not far off the truth
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Good on yer Peter (if that's you real name) Out of the few books circulating on the same 'occurrence' in the Gulf, this one is probably the most accurate. For an interesting comparison take a read of 'Sabre Squadron' by Cameron Spence - it covers the same events - but from a rare someone who likes 'Pat.'
These ex SAS boys are still trying to score points off each other - obviously bodyguarding doesn't pay enough these days...
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an eye opener
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like many young men(my age being 20) i have read many books on the army the majority of them about the special forces, i used to regard the book bravo two zero as my bible,the eye of the storm however changes that it changed my entire point of view it told what in most peoples eyes would be the most realistic account of the sas in action in the golf war. i myself am now a serving member in the parachute regiment i joined up two months after reading this book,it did not influence my decision. however i can vouch for the fact that not all rsm's are as fair minded as peter ratcliff appears to be.all in all a good book and well worth a read.
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Honest and Sensible:-Better than the usual
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I ma very much into my readings of the SAS and it all began with Bravo Two Zero by a certain "Andy McNabb", a book I worshipped until now.Eye of the Storm is written by the center-piece of the SAS during the Gulf War,Peter Ratcliffe DCM.The book is highly detailed and brutally honest.A mature guide through his life in the British Army,the book is explosive through and through and a bit of an eye-opener for people like me, who took everything I have read about the SAS, until now, as gospel.A must read for enthusiastic followers of the army's elite.
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How things really work in the mysterious SAS...
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Many an account of the glorious spirit, professionalism, and gung-ho qualities of the SAS and it's members have been published during the last ten years or so. Exciting reading all of it, but fairly obvious also a bit on the far side of reality. 'Eye of the Storm' makes you feel that you now know the true story of the life in SAS - especially the accounts of the SAS in the Gulf War! Though the truth is not always well heard, this book earnes up to the fact that even rough and hardened men are only human beings. They make mistakes, they have fear, and they are not fictional superheroes, with abilities from out of space. In search of a terrific read about a man who realy lives a full life, and the not always welcome truth of the life in the SAS, this is the book to get your hands on...
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A bitter pill
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Similar in some respects to Mike Curtis' 'CQB', this is an account of the author's SAS career, having joined via the parachute regiment in the 1970s. It divides up into three distinct battlefields - Oman, the Falklands the the Gulf, with the meat of the book taking place in the latter area. The first two sections are fairly run-of-the-mill, although it's interesting to compare the Falklands section with Max Hastings' 'Battle for the Falklands' and the aforementioned 'CQB', as one particular moment - in which an SAS soldier shoots down an Argentine aircraft with a Stinger - pops up in all three books.
It's the coverage of the Gulf war that's particularly interesting, though, as Ratcliffe took part in an SAS operation that's been gone over comprehensively in other books, books which he has read. Consequently, like some real-life 'Rashomon', he points out the exaggerations and untruths in 'Bravo Two Zero', 'Sabre Squadron' and others, all books which you can find elsewhere on Amazon.co.uk. Whilst he seems slightly petulant at times (his account of leading a patrol gives the impression that he was blissfully unaware that he might come across as being, well, smug), it makes for fascinating reading...
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