SAS Bravo Three Zero: The Gripping True Story

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If he’s a pure beginner, has no experience whatsoever, and I always say this to people, don’t go by the watch. Get used to carrying the weight, it doesn’t have to be 35lbs, but make sure that you get used to the correct boots, the correct clothing, the correct Bergen. And just get used to the environment because the most challenging thing is the elements, the wind, the rain, the cold, the snow and you’ve got to have the right equipment. You got the right boots and cold weather clothing and got used to carrying the weight. Just get used to walking over distances, a couple of hours and then three hours, four hours and so forth. Get used to good map reading techniques. Get used to being out in the elements and just comfortable with what you’re doing. Because you start to get aches and pains and have injuries with your ankles and knees. I call it getting acquired to the hills. You’ve gotta get used to the hill work. Just get used to your body getting fitter and fitter. And as you get fitter, you find that you naturally walk faster. And getting used to being outside in the elements. When people ask me, what’s the hardest physical thing I’ve done, I go, being outside in the cold, the wind, the rain and the snow. Fighting the elements takes more energy than working in the gym. And that’s mainly because your body is trying to stay warm. So just get acquired to the hills, get used to your fitness, get used to carrying equipment and then you can start to worry about how fast you should tab. An enjoyable read of soldiers overcoming adversity, not always of the enemy's making, to achieve success. A very credible 4.5 Mr Mushroom Heads.

This article is about the actual events. For the book by Andy McNab, see Bravo Two Zero (novel). For the film, see Bravo Two Zero (film). A guy named Paul Hughes introduced Damien and me. He was talking to me one day in his garden and he asked me, what have you been involved in? I only just managed to mention Bravo 30 and I didn’t even tell him the story. I just mentioned it. He got in touch with Damien and mentioned to Damien about me. And then one day Paul said we’re going to have a meeting with Damien Lewis, and I said, who is Damien Lewis? When we met it, Damien said that the story was interesting because he didn’t know that there were three patrols, Bravo One, Two and Three. Damien approached me and said that he’d like to write the story. Was I willing? And that is really how it came about. I want to preface this short review by saying that my rating does not reflect my appreciation of the heroism displayed by the people in this book. This is the untold story of the bravo teams in the first Gulf War and in particular Bravo Three Zero written with first hand knowledge of the events leading up to the operation and during. However the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Saddam Hussain had begun to launch Scud missiles at Israel, trying to draw the Arab Alliance against him into switching sides and provoke World War III.a b c "Honours and Awards", The London Gazette (Supplement), Gazettes online, no.54393, p.6549, 9 May 1996, archived from the original on 11 June 2011 , retrieved 25 October 2011

Even as warnings came in that McNab's patrol was on the run, Bravo Three Zero remained undetected - the furthest Coalition forces behind Iraqi lines. Slipping through enemy positions, a string of targets were taken out. But with the desert turning bitter and snow starting to fall, they were forced to fight a running battle against the elements as much as the enemy. Told in first person in an almost conversational style, it was so easy to fall into step alongside Des Powell and his regiment as he navigates his way through that fateful, and almost fatal, mission into Iraq to hunt down the locations of Saddam Hussain's scud missiles. As a unit who almost didn't get deployed to Iraq, originally due to remain in the UK on counter terrorism duties, we join the Powell and his fellow soldiers as they learn of their impending deployment, as they engage on pre-mission training, much condensed, and as they make those first moves behind enemy lines. Interspersed with this story are some of the key moments in Des Powell's career, from his initial attempt at selection for the SAS - which, aside from the intensive and gruelling exercises he needed to endure, ended in pretty grim fashion - through to some of the happier moments in his private life and the near miss moments in his career that make you wonder just how many cats he had to barter will to obtain some of their extra lives. It certainly seems as though he used a good number up without even making it into combat. Des Powell is an member of the Parachute Regiment who got selected for the SAS and during a twenty year career with them he was involved in Op Granby as part of the Scud hunting patrols Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zero and Brave Three Zero. And as Damien mentioned, when I heard he was on the Bravo Three Zero patrol, the sister patrol to the famous one, I was hooked. I’d always known of the Bravo Two Zero patrol – it’s a famous SAS mission. I never knew there were two other Bravo – B Squadron – patrols, Bravo One and Bravo Three. Just that was amazing – it made the story stand out. It is the patrol that Des Powell was part of being Bravo Three Zero, these men decided they had a job to do and no matter they were going to do the job they trained to do. Meanwhile Bravo Two Zero was in serious trouble with men wounded or killed. All bar one of that team got out. Bravo One Zero did not deploy as it was too dangerous. This left Bravo Three Zero and this is the story of Des Powell and what took place in the desert.a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap Ryan, Chris (1995). The One That Got Away. London: Century. ISBN 978-0-09-964161-2. The men of Bravo One Zerostepped off the chopper, took one look at the flat desert devoid of any cover and decided no way were they deploying into all of that. But Andy NcNab’s famed Bravo Two Zeropatrol did deploy, with fatal results – all bar one being captured or killed. The men of Bravo One Zero stepped off the chopper, took one look at the flat desert devoid of any cover and decided that no way were they deploying into all of that. But Andy NcNab’s famed Bravo Two Zero patrol did deploy, with fatal results - all bar one being captured or killed.

Don’t under estimate what was endured, unfortunately for some the biggest sacrifice of all. Reading through the book you have to be amazed and in awe that Des Powell is actually around to tell his story The Gulf War Chronicles ( ISBN 0595296696) by Richard Lowry recounted much of the patrol's story, though appeared to borrow heavily from the earlier story published by Mitchell. The book was released in 2003, aiming to "set the story straight". This is not a book of self congratulatory glory written for the sake of it. It is an account of one one the pivotal moments in world history. Des Powell is clearly an extraordinary man as are those who he served with, he comes across in the book as a person of honour and integrity, The book is subtitled ‘The SAS Patrol that got away – The Explosive True Story’. And it truly is a remarkable story, one that extends and has meaning far beyond that particular theatre of war. This is a totally honest, sometimes harsh, but definitely inspiring tale of a unit who made a significant impact upon the course of the Gulf War. Paying tribute to their fallen colleagues, and showing the honesty and integrity of the men who fought for each other, and for the sake of so many others, if you are in any way interested in military history, or just want to read about a group of determined, honour driven men who put duty before all else, I’d definitely recommend this book. About the AuthorThe patrol also had a PRC 319 HF patrol radio carried by Lane, [1] :24 four TACBE communication devices (carried by McNab, [1] :55 Ryan, [1] :55 and two others) to communicate with allied aircraft, a Magellan GPS carried by Coburn, [1] :41 and a KITE night sight carried by MacGown. [1] :62 The total weight of each member's kit was estimated at 95kg (15.0st; 209lb) by McNab [2] :66 and 120kg (19st; 260lb) by Ryan. [1] :29