Who Dares Wins: The Story of the Special Air Service, 1950-1982
Author:
Genre: History
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: History
Book Type: Paperback
Leo T. reviewed on + 1775 more book reviews
This is by a journalist and more detailed than the paperback I put on the shelf at the old soldiers' home four years ago. That one, although well written by a former SAS warrior, didn't seem to attract a reader, although I enjoyed reading much of it and a former Marine (working as a LVN) was also impressed by it. It ended with the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland; this volume has a great deal about the Falkland War and like the rest of this book shows the author's research skills. Mr. Geraghty shares the political objectives of the SAS and the government in a succinct manner--the concern of the UK is possible European operations.
I only had time to read the 1980s chapters (Embassy of Iran and the Falkland Islands) of the book before sending it onward and hope to read more sometime in the future. It is of course quite different from the book by the guy who was on the ground for several operations, but the SAS being called in to rush the Iranian Embassy in London when the Iranian dissidents began to kill hostages is excellently laid out. After explaining the SAS's lack of negotiating chops, readers are not too surprised when they hose the terrorists lest they have an opportunity to set off hidden bombs. They earned acclaim from PM Thatcher herself.
Mr. Geraghty notes that the Falkland Islands War of 1982 was the southernmost locale for such operations ever. The UK lacked plans for this eventuality when the junta ruling Argentina began the war to divert public attention from their domestic misrule. It is outrageous that Argentina soldiers have never returned to clean up every one of the landmines strewn in fields used mostly as sheep pasture. Note the use of Ascension Island much as Diego Garcia is used as a staging place for military operations. The SAS knew they would be needed as soon as word came of the invasion and prepared accordingly. However, there was little information, few people had ever visited the region, and the terrible weather was underestimated. They were to be very stressed by the cold.
The strategy for retaking South Georgia is well laid out but the map is a few pages beyond. There is an excellent two page spread showing the Falkland Islands.
Sample: "These painstaking preparations reflected an assumption that the main threat to the patrol's survival would come from the Argentine garrison rather than from the environment of South Georgia. Expert advice about the Fortuna Glacier itself was mixed. Few people had first-hand experience to draw upon. The explorer Shackleton had traversed it many years before. It had proved an extraordinarily hard and dangerous journey. Some in the British Antartic Survey team aboard Endurance argued that the glacier was impassable at that time of year because of the weather and numerous crevasses."
The islands are rather barren so scouting for the biggest beach landing since D-Day was very difficult without places to hide. Argentina had air superiority, a submarine, a much shorter supply line, and all sorts of modern equipment beginning with radio directional finding gear. The UK lost a great deal of military hardware and many men. They prevailed against an enemy that was superior in many ways by the quality of their men; note the many gongs awarded.
Maps, a few photos, appendixes, bibliography, and index.
I only had time to read the 1980s chapters (Embassy of Iran and the Falkland Islands) of the book before sending it onward and hope to read more sometime in the future. It is of course quite different from the book by the guy who was on the ground for several operations, but the SAS being called in to rush the Iranian Embassy in London when the Iranian dissidents began to kill hostages is excellently laid out. After explaining the SAS's lack of negotiating chops, readers are not too surprised when they hose the terrorists lest they have an opportunity to set off hidden bombs. They earned acclaim from PM Thatcher herself.
Mr. Geraghty notes that the Falkland Islands War of 1982 was the southernmost locale for such operations ever. The UK lacked plans for this eventuality when the junta ruling Argentina began the war to divert public attention from their domestic misrule. It is outrageous that Argentina soldiers have never returned to clean up every one of the landmines strewn in fields used mostly as sheep pasture. Note the use of Ascension Island much as Diego Garcia is used as a staging place for military operations. The SAS knew they would be needed as soon as word came of the invasion and prepared accordingly. However, there was little information, few people had ever visited the region, and the terrible weather was underestimated. They were to be very stressed by the cold.
The strategy for retaking South Georgia is well laid out but the map is a few pages beyond. There is an excellent two page spread showing the Falkland Islands.
Sample: "These painstaking preparations reflected an assumption that the main threat to the patrol's survival would come from the Argentine garrison rather than from the environment of South Georgia. Expert advice about the Fortuna Glacier itself was mixed. Few people had first-hand experience to draw upon. The explorer Shackleton had traversed it many years before. It had proved an extraordinarily hard and dangerous journey. Some in the British Antartic Survey team aboard Endurance argued that the glacier was impassable at that time of year because of the weather and numerous crevasses."
The islands are rather barren so scouting for the biggest beach landing since D-Day was very difficult without places to hide. Argentina had air superiority, a submarine, a much shorter supply line, and all sorts of modern equipment beginning with radio directional finding gear. The UK lost a great deal of military hardware and many men. They prevailed against an enemy that was superior in many ways by the quality of their men; note the many gongs awarded.
Maps, a few photos, appendixes, bibliography, and index.
