Attack State Red - Softcover

Kemp, Col. Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0718155084 ISBN 13: 9780718155087

Publisher: Michael Joseph, 2009

Synopsis

Green: Enter without explosives or firing unless enemy targets are identified.

Amber: Enter firing. No explosive entry.

Red: Explosive entry using a grenade or charge. Enter firing at will.

What happened in Helmand's Sangin Valley in the spring of 2007 was nothing short of extraordinary. After the last gasp defence of the platoon houses by the Paras that preceded them in theatre, the soldiers of the Royal Anglian Regiment arrived in Afghanistan charged with taking the battle to the enemy. Despite brutal, debilitating conditions, the tour that followed became a bloody lesson in how to conduct offensive infantry warfare. Over a six-month tour of duty, the 'Vikings' battlegroup unleashed hell in heavy, relentless fighting that saw teenage soldiers battle toe to toe against hardcore Al Qaeda and Taliban warriors at unprecedented levels of ferocity.

The stories that emerged from the Sangin Valley, defined by bravery, comradeship, endurance and, above all, aggression, are remarkable So much so that Sandhurst manuals were re-written to incorporate the lessons of the campaign. But the fight was far from one-sided. May 2007 saw the Anglians suffer the highest number of British military casualties in any single month since the end of World War II. And those that did return home came back changed by the intensity of the experience.

In Attack State Red, Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Commanding Office of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, and Chris Hughes, the Daily Mirror Security Correspondent, tell the story of the Royal Anglian's deployment for the first time. Combining the strategic insight of 3 Para with the adrenaline charge of Sniper One, they have produced the most dynamic, substantial and visceral account of the war in Afghanistan that's ever been written.

About this title

Review:

'An unputdownable account of a British battle group on the offensive' ANDY MCNAB -- ANDY MCNAB

From the Back Cover:

'Sensational, shocking, gripping, horrific. One of the most graphic and horrifying accounts of modern warfare ever written' Mirror

Spring, 2007: the soldiers of the Royal Anglian Regiment arrived in the harsh, unforgiving Afghan desert for a six month tour of duty. There, Al Qaeda and the Taliban unleashed a hell of unprecedented ferocity.

Months of heavy, relentless fighting were to follow. War was waged in towns and in the blistering wilderness. Teenage soldiers battled fearsome warriors face to face. Taking the fight to enemy, they suffered appalling casualties - for which the Taliban paid heavily, in blood.

Attack State Red is the most brutal, terrifying and visceral account of the war in Afghanistan yet written.

'Extraordinary, ferocious. Hits you like a Taliban ambush' Sunday Express

'Remarkable, exceptional, brilliantly captured. You can almost hear the bullets whizzing past your ears' Mail on Sunday

'An unputdownable account of a British battle group on the offensive' Andy McNab

About this edition

• Publisher: Michael Joseph
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0718155084
• ISBN 13: 9780718155087
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 496