A good look inside the SAS.

Bravo Two Zero is the true story of the exploits of one eight-man British SAS patrol in Iraq during the Gulf War. However, it’s an account of events that comes with a difference. The author, Andy McNabb, the actual patrol leader, shares with us, in a very personal fashion, what exactly went on. Refreshingly, Bravo Two Zero is not a secondhand analysis of events given by a pontificating Professor Regal Mountbottom, an armchair expert from one of the illustrious military colleges that the wealthy send their second sons to. Bravo Two Zero is real, and it feels real.

The controversy and secrecy

The British Special Air Service, arguably the world’s best special forces unit, has a history of being particularly secretive about how, when and why they do things. Accordingly, the release of Bravo Two Zero caused quite a stir. Certainly, the information contained within the book wouldn’t jeopardize any current missions, but it certainly gives laypeople a good clear look inside the SAS without all the myths thrown in. That being said, the truth is far more impressive than any of those special forces legends that are the province of speculation.

Additionally, I have it on very good authority that the name ‘Andy McNabb’ is a pseudonym. The author is everything the book says he is, but Andy McNabb is not his name. To cap it off, you will never see a full facial photograph of him. Interesting stuff!

The story

Andy McNabb was a sergeant in the British Special Air Service as the 1991 Gulf War was looming. As larger than life characters like Saddam Hussein, George Bush Snr. and Stormin’ Norman jostled for position on the world stage, Bravo Two Zero kicks off with Andy hoping that his particular unit within the SAS is one of those that gets shipped out to Saudi Arabia in preparation for the war. Andy’s not a warmonger, he’s just thinking like an athlete that’s spent years training and hopes that he’s selecting for the Olympics. Plus his mates would slag him endlessly if he wasn’t part of the big show.

To his pleasant surprise, Andy’s troop is dispatched to the desert of Saudi Arabia where the Coalition forces are slowly gathering their strength before attempting to push the massive numbers of Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

As any special forces aficionado will know, the SAS are strategic troops. Andy and his mates are handed the task of getting behind Iraqi lines and messing with the communications lines and tracking down Saddam’s mobile Scud missile launches that threaten to drag Israel into the war and fragment the delicate coalition of Arab nations that the US has pieced together.

After some serious planning with the best intelligence that was at hand, Andy and his patrol are helicoptered into deepest darkest Northwest Iraq. However, intelligence is sometimes inaccurate and the patrol immediately finds itself in serious trouble. There are Iraqi troops everywhere, when there was meant to be very few, if any. Additionally, the lads find themselves in sub-freezing temperatures in a desert they were expecting to be at least temperate. Everything’s wrong, and it becomes a mad dash across hundreds of miles to the border and safety.

Without giving a rotten spoiler, but to echo the plug off the book’s cover – the exploits of Andy’s patrol will go down in SAS regimental history. It’s an amazing story.

The style

In a narrative, it’s Andy telling us the story like he would over a few beers at the pub. It’s a very personal account. While a very hard man, Andy comes across as a normal bloke that just happens to have the aptitude to work as one of the world’s elite soldiers.

As Andy tells the story, it’s a relief to experience an absence of mindless machismo and the portrayal of soldiers as honor-bound robots. Andy and his mates, while finely honed instruments of war are also, in many ways, just average blokes in their twenties. They constantly poke fun at each other unmercifully, each have some disgusting habits, and have problems at home with their partners. No ‘Universal Soldiers’ or ‘Terminators’ here.

Andy also gives the book another human touch. He speaks of his war in terms such as ‘fear’, ‘exhaustion’, ‘slaughter’, and ‘mateship’, rather than CNN-speak (“collateral damage” rings a bell).

Some of the little bits that made this book so entertaining

I’m not the survivalist military enthusiast-type. However, I’ve read Bravo Two Zero three times now. Why? Firstly, because it’s a fascinating insight into a life that I’ll never experience myself. Andy McNabb shares with us not only the day to day activities that make up the life of a special forces soldier, but also what goes through their minds at certain points. Andy shares the fear, the boredom, the laughs, and the tears in a very open and honest way, without any ugly Hollywood-style hype or sickly glitter associated with it.

I also think parts of Bravo Two Zero are very funny. The SAS lads, as I mentioned above, are constantly poking fun at themselves and others, and playing practical jokes. For instance, one of the patrol members is known to absolutely loathe a certain kind of ration pack, and makes an effort to make sure he’s only got the rations he likes before going out on a mission. Just before things take off, the other lads swap his handpicked rations for a complete set of the ones he hates. Funny stuff coming from blokes that are often sold to us in the media as killing machines!

Joe’s final words

Bravo Two Zero spawned a rush of SAS-related stories on to the market, and I’ve read most of them. I can certainly see the fascination with the Special Forces. They’re interesting blokes that do interesting things for a living. King amongst this new genre of books remains Bravo Two Zero. Do yourself an enormous favor and dive right into it. It’s honest, fast paced, and real. I’ll guarantee that there’s not a boring page in the whole thing.

Cheers for reading!

~Joe

P.S – “Bravo Two Zero” is the radio call sign that was designated to Andy’s patrol.