL STORY. TALES FROM A FORGOTTEN PART OF SECOND WORLD WAR. BRAVERY FROM ALL MEMBERS OF LRDG. NOT TO BE MISSED

This book is the amazing story/history of the LRDG, a WWII special forces unit that would probe the desert waste lands to conduct reconnaissance, pathfinding missions, mapping and survey ops as well as limited direct action missions, against Italian targets of opportunity. The unit also ferried the SAS into operations. This book is fabulously written and structured makes the read quite fast and easy. This story covers the LRDG birth in the desert as long-range patrol unit to the LRDG. It covers the personalities, evolution of the unit; operations, equipment and an inside look at many of the tactics and procedures employed at that time for mobility operations. Excellent book if you would like to see the roots of modern special operations. Well worth the read.

I had heard throughout my childhood stories of the LRDG from my father who was privileged and proud to be a member. This is the first account of their war that matches the passion and professionalism, all be it a little unorthodox, re-counted by him. In my opinion it gets closer than any other account, I have seen, to allowing the reader to feel a little of what it was like to be there.

Mike Morgan's "Sting of the Scorpion" is the riveting anthology of the Long Range Desert Group during World War II. Tapping his many contacts in veteran organizations, Mr. Morgan, author of  The SAS Story , gathered and compiled exciting first person accounts of the LRDG's most interesting operations -- told in that famous understated British style.In "Sting of the Scorpion", he proudly remembers many of the tough, self-reliant soldiers -- mostly from New Zealand, Britain, and Rhodesia, -- making up this colorful unit.The LRDG was best known for its action behind Axis lines in North Africa. They focused on reconnaissance, desert exploration and mapping new routes, as well as occasionally ferrying spies and escaped prisoners.Far behind enemy lines -- hiding close to the road -- LRDG patrols monitored the Axis convoys along North Africa's coast road, transmitting intelligence reports back to Egypt.Other times. manning heavily armed 30cwt. trucks -- along side the SAS -- they would suddenly strike, causing mass panic and destruction hundreds of miles from their own bases.A typical LRDG raid would involve one force tying up an Italian fortified garrison while a hard-charging truck column blasted parked aircraft, hangers, supplies, and equipment. The wounded were quickly taken to secret airstrips for quick evacuation to Egypt by air.Perhaps, the LRDG's greatest fear was attack by enemy aircraft. When attacked, all personnel would scatter immediately. The stationary vehicles were often all lost -- leaving the men on foot with very few supplies.Mr. Morgan also presents gripping short stories of ambushed LRDG patrols -- stranded without vehicles -- and little food or water. Dauntlessly, they slogged for miles on foot back to their own lines, surviving only with the help of friendly Arabs.Later in the war,the LRDG parachuted behind the lines in Italy, as well as assisted partisan actions in German-held Albania, Greece, and Yugoslavia.In the Adriatic theater, the LRDG traded in their desert trucks for small sea craft, shuttling on cat-and-mouse missions among the Greek Islands. They watched the coasts and channels at night, coordinating RAF air strikes and devastating Royal Navy MTB attacks on enemy shipping.Cooperating with partisans in the Balkans, the LRDG resumed operations similar to those in the North African campaign. All Too often, the LRDG men were betrayed and captured. Mr. Morgan's short stories are filled with hair-raising chases, captures, escapes, and recaptures. The LRDG continued to harass German troops retreating out of Albania and Greece.As the war in Europe ended, the majority of LRDG men volunteered to fight on in Japan. Mr. Morgan relates, "The glorious story of the LRDG, who won admirers from all sides during the war, came to a close after five action packed years and the famous unit was disbanded with great sadness, praise, and regret in 1945.""Sting of the Scorpion" contains 65 excellent photographs, 2 maps, and 5 appendices:LRDG Commanders and Patrol DesignationsHonours and AwardsList of all serving LRDG Soldiers from the UK and AbroadPatrol CommandersRoll of Honour The SAS Story

I thought this book was about Long Range Desert Group. It isn't. It's about people of LRDG.Instead of writing about the missions, acomplishment and so, the author bring to us some stories of members of the group. Sometimes it became boring. Whem the author describe how some members decided to be part of LRDG, he bring us dozen different person saying "I was bored at my unit, then recruiters from LRDG apeared and I decided to join it, even people around saying this group was full of crazy and fearless people. I want to see some real actoin". Well, since you read 3 different guys saing that, it's enought. Don't need to be dozen.The author also say a couple of times the LRDG NEVER leave a vehicle. He never brought any story saing that during a mission a patrol towed a vehicle, but a couple of times he says some truck had to be abbandoned.The same occur during the entire book. As i said, I was looking to learn more about the LRDG itself. How they do their missions, de development of some main missions, how they navigate, survive, etc. Instead it brings you some stories wrote by members of LRDG telling their stories like escapes, etc.The book itself is not bad. It is written to glorify the members of LRDG.

Sting of the Scorpion - Realistic and accurate true stories.My dad fought in the North African Desert as well as Alamien,