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Codenamed Dorset (Paperback)

The Wartime Exploits of Major Colin Ogden-Smith Commando and SOE

Military > Frontline Books > Frontline: WWII Military > SAS & Special Forces P&S History WWII > Espionage & the SOE

By Peter Jacobs
Frontline Books
Pages: 224
Illustrations: 32 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781526796523
Published: 4th February 2021

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This gripping new history tells the little-known story of one of the most courageous men to have served with the newly formed Commandos and SOE during the Second World War. It is a story of extreme courage and a revealing portrait of a man who ultimately gave his life to the liberation of France.

Ogden-Smith was amongst the first to volunteer for the newly formed Commandos: he took part in the daring raid on Bardia on the North African Coast and fought in the heroic rearguard action during the British evacuation of Crete. In 1942 he transferred to the SOE and joined the elite Small Scale Raiding Force to carry out raids across the Channel. He then volunteered for a new, clandestine group known as the Jedbughs whose mission was to parachute into enemy-occupied France in the aftermath of D-Day to link up with the French Resistance. In July 1944, under the cover of his codename Dorset, Major Colin Ogden-Smith parachuted deep behind enemy lines as the leader of Team Francis. Three weeks later he was dead, killed in action fighting alongside his French comrades so that others could make their escape. Seventy years on, the French community still remember the gallant major Anglais.

As featured on BBC Radio Lincolnshire and the Lincolnshire Echo.

‘I am sure this book will contribute towards keeping alive the memory of our fallen hero, Colin Ogden-Smith, and I am grateful to the author, Peter Jacobs, for [preserving] the legacy and tragedy of Kerbozec.’

Marcel Moysan, Mayor of Querrien

‘A truly remarkable and intimate picture of our original special forces operations and the men who took part . . . a fascinating 'must-read' for all those interested in the background and history of Britain's special forces in the Second World War.’

James Dunning, author of It Had to Be Tough

‘From the Commandos, to the Small Scale Raiding Force and the Jedburghs, Colin Ogden-Smith was involved in some of the most remarkable clandestine operations of the Second World War. Consequently, this is a splendid all-action account of one man’s service and ultimate personal sacrifice.’

Britain at War Magazine
 Peter Jacobs
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