Books and resources
Three men who served in PPA wrote about it, and one biography of Peniakoff exists. Beyond those, the story is in the archives. This page lists what to read first, what is still in print, and where the original records are held.
Read these first
Popski’s Private Army
Vladimir Peniakoff
The commander’s own account, and the source behind most of what is written about PPA. Vivid and well told, but it is one man’s view of his own unit, and it leaves some things out. First published as Private Army by Jonathan Cape in 1950.
- In print
- Weidenfeld & Nicolson · ISBN 9781474609692
Fighting with Popski’s Private Army
Park Yunnie
By the officer who led ‘B’ Patrol. The best check on Peniakoff’s version: it covers episodes his book leaves out, including the loss of the vehicles in Tunisia in January 1943. First published as Warriors on Wheels (Hutchinson, 1959).
- In print
- Frontline Books · ISBN 9781848326163 · also on Kindle
Harder to find
| Book | What it is | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Owen, With Popski’s Private Army (Janus, 1993; Astrolabe Publishing, 2006) | The only memoir by one of the other ranks, a ‘B’ Patrol NCO | Out of print. Second-hand copies; IWM library |
| John Willett, Popski: A Life of Vladimir Peniakoff (MacGibbon & Kee, 1954) | The only full biography, and the source for his early life | Out of print. Antiquarian dealers; some research libraries |
| Len Whittaker, Some Talk of Private Armies (Albanium, 1984) | A study of the wartime private armies, with PPA’s service figures | Out of print. Second-hand |
| Peniakoff, Private Army, 2nd edition (Cape, 1951) | Adds a foreword by John Hackett, who named the unit | Second-hand |
Some older paperback editions of Peniakoff’s book are listed online with the wrong ISBN. Check the edition before you buy. There is no Osprey book on PPA, whatever some listings suggest.
Where the records are
Most of PPA’s original records have never been published. These are the main collections.
| Holder | What’s there | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial War Museum | Peniakoff’s private papers, including his index cards on every member of the unit | Documents.20100 |
| Imperial War Museum | Caneri’s papers: nominal rolls, reports and letters from Peniakoff | Documents.16250 |
| Imperial War Museum | Photographs from Peniakoff’s collection (about 90 prints) and Caneri’s (896 negatives) | 2012-03-15 · 2012-05-71 |
| Imperial War Museum | Recorded interviews with three PPA veterans | Sound 12936 · 16781 · 14884 |
| Imperial War Museum | The PPA cap badge, lapel badge and shoulder title | INS 3926 · 43117 · 43114 |
| The National Archives, Kew | Award recommendations, including Peniakoff’s MC and DSO | WO 373/46/37 · WO 373/11/10 |
| The National Archives, Kew | War diaries of the special forces and the Italian campaign. PPA’s own files are not yet identified | WO 218 · WO 170 |
| The London Gazette | Award and commission notices, listed under each man’s parent regiment | thegazette.co.uk |
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | Graves and memorials of the men who died | cwgc.org |
Online
- Special Forces Roll of Honour: a volunteer-run record of PPA members, with photographs contributed by families. specialforcesroh.com
- National Memorial Arboretum: the PPA memorial in the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove, Alrewas, Staffordshire. thenma.org.uk
- Imperial War Museums collections: search “Peniakoff” or “Popski’s Private Army”. iwm.org.uk/collections
- The National Archives Discovery catalogue: search “Peniakoff” or “1 Demolition Squadron”. discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
The old Friends of PPA website at popski.org is no longer run by the association, and the domain now belongs to an unrelated site. Its pages survive only in the Internet Archive.
Can you help?
- We are looking for a copy of Serving with Popski’s Private Army by L. White, which is said to include lists of personnel.
- Family papers, letters, photographs and newsletters of the PPA Association or the Friends of PPA.