Mills and his regiment flew into southern iraq they were supposed to be winning hearts and minds, but instead they were soon fighting for their lives in defence of their hq, cimic house in. Garrisoned by fewer than 90 soldiers from the y company, 1st battalion, the princess of waless royal regiment pwrr, isolated from other british forces, and dependent on ground convoys for resupply, cimic house was also the site of the the. Major justin featherstone, captain charles charlie curry, maj james jd driscoll. On scope and under siege with a sniper team in iraq. Cimic house al amarah 2004 combat mission shock force 1.
Sas legend, andy mcnab stated that this book is one of the best firsthand accounts of combat that ive ever read and i would agree. Quite apart from its excellence as a combat narrative, sniper one is a valuable portrait of the british army, a force small in numbers but high in quality that still emphasizes mastery of the basic skills of the infantryman. Dec 29, 2007 this is a short video to show how hard these lads had it. Possibly the years best book, so far, on combat in iraq. Aug 05, 2004 cimic house was handed over to the iraqis at the end of august 2004, with the british consolidating their forces in camp abu naji. Sniper one is a breathtaking chronicle of endurance, camaraderie, dark humor, and courage in the face of relentless, lethal assault. Another account of this tour is sniper one, by danny mills who commanded the sniper platoon elements in cimic house at this time. Pwrr defence of cimic house if you read the book sniper. Among the soldiers defending cimic house was a large contingent of territorial army soldiers who were mobilised to serve with the pwrr and qrl battle groups in april 2004. Dan mills and his sniper team through the streets of iraq. The conflict begins in the very beginning of the book when he and his squad get attacked by the oms. A cimic house is a generic term, like armoury or vehicle checkpoint. So i dont think all ta are like dads army, but some, well are. Its also worth pointing out that one of the soldiers that came out of that story with a good reputation was the ta jock major.
If anyone has read the book sniper one by sgt dan mills you will know who theses guys are. A hundred brave and outnumbered british troops fought for 23 days to hold an outpost in iraq against a massive rebel force. And its defence, the most intense the british army fought in 50 years, was a modern day rorkes drift. This is a short video to show how hard these lads had it. Sniper one is a very good book to read for more information, its a detailed true story about the sniper sergeants stay in cimic house. During y coys tenure of cimic house from 05 28 august 2004, they endured. Sniper one the blistering true story of a british battle. Having missed out on operation iraqi freedom a year earlier, the. Sniper one is the gritty, aweinspiring true story that takes you right into the heart of the iraq war from sunday times no. The good times, the bad times, the feelings that take over one during combat. The blistering true story of a british battle group under siege received 4. The author details the story of the pwrr, primary the sniper platoon during their tour to al amarah, iraq, and the siege of cimic house, which the author claims regimental historians have stated was the longest continuous action fought by the british army.
My compliments and thanks to the author for his great book and for his service in our common cause. Top notch look at modern warfare through a foreign servicemans eyes. Time to hunt by stephen hunter, point of impact by stephen hunter, sniper one. Unflinching look of a british sniper and his time in iraq. This was also where private johnson beharry vc earned his vc and. Sniper one is a breathtaking chronical of endurance, camaraderie, dark humour and courage in the face of relentless, lethal assault. Article picturing rogue cleric moqtada alsadr, pinned on the wall of sniper platoons living quarters 6.
Dan mills sorry about the pics with a big whtie shine they where taken on a camera by me. The author details the story of the pwrr, primary the sniper platoon during their tour to al amarah, iraq, and the siege of cimic house, which the author claims regimental historians have stated was the longest continuous action fought by the british army anywhere since the korean war as well as the lengthiest defense stand since world war two. Another testosteronelaced memoir of an elite unit kicking butt in iraq, this one with a cheerful, politically incorrect british twist. Jun 05, 2009 a tribute to the awesome book sniper one by the ledgendary sgt. Aug 19, 2007 dan mills, a sniper, was one of 100 members of 1st battalion, the princess of wales s royal regiment caught in a bloody siege by the mahdi army, which the ministry of defence mod tried to conceal. In defending the compound, the british fired 33,000 rounds, and many challenger 2, warrior, and high explosive 81mm mortar shells and managed to persuade the us air force to drop a precision laser guided 500 lb bomb onto enemy mortar positions in open ground right in the middle of a built upcity, defending their positions in trying to repulse the mahdi army in what has been described by y companys sergeant dan mills book sniper one as the longest continuous action fought by the british. Dan mills really wrote an astonishing book when he wrote sniper one. Pwrr sniper beats mod gag with siege story book army rumour. Sniper one, by sgt dan mills cimic house was the british armys centre of civilmilitary cooperation activities in the iraqi town of al amarah. Cimic house was handed over to the iraqis at the end of august 2004, with the british consolidating their forces in camp abu naji. Such a page turner that i finished it in 3 days a record for me. The readers that give this book 1 stars didnt even leave a comment and i would agree with them because this book is not for everyone. Book reads like a novel and flows excellently, it was hard to put this one down. A glimpse behind one of the deadliest professions in the worldthe modern military sniperand both the triumph and tragedy that hide behind the trigger.
His book, sniper one, which has sold 11,000 advance copies before it is even published, is tipped to earn a sixfigure sum in royalties. The blistering true story of a british battle group under siege 1st penguin edition by sgt. Pwrr defence of cimic house if you read the book sniper one this is the video of there mission. This may have been discussed already but i was wondering what your thoughts were on the 23 day battle fought by the british armys princess of wales regiment at cimic house, al amarah. Mills and the rest of the 1st battalion flew into iraq in april, 2004, they were soon fighting for their lives. The title of this article needs to be amended, to say. Cimic house, their hq, may have been shit, but it was home.
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