There were three patrols that fateful January 1991 morning: Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zero and Bravo Three Zero. It was the opening hours of the Gulf War and the SAS were flown deep behind enemy lines to hunt down Saddam’s Scud missiles, the use of which threatened a Third World War. If he’s a pure beginner, has no experience whatsoever, and I always say this to people, don’t go by the watch. Get used to carrying the weight, it doesn’t have to be 35lbs, but make sure that you get used to the correct boots, the correct clothing, the correct Bergen. And just get used to the environment because the most challenging thing is the elements, the wind, the rain, the cold, the snow and you’ve got to have the right equipment. You got the right boots and cold weather clothing and got used to carrying the weight. Just get used to walking over distances, a couple of hours and then three hours, four hours and so forth. Get used to good map reading techniques. Get used to being out in the elements and just comfortable with what you’re doing. Because you start to get aches and pains and have injuries with your ankles and knees. I call it getting acquired to the hills. You’ve gotta get used to the hill work. Just get used to your body getting fitter and fitter. And as you get fitter, you find that you naturally walk faster. And getting used to being outside in the elements. When people ask me, what’s the hardest physical thing I’ve done, I go, being outside in the cold, the wind, the rain and the snow. Fighting the elements takes more energy than working in the gym. And that’s mainly because your body is trying to stay warm. So just get acquired to the hills, get used to your fitness, get used to carrying equipment and then you can start to worry about how fast you should tab.

The book is subtitled ‘The SAS Patrol that got away – The Explosive True Story’. And it truly is a remarkable story, one that extends and has meaning far beyond that particular theatre of war. This is a totally honest, sometimes harsh, but definitely inspiring tale of a unit who made a significant impact upon the course of the Gulf War. Paying tribute to their fallen colleagues, and showing the honesty and integrity of the men who fought for each other, and for the sake of so many others, if you are in any way interested in military history, or just want to read about a group of determined, honour driven men who put duty before all else, I’d definitely recommend this book. About the Author For the first time, Cambridgeshire SAS veteran, and second in command of Bravo Three Zero, Des Powell reveals their story. There were three patrols that fateful January 1991 morning: Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zeroand Bravo Three Zero. It was the opening hours of the Gulf War and the SAS were flown deep behind enemy lines to hunt down Saddam’s Scud missiles, the use of which threatened a Third World War. This patrol and their story is now the stuff of elite forces legend and so it should be. Des Powell and the men of Bravo Three Zero are the bravest of the brave. They went far behind enemy line and taking out targets as they went. As I read Des Powell’s story, I was left humbled by their actions. But none of these men should ever have to go into action with sub-standard equipment.I would hope that we may be able to read more about the exploits of Des Powell, to be able to spend some time in this mans company would be some experience This is not my ordinary type of read, however, I feel as though my reading experiences have been enriched for having read. Despite suffering from the effects of hypothermia, Bravo Three Zero we’re able to avoid capture and death to call in airstrikes that inflicted significant casualties on the enemy. In conversation with ex-spook Paul Hughes, Des Powell provides us with an intimate look into the life of the SAS on this timely, commemorative evening.

What should my average pace be with loaded Bergen? No military experience, but looking into taking on a challenge next year.

The book is written with feeling and through the darkest of times there are moments of humour and real human emotion It is the patrol that Des Powell was part of being Bravo Three Zero, these men decided they had a job to do and no matter they were going to do the job they trained to do. Meanwhile Bravo Two Zero was in serious trouble with men wounded or killed. All bar one of that team got out. Bravo One Zero did not deploy as it was too dangerous. This left Bravo Three Zero and this is the story of Des Powell and what took place in the desert. In fact, I don’t think there’s anything negative about it. Everything that I’ve learned in the military has helped me within this civilian world. For example, I have a morning routine, I have an afternoon routine and I have an evening routine too. I know most people that get up out of bed and just hit their day. I think it comes down to having good habits and good routines. Being able to follow through on the things that you need to do on a day to day, week to week, month to month. There are four things in life that you need to do if you want everything. One is hard work, so you’ve got to work hard at everything. Second one is consistency. You got to consistently work hard or focus or move forward to something. The third one is focus. Being able to focus on the job at hand, and the 4th one is to have discipline. If you have those four things that you find in the military and then blend that into Civvy St and have good habits that follow them, I don’t think you will have much problems at all. There were three patrols that fateful January 1991 morning: Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zero and Bravo Three Zero. It was the opening hours of the Gulf War and the SAS were flown deep behind enemy lines to hunt down Saddam's Scud missiles, the use of which threatened a Third World War. One of those questions, and the next one I ask Des, is naming the most challenging moment his team experienced on the ground.

a b "torinternational" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2011 . Retrieved 25 October 2011. The men of Bravo One Zero stepped off the chopper, took one look at the flat desert devoid of any cover and decided no way were they deploying into all of that. But Andy NcNab’s famed Bravo Two Zero patrol did deploy, with fatal results – all bar one being captured or killed.In 2002, Channel 4 aired Asher's documentary (which accompanied his book), also titled The Real Bravo Two Zero, directed and produced by Gavin Searle. [22] However the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Saddam Hussain had begun to launch Scud missiles at Israel, trying to draw the Arab Alliance against him into switching sides and provoke World War III. It is difficult to put down in words my thoughts on reading this. It is more than a story of courage or bravery in the face of adversity. It is though a compelling read and a reminder of the sacrifices made by others And it is the incredible story of one of the three SAS patrols. The opening few hours were important and the SAS had its role to play. Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zero and Bravo Three Zero. Their main role that morning was to seek and destroy the Scud missiles that Sadam Hussain was trying to create a wider and more serious war. This year is the 80th anniversary year of the SAS and 30 years since the first Gulf War and deployment of Bravo Three Zero behind enemy lines in the Iraq desert.

Told in first person in an almost conversational style, it was so easy to fall into step alongside Des Powell and his regiment as he navigates his way through that fateful, and almost fatal, mission into Iraq to hunt down the locations of Saddam Hussain's scud missiles. As a unit who almost didn't get deployed to Iraq, originally due to remain in the UK on counter terrorism duties, we join the Powell and his fellow soldiers as they learn of their impending deployment, as they engage on pre-mission training, much condensed, and as they make those first moves behind enemy lines. Interspersed with this story are some of the key moments in Des Powell's career, from his initial attempt at selection for the SAS - which, aside from the intensive and gruelling exercises he needed to endure, ended in pretty grim fashion - through to some of the happier moments in his private life and the near miss moments in his career that make you wonder just how many cats he had to barter will to obtain some of their extra lives. It certainly seems as though he used a good number up without even making it into combat. Damien Lewis has been a war reporter over two decades covering conflict in Africa, the Middle and Far East. Des Powell was a member of the Parachute Regiment who got selected for the SAS and during a twenty year career with 'Them' he was involved in Op Granby as part of the Scud hunting patrols Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zero and Bravo Three Zero. This article is about the actual events. For the book by Andy McNab, see Bravo Two Zero (novel). For the film, see Bravo Two Zero (film). There were three patrols that fateful January 1991 Bravo One Zero , Bravo Two Zero and Bravo Three Zero . It was the opening hours of the Gulf War and the SAS were flown deep behind enemy lines to hunt down Saddam's Scud missiles, the use of which threatened a Third World War.There were three SAS patrols that fateful January 1991 morning: Bravos One, Two (Andy McNab) and Three Zero. It was the opening hours of the Gulf War and the SAS were flown deep behind enemy lines to hunt down Saddam’s Scud missiles. The SAS selection training is in three parts. The first part is the hill phase and the navigation tabs. The middle part is the jungle phase and the last part is the escape and evasion phase. So over six months is split into three phases. The most difficult one, I think that most guys find it also, is the middle phase, the jungle. So on selection, because the jungle is such a harsh environment, they keep that as a tester.