3 Para

click here for more details, find new or used items	Patrick Bishop Our price £8.54 (£18.99) New from £7.99 Used from £6.00 Pages: 320 (Hardcover) ISBN: 0007257783 Pub: HarperPress Pub date: 2007-09-03 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 885

Reader Reviews:

Real Combat. Real heroes . True Story (0/0 people found this helpful)

As a resident of Colchester and someone who is interested in the army I wanted to read what 3 Para had done in Helmand. I remember before they deployed and reading about their exploits. You had to feel very sorry for families who were living locally who were losing members of their family and the number of soldiers who were killed. I notice in this conflict magazines like Soldier are now able to discuss and show soldiers who have been wounded. Fit young men who have lost legs and are recovering and continuing in the army.

It seems more people survive wounds than they ever did before so there are a lot more severely wounded soldiers who survive.

Afghanistan is an underreported war and maybe a misunderstood war. The British public have honoured those who have come back a lot more after army leaders said local communities should welcome their soldiers back.


The Taliban are fighting for God and death holds fewer terrors for them than their opponents. It is a contest of wills,and patience and resilience are among the Taliban's fighters outstanding characteristics
As one soldier observed " What do they know this bunch of flip flop dress wearing bastards. He realised they actually knew what they were doing. "

Later the Paras were not arrogant and they knew the Taliban had been fighting for years but they were no match for the Paras.

The upsetting news in this book is that the local army and police could not be relied upon to assist the allies. It would be easy to say if they do not want it so why bother? We don't live in these communities and we can comment from our comfortable armchairs knowing that no one is going to come round and threaten our families if we do not support one side or the other.

As the Americans have discovered to their cost is a tough life trying to bring democracy to the world. You might think they need it and want it but it is an uphill struggle convincing them of the facts.

It is a well written book. Military histories have a problem in that they are not novels and they cannot be just a collection of facts and dates as it becomes impossible to read. The book is a mix of history, politics and the personal stories of the people who took part. You know enough about the characters and care enough about what happens to them. It is very sad to see the photos of soldiers who subsequently died.

My local paper tells me that 16 Air assault Brigade based in Colchester are back in Afghanistan in April . Let's hope they all come back safely.

The Best Account of action Yet (0/0 people found this helpful)

This book follows 3 Para battlegroup after they deploy to the Helmand Province in Southern Afghanistan, through first hand accounts the time they spent there is brutally retold with almost no punches pulled!

A must for anyone interested in the forces or those who want to serve, or even those who dont. The true nature of British armed forces today shines through wonderfully and is fully deserving of a five star rating, if only due to the attempt to bring the battlefield home to those who only saw it through the media.

As I hoped, realistic and gritty (0/0 people found this helpful)

An enjoyable and easy read. Plenty of comparisions with other units. Lots of encounters and characters. A compelling read.

My thoughts on 3 Para by Patrick Bishop (1/3 people found this helpful)

I think this was an inspirational book and one that shows the British Army at its very best. The attitiude of the men from 3 Para was outstanding, especially when under fire and taking casualties, they just 'cracked on with the job'.

The book also shows the difficulties suffered both by 3 Para's CO Lt Col Stuart Tootal in providing an adequate response to the situation around him and the frustration felt by his men that they could engage in litte reconstruction. It also highlights the involvement of other nations of the ISAF, especially the Dutch which shows to an increasingly resentful UK public that other countries are also playing their part.

Similarly, the diplays of courage and sacrifice in the book are astounding, especially that of Cpl Brian Budd who dided to save his men. These men stood like a pillar of hope for the local people when their native forces were wholly inept at providing security and reassurance.

A cracking read and difficult to put down, an excellant narrative of the ups and downs of an operational tour in today's post 9/11 climate.

Not quiet as good as I hoped. (1/6 people found this helpful)

This is a good book ... no denying that, BUT it doesn't seem to know what animal it is. It's neither a first person story told to the reader nor is it a history book. It's not even a narrated story of 3 Para. The fact is it's a mix of all of these and for me it's frustrating. I like the story and the book but when I want to read a historical account I buy that type of book and when I want a story then I go for that. I don't like swapping bbetween the two styles continually. Pages of historical depiction are mixed every half dozen pages with a paragraph of eye witness account from the para who was there and every sop often the historical depiction suddenly wanders into story telling mode.

This book could have been better bbut it's not too bad. If this sort of topic material is of interest to you then buy the book. My only gripe was the style not the content.

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