Dust on the Sea — Douglas Reeman

The Mediterranean, 1943. Already bloodied in the disastrous retreat from Burma, Captain Mike Blackwood -- Royal Marine Commando and inheritor of the Blackwood family legacy -- goes to Alexandria as part of an elite unit, poised to strike the first blows against the Nazi fortress of mainland Europe. Plagued by his own self-doubt, haunted by his father's war, Blackwood must reach deep within to find the leadership that will inspire his men to victory.