The book is written with feeling and through the darkest of times there are moments of humour and real human emotion 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. And generate a lot of questions about the mission and what happened to the other two patrols, knowing the ill-fated Bravo Two patrol story.

However they are very different stories, Bravo Two Zero focuses on the patrol’s fight for survival after being compromised. Bravo Three Zero focuses on their patrol’s battle to complete their mission. For the first time, Cambridgeshire SAS veteran, and second in command of Bravo Three Zero, Des Powell reveals their story. Des Powell served in the Parachute Regiment as a sergeant major before spending 20 years in the SAS at the heart of Counter Terrorism and Special Projects teams. A former PT instructor in 1 PARA, he became the Unarmed Combat and Fitness instructor for B Squadron, and pioneered HALO, HAHO and other covert airborne entry techniques. He was the second-in command of the Bravo Three Zero patrol in 1991. There were three SAS patrols that fateful January 1991 morning: Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zero (Andy McNab) 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. Colin Armstrong wrote The One That Got Away ( ISBN 0-09-946015-7) under the pseudonym Chris Ryan. It criticized Mitchell's leadership of the patrol and was particularly hostile in tone to the conduct of Phillips. Armstrong used the same pseudonyms as McNab for those who survived, but also referred to Phillips, Lane and Consiglio by their real names. Ratcliffe said of this move that it was "insensitive" for Mitchell and Armstrong "to hide behind pseudonyms when they named their dead colleagues in their books, in deliberate contravention of the Regiment's traditions." [6] :247 The book was released in 1995.Join Damien Lewis and Des Powell as they launch their new book, marking both the 80th anniversary of the SAS and the 30th anniversary of the Gulf War. Both Mitchell's and Armstrong's earlier accounts were critiqued by SAS reserve veteran Michael Asher in The Real Bravo Two Zero ( ISBN 0-304-36554-8). In 2001, Asher followed the original path of the patrol, interviewing local Iraqis who witnessed the events. The book was released in 2002. The Gulf War Chronicles ( ISBN 0595296696) by Richard Lowry recounted much of the patrol's story, though appeared to borrow heavily from the earlier story published by Mitchell. The book was released in 2003, aiming to "set the story straight". Even as warnings came in that McNab's patrol was on the run, Bravo Three Zero remained undetected - the furthest Coalition forces behind Iraqi lines. Slipping through enemy positions, a string of targets were taken out. But with the desert turning bitter and snow starting to fall, they were forced to fight a running battle against the elements as much as the enemy. Even as warnings came in that McNab’s patrol was on the run, Bravo Three Zeroremained undetected – the furthest Coalition forces behind Iraqi lines. Slipping through enemy positions, a string of targets were taken out. But with the desert turning bitter and snow starting to fall, they were forced to fight a running battle against the elements as much as the enemy.

According to McNab, the four captured patrol members (McNab, Pring, MacGown and the wounded Coburn) were moved numerous times, enduring torture and interrogation at each successive location. [2] According to MacGown, however, "incidents such as teeth extraction and burning with a heated spoon did not happen. It is inconceivable that any such incidents could have occurred without them being discussed or being physically obvious." [17] At the time of the release on 5 March of MacGown and Pring, they were described as "in good shape" by a Red Cross representative. [10] A third member of the patrol wrote Soldier Five: The Real Truth about the Bravo Two Zero Mission ( ISBN 1-84018-907-X) under the pseudonym Mike Coburn, [13] [14] which more forcefully contradicted the previous accounts. The account also levelled damning accusations against the army, and the Ministry of Defence went to great lengths to attempt to prevent its publication, which they failed to do, although they were granted all of the book's profits. [14] [18] [19] The book was released in 2004.Fowler, Will (2005). SAS Behind Enemy Lines: Covert Operations 1941-2005. London: Collins. p.179. ISBN 0-00-719990-2. Don’t under estimate what was endured, unfortunately for some the biggest sacrifice of all. Reading through the book you have to be amazed and in awe that Des Powell is actually around to tell his story 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. 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. 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.