‘Sniper One’ is a brilliant first-hand account of a ‘peace keeping’ tour of Iraq in 2004 and is written by the Platoon Sergeant of the Sniper Platoon, Dan Mills, of the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment.
Having served twenty years in the British Army Mills recounts that his regiment ‘never go anywhere’, when they are suddenly deployed to Iraq, ostensibly to keep the peace and to train the newly formed Iraqi Police. Being the consummate professionals that they are, the Sniper Platoon that he leads is elated. However, almost from the moment that they set foot on Iraqi soil they are shot at whilst on foot patrol, experience RPG (rocket propelled grenade) attacks on their vehicles and have the complex of buildings that serve as their base under daily mortar bombardment by the insurgents. Throughout the book the tension builds to the final battle where their base is under siege by a vastly superior number of insurgents and there is a very real danger that it will be over run.
Mills captures the humour, comradeship and cool professionalism of the ordinary British soldier wonderfully and as the story unfolds you can almost feel the tension, excitement and fear as he describes each attack. This is a good book, that keeps you turning page after page and I can thoroughly recommend it.
(to see the action that Dan Mills describes so vividly in his book, go to YouTube and view the clip ‘PWRR in Iraq’).
Having served twenty years in the British Army Mills recounts that his regiment ‘never go anywhere’, when they are suddenly deployed to Iraq, ostensibly to keep the peace and to train the newly formed Iraqi Police. Being the consummate professionals that they are, the Sniper Platoon that he leads is elated. However, almost from the moment that they set foot on Iraqi soil they are shot at whilst on foot patrol, experience RPG (rocket propelled grenade) attacks on their vehicles and have the complex of buildings that serve as their base under daily mortar bombardment by the insurgents. Throughout the book the tension builds to the final battle where their base is under siege by a vastly superior number of insurgents and there is a very real danger that it will be over run.
Mills captures the humour, comradeship and cool professionalism of the ordinary British soldier wonderfully and as the story unfolds you can almost feel the tension, excitement and fear as he describes each attack. This is a good book, that keeps you turning page after page and I can thoroughly recommend it.
(to see the action that Dan Mills describes so vividly in his book, go to YouTube and view the clip ‘PWRR in Iraq’).
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