Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege [Paperback]

Dan Mills (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2008

We all saw it at once. Half a dozen voices screamed 'Grenade!' simultaneously. Then everything went into slow motion. The grenade took an age to travel through its 20 metre arc. A dark, small oval-shaped package of misery the size of a peach ...April 2004: Dan Mills and his platoon of snipers fly into southern Iraq, part of an infantry battalion sent to win hearts and minds. They were soon fighting for their lives. Back home we were told they were peacekeeping. But there was no peace to keep. Because within days of arriving in theatre, Mills and his men were caught up in the longest, most sustained fire fight British troops had faced for over fifty years. This awe-inspiring account tells of total war in throat-burning winds and fifty-degree heat, blasted by mortars and surrounded by heavily armed militias. For six months, they fought alone: isolated, besieged and under constant enemy fire. Their heroic stand a modern-day Rorke's Drift.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the best first-hand accounts of combat that I've ever read."--Andy McNab, international bestselling author of "Bravo Two Zero"

"Mills powerfully describes the demanding work of his snipers before and after the city was brought under control...British participation in Iraq has been largely ignored in the U.S. That should change with Mills's page-turning account."--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

"Possibly the year's best book, so far, on combat in Iraq."--"Booklist"

"A gritty, speedball run...strong, cohesive, and complete...plugs the reader straight into the blood and guts of the action."--"The Times "(UK)

"Another testosterone-laced memoir of an elite unit kicking butt in Iraq, this one with a cheerful, politically incorrect British twist....A military memoir refreshingly devoid of the usual patriotic overlay." --"Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

Dan Mills served for 24 years as an Infantry Soldier reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2. During his long military career he served on operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Dan was awarded a 'Mention In Despatches' for Gallantry for his services during The Iraq War. Since leaving the Army in 2010, he has forged a career as a writer and security consultant, amongst other things. Sniper One is his first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books, Limited (UK) (June 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141029013
• ISBN-13: 978-0141029016
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not keep this book down for a second!!, August 4, 2008

By 

R. Rizvi (Middlesex, London UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege (Paperback)

This book was very fast paced and a fantastic read. I cannot believe the story of Al-Amarah wasn't printed in any of the newspapers. The writer provides a detailed account of the conditions the soldiers had to endure at the front-line and the hostilities faced by the Al-Sadr Shia militias.

The soldiers are constantly living under the barrage of mortar fire at temperatures of up to fifty-degrees, and surrounded by very heavily armed militias. It also provides some great photographs of the compound, the surrounding area, and of the soldiers themselves.

This book is incredibly inspiring and I have complete and utter respect for all the soldiers fighting for the security of Iraq. To be honest I am not doing any justice to this book with this review, it is that good.

Whatever the views you may have of the Iraq war, this book is a MUST read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Good as Chickenhawk. All Action., May 28, 2008

By 

John From London Town MBE (Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege (Hardcover)

Straight away you are in his team, living the terrible dream. What I loved about this book was the comradeship of, & in, his team. Every negative that these guy's come across, was turned into a positive. I found this book to be very real, honest, & breath taking in places. The courage these guy's have, has to be respected. When reading this book, you are in the war. The rights & wrongs are not discussed in this book, nor should they be. This is action, real action. Sgt Dan Mills takes us inside Iraq & fortunately, takes us back out again. If you enjoy factual war books, then you will love this book. A MUST READ.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb book, a shame Amazon doesn't include reviews from AmazonUK, April 2, 2008

By 

Ste Cork - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege (Hardcover)

Head over to 'amazon dot co dot uk' ( not sure if I can do links here ), enter 'sniper one' in the search then read the reviews on that site, vast numbers of 5-star reviews. Amazon really need to make their english-language databases join together better.

Seriously, this book is incredible.