The Real Bravo Two Zero: The Truth Behind Bravo Two Zero

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Michael Asher

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Pages: 272 (Paperback)

ISBN: 0304365548

Pub: Cassell military

Pub date: 2003-02-13

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 46403

Editorial Review:

The Bravo Two Zero mission, in which an eight-man SAS patrol was discovered many miles behind Iraqui lines and had to make a run back for the border and safety, is probably the most famous incident involving British troops in the Gulf War. Two bestselling books--Bravo Two Zero and The One That Got Away--were published and two of the soldiers, using the pseudonyms "Andy McNab" and "Chris Ryan", were launched into new careers as writers. Even the most uncritical reader of the two books would have been aware that some artistic licence had been employed. What Michael Asher claims is the truth about Bravo Two Zero is, however, astonishing. Asher, fluent in Arabic and familiar with the ways of the desert Arabs, travelled to Iraq 10 years after the Gulf War and re-traced the steps of the SAS patrol, finding Bedouin eyewitnesses to events. There is an almost comical disparity between McNab and Ryan's version of the mission and the version Asher reports. According to McNab, when the patrol was discovered, it was by Iraqi soldiers and a furious firefight ensued with the SAS men downing a dozen or more men before fleeing. According to Asher, the mission was "compromised" by three Arab locals, one of them a man in his 70s, and the SAS wisely decided that discretion was the better part of valour and withdrew. According to Ryan, on his lonely journey to the Syrian border, he was obliged to kill two Iraqis, one with his bare hands. According to Asher's sources, he omitted to mention this at his initial de-briefing. One of Asher's aims in his book is to rehabilitate the reputation of Vince Phillips, one of the dead. Most readers of this book and of the tale told by the Arab who discovered Phillips's body will probably decide that he has done so. Yet Asher does not seem motivated by a desire to denigrate the heroism of McNab and Ryan. We get the heroes we want and Asher understands that the Rambo-like exploits they reported were what we, and the media, demanded of them. Their real heroism, respected by both Asher and the Bedouins to whom he spoke, lay in their powers of endurance and determination when utterly isolated and alone, hundreds of miles inside enemy territory. In The Real Bravo Two Zero Asher has written a far better and more humane book than either of the two he deconstructs, but he still seems to understand why McNab and Ryan produced the books they did.--Nick Rennison

Reader Reviews:

Dont just accept what is said (1/2 people found this helpful)

I have read both Brave Two Zero and The Real Brave two zero.
What I would say is, read the books and make up your own mind, It might be difficult to accept, but at the end of the day, We can only go on the words of the authors, so one book can not be said to more 'true' than the other.

Yet when Michael Asher, just through simple deduction, can put holes in McNab's story it seems to question the likly hood of the BTZ story.

Yet As always, Hind Sight is always 20-20, plus BTZ was behind enamy lines, under that kind of stress i think even the best might make mistakes.
Plus the events which McNab is reacalling at the breafing, was after his term as a Pow, thats a long time to have rememberd details such as distances walked and so on. Is it not possible he simply recalled incorrectly? yet could it simply be that McNab was right, Ryan Wrong, and Asher has simply been lied too.
Therefore I would say that from only using the books, its impossible to say who is correct. Read them take from what you will but just remember, none can be shown to totaly certain so dont take sides but view with an open mind.

Cheers

What a waste of money! (3/5 people found this helpful)

Trying to disprove the SAS soldiers real account of what happened 10 years later is a bit far fetched in my eyes, stories have a tendancy to get changed as they get passed on!

It also strikes me as odd that someone would write a book like this depending solely on the word of the very people who were trying to capture the SAS soldiers??

I would not recommend this book. Read the REAL account by the soldiers who were actually there.

A fairy tale (7/11 people found this helpful)

Michael Asher travels through Iraq speaking to Bedouins and Iraqi Police officers and government officials looking to debunk Andy McNabs and Chris Ryans accounts.

Having read Bravo Two Zero, The One That Got Away and Soldier 5 you realise that it seems Andy McNab and Chris Ryan used a bit of artistic licence. But you also realise that Ryans and Coburns accounts are quite similiar in a lot of the events described.

Not being an expert on Bedouin customs I beleive most of what they say. But Asher further asks the reader to beleive what Iraqi Polie officers and Government officials say when asked about the contacts and if the SAS soldiers were tortured or beaten. Now these Police Officers and Government officials who now are behaving so kindly and light handed in Iraq just now (lets forget the police death squads and torture units who are killing scores of ordinary Iraqis daily because of there religion) are stating they never beat the SAS soldiers or tortured them. Lets not forget they were Special Forces from the Devil west but they still weren't beaten or tortured. Absolute nonsense.

The Iraq Police and Security Forces in general seem to be corrupt and brutal, you just have to watch the daily news or documentaries about the Police death squads to see that.

Ryans and Coburns accounts of the initial compromise and contact are almost identical describing the contact with the Bediuons aswell as a small force of Iraqi soldiers.

McNabs and Coburns accounts of being beaten as they were captured is also very similiar.

The question is who do you beleive? British SAS soldiers or Iraqi Police officers and Government Officials? The SAS soldiers accounts or Ashers? I know who I beleive.

Ashers account seems to me to be a chance for the Iraqis to have some propoganda. Thats why they insist the SAS patrol had almost no impact and that they didn't beat or torture them.

Some may argue that McNabs and Ryans accounts are part fiction, that is also true of Ashers.

To be avoided.

Worth reading (3/6 people found this helpful)

Having read "Bravo Two Zero" and "The One That Got Away", I was eager to read Michael Asher's book in the hope that it might settle the differences between the two accounts of that fatal missing.
Some of the memories of the witnesses are too good to be true and I think he may miss the object of his exercise.
However, it was an enjoyable read, and well worth looking into.

Good Reading BUT........ (11/13 people found this helpful)

The Book was great. But i do feel that there are SOME PROBLEMS with this book. Deffinately worth reading though. on the synopsis segment of the Amazon page it doesnt quite give what i found particularly interesting. Michael Asher (ex-Para and 23 SAS)follows the footsteps of those in the B20 Mission to De-bunk its Rambo like myths and see if it is actually true. People argue, rightly to a degree, that Mr.Asher wrote this 10 years after the mission and that how can this guy (Asher) claim to know the truth behind the B20 misson when he had no part of it.

That was one of the reasons why Asher wanted to investigate for himself of how can a very very professional soldier be called by someone who has not come close to the what Vince was, a Cowardly, Incompetent, Unprofessional member of the Patrol.

I do agree with this, actually saying at one point "Talk about ego, This guy wants to set out and prove a couple of fellow Blades were lying and that Mr.Asher would find the truth". BUT.... when i read the first few pages he actually had the same problems with B20 and The one that got away as i had.

I pesonally hated the way Chris Ryan wrote about SGT.Vince Phillips (one of the dead patrol members)even though he had "Sort of" apologised for the way he portrayed Vince. Vince was nearing the end of his 22 year service with the Army. He was an extremely fit(champion marathoner) and an extremely professional senior NCO. He had served with the Paras and the Commando Brigade, then entering the SAS. he was more a seasoned soldier than Mcnab and most definately the new arrival Ryan. When Ryan slandered and BLAMED the failiure of the mission on Vince i found that a very hard pill to swallow (calling Ryan a T*at whilst reading his exploit actually), he was even calling Vince Incompetent, Unprofessional and Cowardly. You NEVER, ever slander and stab a fellow soldier in the back especially when they are dead and have no way to answer back. It goes against the grain of an unwritten soldiers creed of which i and my fellow mates live by.

I do commend Ryan for his increadible 200 mile treck across the desert and the torturous events of the other four members who were caught. I do like the books and i cant and wont comment on whats true and whats not because its not my place to, BUT i hated the way a Ryan treated Vince. And so do a lot of other fellow soldiers.

second was Michael Asher felt that the professionalism and greatness of the SAS was in trouble and hoped to prove otherwise. They are the main reasons why Asher wanted to investigate but he also found interesting Revelations about the mission.

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