What do you think?
Rate this book
SAS: Phantoms of War: A History of the Australian Special Air Service
This definitive history recounts the secretive operations and strategies of one of the world's most elite fighting forces. The Special Air Service (SAS) operated deep behind enemy lines, conducting surveillance at close range, poised to spring into action at a moment's notice. This Australian military classic tells the story of the formation of the military known to the Viet Cong as “phantoms of the jungle,” its secret role in Borneo during confrontation with Indonesia, and its operations in Vietnam. After its involvement in Vietnam, the SAS formed a crack counter-terrorist force that saw action in Somalia, Kuwait, and East Timor and in the security of the 2000 Olympic Games.
616 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1989
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 2, 2016
SAS: Phantoms of War is, as the full title implies, a complete history of the Australian SASR up until 2000. It covers the creation, training, personalities, and operations of the unit from it's inception through the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The book covers both the operational and the organizational side of the regiment and delves into both the minutiae from command decisions all the way down to individual patrols. There is a heavy emphasis on the Vietnam conflict (with good reason given that this was the most involved deployment for the unit before the GWOT), but other deployments are covered amply too. The depiction of the tenuous conditions, the delicate patrol routines and the grind of long patrols for a sighting of a handful of VC is a stark contrast to most bombastic accounts of combat.
The back cover boasts something to the effect of "based on patrol reports and interviews" and the 500+ pages certainly puts paid to that. The book is replete with details that both color the reader's understanding of the challenges and rains behind many of the decisions made and how the regiment was influenced by them. There are miniature biographies for many of the men who joined the unit and their actions are generously documented. There are some good photographs included in black and white as well which add some nice visual punch to some of the events recounted.
Unfortunately, the book goes a bit overboard on the details. Serious historians of the unit or of the conflicts they were involved with well fund a wealth of information on each page, but fit most it may be too much. For someone looking for an entertaining read first, then an educational one, they may want to steer clear of this one. There is simply to many dry facts and discussions of command structure to hold the attention for this type of reader over 500 pages. Of note too of course is the fact that this does not cover any operations in Afghanistan or Iraq.
For someone looking for a comprehensive pre-GWOT history of the SASR and craves detail, this book is for you. Others might well think twice.
The book covers both the operational and the organizational side of the regiment and delves into both the minutiae from command decisions all the way down to individual patrols. There is a heavy emphasis on the Vietnam conflict (with good reason given that this was the most involved deployment for the unit before the GWOT), but other deployments are covered amply too. The depiction of the tenuous conditions, the delicate patrol routines and the grind of long patrols for a sighting of a handful of VC is a stark contrast to most bombastic accounts of combat.
The back cover boasts something to the effect of "based on patrol reports and interviews" and the 500+ pages certainly puts paid to that. The book is replete with details that both color the reader's understanding of the challenges and rains behind many of the decisions made and how the regiment was influenced by them. There are miniature biographies for many of the men who joined the unit and their actions are generously documented. There are some good photographs included in black and white as well which add some nice visual punch to some of the events recounted.
Unfortunately, the book goes a bit overboard on the details. Serious historians of the unit or of the conflicts they were involved with well fund a wealth of information on each page, but fit most it may be too much. For someone looking for an entertaining read first, then an educational one, they may want to steer clear of this one. There is simply to many dry facts and discussions of command structure to hold the attention for this type of reader over 500 pages. Of note too of course is the fact that this does not cover any operations in Afghanistan or Iraq.
For someone looking for a comprehensive pre-GWOT history of the SASR and craves detail, this book is for you. Others might well think twice.
Want to read
March 17, 2024The contents of Phantom of the Jungle are incorporated into the author's 2009 book, In Action With the SAS. The 2009 book covers Australian SAS operations through the year 2000.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews