Pilgrim Days: From Vietnam to the SAS by Alastair MacKenzie is a memoir of the author who served in the special forces of several countries over his life. The book documents his life from serving in the New Zealand Army in Vietnam, to the SAS, South Africa, Oman, and finally as a private security agent.

The lighthearted story of a bunch of rogues and misfits who did not fit in the regimented military, turns into a dark narrative as the book shifts into the European theatre and the end of World War II.

The story  is presented through the eyes of Lieutenant R. Lawrence Chapman (Chap) a fictional tank commander who was “loaned” to a famed commando unit called the Long Range Dessert Group (LDRG) to help asses the dessert for passable routes when the big invasion comes.

Chap quickly becomes friends with his the members of his new unit and meets some historical personalities which have since become legendary(Jake Easonsmith, Paddy Mayne, Ron Tinker, Nick Wilder, Vladimir “Popski ” Peniakoff and more). These personalities give historical authenticity to this fictional account of war. One of the group’s missions is to find out where Rommel is and call in an air-strike, hence the title of the book.