A Serious Must Read Book...
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Bravo Two Zero was my first book of the military genre which I must admit i've NEVER been particularly interested in.
I've heard various people say how good of a read the story is and due to this I read many reviews on Amazon.
After lots of hints my girlfriend bought me this book and I know it's a bad cliche but I genuinely could not put it down.
McNab starts off with a little about his personal life, which barely scratches the surface and goes on to talk / write about his regiment leaving the barracks for the Gulf War.
A massive amount of detail goes into the planning of the mission which I found fascinating as a "civvie" and even though there's a LOT of army / military abbreviations and acronyms there's a helpful glossary at the back.
From the moment the helicopter drops them off to complete their mission, to the compromise and engagement with the enemy and right up to and during their capture, I felt exhilarted, amazed, exhausted and astounded by the camerarderie and the sheer strength of human will, the lows and the lowers and I felt like I lived every second.
Such a fantastic book that I will read over and over.
Bravo Two Zero has spurred me on to order McNab's autobiography, "Immediate Action" which i'm thoroughlly looking forward to, as well as ordering Chris Ryan's version of events, "The One That Got Away."
As a rule I like to read auto biog's fom such people as Bartley Gorman, Lenny McLean, Roy Shaw et al....
Let me tell you now, McNab and the rest of the regiment...
THESE BOY'S ARE THE DEFINITION OF HARD MEN, NOT THE 'LONDON GNGSTERS'.
Fascinating read and I would reccomend this to anyone and everyone.
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Absolutely Fantastic
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This is the second book I have read about Andy McNab and his carrier and I am extremely impressed. At the start of the book Andy talks a little about the start of his carrier, however after the second chapter you are involved in Andy and his team making decisions and plans for the operation. Once you are further in the book you actually feel for Andy and his team and all the different experiences he goes through. This book is fantastic and I recommend you reading it after you have Immediate Action by Andy McNab.
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www.sasbooks.net
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After reading this book one is left with the impression that the SAS are, somehow, just not as good as they think they are. McNab himself seems to have been a poor leader, unwilling to acknowledge his faults, and the story of the how the patrol so quickly and easily disintegrated into chaos could have come from the pen of Joseph Conrad.
Whilst one has to admire Chris Ryan for his epic escape from Iraq, Andy McNab's story only excites feelings akin to embarrassment.
There are numerous examples, throughout the centuries, where soldiers serving in the British Army have demonstrated their courage, fortitude and audacity but, despite McNab's spin throughout this book, this was definitely not one of those occasions.
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fiction
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What a load of rubbish! Its a shame that someone from the best regiment in the world had to make up such a story. Making himself out to be a superman when in reality he messed up the whole operation which resulted in the deaths of some very brave men. I thought i was reading a book about factual events when infact it was fiction. After reading EYE OF THE STORM by peter ratcliffe [great book], i have to say that andy mcnab and chris ryan should be totally ashamed!
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McNab's first work of fiction
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Although the book makes for a gripping read it needs to be taken with quite a pinch of salt. There is no mention of him being strongly advised before departure to take vehicles to make a quick escape if compromised, or of heavily overloading his patrol with kit. Ultimately, by failing to follow his own escape plan south towards friendly units "McNab" contributed to the death of 3 of his team and the capture of all but one of the rest by heading north towards the Euphrates and the most heavily populated area of Iraq. If you want to read what really happened to Bravo Two Zero I would recommend Peter "Billy" Ratcliffe's book Eye of The Storm for a far more down to earth and human, yet just as gripping read.
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