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Review
"One of the best first-hand accounts of combat that I've ever read."--Andy McNab, international bestselling author of "Bravo Two Zero"
"Mills powerfully describes the demanding work of his snipers before and after the city was brought under control...British participation in Iraq has been largely ignored in the U.S. That should change with Mills's page-turning account."--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Possibly the year's best book, so far, on combat in Iraq."--"Booklist"
"A gritty, speedball run...strong, cohesive, and complete...plugs the reader straight into the blood and guts of the action."--"The Times "(UK)
"Another testosterone-laced memoir of an elite unit kicking butt in Iraq, this one with a cheerful, politically incorrect British twist....A military memoir refreshingly devoid of the usual patriotic overlay." --"Kirkus Reviews"
Book Description
April 7th 2004: a year to the day since the city had fallen. Saddam had been deposed. The Marines and the Para's were long gone and rarely made it into the news. When Sgt Dan Mills and the rest of the 1st Batallion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment flew in, they were supposed to be winning hearts and minds. They were soon fighting for their lives.
Within hours of arriving in Iraq a grenade bounced off one of the battalion's landrovers, rolled underneath and detonated. The ambush marked the beginning of a full-scale firefight during which Mill's killed a man with a round that removed his assailant's head. It was going to be a long tour.
Like some post-apocalyptic Mad Max nightmare, the place had gone to hell in a handcart. Temperatures on the ground often topped 50c, sewage systems that had long since packed up, the stench of cooking waste and piles of festering rubbish that grew wherever you looked. Throat-burning winds, blast bombs and well-trained, well-organised militias armed with AKs and RPGs and a limitless supply of mortar rounds were the icing on the cake.
If any of Mills's 18 man sniper platoon had thought that the people of Al Amarah were going to welcome them with open arms, they were forced to rapidly reconsider. For the next six months, isolated, besieged and under constant fire the battalion refused to give an inch. Cimic House, their HQ, may have been shit, but it was home. And its defence, the most intense the British army fought in 50 years, was a modern day Rorke's Drift.
Within hours of arriving in Iraq a grenade bounced off one of the battalion's landrovers, rolled underneath and detonated. The ambush marked the beginning of a full-scale firefight during which Mill's killed a man with a round that removed his assailant's head. It was going to be a long tour.
Like some post-apocalyptic Mad Max nightmare, the place had gone to hell in a handcart. Temperatures on the ground often topped 50c, sewage systems that had long since packed up, the stench of cooking waste and piles of festering rubbish that grew wherever you looked. Throat-burning winds, blast bombs and well-trained, well-organised militias armed with AKs and RPGs and a limitless supply of mortar rounds were the icing on the cake.
If any of Mills's 18 man sniper platoon had thought that the people of Al Amarah were going to welcome them with open arms, they were forced to rapidly reconsider. For the next six months, isolated, besieged and under constant fire the battalion refused to give an inch. Cimic House, their HQ, may have been shit, but it was home. And its defence, the most intense the British army fought in 50 years, was a modern day Rorke's Drift.
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Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A little known story,
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This review is from: Sniper One (Paperback)
This is a story of an action that seems, for political reasons & happenstance, to have gone unreported at the time. The title is a bit misleading since it would suggest this is all about snipers doing their thing. While in part it is, it is really about a small British army unit cut off (partially) in a city in Iraq & enduring & repelling multiple attacks over several weeks.One statistic: it was calculated that this unit used up more ammunition in those weeks than the entire army in the initial invasion of Iraq. There is even an appearance by a lone SAS(?) sniper who appears seemingly from nowhere & then disappears after helping out for a few days. A very compelling of modern soldiers under extreme hostile enemy conditions, recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Modern Day's Rourke's Drift,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Sniper One (Paperback)
One of the best non-fiction military books I've read. Having 12 years of military service, I found the language, attitudes, and no-nonsense approach to professional soldiering thoroughly engaging and authentic. One other reviewer criticised the language used, but its not a ghost writer or journalist at work here - the use of everyday 'soldier-speak' added authenticity and grit to the book. It reads like a journal, and is full of detail of the equipment, attitudes, and environment these guys fought in - I found this really helped convey what these guys actually go through. This book provides a gripping account of a chapter of the Iraq campaign - ferocious combat, awful conditions, insane politics and absolute bravery and professionalism of the British armed forces.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hamburger Hill, Platoon & now Sniper One,
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This review is from: Sniper One (Hardcover)
It's been a long time since I felt a book was worth reading in a single day - This book is, don't pass it up!
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