Iraq, 2004. Sgt. Dan Mills and the rest of the 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, were supposed to be winning hearts and min... read full description
reviews
Sep 04, 2008
Chris
rated it: 
Not the type pf book I'd choose for myself but was a loan from my brother in law. I really liked it. It had great pace, was never boring and showed just how hard our armed forces have it in Iraq in a war we never should have got involved with. The taleban or hardliners are truly terrible people but its clear the allied forces will never defeat them until the Iraqi people decide they dont want anything to do with religious fundamentalists. Ok its not "a great work of lirerature" as
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Apr 06, 2010
Matt
rated it: 
The brilliant memoir of a British Army sniper in the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, centred on his 2004 tour of duty in Iraq and the events that summer at Al Amarah, 100 miles northwest of the British base at Basra, and close to the Iranian border and an insurgent crossing point.
Commander of Sniper Platoon, Mills gives a fast-paced, nail-biting account of his sniper team, their arrival, life on base and in the city, the siege (that could so easily have become another Alamo), an More...
Commander of Sniper Platoon, Mills gives a fast-paced, nail-biting account of his sniper team, their arrival, life on base and in the city, the siege (that could so easily have become another Alamo), an More...
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Dec 05, 2008
Graham
rated it:
I'm a massive fan of war memoirs - the kind popularised by Andy McNab and Chris Ryan in recent years - so when I saw the hype surrounding this book, I had to give it a go.
It totally lived up to my expectations. Somewhat inevitably, considering the setting, the action comes thick and fast, making this a modern-day version of the Battle of Rorke's Drift in the Zulu War - and it's just as exciting. Bullets fly, shells explode and our sniper heroes do what they need to do to get the job More...
It totally lived up to my expectations. Somewhat inevitably, considering the setting, the action comes thick and fast, making this a modern-day version of the Battle of Rorke's Drift in the Zulu War - and it's just as exciting. Bullets fly, shells explode and our sniper heroes do what they need to do to get the job More...
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Jan 25, 2011
Ian
rated it:
entertaining, funny and crazy story of a british sniper team in Iraq. Very informative of what actually goes on overseas. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre. The Brits are good at what they do and claim to be the best in the world, yet every time anything American is mentioned in the book they talk about how great the Americans are and how they have the best gear etc. etc. This book sure made me proud to be an American!!!
Jan 05, 2012
Doug
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I was finally able to get a copy of this book through interlibrary loan. And I think it was worth the wait. If I could I'd rate this down to 3.75 instead of 4 - but here's why. I read lots of stories depicting the men of the British army and for the most part they depict a committed and doughty group of folks. When the chips are down, they dig in and get the job done - with a fair bit of complaining, thievery and colorful cursing to be sure, but they do get it done. This was much the same s
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Jun 28, 2010
Billy
rated it:
Fast-paced eyewitness account of the battle in Al-Amarah in 2004 between the British army (Princess of Wales Royal Regiment) and Sadrist militias.
Told in pure squaddie vernacular, so if you don't like seeing the f-word in print, prepare to be offended. Frequently. Like every other sentence.
I served with the Brits in Basra for several months, so all of the jargon was familiar to me, but it will be confusing to the average American reader, even one with military service. More...
Told in pure squaddie vernacular, so if you don't like seeing the f-word in print, prepare to be offended. Frequently. Like every other sentence.
I served with the Brits in Basra for several months, so all of the jargon was familiar to me, but it will be confusing to the average American reader, even one with military service. More...
Jun 20, 2011
Roger
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A soldiers account of a British Platoon besieged in a southern Iraqi town called Al Amarah. This is purely written as a first hand account of what went on, a bullet by bullet account. I was gripped from start to end. Written in a very down-to-earth (and very colourful, not for the faint hearted) style.
If I ever had to be in the army, I would be a sniper.
If I ever had to be in the army, I would be a sniper.
Aug 11, 2011
Larry
rated it:
Awesome account of a "peace keeping"tour into southern Iraq. Unfortunatley the local warlords never got the memo. needless to say the training in how to smile in a non-threatening manner went to waste. Fast tempo blow by blow first hand account of why one should not kick sand in someone else's face. Especially if its not your sandpit.
Jan 21, 2012
Vicky
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It was interesting to hear how a sniper team works and the author's experiences in the battlefield. There were some lighter moments, and I enjoyed the book because the author wasn't just talking about one battle. The style of writing was different from the other war books I had previously read.
Jul 28, 2011
An account of a peace keeping tour of Al-Amarah in Iraq, which turned into the British Army's most prolonged combat engagement since the Korean War, by one of the men who was there, Sgt. Danny Mills of the sniper platoon. An entertaining read one squaddies story of combat on the streets of Iraq.
Aug 07, 2011
Boys and their toys. This a must read for a gun enthusiast and entertaining for those of us who do not know what or where a trigger guard is. I have read some criticism that the book is 'biased,' but I found the description of the Washington politics and the news press 'narrative' to match my own experience.
May 31, 2010
Jenny
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I thought this book really opens your eye's to what our soldier's are doing in Iraq/Afg.
You hear the media isn't telling the coalitions side and for me this book made that true.
You hear the media isn't telling the coalitions side and for me this book made that true.
Sep 24, 2011
Sandhillsandsea
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One of the best books on Iraq and the best book written from the British perspective. It is a gripping account of one of the fiercest battles the PWRR has ever been a part of/
Apr 12, 2010
Ian
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This book was amazing, I love reading true stories like this where some people have a lot more to deal with in their job than most and they deal with it really well.
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Nov 16, 2010
Stuart
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Incredible, another great book that gives a proper insight into what these soldiers have to go through every day. I have nothing but respect for these guys.
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Feb 27, 2010
Burt
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A very exciting account about the tenure in Iraq of a British sniper unit. Lots of blood, torture, and nifty bone snapping. A high adrenaline read.
Nov 21, 2008
Peter
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Frank account of their involvement on the conflict, the lack of respect for locals is worying though
Feb 11, 2012
Tim
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Just brilliant - started it this at lunchtime and only a few hours and not much else happening finished it in one go. You just cannot help just having one more page and another and another. The word insight is used far too much and it should only be used for books like this. Each page drew you in more and more until you felt as though you were alongside Mills and his platoon fighting their war. On Armed Services Day there's no other book I would have wanted to read and just increases my already
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Dec 01, 2008
Marcee
rated it:
It is a very interesting read for people who like military history. It took me a bit to read because it is written by a British Sniper Unit leader so I had to translate British English into American english and that is not so easy to do with military phrases! :) Overall though it was a very interesting insight into elite unit training and experiences in Iraq
Apr 09, 2011
From Thomas Mann to a bit of battle porn. I'm a sucker for this type of stuff.
Mar 26, 2011
John
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An excellant account of the bravery of British soldiers in Iraq during what was then tremedous, peace keeping duties. The book also has a view of the Victoria Cross (VC) that was awardeed to Johnson Baharry.
If you want to find out more about this little publiscised action, then I recomend this book to be read without delay.
If you want to find out more about this little publiscised action, then I recomend this book to be read without delay.
Oct 31, 2010
Abasi
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Fast paced, based on a true story. Easy enough to read, except for the odd bit of British slang or military-speak. Paints a solid picture.
Nov 14, 2011
Dan
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This is a non-fiction, true story about a British sniper team in Iraq. This book was easy to read, and truly gave in inside look at what a soldier can experience when at war in the Middle East. It is interesting getting a perspective from one of the "coalition forces" and not an American soldier (including some info on what other forces think of American soldiers -- although limited.)
Jul 01, 2011
Daniel
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A great book a worthwhile read to anyone interested in the life of a soldier in Iraq. A real eye opener to the events that were really going on out there.
Dec 20, 2008
Kevin "El Liso Grande"
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one thing about this book: i learned more jargon from the U.K. than i ever knew. book is totally worth the read just for that. a good memoir from iraq written in a readable way without too much bravado, just pride. i liked it. plus the words make it fun
Aug 08, 2008
Jonathan
rated it:
Gripping tale of undermanned outpost in Iraq under daily attack. Amazing that hardly any of them died. Interestingly the author makes no connection between his own bout of nervous exhaustion and the cowardice of one of his men.
