Book description
Afghanistan, Summer 2006. This is war.
Afghanistan in the summer of 2006. In blazing heat in remote outposts
the 3 Para battlegroup is pitted against a stubborn enemy who keep on
coming. Until now, the full story of what happened there has not been
told. This is it.
In April 2006, the elite 3 Para battlegroup was despatched to Helmand
Province in southern Afghanistan. They were tasked with providing
security to reconstruction efforts, a deployment it was hoped would pass
off without a shot being fired. In fact, over the six months they were
there, the 3 Para battle group saw near continuous combat - one
gruelling battle after another - in what would become one of the most
extraordinary campaigns ever fought by British troops.
Around parched, dusty outposts reliant on a limited number of
helicopters for food and ammunition resupply, troops were subjected to
relentless Taliban attacks, as well as energy-sapping 50 degree heat and
spartan conditions. At the end of the tour, the Taliban offensive aimed
at driving the British and Afghan Government troops out of Helmand had
been tactically defeated. But 3 Para paid a high price: fourteen
soldiers and one interpreter were killed, and 46 wounded.
'3 Para' will tell the stories of the men and women who took part in
this extraordinary and largely unreported saga. Best-selling author
Patrick Bishop has been given exclusive access to the soldiers whose
tales of courage and endurance provide an unforgettable portrait of one
of the world's finest and most fascinating fighting regiments, and a
remarkable band of warriors. Their bravery was reflected in the array of
gallantry medals that were bestowed on their return, including the
Victoria Cross awarded to Corporal Bryan Budd and the George Cross won
by Corporal Mark Wright, both of whom were killed winning their awards.
3 Para's saga of comradeship, courage and fortitude is set to become a
classic. 'Wonderfully compelling … a fast-paced story of incredible
bravery that at times reads like a thriller.' Christina Lamb, Sunday Times
'Bishop gives a gripping insight into deployment in Afghanistan last
year of 3 Para…written with the fluent, rich and engaging fashion
typical of the author's as a journalist.' Times
'Patrick Bishop's riveting account of 3 Para's bitter little war is
based on extensive interviews with the officers, NCOs and privates who
slogged it out with the Taliban day after day…he presents an inspiring
story of courage, discipline and…selfless comradeship…the frenzy of
close-quarters combat…is captured particularly vividly…fast-paced and
absorbing.' Daily Mail
'Thorough and engaging (it) really does put you on the ground with the
troops. There is plenty of realistic action together with insight into
the day-to-day grind of a modern soldier at war…Bishop's book doesn't
just give us the 'bang bang'. It also explores the attributes of
courage, camaraderie and duty that still exist in the Army…This book is
a tribute to the sheer bravery and determination of 3 Para Battle
Group.' Andy McNab, Mail on Sunday
'The best reporting I have read on the war in Afghanistan is in
Bishop's “3 Para” a mortar-by-mortar account of the battle group's six
months in Helmand province last year.' Observer
'By turns, funny, moving, gripping, furious, insightful and terrifying,
3 PARA is as fine a book as you'll ever read on modern warfare. It was
written in haste - it must have been to have been published so soon
after the event - yet there is no sloppiness: only vigour, immediacy and
intensity, as we learn through thrilling first-hand accounts what it's
like to go from combat novice to jaded veteran in a week.' Daily Telegraph
'Vividly written and the several set-pieces make for thrilling
reading…Bishop has written a moving tribute to the soldiers of 3 Para.'
Daily Express Patrick Bishop worked a senior correspondent for the
Daily Telegraph. He is the author of 'The Irish Empire'; the acclaimed
book 'The Provisional IRA' with Eamonn Mallie; the bestselling 'Fighter
Boys' ; and most recently 'Bomber Boys'. He lives in London.
