- Hardcover: 480 pages
- Publisher: Century; 1 edition (1 Mar 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 184413394X
- ISBN-13: 978-1844133949
- Product Dimensions: 16.4 x 3.8 x 24.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
476,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #23 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Africa > Western > Sierra Leone
- #84 in Books > History > Military History > Weapons & Warfare > Biological & Chemical
- #99 in Books > History > Military History > Armed Forces > Guerrillas
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More About the Author
Product Description
Brigadier Andrew Stewart
"As a purely military operation it knocks into a cocked hat the lifting of the Iranian embassy siege."
Book Description
"As a purely military operation, Operation Barras knocks into a cocked hat the lifting of the Iranian embassy siege" Brigadier Andrew StewartThis is the inside story of the greatest SAS battle since the Second World War.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have about 10 or more special forces books, from bravo 2 zero to CQB. All of them have been good, some great. Operation certain death was arguably the best and most detailed of them all.
The Book brings you straight into the series of events that lead to Operation Barras (aka operation certain death). It starts in Sierra Leone where the Irish Rangers began their ill fated journey and takes you right through the whole military operation that followed in great detail. The auther does a superb job of depeciting the various personalities of soldiers and he explains multiple events at once without the reader getting confused.
The author also points out that he has made every effort to ensure the story was depicted as true to the events possible. I am confident this was done also. Most other special forces books I have read have been from one source (the soldier), however the author sourced his information from the many people involved.
If you are into the special forces this book is a must read, it is also the most recent story involving the SAS, SBS, RAF and the Parachute Regiment.
I have always had alot of respect for these soldiers, this book has increased that. The professionalism that the soldiers display is really something they should be proud of and its reasuring to know that these guys are the ones who are on our side.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Undoubtedly well-researched but the verbal interchanges between the British soldiers are at best irritating and at worst, wholly embarrassing (at times I had to skip full paragraphs). If you have an interest in this event and the history surrounding it then this book is definately worth considering, but only if you can tolerate the constant phonetics used to portray regional accents.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
The story needed to be told, but it's the manner in which it's been told that can grate...
6 May 2008
Format:Hardcover
The book is a solid read, and on a subject which needed telling, but I do wish Lewis had merely 'reported' the exchanges between the troopers on the ground and not tried to re-enact/reconstruct them, almost verbatim (and annoyingly in the vernacular).
Like others I was tempted to skip whole passages whilst Kiwi (who had the cadences here of a South African and not a New Zealander), 'Jimmy the Cockney' and the Big Scottish Monster were bantering-off each other.
Only a minor gripe, but I feel that, in the initial stages of the book, more coverage of the reasons leading to Britain's involvement in Sierra Leone (i.e. Op Palliser being green-lit) could have been accorded the reader - in total contrast to the Analysis section of the book, which is spectacularly well researched, lucid and devastating in its damning indictment of the UN's hopelessly outmoded, inefficient and ultimately completely ineffective deployment, structure and mandating.
The section on the (it is to be hoped for) considered future use of Private Military Companies (PMCs) is sense incarnate: as the UN can no longer sit idly-by and watch (Angola, Rwanda et al) millions of innocents be slaughtered whilst merely wringing its hands whilst intoning "how disappointed we are..." whilst rebel and other bandit groups in Africa (and elsewhere) have unbridled free rein to butcher at will.
There's an old Regiment saying that they play by Big Boys' Rules: and the content of this book leaves you in no doubt that they they are deadly serious in that sentiment.
In complete contrast to the US Rangers and Delta Force débâcle in Mogadishu, even when not fighting in ideal conditions, the books is a textbook example of how a mission can succeed, and Lewis is to be congratulated on his ability to report obvious first-hand accounts of some of the men on the ground.
Like others I was tempted to skip whole passages whilst Kiwi (who had the cadences here of a South African and not a New Zealander), 'Jimmy the Cockney' and the Big Scottish Monster were bantering-off each other.
Only a minor gripe, but I feel that, in the initial stages of the book, more coverage of the reasons leading to Britain's involvement in Sierra Leone (i.e. Op Palliser being green-lit) could have been accorded the reader - in total contrast to the Analysis section of the book, which is spectacularly well researched, lucid and devastating in its damning indictment of the UN's hopelessly outmoded, inefficient and ultimately completely ineffective deployment, structure and mandating.
The section on the (it is to be hoped for) considered future use of Private Military Companies (PMCs) is sense incarnate: as the UN can no longer sit idly-by and watch (Angola, Rwanda et al) millions of innocents be slaughtered whilst merely wringing its hands whilst intoning "how disappointed we are..." whilst rebel and other bandit groups in Africa (and elsewhere) have unbridled free rein to butcher at will.
There's an old Regiment saying that they play by Big Boys' Rules: and the content of this book leaves you in no doubt that they they are deadly serious in that sentiment.
In complete contrast to the US Rangers and Delta Force débâcle in Mogadishu, even when not fighting in ideal conditions, the books is a textbook example of how a mission can succeed, and Lewis is to be congratulated on his ability to report obvious first-hand accounts of some of the men on the ground.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
the legends of gberi bana and magbeni
What a brillaint account of the episode on sierra leone..couldn't stop reading it..this book takes you right there in the middle of the heat,from the tense period of capture to how... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Amit Dhoj Khadka
Certain Death
A true story with a great deal of inside information which makes for a fascinating read. Very well researched which brings to light all the main characters.
Published 18 months ago by M. Jarvis
Gripping
A really good, enjoyable book about the terrible side of Sierra Leone. It's an amazing story of what the soliders life was like in the camp and a gripping account of the SAS's... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Ben Nicholson
A brilliant read.
I'm currently reading Damien Lewis's book 'Bloody Heroes' and this is the book that influenced me to get 'Bloody Heroes'. Read more
Published on 19 Jun 2008 by T. Glover
Well crafted writing. Enjoyed it.
The way in which OCD is written, to my mind, is a cross between Terence Strong at his best for the thriller aspect, and Michael Herr (Dispatches) for his ability to move in close... Read more
Published on 17 May 2008 by Mr. N. Jackson
Not good
Whilst the story is gripping and no doubt well researched, by the author's admission some of the details especially surrounding the special forces is entirely fictional. Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2007 by Crouching Soldier, Hidden Taliban
When's the film coming out?
I agree with most of what has been said by previous reviewers. Yes the depiction of some the dialogue is annoying, and yes Lewis does better when he sticks to writing about the... Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by A.J. fforbes-Walrus
"R.I.P. - BRAD"
This book is a must for any military book enthusiast. It is warts and all covering the capture and eventual release by force of the eleven british soldiers held hostage by the west... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2007 by Tommy Atkins
You couldn't make it up!
All the events in this book are a matter of record. From total insanity to insane courage, this is a book that must be read.
Published on 31 Aug 2006 by Tony B
A story that had to be told
This is the story of such an important operation in the history of British Special Forces that it would have been a crime to leave it untold. Damien Lewis tells it superbly. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2006 by "squadger"
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