Peadar Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 I need to read a first hand account of a raid such as the one that killed Osama Bin Laden, but preferably one that happened before the age of night sights and drones. I mentioned the SAS in the title, but a raid by any of the world's Special Forces will do provided it's available as an ebook and it's in a language I can read. English is easiest... Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Probably the classic answer to this question would be Frederick Forsyth's towering 1974 thriller The Dogs of War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dogs_of_War_(novel) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peadar Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Probably the classic answer to this question would be Frederick Forsyth's towering 1974 thriller The Dogs of War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dogs_of_War_(novel) Thanks, Wilbur. I remember this one on the book shelves at home when I was a child. Sadly, I never read it :) I'm particularly looking for some non-fiction, although Forsyth may have based this one on fact. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redriver Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 I haven't read BravoTwoZero by Andy McNab but it seems to fit the criteria your looking for.Have read most of his fiction.He's no literary genius but his background in the SAS lends realism to the action scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Peadar, if you're looking for non-fiction you might be interested in Chris Ryan's The One That Got Away. Ryan was also on the Bravo Two Zero patrol, but managed to escape. n.b. The book came in for quite a bit of criticism from other members of the patrol. Some of the guys said that things didn't do down exactly as Ryan described, but it's still a fascinating read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Chris Ryan and Andy McNabb have a pretty childish feud going on. Check out Soldier Five by Mike Coburn. It's apparently the closest to facts on the Bravo Two Zero mission, written by another member of the patrol who thought both Ryan and McNabb's books were too sensationalized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Thanks, Wilbur. I remember this one on the book shelves at home when I was a child. Sadly, I never read it :) I'm particularly looking for some non-fiction, although Forsyth may have based this one on fact. Thanks! Yes, Forsyth based it on his own experiences in the Biafran War. His books read with a very middle-brow sensibility, and particularly his earliest books (Day of the Jackal, Odessa Files, The Devil's Alternative) have a very realpolitik worldview and feature the sort of realism that is not found in, say, Andy McNabb's book. The other work that comes closest to this same level of literary quality of writing, although without the cynical realism, is Quartered Safe Out Here, George MacDonald Fraser's autobiographical account of the Burmese Front in WWII. The author of Flashman recounts his experience first in training, and then in the field against the Japanese in South Asia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peadar Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 There's some great stuff here, guys! Much appreciated. I also received a great suggestion for a book called "Who Dares Wins" about the Iranian Embassy siege in London. I'll be downloading samples to see, which suits my needs. I have a lot of reading for the weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I also received a great suggestion for a book called "Who Dares Wins" about the Iranian Embassy siege in London. I'll be downloading samples to see, which suits my needs. There's also a movie. Made in 1982, not sure how well it stands up, but I remember enjoying it at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derfel Cadarn Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 One I read in my teens was Killing Zone by Harry MCCallion. Not just SAS; He joins the Paras (fights in the Falklands), emigrates to South Africa and joins their special forces, Reconnaisance Commando. He joins the SAS on returning tp the UK and eventually ends up in te Royal Ulster Constabulary. He spends a lot of time in Northern Ireland which might br contraversial for some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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