It has now been 16 years since the ill-fated SAS patrol with the call sign ‘Bravo Two Zero’ endured an ordeal of epic proportion behind enemy lines in Iraq, but it is a story once read never forgotten. This has to be one of the best books I have ever read, and what gives this truly astonishing story an edge over other books is the fact it is real. It is a tale of human bravery, suffering, and the will to survive on a scale most of us will never experience. This book blew open the doors of secrecy surrounding the soldiers who make up this truly remarkable regiment, and told a story so enthralling I am writing this review after reading the book for about the tenth time.
Many aspects of this story – of which I will not give too much away so not to spoil it for anyone who has not read it – have been disputed by other members of the patrol, their families and various other commentators, but as I am reviewing the version told by Andy McNab I will stick to his version of events.
This story is based upon the experiences of the leader of an eight-man SAS patrol, now known as Sergeant Andy McNab, during the first Gulf War. In 1991 McNab and his troop were to be deployed into Iraq to observe the main supply route (MSR) in a largely unpopulated area between Baghdad and north-west Iraq. While there the plan was to observe any movement along the MSR, especially that of scud missile launchers, which they were to target for allied aircraft or missiles to destroy. Things however did not go according to plan.
The members of Bravo Two Zero were Andy McNab, Dinger, Chris, Stan, Mark, Vince Phillips, Bob Consiglio, and Legs Lane.
On January 22 McNab and his men were taken by helicopter from a base in Saudi Arabia and dropped into enemy territory in Iraq, and encountered problems from the start. The patrol was dropped into the middle of open desert and had to cross 20km with all their kit before finding a dry riverbed (wadi) to hide out in during the day. They were also having problems with their communications equipment as they were given the wrong frequencies to use, so the entire mission was a virtual write-off before it had even started.
The true ordeal began after the group was spotted by a young goat herder as they hid in the wadi, and knowing their position had been compromised they were forced to dump most of their kit and leave. They were soon confronted by what McNab describes as an enemy force of 200 to 250 enemy soldiers and an armoured personnel carrier. Astonishingly it was the eight SAS men who turned on their pursuers and despite the odds none of the men were killed in the firefight.
Things went from bad to when the unit followed standard operating procedures and headed for a pre-determined pick up point 24 hours after insertion as they had not made contact with anyone. But the helicopter never arrived. This meant the group now faced a trek of nearly 300km to the Syrian border, a journey that was to claim the lives of three of the men.
It was soon clear their had been another intelligence failure when the weather started to turn. During the night the unit were faced with snowstorms and some of the coldest conditions they had ever encountered – and they had been issued with summer fatigues. While they tried using emergency beacons to contact passing allied aircraft the group was split up.
Chris Ryan, Vince Phillips and Stan were separated from the rest of the troop, while McNab led the others on a daring escape attempt in a stolen taxi – needless to say it failed and once again McNabb was fleeing from Iraqi soldiers. McNab ended up alone and hiding under a culvert waiting for nightfall within reaching distance of the border, but was captured before the sun fell.
From this point on McNab’s experience continued to go downhill as he endured days of interrogation, torture and humiliation at the hands of his captors. He freely explains the ordeal of being repeatedly beaten, forced to clean his own faeces up with his hands, which he then had to clean with his mouth, and the despair of hoping allied air strikes would hit his prison and put an end to it all. His spirits are only kept up by the fact he ended up being jailed alongside his friend Dinger, and later on they were also reunited with Stan. The three remained together until their ultimate release, which is when they learned of the fate of their comrades – which I have decided not to give away for the benefit of anyone now planning to run out and get hold of a copy of the book.
But through it all McNab does not seek sympathy, simply accepting the fact he was a soldier and was being paid to do what he was doing. Being captured and beaten was part of the job he was so keen to do. There are so many aspects of this book to include in a review, but to do so would virtually re-write what is a truly epic read. This really is a first class tale of human endeavour and elite soldiering. There has been criticism aimed at this version of events from various parties, but that does not detract from the quality of this book. I can also understand some readers being annoyed by the amount of military jargon included in the text, but a handy index is included in the front of the book. I also liked the style in which the book was written, not too polished so it felt like McNab himself was talking you through his adventure.
Whether some aspect’s of McNab’s experience have been slightly embellished or not this is still a great story, and the only way to judge whether you believe McNab or not is to read it for yourself. This is one that can be read time and time again.
I paid about £10 when I first bought this book some years ago, but copies can now be picked up very cheaply at most book stores, markets, online etc …
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