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Storm Command: Personal Account of the Gulf War
 
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Storm Command: Personal Account of the Gulf War (Paperback)

by Peter De La Billiere (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; New edition edition (1 Sep 1995)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0006387497
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006387497
  • Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.9 x 2.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 425,298 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #8 in  Books > Biography > War & Espionage > Gulf War
    #24 in  Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Gulf War

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Product Description

Product Description

Desert Storm was a war like no other. Fought with weapons of a sophistication beyond anything previously displayed in battle against a ruthless dictator whose invasion of Kuwait had been universally condemned, it was a conflict waged with an unparalleled sense of international common purpose. Under the fierce glare of world media attention, commanders had to be appointed to manage a highly volatile situation - with hostages shielding Saddam Hussein's military installations, Iraq's breached trade sanctions, needing enforcement, the constant threat of chemical warfare and the Coalition's objectives gradually shifting from defence to offence. One officer stood head and shoulders above his peers as the man to command the British forces in the Gulf. After a lifetime in the SAS, and as the most decorated officer in the army, with experience of tri-service command in the Falklands and a comprehensive understanding of Arab life and language, General Sir Peter de la Billiere was unique in having all the credentials for the task. This book chronicles the war from the Allied nerve centre, analyzing Americas' execution of the air and land campaigns. It also shows how the British commander insisted on transferring his ground forces to a more crucial sector of the battlefield and how he persuaded Schwarzkopf to deploy the SAS in the western desert of Iraq.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Dull but worthy, 15 Oct 2006
By M. Lyster (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Given the dramatic nature of the subject, it is some sort of feat to produce a book which is so put-downable. The text seldom comes vividly to life and is occasionally repetitive. However, in the same way that the writing style tends to put off this casual civilian reader, it is also revealing of the mind of a senior military man. The obsession with rank and seniority shouldn't come as a surprise, I suppose, but shines out of almost every page. The author takes great pains to explain his own position in the hierarchy and his level of decision-making authority, relative to the US command and the political authorities. However the explanation is incomplete: there are frequent references to his frustration with nameless figures and bean-counters in Whitehall who appear able to countermand decisions agreed between the UK's top military brass and the Minister of Defence. Who were these people? The book would benefit greatly from a few contributions by some of these other actors in the drama.

The only part in which the book tells a straight story of military action is the chapter devoted to SAS operations inside Iraq. For one chapter, the book turns into "Bravo Two Zero", then turns back to an account of military bureaucracy. There is probably some historical value in the account of the inner workings of high command, but it mostly fails to grip the reader. To some extent I think the writer feels that he is under a leader's obligation to give credit to his subordinates' achievements, and a lot of space is devoted to this, which holds up the flow of the story; and he never truly puts the boot in, although there must have been someone he would have liked to take a real dig at.

The book has some worthwhile insights. At the end, when explaining why the war ended at the point it did, he describes what would have happened if the US and UK armies had carried on to Baghdad to depose Saddam, and he ends up stating: "to have gone on to Baghdad would have achieved nothing except to create even wider problems". Tragically, the experience of the second Iraq war has proved him right on every point.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A worthy read, 13 Aug 2007
One to save for those long deployments or exercises. A good account of the first gulf war from a well respected squaddie.
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3.0 out of 5 stars A man of integrity..., 24 Nov 2009
By Jonathan Green (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Not a particularly gripping read, but then it wasn't perhaps meant to be, as this is DLB's personal account of the Gulf War (phase 1 of course!).

What comes across to me is the man's integrity throughout; dealing with people at all levels, within and outside the military services. Perhaps too hung-up on 'rank' but that's probably the importance of the chain-of-command.

He quotes from letters that he wrote 'home' during his leadership and this gives it a very personal flavour.

I also found the book quite interesting when dealing with issues of which I have no knowledge, such as the major difference between American and British "Rules of Engagement" and the political procrastination, but importance, in getting these differences resolved.

He gives credit where it is due to leaders such as Margaret Thatcher and John Major - and generally speaking I found his portrayal of the war to be truthful, open and sincere.

I would heartily recommend it for gaining insight into how this kind of operation works.
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