War Dogs - British Mercenaries in Bosnia Tell Their Story [Import] [Hardcover]

Keith Cory - Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1996

A "Wild Bunch" in Bosnia .

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Century; 1ST edition (1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0712676317
• ISBN-13: 978-0712676311
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,983,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars never happened, October 13, 2007

By 

James Hooper (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Dogs - British Mercenaries in Bosnia Tell Their Story (Hardcover)

As the only journalist to have been on operations with the South African private military company Executive Outcomes, my impression is that the other reviewers here have (1) never known or worked with mercenaries, (2) never been to Bosnia, or (3) never seen combat. Allow me to explain one or two things about this silly book.

As a contributor to Jane's Defence Weekly, let me say that six months of getting shelled a lot, shot at a lot and scared stiff a lot in Bosnia taught me a bit about the place. So when asked by a British military magazine to review a book about the war, I thought, Great! By page 20, however, I was wondering why it wasn't called War Comics. But you be the judge - and please interrupt if you have any questions.

The story begins with 13 tough mercs landing in Albania for a mission to Bosnia. "Uh, excuse me, but isn't there sort of like another country between Albania and Bosnia?" Shut up and sit down - I was only kidding about the questions. Led by Foreign Legion deserter Kit Freeman, the mission - to recce the airfield at Mostar - is so secret they have to make a minor 250-mile detour in an inflatable boat, Kit overlooking the fact that half way to Split they pass within 20 miles of Mostar airfield or, even better, that they could have flown directly to Split in the first place. (Maybe they forgot their map, which could explain why they landed in Albania. 'Gracious me! We're in the wrong country!') From Split they're choppered to "The Valley of Imotski," where, Kit warns, Serb commandos roam at will. "But there were never Serb forces anywhere near Imotski," you say. Button it - "But ..." - and sit down. Next, they `tab' 20 miles through heavy woodland to Mostar airfield. "Excuse me, but there's no 'heavy woodland' anywhere near Mostar!" I'm not telling you again to shut your face while I'm telling Kit's true-life story here.

Then ... uh-oh ... they spot a trip wire. If Kit disarms it the Serbs will suspect he and his boys are about, so he marks it "with a small piece of white tape instead". "Lemme get this straight. Disarming it is going to give them away, but white tape isn't?" No problem. He collects the white tape on the way out. "Interesting. I learned that you never come out the same way you went in because the bad guys might be waiting, and here's someone telling them with white tape that he ain't come back yet." Listen, who're you going to believe, people who have actually done the biz, or Kit Freeman? We're talking a serious professional here.

Where was I? Right. After Kit camouflages himself with white tape, what do you suppose they find sitting on the runway? Why, three MiG-21s! "I know I'm being a pain, but overlooking the fact that MiGs never operated out of Mostar during the war, what the hell are they doing in the open with Croat artillery just two miles away in Mostar?" I dunno. Maybe the Croats didn't hear those three jets land. Anything's possible. Like landing in Albania when your target's in Croatia, for example.

Anyway, they slither up with 30kg of PE and home-made timers in Tupperware containers. Now, anyone else would have thought that wherever there's PE then timers are a dime a dozen. But not clever ol' war dog Kit Freeman, who, just to be on the safe side, had a chum whip up a few in his garage before leaving the UK. (I told you he's a pro, but you didn't believe me, did you?) By the time the MiGs are history we're only on page 20. And for the poor bastard marooned on a desert isle with absolutely nothing else to read, there are, God help him, 241 pages still to go.

Kit Freeman claims it's all true. The author sulkily admitted to me that it's "not supposed or intended to be an accurate journalistic account". So is it Freeman's fantasy or the author's fiction? Who cares? Either way it's pathetic. My advice? If you're interested in reading about real mercenaries, then buy a copy of No Mean Soldier by Peter McAleese instead.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sociological flora of hired men in combat., July 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] Oscar Guillen (Santa Cruz, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: War Dogs - British Mercenaries in Bosnia Tell Their Story (Hardcover)

The book takes you through an indepth account of the lives of these mercenaries. From sleeping in a rat-infested cellar, to surviving being captured by the enemy. The brutality of war in a devided nation can not be better expressed than in this book. The fact that the author collected the material for this book in combat with these men gives the reader a point of view rarely given by an author. The image of the heartless mercenary is shaken as their lives are forever altered in the events of this civil war. Boys seeking for adventure are teamed with hardened war veterans to form an explosive relationship of brutality and compassion.

2.0 out of 5 stars Military chewing gum for the eyes., December 8, 2008

By 

Nathan J. Hook "USbsdKiwi" (MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Dogs - British Mercenaries in Bosnia Tell Their Story (Hardcover)

Not a bad read as long as you don't take it all too seriously. Far too much of it feels like fiction and I guess Keith Cory-Jones has got the gift of the gab for making Hollywod style plots. Plenty of authentic looking pictures and grim revelations about nasty stuff going on during the time. I think the former Janes staffer has it spot on - love the bit about the white tape. Sloppy stuff.
I read this book a few years back, along with a bunch of other similar experiences from ex-SAS men cashing in on Andy McNabb's success with Bravo Two Zero. Much of these reports you can apparently take with a grain of salt and I think this novel you can throw in the same boat. Good chewing gum for the eyes on a journey from the airport, or what have you, if you don't like romantic fiction.