Author: Craig Allen
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1848843003
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 301
Book Description
Craig Allen, a Paratrooper for 29 years, returned to 2 PARA as a reservist and unofficial photographer for the BattlegroupÍs dramatic 2008 Tour in Helmand. As both a respected soldier and photographer he had unrivaled access to the fighting and moved from area to area following the action. Every evening he wrote up his experiences and those of the men he was with, whose trust he had as ïa member of the clubÍ. He had a ringside seat to a very costly summer tour, with the Taliban proving themselves worthy enemies to even the most elite British Army soldiers. His story tells in superb action photographs and no-nonsense prose of the hardships, courage, fears and cost suffered by front line soldiers over prolonged periods. He captures the color of life and death in Afghanistan for both combatants and the luckless civilian population caught up in this vicious spiral of war. An unforgettable book which has true visual appeal.
With the Paras in Helmand
Author: Craig Allen
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1848843003
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 301
Book Description
Craig Allen, a Paratrooper for 29 years, returned to 2 PARA as a reservist and unofficial photographer for the BattlegroupÍs dramatic 2008 Tour in Helmand. As both a respected soldier and photographer he had unrivaled access to the fighting and moved from area to area following the action. Every evening he wrote up his experiences and those of the men he was with, whose trust he had as ïa member of the clubÍ. He had a ringside seat to a very costly summer tour, with the Taliban proving themselves worthy enemies to even the most elite British Army soldiers. His story tells in superb action photographs and no-nonsense prose of the hardships, courage, fears and cost suffered by front line soldiers over prolonged periods. He captures the color of life and death in Afghanistan for both combatants and the luckless civilian population caught up in this vicious spiral of war. An unforgettable book which has true visual appeal.
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1848843003
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 301
Book Description
Craig Allen, a Paratrooper for 29 years, returned to 2 PARA as a reservist and unofficial photographer for the BattlegroupÍs dramatic 2008 Tour in Helmand. As both a respected soldier and photographer he had unrivaled access to the fighting and moved from area to area following the action. Every evening he wrote up his experiences and those of the men he was with, whose trust he had as ïa member of the clubÍ. He had a ringside seat to a very costly summer tour, with the Taliban proving themselves worthy enemies to even the most elite British Army soldiers. His story tells in superb action photographs and no-nonsense prose of the hardships, courage, fears and cost suffered by front line soldiers over prolonged periods. He captures the color of life and death in Afghanistan for both combatants and the luckless civilian population caught up in this vicious spiral of war. An unforgettable book which has true visual appeal.
Task Force Helmand
Author: Doug Beattie
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781847397904
Category : Afghan War, 2001-
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Doug Beattie returns to Helmand Province for one final tour - and it's the most bloody and brutal conflict yet.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781847397904
Category : Afghan War, 2001-
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Doug Beattie returns to Helmand Province for one final tour - and it's the most bloody and brutal conflict yet.
Blood Clot
Author: Jake Scott
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1909384348
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 420
Book Description
"As you know 'blood clot' means blood cells coming together to form a strong clot that forms and sticks together to keep the wound sealed enabling it to repair. The Parachute Regiment's 'blood clot' acts the same, whether downtown scrapping or in some far away country fighting alongside each other. Our maroon berets come together, they stick together, they close ranks forming the blood clot and fight against anything that comes their way." (Jake Scott) When the 3 Para battle group departed for Helmand Province, south Afghanistan, nobody really knew what to expect. Within a month of being on the ground the first of many contacts between the Taliban and British forces began. The British government and media were in shock - for the men on the ground it was what they were trained for. As weeks went on the fighting increased. Resources and manning were poor but for the Paras it was too late - it was back to basics, living in holes in the ground in 60 degree temperatures, often in small numbers and under constant attack from the Taliban. It looked as if it was going to be a long six months... 'Blood Clot' is a personal account of the Parachute Regiment's ferocious tour of duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan 2006 by a man who was involved in the thick of the action. Born in 1981, Jake Scott joined the Parachute Regiment aged 17, and had already seen service around the world - including Iraq - before becoming part of a small reconnaissance team trained to operate behind enemy lines, known as 'the Patrols'. Jake and his mates probed, escorted and fought their way in and around some of the most dangerous areas in the whole of the Middle East - virgin Taliban country. After intense fighting against the odds, leaving dead Taliban soldiers in their wake and encountering some very near misses themselves, the Patrols platoon eventually ended their tour of duty. This is their story - the very beginning of the Afghan troubles in the south, the build up and lack of support and equipment in the initial stages, the close and dangerous fighting, the boredom of the open desert and the uncontrollable sadness of friends killed and injured around them. The Paras and their battle group arrived in small numbers in Helmand in 2006. They set the example for others to follow for many years to come - the aggressiveness of the airborne soldier when it was called for, fighting the Taliban on their turf, up close and personal.
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1909384348
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 420
Book Description
"As you know 'blood clot' means blood cells coming together to form a strong clot that forms and sticks together to keep the wound sealed enabling it to repair. The Parachute Regiment's 'blood clot' acts the same, whether downtown scrapping or in some far away country fighting alongside each other. Our maroon berets come together, they stick together, they close ranks forming the blood clot and fight against anything that comes their way." (Jake Scott) When the 3 Para battle group departed for Helmand Province, south Afghanistan, nobody really knew what to expect. Within a month of being on the ground the first of many contacts between the Taliban and British forces began. The British government and media were in shock - for the men on the ground it was what they were trained for. As weeks went on the fighting increased. Resources and manning were poor but for the Paras it was too late - it was back to basics, living in holes in the ground in 60 degree temperatures, often in small numbers and under constant attack from the Taliban. It looked as if it was going to be a long six months... 'Blood Clot' is a personal account of the Parachute Regiment's ferocious tour of duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan 2006 by a man who was involved in the thick of the action. Born in 1981, Jake Scott joined the Parachute Regiment aged 17, and had already seen service around the world - including Iraq - before becoming part of a small reconnaissance team trained to operate behind enemy lines, known as 'the Patrols'. Jake and his mates probed, escorted and fought their way in and around some of the most dangerous areas in the whole of the Middle East - virgin Taliban country. After intense fighting against the odds, leaving dead Taliban soldiers in their wake and encountering some very near misses themselves, the Patrols platoon eventually ended their tour of duty. This is their story - the very beginning of the Afghan troubles in the south, the build up and lack of support and equipment in the initial stages, the close and dangerous fighting, the boredom of the open desert and the uncontrollable sadness of friends killed and injured around them. The Paras and their battle group arrived in small numbers in Helmand in 2006. They set the example for others to follow for many years to come - the aggressiveness of the airborne soldier when it was called for, fighting the Taliban on their turf, up close and personal.
3 Para
Author: Patrick Bishop
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0007280084
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 51
Book Description
Afghanistan, Summer 2006. This is war. Afghanistan in the summer of 2006. In blazing heat in remote outposts the 3 Para battlegroup is pitted against a stubborn enemy who keep on coming. Until now, the full story of what happened there has not been told. This is it.
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0007280084
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 51
Book Description
Afghanistan, Summer 2006. This is war. Afghanistan in the summer of 2006. In blazing heat in remote outposts the 3 Para battlegroup is pitted against a stubborn enemy who keep on coming. Until now, the full story of what happened there has not been told. This is it.
Company Commander
Author: Russell Lewis
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1448131693
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
In 2008 Major Russell Lewis commanded a company of two hundred soldiers from the British Army's legendary Parachute Regiment on a six-month tour in the most dangerous part of Afghanistan. Company Commander is his story, a riveting first-person account of incredible bravery, telling what it is like to have 200 Paras depending on you constantly, to make decisions which can and do cost lives, to see men under your command killed and injured and being under the most intense pressure imaginable every minute of every day for six long months. Company Commander is a true leader's story – a unique and vivid mix of front-line battles and strategic decision making and an intensely personal and inspiring account of a tour in the most perilous theatre of war on the planet.
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1448131693
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
In 2008 Major Russell Lewis commanded a company of two hundred soldiers from the British Army's legendary Parachute Regiment on a six-month tour in the most dangerous part of Afghanistan. Company Commander is his story, a riveting first-person account of incredible bravery, telling what it is like to have 200 Paras depending on you constantly, to make decisions which can and do cost lives, to see men under your command killed and injured and being under the most intense pressure imaginable every minute of every day for six long months. Company Commander is a true leader's story – a unique and vivid mix of front-line battles and strategic decision making and an intensely personal and inspiring account of a tour in the most perilous theatre of war on the planet.
Callsign Hades
Author: Patrick Bury
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1847378617
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 314
Book Description
In summer 2006 Helmand Province erupted into violence as NATO forces struggled to crush Taliban strongholds. For six weeks the Royal Irish Regiment and the Paras defended Sangin in the face of ever-mounting attacks. At this point young officer Patrick Bury was learning the trade of the infantry in the Brecon Beacons. Paddy had always wanted to be a soldier - a desire fraught with the contradictions of a complex history overridden by a 'warrior calling'. When he arrived in Afghanistan with 1stRoyal Irish, he was surrounded by men oozing bloody combat experience. This was not Sandhurst. It was extreme violence and killing. Hades Four One was his callsign and the infantry mantra rang in his ears: 'To close and kill the enemy, in all weather conditions, in all terrain, by day or night.' Over six months, Paddy and his company dealt with over a hundred IEDs, of which 60 exploded on them, killing his comrades in the most vicious of ways and fuelling a sense of ever-growing dissatisfaction in the young captain. This powerful and thoughful first-hand account about the 'eternal truths of military life' places the reader in Paddy's boots, sharing every thought, ache, smell and taste of life on the frontline in Afghanistan. He describes modern warfare in a way that creates an understanding of the myriad complexities soldiers are faced with, the conditions in which they operate and the moral and emotional challenges they endure.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1847378617
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 314
Book Description
In summer 2006 Helmand Province erupted into violence as NATO forces struggled to crush Taliban strongholds. For six weeks the Royal Irish Regiment and the Paras defended Sangin in the face of ever-mounting attacks. At this point young officer Patrick Bury was learning the trade of the infantry in the Brecon Beacons. Paddy had always wanted to be a soldier - a desire fraught with the contradictions of a complex history overridden by a 'warrior calling'. When he arrived in Afghanistan with 1stRoyal Irish, he was surrounded by men oozing bloody combat experience. This was not Sandhurst. It was extreme violence and killing. Hades Four One was his callsign and the infantry mantra rang in his ears: 'To close and kill the enemy, in all weather conditions, in all terrain, by day or night.' Over six months, Paddy and his company dealt with over a hundred IEDs, of which 60 exploded on them, killing his comrades in the most vicious of ways and fuelling a sense of ever-growing dissatisfaction in the young captain. This powerful and thoughful first-hand account about the 'eternal truths of military life' places the reader in Paddy's boots, sharing every thought, ache, smell and taste of life on the frontline in Afghanistan. He describes modern warfare in a way that creates an understanding of the myriad complexities soldiers are faced with, the conditions in which they operate and the moral and emotional challenges they endure.
Attack State Red
Author: Richard Kemp
Publisher: Michael Joseph
ISBN: 9780718155087
Category : Afghan War, 2001-
Languages : en
Pages : 460
Book Description
Green: Enter without explosives or firing unless enemy targets are identified. Amber: Enter firing. No explosive entry. Red: Explosive entry using a grenade or charge. Enter firing at will. What happened in Helmand's Sangin Valley in the spring of 2007 was nothing short of extraordinary. After the last gasp defence of the platoon houses by the Paras that preceded them in theatre, the soldiers of the Royal Anglian Regiment arrived in Afghanistan charged with taking the battle to the enemy. Despite brutal, debilitating conditions, the tour that followed became a bloody lesson in how to conduct offensive infantry warfare. Over a six-month tour of duty, the 'Vikings' battlegroup unleashed hell in heavy, relentless fighting that saw teenage soldiers battle toe to toe against hardcore Al Qaeda and Taliban warriors at unprecedented levels of ferocity. The stories that emerged from the Sangin Valley, defined by bravery, comradeship, endurance and, above all, aggression, are remarkable So much so that Sandhurst manuals were re-written to incorporate the lessons of the campaign. But the fight was far from one-sided. May 2007 saw the Anglians suffer the highest number of British military casualties in any single month since the end of World War II. And those that did return home came back changed by the intensity of the experience. In Attack State Red, Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Commanding Office of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, and Chris Hughes, the Daily Mirror Security Correspondent, tell the story of the Royal Anglian's deployment for the first time. Combining the strategic insight of 3 Para with the adrenaline charge of Sniper One, they have produced the most dynamic, substantial and visceral account of the war in Afghanistan that's ever been written.
Publisher: Michael Joseph
ISBN: 9780718155087
Category : Afghan War, 2001-
Languages : en
Pages : 460
Book Description
Green: Enter without explosives or firing unless enemy targets are identified. Amber: Enter firing. No explosive entry. Red: Explosive entry using a grenade or charge. Enter firing at will. What happened in Helmand's Sangin Valley in the spring of 2007 was nothing short of extraordinary. After the last gasp defence of the platoon houses by the Paras that preceded them in theatre, the soldiers of the Royal Anglian Regiment arrived in Afghanistan charged with taking the battle to the enemy. Despite brutal, debilitating conditions, the tour that followed became a bloody lesson in how to conduct offensive infantry warfare. Over a six-month tour of duty, the 'Vikings' battlegroup unleashed hell in heavy, relentless fighting that saw teenage soldiers battle toe to toe against hardcore Al Qaeda and Taliban warriors at unprecedented levels of ferocity. The stories that emerged from the Sangin Valley, defined by bravery, comradeship, endurance and, above all, aggression, are remarkable So much so that Sandhurst manuals were re-written to incorporate the lessons of the campaign. But the fight was far from one-sided. May 2007 saw the Anglians suffer the highest number of British military casualties in any single month since the end of World War II. And those that did return home came back changed by the intensity of the experience. In Attack State Red, Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Commanding Office of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, and Chris Hughes, the Daily Mirror Security Correspondent, tell the story of the Royal Anglian's deployment for the first time. Combining the strategic insight of 3 Para with the adrenaline charge of Sniper One, they have produced the most dynamic, substantial and visceral account of the war in Afghanistan that's ever been written.
Losing Small Wars
Author: Frank Ledwidge
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300229097
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 339
Book Description
This new edition of Frank Ledwidge’s eye-opening analysis of British involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan unpicks the causes and enormous costs of military failure. Updated throughout, and with fresh chapters assessing and enumerating the overall military performance since 2011—including Libya, ISIS, and the Chilcot findings—Ledwidge shows how lessons continue to go unlearned. “A brave and important book; essential reading for anyone wanting insights into the dysfunction within the British military today, and the consequences this has on the lives of innocent civilians caught up in war.”—Times Literary Supplement
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300229097
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 339
Book Description
This new edition of Frank Ledwidge’s eye-opening analysis of British involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan unpicks the causes and enormous costs of military failure. Updated throughout, and with fresh chapters assessing and enumerating the overall military performance since 2011—including Libya, ISIS, and the Chilcot findings—Ledwidge shows how lessons continue to go unlearned. “A brave and important book; essential reading for anyone wanting insights into the dysfunction within the British military today, and the consequences this has on the lives of innocent civilians caught up in war.”—Times Literary Supplement
Unwinnable
Author: Theo Farrell
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473522404
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 515
Book Description
Afghanistan was an unwinnable war. As British and American troops withdraw, discover this definitive account that explains why. It could have been a very different story. British forces could have successfully withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2002, having done the job they set out to do: to defeat al-Qaeda. Instead, in the years that followed, Britain paid a devastating price for their presence in Helmand province. So why did Britain enter, and remain, in an ill-fated war? Why did it fail so dramatically, and was this expedition doomed from the beginning? Drawing on unprecedented access to military reports, government documents and senior individuals, Professor Theo Farrell provides an extraordinary work of scholarship. He explains the origins of the war, details the campaigns over the subsequent years, and examines the West's failure to understand the dynamics of local conflict and learn the lessons of history that ultimately led to devastating costs and repercussions still relevant today. 'The best book so far on Britain's...war in Afghanistan' International Affairs 'Masterful, irrefutable... Farrell records all these military encounters with the irresistible pace of a novelist' Sunday Times
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473522404
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 515
Book Description
Afghanistan was an unwinnable war. As British and American troops withdraw, discover this definitive account that explains why. It could have been a very different story. British forces could have successfully withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2002, having done the job they set out to do: to defeat al-Qaeda. Instead, in the years that followed, Britain paid a devastating price for their presence in Helmand province. So why did Britain enter, and remain, in an ill-fated war? Why did it fail so dramatically, and was this expedition doomed from the beginning? Drawing on unprecedented access to military reports, government documents and senior individuals, Professor Theo Farrell provides an extraordinary work of scholarship. He explains the origins of the war, details the campaigns over the subsequent years, and examines the West's failure to understand the dynamics of local conflict and learn the lessons of history that ultimately led to devastating costs and repercussions still relevant today. 'The best book so far on Britain's...war in Afghanistan' International Affairs 'Masterful, irrefutable... Farrell records all these military encounters with the irresistible pace of a novelist' Sunday Times
Danger Close
Author: Stuart Tootal
Publisher: John Murray
ISBN: 1848542607
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 436
Book Description
Colonel Stuart Tootal is the first senior commander to provide an account of the fighting in Afghanistan. A gritty portrayal of unforgiving conflict, Danger Close captures the essence of combat, the risks involved and the aftermath. 3 PARA was the first unit into Helmand in 2006. Sent on a peace mission, it became engaged in a level of combat that has not been experienced by the British Army since the end of the Korean War. Undermanned and suffering from equipment shortages, 3 PARA fought doggedly to win the break in battle. Numerous gallantry decorations were awarded, but they were not without cost. On returning from Afghanistan, Tootal fought to get proper treatment for his wounded and feeling frustrated with the Government's treatment of its soldiers, he resigned from the Army. This is a dramatic, and often moving, insight into the leadership of soldiers and the sharp end of war.
Publisher: John Murray
ISBN: 1848542607
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 436
Book Description
Colonel Stuart Tootal is the first senior commander to provide an account of the fighting in Afghanistan. A gritty portrayal of unforgiving conflict, Danger Close captures the essence of combat, the risks involved and the aftermath. 3 PARA was the first unit into Helmand in 2006. Sent on a peace mission, it became engaged in a level of combat that has not been experienced by the British Army since the end of the Korean War. Undermanned and suffering from equipment shortages, 3 PARA fought doggedly to win the break in battle. Numerous gallantry decorations were awarded, but they were not without cost. On returning from Afghanistan, Tootal fought to get proper treatment for his wounded and feeling frustrated with the Government's treatment of its soldiers, he resigned from the Army. This is a dramatic, and often moving, insight into the leadership of soldiers and the sharp end of war.