SAS Rogue Heroes season 2 ending explained: What's the SAS' next mission?

This SAS Rogue Heroes season 2 ending explained feature contains spoilers... It’s been a chaotic and carnage-filled trip through Italy, but we’ve finally reached the last chapter of Steven Knight’s World War Two drama — and there are still plenty of questions we need answering!

The six-part tale began with the SAS landing in Sicily and making their way through Southern Italy, fighting a series of battles, including an epic struggle to hold the Italian town of Termoli.

The SAS’ new leader Paddy Mayne (Jack O’Connell) has been fighting the war on his own terms and has shown little regard for Lt Col Bill Stirling (Gwilym Lee), elder brother of his friend and comrade David Stirling (Connor Swindells), creator of the SAS. Yet what Paddy never understood was how Bill was actually always on his side and was also battling furiously to save the commando unit.

Meanwhile French journalist and spy Eve Mansour (Sofia Boutella) gave up trying to get information out of Lt Col Dudley Clarke (Dominic West) and headed off for Italy, eventually joining forces with Paddy in Termoli. However after that battle, the SAS have returned home to await their next mission.

In another part of Italy, David Stirling has been trying unsuccessfully to escape his POW camp, yet after the Italian government falls, its guards have abandoned their posts. The Germans are on their way, but will David be able to outwit them and escape to freedom?

Does David Stirling escape? 

As the German troops arrive, David Stirling decides to hide in the fort rather than try to escape, which seems wise as several of his comrades are shot as they flee from gates. David hides in the vent above the shower room and gets very lucky when some Germans narrowly miss him after firing a hail of bullets into the ceiling.

However, after spending several days in the vent, his chance to escape finally arrives when one German soldier comes in for a shower. Silently dropping into the room, he knocks him out and steals his uniform, yet his chances of getting out of the camp are slim and he’s soon caught by the German soldiers.

“We have a special place, especially for people like you,” says the man who apprehends him. He’s being sent off to Colditz, which will prove far more difficult to get out of.

What happens to the SAS? 

The SAS are on their way home when Paddy introduces an old friend — John Tonkin (Jack Barton) — who’s made it back to his comrades after escaping the Germans, with the help of an old pal. “Me standing here is living proof that someone up there likes us,” he says. “We are unstoppable.”

Yet when they get home some of the men are more comfortable than others. Jim Almonds (Corin Silva) is overjoyed to see his young son, while Reg Seekings (Theo Barklem-Biggs) can’t bring himself to go into his house, so his wife comes out to find him sitting on the curb and they share a loving embrace.

As for Paddy, he leaves his mother a message telling her he’s not fit for human company yet and goes fishing with the ghost of his friend Owen, who perished in the deserts of North Africa. “I’m not sure I can forgive myself for any of it,” says Paddy. “I keep waiting up and finding myself alive, no matter how hard I try.”

As the conversation continues, Paddy explains how his biggest fear isn’t being killed on the way to Berlin, but what comes after that. The aftermath. That’s when the memories and the voices of those drowning men can always find him. “At least from now on I’ll never truly be alone,” he says ominously.

What happens to Bill Stirling?

At Allied Forces HQ, Bill Stirling (Gwilym Lee) attends a meeting with General Montgomery (Con O’Neil), where they explain how they’ve been planning the invasion of Northern Europe and laying false leads for German intelligence. They go on to say the plan is for the SAS to be dropped 30 miles behind coastal defences, 36 hours ahead of the invasion.

“It’s a suicide mission,” says Stirling. “Deep in the corridors of military power there’s a resentment against the SAS because of the success we’ve achieved.” Before storming out of the meeting with a sinister warning from Montgomery ringing in his ears.

Bill’s career in the army looks like it could be toast, so he shares the mission plan with Paddy Mayne and the pair confront a British general with their appraisal. They point out that if any of the men is captured, the Germans will realise the invasion is imminent and will have 36 hours to prepare. The general agrees to share their concerns with Montgomery, but it seems clear he’s absolutely furious.

When Bill and Paddy meet Dudley Clarke and Eve Mansour at the Ritz that evening, the British spy advises Stirling Snr that questions have been raised about his relationship with his French counterpart in Italy.

They both deny the charges in the strongest terms, but it’s clear this is just a revenge plot from the British high command designed to put pressure on Bill. It works and he offers his resignation, rather than suffer a prolonged and embarrassing enquiry. “A spiteful officer class vendetta, amounting to the removal of an effective officer right before the most important operation of the war,” observes Paddy acutely.

It means Paddy has lost a crucial ally and is alone in his command of the SAS, although the British high command seem very happy to let him carry on as he has been doing.

What is the SAS' next mission? 

Paddy and his men are sent off to Scotland to train for the invasion of Northern Europe and after weeks of training, on 6 June 1944, we see them flying over France before parachuting down into the countryside of Normandy, to lay the path for the D-Day landings.