Storm Front: The Epic True Story of a Secret War, the SAS's Greatest Battle, and the British Pilots Who Saved Them
Storm Front: The Epic True Story of a Secret War, the SAS's Greatest Battle, and the British Pilots Who Saved Them book cover

Storm Front: The Epic True Story of a Secret War, the SAS's Greatest Battle, and the British Pilots Who Saved Them

Paperback – International Edition, May 14, 2012

by
Price
$20.46
Format
Paperback
Pages
496
Publisher
Corgi
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0552160216
Dimensions
5.06 x 1.31 x 7.81 inches
Weight
14.2 ounces

Description

About the Author ROWLAND WHITE lives in London with his wife and three children, and works in publishing.

Features & Highlights

  • The thrilling new military history title from the bestselling author of
  • Vulcan 607
  • and
  • Phoenix Squadron
  • . In early 1970, the Commanding Officer of 22 SAS flew into the strategically critical Sultanate of Oman on a covert intelligence mission. A Communist rebellion in the South threatened not only the stability of the Arabian Peninsula but more importantly the vital oil routes through the Persian Gulf. Within six months, the Regiment arrived in theatre to lead a fierce, secret war against the rebels. While from a remote RAF airbase in the desert, an elite band of British pilots, flying difficult, dangerous missions in Strikemaster jets and Vietnam-era Huey helicopters, were scrambled alongside them. For the British soldiers and airmen, it was to be no easy victory. The enemy were well supplied with weaponry and training from China and the Soviet Union, and despite confronting the largest assault force ever deployed by the SAS, many months later the rebels were still fighting back. And at dawn on July 19th, 1972, a force of nearly 300 heavily armed, well-trained guerillas attacked the little fishing port of Mirbat without warning. Between them and glory stood a team of just nine SAS men. And the skill of the British fighter pilots. The scene was set for an epic encounter; a modern day Rorke's Drift. Their heroism would become SAS legend. Drawing on extensive interviews with participants from the SAS, the RAF and the Sultan's Armed Forces, most of whom have never spoken about their involvement before, as well as previously classified documents from both the UK and Oman,
  • Storm Front
  • weaves an unputdownable tale of intrigue, action, daring and astonishing bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(100)
★★★★
25%
(84)
★★★
15%
(50)
★★
7%
(23)
★
23%
(77)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Many pages devoted to a small incident in Oman

Having first read the author's book on the Vulcan raid on Port Stanley during the Falkland War ( [[ASIN:B00IIASZVA Vulcan 607 by White, Rowland (2007) Paperback]] ), I was expecting another engaging history book that keeps you awake at night as you cannot put it down. In that book, Mr. White successfully set the overall historical background first and then went into describing the intense preparations of the raid, followed by the superb execution. Unfortunately, with Storm Front the author seems to be lost from page one between the many (rather insignificant) events and people surrounding the slow move of "independence" from British protection of Oman and the struggle with the Arabic and communist guerilla in the 1960s and 70s.

Please make no mistake, there is no "epic true story of a secret war" nor the "greatest SAS battle", but rather a long-winded 15 years of small scale incursions and British "advisors" to the Omani Sultan in his quest to consolidate his ruling over the country. Even being very generous, and of course taking into account the great service these soldiers did for their country, calling the "Battle" of Mirbat anything but a skirmish is just way over the top; 9 British soldiers defending their lives against 300 guerilla fighters (yes, that was the tally) for 4 hours is just a long way from a "battle", even for a modern post-WWII world. And all of this is presented in a rather disjointed format, with no apparent main plot and jumping between characters and settings along those years.

I am not sure there ever was enough material for a book in this story, but for sure not for a book I would be interested in reading and not for a book of such length. At least reading about the operations of the Strikemasters and the other aircraft (and helicopters) of the Royal Omani Air Force was interesting. Overall, unless you are very interested in the subject of the development of Oman during those years (90% of the book does not deal with Mirbat), this book will quickly become a rather tedious affair to read.
1 people found this helpful
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A well written history of a forgotten little war (c ...

A well written history of a forgotten little war (c 1960 - 74) in a place of strategic importance, Sultanate of Oman, in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. There is intrigue and war where a small band British SAS help win the war and the hearts and minds of the Oman citizens. Today the Sultan, Qaboos bin Said al Said, has grown old and his replacement is in doubt again.

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