Gunfighter

Lodge2004 · Joined: 15 Jul 2007 Posts: 42 Location: Humble

Great example of why mindset is important.

Eight men with relatively low-tech equipment and minimal planning go out into the desert to destroy a communication cable and Scud missile launchers. Although their preparation is detailed, the mission itself is vague - go blow stuff up.

Like Spartan graduates of the Agoge, they are adept at improvising and eager to take whatever they need (especially if it is something new and shiny). These are great attributes for people in this profession, but it comes across as these skills were also necessary to obtain basic materials needed to accomplish their mission instead of having basic materials issued by their government.

Some of the mistakes are difficult to comprehend, especially since the British have a long history in the Middle East. Anybody who has been to the desert knows that it can get very cold at night and inadequate cold weather gear caused them a lot of unnecessary hardship. Having the wrong radio frequencies is completely inexcusable.

Overall this is an outstanding book about an amazing group of soldiers that many will breeze thorough very quickly. The abuse they took from the Iraqi troops after their capture is terrible, but their sense of humor was unfazed. As they said, "at least they can't make us pregnant".

jairb · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 16

Immediate Action is also a great read. While Bravo Two Zero focuses on the one mission gone awry in Iraq, Immediate Action tells the story of McNab's selection, training, and other mission experiences. Of particular interest to many Hoffner's students are McNab's experiences in Northern Ireland during operations to counter IRA actions.