Otto Skorzeny, Hitler’s favorite soldier and Germany’s top commando in World War II, is one of the most famous men in the history of special forces. His extraordinary wartime career was one of high risk and adventure, and here he tells the full story.

When Mussolini was imprisoned in Italy in 1943, it was Skorzeny who successfully led the daring glider rescue, winning the Knight’s Cross and promotion as a result. Skorzeny’s talents were brought into play again when he was sent to Budapest to stop the Hungarian regent Admiral Horthy from signing a peace treaty with Stalin in 1944. Now dubbed “the most dangerous man in Europe” by the Allies, Skorzeny was awarded the German Cross in Gold. A few months later he took a critical role in the Ardennes offensive with a controversial plan to raise a brigade disguised as Americans with captured Sherman tanks. A fascinating depiction of commando action, Skorzeny’s memoirs are a key addition to special forces literature.