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Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege | 
 enlarge | Author: Dan Mills
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy New: £3.49
You Save: £3.50 (50%)
New (37) Used (12) from £1.70
Rating:  37 reviews
Sales Rank: 178
Media: Paperback
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0141029013
EAN: 9780141029016
ASIN: 0141029013
Publication Date: May 15, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...
 A direct account but does leave a few questions August 26, 2008
I can see why the MOD wanted to ban this book. Dan Mills give a very gungho/right-on account of the battle for the city but if you read between the lines there are lots of unanswered questions. He never questions his own decisions and only occasionally questions those of his superiors.
Why did he roll up right outside the main enemy HQ on the first day? Supposedly no-one had told him.....after he had been given a 1 hour briefing by the guy he was taking over from. Why didnt he ask the CIMIC people who had been working there for months and continued to work with them throughout?
Was increasing the barricading to the building the moment they got there really their right message to the locals, again the CIMIC staff did warn them?
Why did the unit expend more ammunition than the rest of the invading force combined, for a smallish town in Iraq? Especially in comparison to the units that preceeded them and succeeded them in that same town.
After just a couple of years most of the guys have left the Army, yet throughout the book they were portrayed as being very much up for war.Especially someone like his acting 2ic Chris, who would have been a supposed shoe-in for promotion stepping up to the challenging situation like he did.
Overall though it was a gripping read and I couldnt put it down. It gave more detail than most UK newspapers on the factions within Iraq and the power struggles between them. It therefore makes a good starting point to understanding the Iraq war, and the challenges of creating the peace.
 Come Home They're Here Too!!!!! August 25, 2008
Much RESPECT to the British army (past and present), from Hengest and Horsa (5th century English/Anglo-Saxon warlords) to modern troops in the war against terror, I salute you all.
This book was a joy to read, its a decent sized book but only took 4 days to read as it was a great page turner. Well done Sgt Dan Mills. I've never read a book like this before and i probably never will again as i cant imagine i'll find a better one. The reason i didnt give it 5/5 is because the battle scenes werent descriptive enough e.g. I didnt feel like i was there, i didnt feel the adrenaline, but is still loved it.
The story is simple: they go to a small town in Iraq as peecekeepers but end up up getting battered by extremists whilst been outnumbered and their supplies are dwindling. They even get help from the Yanks, and not one brit gets killed in 'friendly fire'-amazing. This is very well written and a fun and educational read (if your interested in life in the Army) and i recommend it to anyone interested in the modern army and Iraq etc.
As Im soon to join the Army myself-this was a real eye opener as to how PC and unrealistic and weak our government has become expecting us to fight with one arm behind our backs, but I'll soon be fighting for 'Queen and a Country of foreigners' - good book though-go and read it.
Recommended reading August 25, 2008
Terrific book.Dan Mills does very well in conveying the reality of his tour including the boredom,humour,discomfort (which he makes light of) and the danger.
Truly professional soldiers tend to describe things accurately and without embellishment or exageration and this is what Dan Mills has done in his book. It's a sad fact that the British public are unaware of the situations our troops out there can be in while we are extremely well informed about the rights and wrongs of the politics of it all. I never knew of the Siege of Cimic House before I read this book and if you haven't either,read it.
Un-put-downable August 25, 2008
This is genuinely a book that you cannot put down - compulsive reading and a real page-turner. Written extremely well it makes you feel part of the sniper team, with the banter, jokes, cameraderie, fall-outs and gritty action. Rather than glorifying war it tells it frankly the way it is with no nonsense. In a different league to the comparatively dismal Jarhead.
Sniper One Review August 19, 2008
Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege
I have literally just finished this book 10 minutes ago - i am a person that does not usually enjoy reading, i am a person that enjoys films and games. But i decided to buy this book, and what a fantastic decision that was.
This true story is exemplary, i am almost lost for words to describe this book, It is a supremely perfect balance of all out war, mixed in with feelings, emotions, descriptions. It all ties in perfectly, there is not a boring sentence in this book. By the end of the book, you can't help but sit there and be so incredibly proud to be British and have such fantastic troops fighting for your country, it is impossible to not respect what these lads went through - it is truly awe-inspiring, how they had the nerve to handle such situations with such authority and care for others is beyond belief.
Sgt Dan Mills has created the best book that can possibley exist, it cannot and will not ever be bettered by another book, game nor film. His description of his 6 months fighting in Al Amarah is impossible to improve. It even left me feeling emotional, i just could not express and beleive what they had been through and how they came out so well from it all - the Epilogue to describe what happened to them all after made it even better - it highlighted the fact that these are real men, that really did this.
And for that fact, Sgt Dan Mills, Sniper Platoon - The princess of wales regiment and Y company have my utter most respect.
You owe it to these formidable soldiers to read this book - for everything they have been through it is not much to do, just to show your appreciation.
Please read this book - It is superbly awe sinspiringly brilliant. I could never write into words what this book has done for me and how it has even changed my outlook on the British army, and even my own life.
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