Lewis - Operation certain death the inside story of the SASs greatest battle

Twelve hostages. One thousand bloodthirsty rebels. Two hundred crack Special Forces. The rescue mission of the century in Africas heart of darkness.

A tale of hostages and heroes, an epic of soul-shattering confrontations.

Damien Lewis

Damien Lewis is a journalist and documentary film maker and has spent twenty years reporting from conflict zones. He has worked for the Telegraph, the Guardian and the BBC. Slave and Operation Certain Death have both been Sunday Times bestsellers. He lives in London.

I should like to dedicate this book to the men of Her Majestys Armed Forces. In my time I have myself ended up in many tough scrapes in obscure corners of the earth, and feel certain I will do so again in the future. If that happens, and escape seems less than likely, after researching and writing this book, I am certain that I would wish the men of Her Majestys Armed Forces to come and rescue me.

For my father, for his vision and for his friendship over all these years. And for Eva, for her patience and understanding.

In order of appearance:

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Special thanks are due to the following without whom this book would not have been possible: my agent, Andrew Lownie, who had the vision from the very start to see this as a remarkable story that needed to be told; my editor, Mark Booth, and his team, for their enormous enthusiasm for this story from the very outset; Mike M, for first bringing the story to my attention and alerting me to its potential as a book, and sticking with the project (I could not have done this without you); Hannah Lewis, for reading the drafts and for her tenacity and patience under pressure; Don McClen, a man whose trenchant criticisms, both literary and military, were invaluable; my father, for his timely comments and remarks from France, which gave me such confidence in my rendering of the story; the Big Man, without whom this book would not have been possible, and his wife; the Little Man, without whom this book would not have been possible; Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer, OBE, for all his help in researching the story and comments on drafts; David Christensen, for reading drafts and commenting from a North American perspective; Dr Paul Williams, of Birmingham Universitys European Research Institute, for his excellent in-depth guidance in my research; Roger Hammond, whose enthusiasm for the first draft was so refreshing; my fellow author (and Rwandan expert) Linda Melvern, for her friendship, encouragement and help; Michael Grunberg, of Sandline, for commenting on the drafts; James Brabazon, for his help researching the present situation of the rebels in Sierra Leone and Liberia; Michael Kargbo, for finding the time to assist me with the story in Sierra Leone during the writing of his thesis; Ade Campbell, a top Sierra Leonean journalist (and himself a victim of a West Side Boys kidnapping), who provided invaluable help and contacts in the field in Sierra Leone; Major S.S. Silla, Military Assistant to the Chief of Defence Staff, Sierra Leone, for his help, advice and friendship; Captain Mousa Bangura, for his honesty and frank portrayal of his ordeal at the hands of the West Side Boys; Peter Amoah, for all the graphic-design work at the eleventh hour, James Corden-Lloyd, for all his help, support and advice, and for his apposite comments on the drafts from a military perspective; Rachel Maletnlema, for cooking such wonderful meals during the final, frenetic stages of my writing; my grandmother, for being ninety years old and still being able to discuss this story with me with bright eyes and the wisdom of the ages; my mother, for trying to find a house for me with the peace and quiet to write; Mark E, for the obvious; the men of the Royal Irish Rangers who were taken hostage by the West Side Boys, and those of the Operation Barras assault force sent in to rescue them those of you whom I cannot name here. Finally, those other men of Her Majestys Armed Forces that I cannot name in person: you know who you are and I am eternally in your debt, for I would not have been able to write this book without your help.

The warrior of light carefully studies the position he intends to conquer. However difficult the objective, there is always a way of overcoming obstacles. He seeks out alternative paths, he sharpens his sword, he tries to fill his heart with the necessary determination to face the challenge. But as he advances, the warrior realises that there are difficulties he had not reckoned with. If he waits for the ideal moment, he will never set off; it requires a touch of madness for the next step. The warrior uses that touch of madness. For in both love and war it is impossible to foresee everything.

Paulo Coelho, Manual of the Warrior of Light

FOR REASONS OF operational security I have changed the names of some of those who appear in this book, and for similar reasons I have, where necessary, appropriately disguised certain operational details and elements. Rarely are two soldiers recollections of events exactly the same, and individual written records compiled after the event also tend to differ. There are often differences in various peoples recollections of the same events. Where this is so, I have gone with the version that in my judgement seems most credible and likely. As so very little has been written about the war in Sierra Leone, the majority of this book is based solely on the personal testimonies and memories of those involved. As so much of the story has been told from memory alone, very few written or literary sources have been used. However, , does draw partly on the writing of Jim Hooper, in his book Bloodsong, a remarkable treatise on the history of private armies in Angola and Sierra Leone. Factual accuracy of the events portrayed remains the responsibility of the author solely, and the author takes full responsibility for any errors that my inadvertently been made. Any such mistakes are entirely of the authors own making and he will be happy to correct them in future editions.

O Lord, who didst call on thy disciples to venture all to win all men to thee, grant that we, the chosen members of the Special Air Service Regiment, may by our works and our ways dare all to win all, and in so doing render special service to thee and our fellow men in all the world, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Regimental Collect, 22 SAS