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The Secret Origins of the SAS
Episode 1534

The Secret Origins of the SAS

The life of Dudley Clarke pioneer of the SAS and master of military deception.

Dan Snow's History Hit · History Hit

October 30, 202428m 21s

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Show Notes

<p>In 1974, a pioneer of the SAS and master of military deception, Dudley Clarke, passed away. His death went almost entirely unnoticed by the British public, despite the fact that he carried out some of the most dramatic deception campaigns of World War Two. He waged a covert war of trickery and misdirection across Europe, which ended up getting him arrested by Spanish authorities while dressed as a woman. He also helped to found one of the world's preeminent special forces; the Special Air Service, or the SAS. His contribution is often overlooked, but without it, the SAS may well have never existed.</p><br><p>So who was Dudley Clarke? What were some of the most audacious acts of subterfuge he carried out? And why is he not better known? Dan is joined by former SAS Troop Commander and author of <em>Speed, Aggression, Surprise: The Secret Origins of the SAS</em>, Tom Petch, to answer these questions and more.</p><br><p>Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.</p><br><p>Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up <a href="https://eu1.hubs.ly/H09Dmh10" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>HERE</u></a> for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.</p><br><p>We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>.</p><br><p>You can take part in our listener survey<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here</a>.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>