A Million Bullets: The Real Story of the War in Afghanistan

James Ferguson examines the experiences of a variety of Units from within the UK Armed Forces taking part in the military campaign in Afghanistan, making extensive use of first hand accounts from serving and ex-service personnel. Their testimonies underline the courage, ingenuity and resilience demonstrated on a daily basis by our troops in action on Operation Herrick.

The political aspects of the conflict are also discussed, the lack of a coherent long term plan and the apparent lack of progress in the re-development of the infrastucture in Afghanistan highlight some of the difficulties facing soldiers trying to win 'hearts and minds' on the ground.

The impact on troops encumbered by old or inappropriate equipment, the lack of investment in support services and the pressures on service families are all explored. In discussing the probable long term nature of this conflict, the Army's ongoing involvement in Iraq, shortfalls in recruitment & retention of service personnel and the reluctance of other NATO members to commit militarily to the fighting in Afghanistan some of the problems facing the Army are highlighted. The author's clandestine meeting with Taliban fighters in Feb 2007 gives a glimpse into the mindset of the NATO forces antagonists.

I found this a fascinating book, the author writing a warts and all account of the conflict and those involved in it. Recommended.

Biased and opinionated (3/11 people found this helpful)

This book doesn't do what it says on the cover. "The Real Story of the war in Afghanistan" its says on the cover. No, rather it is the story of the author's decision to write about the war - the over long prologue tells the story of one of his friends who was in the military in afghanistan and how his disillusionment pushed him to look further into the situation - what he found out and his opinion of it all. This is peppered with a selection of tales from soldiers involved in the fighting but if you are looking for "the story of the war" then i'd go elsewhere.

Muddling Through (15/15 people found this helpful)

James Fergusson has set out to cover a number of tangential matters than combine to point out the lack of a coherence and reality to NATO policy in Afghanistan, especially as this is applied by the British Army.

He tends to travel in the backwaters. Instead of the much rated 3 Para he visits the Ghurkhas and Royal Fusiliers from the 3 Para Battlegroup shut away in some unsupported location getting shot at by the Taleban and unable to perform their mission of reconstruction.

He examines the practical difficulties of a small force of military professionals trying to bring peace to an area by bringing war. The difficulties of persuading the locals that the corrupt and brutal police and Afghan Army are to be supported are laid out; as is the difficulty of making the police and army anything but corrupt when they are underpaid and undertrained. It's a real muddle.

By comparing the units supporting two helicopter types (Chinooks and Apaches) Fergusson can make valuable points about the under-funding of the effort and (perhaps more important) the underinvestment in keeping skilled personnel. Just having the best kit is no answer when service
personnel are condemned to long tours and divorces. But looking at the armour kit used by the cavalry one can see that in some cases it is not only old but designed for different operational conditions (mostly the North German Plain).

Fergusson travels to meet and talk to the Taliban, he clearly respects them and feels they need to be part of the solution. This has been the view of a number of British officials but is apparently not acceptable in the eyes of the more manichean Americans.

Although at times Fergusson seems rather innocent it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he is on to something. There is only one thing worse than fighting a war with allies; and that is fighting one without any.

The Scary Truth (15/16 people found this helpful)

Gripping book which gives an accurate and disturbing insight into what our soldiers(the Gurkhas, the Fusiliers, the Royal Irish, the Household Cavalry and the RAF), are faced with in Afghanistan. Its disturbing to see just how under funded and under prepared our troops are when posted to such a hostile environment. Together with the lack of collaberation between all allies involed this book really does paint a picture that this is a war with no easy fix and a war that we could very well lose if we continue in the same vain.
Brilliant book and am looking forward to reading 3 Para for the Paras perspective of it all.

A Million Bullets: The Real Story of the War in Afghanistan

James Fergusson

Reader Reviews:

Insightful (4/5 people found this helpful)

Biased and opinionated (3/11 people found this helpful)

Muddling Through (15/15 people found this helpful)

The Scary Truth (15/16 people found this helpful)

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