Author Topic: Bravo Two Zero Trilogy  (Read 729 times)

Offline Ack-Ack

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Bravo Two Zero Trilogy
« Reply #15 on: July 07, 2003, 02:58:58 AM »
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Originally posted by _Schadenfreude_
Did you see the two programmes also on Bravo 20 - one by an ex SAS sergeant who retraced the steps of the patrol and interviewed the Iraqi's and the other with the SAS Sergeant Major of the Squadron at the time?

Very interesting - basically most of the claims of fighting and casualties were fabricated both in 20 and The one that got away.

Obviously the stroy was "sexed up" to use the local venacular as it was felt that originally it wasn't exciting enough - SAS are not supermen and very basic mistakes were made by the patrol - not having maps of the area, not having radio that could comm with base, not taking cold weather gear, wearing new boots on an op, refusing to take advice of senior nco's that they should be mobile in vehicles rather than on foot, not pulling out as soon as they realised how poor the cover was on the ground - as a second patrol did.

Personally I feel that the SAS have been poorly served by the publicity surrounding the unit - however what the patrol and it's member's went through and survived should be enough without embellishing the truth with nonsense of fighting off hundreds or Iraqi's in apc's in some sort of Ramboesque version of reality.



I just saw the one where they interviewed the one guy that made it to Syria and it was told from his point of view.

Why the trilogy of the books?  Three different version of the same incident?


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Offline _Schadenfreude_

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Bravo Two Zero Trilogy
« Reply #16 on: July 07, 2003, 06:26:57 AM »
No there was Bravo 20, then The one that got away but then there were tow other published later - Bravo 20 the true story and Eye of the Storm - the later two being written by an ex SAS sergeant and the S/Major of the SAS at the time.


The later two books refute many of the facts of Bravo20 - and The one that got away - specifically in the amount of contact the patrol and the escapee had with the enemy forces.

Someone obviously felt that they had to exaggerate the story so that the masses of enemy turned out to be three farmers with a rifle as stated above.

Two of the team died of hypothermia, 1 got away after evading for a week and walking to Syria, one was killed by local policemen after a firefight and the rest gave themselves up - after which time they were interrogated and from their own accounts tortured.

However since the rest of the story has large holes in it one has to wonder how much of the torture is true - they all survived capture which is the most dangerous time of surrendering - especially to what were basically militia.

The Bravo20 true story was on TV - actually showed the terrain and their exact positions, inteviewed the Iraqi farmers and the policeman involved - was pretty interesting. They were lucky to come up against civilised people - many parts of the world they'd have been killed when trying to surrender.

Offline Swoop

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Bravo Two Zero Trilogy
« Reply #17 on: July 07, 2003, 11:52:57 AM »
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Originally posted by funkedup
Read the third book in my links above.  It seems these decisions were not entirely the fault of MOD, but were choices made by McNab.


I agree.  

In fact some evidence seems to suggest that McNab wanted to make it hard on purpose, was looking to do something spectacular.