Other sailors volunteered to fight. They volunteered to die. They were the men and women of the Royal Navy's legendary Special Operations units, spoken of in hushed tones by even the most battle-hardened seamen. Volunteering to carrying out lightning raids on hostile coasts, they became a navy within a navy - each hand-picked for their individual skills, and all of them courageous beyond words in the face of immense danger. Against the mighty backdrop of World War II they performed their small but deadly operations - living often beyond hope, sometimes beyond mercy.