Bravo Two Zero (B20) was the callsign of an eight-man British Army Special Air Service (SAS) patrol during the 1991 Gulf War.It was tasked with observing the Main Supply Route (MSR) between Baghdad and north-west Iraq,and finding and destroying Scud missile launchers and their fibre optic communication lines.The abandoned patrol is famous for one member,Chris Ryan,walking 300 km (almost 200 miles) over eight days to reach the safety of Syria.He is said to have lost over 36 lbs (16 kg) of body weight during this escape.The patrol is the subject of several books and two television movies.However,the accounts given by three members of the team,Ryan and the team leader Andy McNab and Mike Coburn,do not always correspond,leading to accusations of lying.The names of the team members are changed to protect their identity.For his conduct in the mission,McNab was decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal.

BRAVO TWO ZERO was the code-name of the most famous SAS operation in recent times.It was a classic British story of glorious failure and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.The book,Bravo Two Zero,written by patrol commander'Andy McNab',became an international best-seller.So did another first-hand account of the affair,Chris Ryan's The One That Got Away.

Three members of the patrol were killed.One,veteran sergeant Vince Phillips was blamed in both books for a succession of mistakes.As Michael Asher reveals,the stories in Bravo Two Zero and The One That Got Away grew considerably in the telling.Their stories of taking out tanks with rocket launchers,mowing down hundreds of Iraqi soldiers,killing enemy sentries with just their bare hands,were never mentioned at their post-war debriefings...

Michael Asher went to Iraq to investigate what really happened.A fluent Arab speaker,who has lived for years among the desert peoples,his unique understanding of Arab culture enabled him to track down witnesses and participants.He re-traces the footsteps of the patrol,from the moment they touched down in the desert to their first battle with the Iraqis and the subsequent hunt and pursuit.The story he reveals is very different.There was great bravery and dedication -- on both sides.Every man in that patrol demonstrated grit and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds,in the finest traditions of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment.None more so than Sergeant Vince Phillips,whose body lies in an unmarked grave in the desert.

List of illustrations

Acknowledgements

The Real Bravo Two Zero

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