What do you think?
Rate this book
SAS Secret War: Operation Storm In The Middle East
In 1970 the SAS were called in to support the Sultan of Oman's armed forces in their fierce campaign against a communist armed insurrection. This was first and last a war about people. The task in hand was not to obliterate the enemy but to persuade them to join the government's side and at the same time win the support of the civilians of the Jebel Dhofar. This is the gripping story of the part played in the conflict by squadrons of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, the first full SAS squadron in the region. Written by the man who commanded that unit and who successfully raised the first bands of Dhofari irregulars to fight for the Sultan, SAS: Operation Storm provides a unique and personal insight into what was to become one of the most successful counter-insurgency campaigns of the 20th century.
253 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2006
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 4, 2012
If you're looking for a jumping-out-of-airplanes-rappeling-into-embassies-and-slotting-bad-guys-in-the-middle-of-the-night SAS book, look elsewhere. This is no Andy McNab story about THEM. This is however, a slowly paced memoir about conducting a classic counterinsurgency campaign during the Cold War, where practically everything went "right". During the late 1960's when Vietnam was reaching its fever-pitch, the British were aiding the Sultan of Oman in putting down a Communist-supported rebellion in the south of his country. In some ways this is a good object lesson, in some ways it isn't. Some of the ingredients for success are completely infeasible today- like having complete information dominance inside and outside of the theater. However, the Brits got extremely lucky in backing a cohesive, legitimate government that actually had the best interests of its people at heart. It's ironic that Omanis flocked to the Communists to improve their standard of living- and in doing so actually prompted the Sultan to conduct a massive program of civil development (after which, many Omanis flocked back). So really...which side won? :) I think the major thing that today's COIN practitioners will find familiar is Jeapes' experience of the ups and downs of working with indigenous "irregular" Muslim troops.
So, once again, if you're looking for a slam-bang-action-filled book, this is not the one for you. If you're interested in an example of classic British counterinsurgency from the strategic down to the tactical level, it's worth a read.
So, once again, if you're looking for a slam-bang-action-filled book, this is not the one for you. If you're interested in an example of classic British counterinsurgency from the strategic down to the tactical level, it's worth a read.
October 8, 2020
SAS Secret War: Operation Storm in the Middle East by Major Tony Jeapes is the history of Dhofar Rebellion in Oman. Jeapes was the first SAS officer to reach the rank of General. He commanded the British forces in Northern Ireland during the 1980s and retired as commander UK land forces.
This book was originally published in 1980 as SAS Operation Oman after editing by the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office. This edition was released in 2000 without the censorship. The author does leave some names out of the book but includes the previously censored material. Also included is a background on the Special Air Service (SAS). The SAS is part of Britain's Special Forces.
In the Cold War battles against a popular communist uprising, most were unsuccessful with Cuba and Vietnam perhaps the most well known. The Dhofar Rebellion against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman is little known. However, this is one of the most successful battles against communist rebellion. The operation is still used as a textbook example of counterinsurgency in Britain.
Jeapes gives a detailed history with a calm personal account. It is very British in that Jeapes records facts and leaves emotions out of the story. There is some humor in dealing with the local soldiers and their attitudes. The locals wanted their AK-47s and not the British weapons. The AK47s were a symbol of a warrior taken from the enemy. Even after demonstrating the effectiveness of the British weapons, it was still a hard sell.
The success of the mission lay in the ability to build trust and win the hearts and minds of the people. One of the more important non-military aspects of the SAS involvement was veterinarian support to help the locals keep their livestock alive and well. This was very well received. Medical support and amnesty for surrendering rebel troops bolstered support. The Omani troops were treated well and made to feel part of the process and not token national support. Not everything went smoothly in the planning and building stages, but issues were worked out. The effort was not a one-sided British affair but a joint affair.
The SAS Secret War is a well-written account of a successful and mostly forgotten counterinsurgency mission. It offers insight in cultural as well as military tactics in the formation of a successful undertaking.
This book was originally published in 1980 as SAS Operation Oman after editing by the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office. This edition was released in 2000 without the censorship. The author does leave some names out of the book but includes the previously censored material. Also included is a background on the Special Air Service (SAS). The SAS is part of Britain's Special Forces.
In the Cold War battles against a popular communist uprising, most were unsuccessful with Cuba and Vietnam perhaps the most well known. The Dhofar Rebellion against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman is little known. However, this is one of the most successful battles against communist rebellion. The operation is still used as a textbook example of counterinsurgency in Britain.
Jeapes gives a detailed history with a calm personal account. It is very British in that Jeapes records facts and leaves emotions out of the story. There is some humor in dealing with the local soldiers and their attitudes. The locals wanted their AK-47s and not the British weapons. The AK47s were a symbol of a warrior taken from the enemy. Even after demonstrating the effectiveness of the British weapons, it was still a hard sell.
The success of the mission lay in the ability to build trust and win the hearts and minds of the people. One of the more important non-military aspects of the SAS involvement was veterinarian support to help the locals keep their livestock alive and well. This was very well received. Medical support and amnesty for surrendering rebel troops bolstered support. The Omani troops were treated well and made to feel part of the process and not token national support. Not everything went smoothly in the planning and building stages, but issues were worked out. The effort was not a one-sided British affair but a joint affair.
The SAS Secret War is a well-written account of a successful and mostly forgotten counterinsurgency mission. It offers insight in cultural as well as military tactics in the formation of a successful undertaking.
September 30, 2021
Disappointing. First and last chapter were ok but the middle was a bit of a muddle. Describing the landscape all the time seemed pointless and characters were introduced without introduction making it confusing at times. Writing style was pretty bad too. I’ve read about the battle of Mirbat before and expected this book to go into more detail especially with the death of one member, this book didn’t even tell you he’d died. Wish a previous review had been available before buying this this book as I wouldn’t have bothered.
October 13, 2017
Interesting read. Never knew SAS played such a role in Oman.
Not particularly detailed, but nonetheless an interesting read on a topic very few of us know about. Some good info on counter insurgency operations..
Not particularly detailed, but nonetheless an interesting read on a topic very few of us know about. Some good info on counter insurgency operations..
February 28, 2019
SAS Secret War is an amazing way to study the guerrillas' conflicts and have an opportunity to develop new approaches to win these wars. It is interesting the amount of knowledge of the Arab culture and reflects the importance of this knowledge in the gerrillas conflicts.
December 18, 2022
An insider's story about a long forgotten conflict.
December 19, 2015
“SAS Secret War” eBook was published in 2015 and was written by Tony Jeapes. This is the only book General Jeapes (ret) has written. General Jeapes was a unit commander with the SAS and deeply involved with the conflict. He was the commanding officer of the SAS in Dhofar from 1974 until the end of the war.
I received a galley of this novel for review through NetGalley. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains some scenes of Violence. This Non-Fiction novel tells the story of the British SAS involvement in the Dhofar War. This covered a period from 1970 through 1977.
The book tells about the people involved in the conflict, the SAS troops and the Dhofari who formed the militia they worked with. It tells of the difficulties of working with the tribal people to form the militias. Several battles are described in detail.
I thought that this was a good military history. It details a time I had not previously been familiar with. The 6+ hours I spent with the 250 page book were interesting. It was a little dry, but then that is not too unexpected for a Non-Fiction novel. It started off slow, but did get better after the few chapters. I give this book a 4 out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I received a galley of this novel for review through NetGalley. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains some scenes of Violence. This Non-Fiction novel tells the story of the British SAS involvement in the Dhofar War. This covered a period from 1970 through 1977.
The book tells about the people involved in the conflict, the SAS troops and the Dhofari who formed the militia they worked with. It tells of the difficulties of working with the tribal people to form the militias. Several battles are described in detail.
I thought that this was a good military history. It details a time I had not previously been familiar with. The 6+ hours I spent with the 250 page book were interesting. It was a little dry, but then that is not too unexpected for a Non-Fiction novel. It started off slow, but did get better after the few chapters. I give this book a 4 out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
January 12, 2016
I loved this book a really engaging look at the Dhofar rebellion. It could be a pertinent read in 2015 with communism being replaced by radical Islam. Jeapes style makes for easy reading and the stories coming from battles such as Mirbat are outstanding.
April 4, 2008
This book holds a special place in my heart as one of the first books I dove into at the start of writing my thesis. It is an account of a woefully little-known insurgency in Oman in the 60s and 70s.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews