Damien Lewis on Great Escapes 4 – stories of extraordinary escapes by the SAS in WW2

SAS Great Escapes Four recounts how soldiers of the world’s most famous fighting force, the SAS, carried out some of the most daring escapes of World War Two. Ranging from the infamous desert campaign of 1944 to the unforgiving terrain of the Vosges Mountains, these inspirational narratives include the tale of three Captains escaping an Italian Prisoner of War Camp in 1943; a perilous escape across Europe aided by the Resistance networks of Holland, Belgium; and a death-defying return to Britain via boat, tunnel and train.

Each account plunges the reader into the escapees’ experiences – sharing the most terrifying yet astounding moments of their lives. They include unimaginable accounts of survival in the face of huge odds, episodes of nerve-wracking bluff and deception, plus knife-edge ambushes with enemy forces determined to wreak vengeance.

In this new volume of his bestselling Great Escapes series, author Damien Lewis has worked closely with World War Two veterans and the families of those portrayed, accessing wartime diaries, letters, mission reports, interrogation transcripts and more, to relate how the men of the SAS were hunted by the enemy but successfully evaded certain death or final capture with courage and skill.

Damien Lewis has established himself as one of the most popular WWII historians, selling several million copies of his books in 40 countries. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world’s major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East and winning numerous awards. His books include the World War Two classics The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Hunting the Nazi Bomb, SAS Nazi Hunters, SAS Ghost Patrol, SAS Italian Job, SAS Band of Brothers, SAS Brothers in Arms, The Flame of Resistance on Josephine Baker, SAS Great Escapes 1 & 2 and 3 plus the Paddy Mayne & SAS ‘trilogy’ SAS Brothers in Arms, SAS Forged in Hell and SAS Daggers Drawn. Many of his books have been made, or are being made, into movies or TV drama series or adapted as plays for the stage. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare came out as a major movie directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Lionsgate in the US in April 2024 and on Amazon in July 2024 starring Henry Cavill (Superman), Alan Ritchson (Reacher), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) and Eiza González, amongst others. SAS Great Escapes 4 is published in May 2025 by Quercus.

Lewis has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charitable concerns connected with his writing.