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Tim Spicer : An Axe and Four Balloons
An Axe and Four Balloons is Tim Spicer’s fascinating biography of Brian Franks, who has been accredited as one of the founding fathers of the SAS, although until now, he has been largely unknown outside the Special Operations world.
Brian Franks was loved by officers and soldiers alike; he was tough, charismatic and charming. Initially, he joined the hotel business, but in 1939 Franks was commissioned into the Middlesex Yeomanry. Soon he gravitated to the world of more esoteric military operations, which suited his unconventional temperament, moving first to the GHQ Reconnaissance Regiment or ‘Phantom’, then to the Commandos. He became the Brigade Major of the Special Service Brigade in 1943 and took part in the invasion of Sicily, and the operation at Termoli in Italy where he won the MC.
He was posted to 2 SAS in early 1944. He commanded the Regiment on operations in France, Italy, Germany and Norway. During Operation LOYTON in the Vosges mountains in September 1944, he parachuted in to lead operations behind enemy lines. Thirty-one of his soldiers were captured, tortured and executed by the Germans. Franks was determined to avenge them and set up an “off the books” war crimes hunting team to bring the perpetrators to justice. For Operation LOYTON he was awarded the DSO, Croix de Guerre and Legion d’Honneur.
Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE has led a life filled with action and adventure. During his twenty years in the British Army, he saw active service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands campaign, the Gulf War and the Balkans, as well as serving in the Far East, Cyprus and Germany.
Key appointments have included Chief of Staff of an Armoured Brigade, Staff Officer at the Directorate of Special Forces and Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, among many others.
Over the course of this illustrious military career, Spicer has developed extensive knowledge of intelligence, counterterrorism, complex relations and protective security. In 2001 he founded the private security company Aegis, which has counted the UK, US and Italian governments among its clients.
He is author of An Unorthodox Soldier: Peace and War and the Sandline Affair (2000), A Dangerous Enterprise (2021), and A Suspicion of Spies (2024).
Praise for An Axe and Four Ballons:
“Gripping, intensively researched and a fitting tribute to one of the founders of Special Forces soldiering. A fabulous read about an inspirational commander of the wartime SAS.” DAMIEN LEWIS, author of the SAS: Great Escapes series.
“Tim Spicer has an amazing superpower among authors of discovering fascinating and
vitally important figures whom history has somehow ignored or sidelined, and to bring
them alive with vividness and immediacy. In this well-researched, grippingly written and terrific story, he also provides profound insights into the theory, nature and practice of courage under fire, something he knows a good deal about from personal experience.” ANDREW ROBERTS, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny
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