To Dare and To Conquer

by: Derek Leebaert

Published by: Little, Brown

Reviewed by Jeff Foster

(Military History)

Through the mists of time comes a compendium of special operations that will take you through the most dramatic and vividly described "special operations" in the last three thousand years.

Derek Leebaert has done his research. In To Dare and To Conquer he re-paints for us the infamous and not so famous stories from our world's history of daring operations, by small forces of highly motivated combatants.

Few people realize how dramatically our world is shaped by the daring and extremely dangerous gambles that have been attempted and against all hope succeeded, by those very few courageous personalities from our world's history. Many are outwardly normal people, placed in unique positions, which have with their actions forced what may have seemed inconsequential events at the time, into the stuff of legends.

This history would not be complete without the story of Odysseus and the Trojan horse, the unbelievable feats of Alexander, and French Knights playing havoc behind Saladin's lines during the first crusade. What we get as a bonus is a timeline, describing the thoughts and politics and policies at play during the last three millennia that clarify what people were thinking and what external influences drive them to attempt the forlorn hope.

To Dare and To Conquer shows that at times in history, there are those that will stand up and take the bold chance, and hit where they are least expected and most likely to fail. Certainly history has not changed as a result of such bold moves that faltered, but for the ones that succeeded, the world became a different place.

I was tantalized by the desperate operations of Cortez and Pizarro, enraptured by the efforts put forth during our own revolutionary heroes: Rogers, Arnold, Jones.

Leebaert also detailed the very special operations of other heroic souls that I was previously unaware from our own Civil and Spanish American Wars. Here, I say shame on my history professors, these people contributed significantly to the path our nation has taken, and should be commended, for without their bravery, ingenuity, and fearless hearts, our nation and our lives would be significantly different.

This work should be required reading for any first-year college history class, and mandatory reading at West Point, Annapolis, and the Army War College.

Armchair Interviews says: If you appreciate research and military history, this book is for you.