The Real Bravo Two Zero (Book Review)

[Mike Bobbitt]

The Real Bravo Two Zero
By Michael Asher

<A HREF="http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0304365548/cdnarmyca-20"><img src="http://www.lost-oasis.org/images/trbtz_cover.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>
In this 248 page work of non-fiction, Michael Asher travels to Iraq nearly 10 years after the celebrated Bravo Two Zero patrol took place there. He retraces the steps of the patrol, documenting his findings, comparing what he discovers with what is documented in Andy McNab‘s book "Bravo Two Zero" and Chris Ryan‘s book "The One That Got Away."

The discrepancies he finds blow both stories wide open.

Asher is uniquely qualified for the project, having served with 23 SAS (a TA unit), and has spent years living in the desert with the Bedouin. He speaks fluent Arabic and has won two awards for desert exploration.

During his time in Iraq, Asher follows the route that the fateful patrol took and is remarkably able to locate most of the patrol‘s LUPs and accurately retrace their paths. Even more amazing, he locates nearly all of the Iraqi people who became embroiled in the operation.

Asher interviews these and many other people to gather his information, ranging from the SAS CSM at the time, the Iraqi Information Minister (Uday Hussein of recent fame), some patrol members and their families.

In addition to using Ryan and McNab‘s books as a reference, he often refers to interviews, newspaper articles and television sources for additional material.

The book is well written, and doesn‘t waste a lot of time getting into the details.

Asher makes some statements that cannot be backed up by fact, questioning for example if the captured members were really tortured as they described. He bases his doubt on the belief that the simple Iraqi people could be so cruel, but offers nothing, not even anecdotal evidence to back this up.

It‘s also clear from the get go that Asher has set out to prove false the standing accounts of what happened to Bravo Two Zero, killing his impartiality.

As another example, Asher is adamant in saying that the Bedouin do not lie, and to do so is one of the highest forms of disgrace for their culture. Later however, he admits catching one in a lie about taking a pistol from Vince Phillips‘ body, while still basing much of his conclusions on these types of personal interviews. While these are minor inconsistencies, these are exactly the types of things he dissects in McNab‘s and Ryan‘s accounts.

While a great deal of incredible evidence is uncovered, some of the conclusions that Asher draws are faulty or unsubstantiated. Generally these are easy to pick out, and even when ignored, it‘s clear that neither McNab nor Ryan‘s accounts are entirely accurate. Facts such as distances travelled and Iraqi forces engaged and dispatched are almost certainly inflated in both cases.

Unfortunately, both McNab and Ryan‘s stories lose all credibility under the weight of Asher‘s findings, marring what is still an incredible feat of heroism and endurance.

The book contains some notes, an index and several pages of hard to see black and white photos that add a bit more to the story.

Overall, this is an excellent read, and a must read for anyone who has read Bravo Two Zero or The One That Got Away.


Official book web site:
http://www.lost-oasis.org/bravo.html
ISBN 0-304-36554-8

<A HREF="http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0304365548/cdnarmyca-20">--> The Real Bravo Two Zero</A> at Amazon.ca

 

[Redeye]

It‘s exceedingly difficult to obtain in Canada, but the then-RSM of 22 SAS wrote a book called "Eye of the Storm" which Asher draws from as well. This book shreds virtually all of the stories to come out of the Gulf War by "Andy McNab", "Chris Ryan", "Cameron Spence", and "Steve Yorkland". It‘s a fascinating read, and the RSM‘s argument as that he cannot understand why these guys would feel the need to doctor their stories when they were already so good. His main point was that if you read The One That Got Away and Bravo Two Zero together at the same time, you‘ll start to notice inconsistancies in the two stories. Now, it‘s obvious that "Ryan" and "McNab" didn‘t get along, but the discrepancies aren‘t simply limited to personality disputes.

If anyone can get their hands on it, it‘s a tremendous book - Eye of the Storm by Peter Radcliffe.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/1854798219/customer-reviews/qid%3D1050455278/sr%3D1-8/ref%3Dsr%5F1%5F3%5F8/ref%3Dcm%5Fcr%5Fdp%5F2%5F1/026-3626560-9445265

 

[Danjanou]

Excellent review Michael. you‘re right this is a great book. After reading it I sat down and reread both McNabb‘s and Ryan‘s books and only then noted the discrepencies. This book has caused a lot of arguments on the credibility of their books and I understand that both McNabb and Ryan are shall we say less than pleased as any negative press can‘t help their new careers as adventure novelists.

Still waiting to lay my hands on a copy of the book by "Mark the kiwi" the third member of the patrol to write his account. I do know the British MOD went to court and tried to get the publication banned in NZ, and they failed.

 

[Mike Bobbitt]

Thanks Danjanou, I literally couldn‘t put it down once I got going on it. I‘d read both books (Bravo Two Zero several times) and it was deflating to hear the "truth" about it.

Makes me wonder how much of it was fabricated by story editors who wanted to boost sales, and how much of it was invented by the soldiers themselves...

P.S. Here‘s a link to Eye of the Storm: Twenty-Five Years in Action with the SAS on Amazon.ca. It‘s hardcover, and comes with an audio CD, but appears to be the only version available...

 

[Redeye]

Oh, it‘s come out in Canada, eh? Thanks for the link Mike, I may consider picking it up again, since the copy I read is my father‘s. It truly is a great read.

Incidentally, thanks for all the work you do for this site. You deserve to be commended.

 

[Redeye]

I just noticed that on the amazon.ca page there is a link to Peter McAleese‘s No Mean Soldier, which is also a great lead. His other book, McAleese‘s Fighting Manual is almost good enough to be a pam since it‘s a detailed explanation of tactics and field wisdom gleaned from the Rhodesian SAS, the SADF, and the British Army.

 

[greeves]

Asher is uniquely qualified for the project, having served with 23 SAS (a TA unit), and has spent years living in the desert with the Bedouin. He speaks fluent Arabic and has won two awards for desert exploration.

I‘ve mentioned this in a previous thread, but Asher‘s first book "Shoot to Kill" talks about his experience in 23 SAS, 2 Para, and the RUC. His description of the training he went through at the Parachute Regiment depot makes the first 40 minutes of "Full Metal Jacket" seem rather tame. Imagine if "Milling" was a PO at St. Jean? LOL, the human rights lawyers would have a field day...

 

[Spr.Earl]

I have read both book‘s and it was very clear in Ryan‘s book he did not like or agree with Mcnab‘s decision‘s.

 

[Danjanou]

Haven‘t seen the movies version of B2Z (with Sean Bean of the Sharpe series) yet, but did catch the version of Ryan‘s book on the History Channel (filmed in South Africa of all places).

Like all movies they really push up the stereotypes. In it Ryan of course comes off like Audie murphy and john Wayne reicarnated and McNabb (they call him something else in the film)is a cowardly blowhard.

I guess I should get off my duff and post my reviews of all three books here soon as the conversation about the patrol appears to be of some interest.

 

[Danjanou]

I agree the Sharpe series was pretty well done. Fair adaptations of the books which give the feel of the period. What impresses me most is that they were done on a relatively low budget. They‘re actually a TV series.

Because of that they had to scimp on the major battles (most of the books centre on a specific battle with the obligatory cast of thousands) or show only parts of them using selective camera angles so that one gets the felling that the dozens of uniformed extras one sees are only part of an army of thousands.

There‘s actually an excellent an well illustrated book written about the TV series with casts,plots, inside stories etc called Sharpes Victory.

 

[Andrew_Power]

did you just say it was excidingly hard to find this book in Canada!?!? its Coles and Chapters, if you have any of those near you. lots of these books on the Atlantic Coastline never read it but maybe after i finish "The Art of War" and "Enemy At the Gates"

 

[Danjanou]

Andrew check again. No one said either McNabbs or Ryans‘s books are hard to find. Both of thema re easily available in most chain book stores in Canada and the US.It‘s some of the other books about the patrol that are a little harder to find over here.

 

[Andrew_Power]

"It‘s exceedingly difficult to obtain in Canada"...oh wait, i didnt finish reading that sentence, he was talking of another book?

 

[Mike Bobbitt]

It‘s exceedingly difficult to obtain in Canada, but the then-RSM of 22 SAS wrote a book called "Eye of the Storm" which Asher draws from as well.

Yep.

 

[Spr.Earl]

I just got back from the fire‘s in the Okanagan were I met an Ex member of 2VP who was on my tour.

Both of us were talking about the SAS and who we met in Corolici.

It turned out both of us met and talked with the same officer and trooper and both of them despised both MaNab and Ryan for releasing info and betraying the SAS.

The officer was a ex Sgt/Maj of the SAS.
I can‘t remeber his name even if I could I would not make it public.He was a GENTALMAN and a SOLDIER!!

 

[Spr.Earl]

I have just started reading i and it is turning out that McNab and Ryan are a pair of WANKER'S!!
By the way McNab and Ryan are not their real names!1

Synopsis
'Bravo Two Zero' was the code-name of the famous SAS operation: a classic story of bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. BRAVO TWO ZERO by patrol commander 'Andy McNab' became an international bestseller, as did the book by 'Chris Ryan' (THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY). Both men became millionaires. Three members of the patrol were killed. One, veteran sergeant Vince Phillips, was blamed in both books for a succession of mistakes. As Michael Asher reveals, the stories in BRAVO TWO ZERO and THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY grew considerably in the telling. Their heroic tales of taking out tanks with their rocket launchers, mowing down hundreds of Iraqi soldiers, the silent stabbing of the occasional sentry, were never mentioned at their post-war debriefings...In an investigation literally in the footsteps of the patrol, Michael Asher tells the true story.

 

[mdh]

Spr Earl,

I read the book as well and was planning to write a review for this site - but suffice to say that a lot of the McNab account may be pure fiction.   When the author of Bravo Two Zero, Michael Asher, published his investigation it caused quite a sensation in the UK media.   It appears that the patrol was a screw up from the get go and the famous confrontation with the Iraqi mech platoon (which was featured in the film version) never occurred.   (To make matters worse McNab may have pinned the patrol's failure - which he was largely responsible for in refusing to take vehicles - on Vince Phillips who perished in the desert, and is therefore conveniently unable to defend himself.)

Of the two accounts the Ryan version is probably more accurate but the two books do not agree on some basic fundamentals (and these can't be dismissed as the usual conflicting point of view testimony we find in trying to reconstruct events).

Asher himself is an interesting cat - a desert explorer type, fluent in Arabic, Bedu expert, and former para and reserve SAS troopie.   I reviewed his book below called Get Rommel! which is very similar in technique to the Real Bravo Two Zero.

When I get the time I will write a fuller review,

cheers, mdh

 

[mdh]

oops, already been done,

cheers, mdh

ps good review Mike B.  

pss - I certainly agree with you on the idealization of the bedouin (I was going to raise that point myself) - I'm sure that everyone had to learn to lie in Saddam's Iraq, but considering Asher's romantic attachment to nomadism in the Sudan it's not that surprising - albeit in my (cynical) view naive.

 

[SeanPaul_031]

Thats kind of shame hearing that the books are fabricated lies, because I immensly enjoyed reading 'Brave Two Zero'. Knowing that all of it actually happened in real life made the book that much more 'enjoyable' to read.

Too bad because I just bought Immediate Action and I dont have the slightest urge to read it anymore.

 

[Chimo]

I did a search on Ebay for it. You can by it now for $13.95

http://cgi.ebay.com/Eye-of-the-Storm-by-Peter-Ratcliffe-2001_W0QQitemZ4565866996QQcategoryZ378QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem