Gulf War One: Real Voices from the Front Line: The First Oral History Told by All Sides

Gulf War One: Real Voices from the Front Line: The First Oral History Told by All Sides

by HughMcManners (Author)

Synopsis

In 1988 Iraq was the region's dominant military power and ambitious to become leader of the Arab world. Saddam's war-experienced army were known to have used biological and chemical weapons in the past, and when 260,000 troops and 2,000 tanks crossed into Kuwait they met with little resistance. And yet Iraq's defeat at the hands of the coalition forces was the most devastatingly efficient in military history. It was the first war fought over a resource: oil. The UK committed 43,000 troops to this new 'high tech' war, and suffered few casualties. Yet on the Iraqi side, uncounted thousands of soldiers were killed, many poorly trained conscripts. Returning coalition soldiers have since found themselves dogged by health problems, likely caused by the new technologies that proved so effective in battle. Iraqi power was diminished, but Saddam Hussein was allowed to remain in power, laying the scene for the protracted suffering of the Iraq invasion over a decade later. Hugh McManners' original interviews for "Gulf War One" provide a compelling picture and explode many myths of how this war was carried out, and why. From military planners and politicians to ordinary soldiers and Gulf War Syndrome sufferers, both those serving and those caught up in the war tell its history in their own words.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Publisher: Ebury Press
Published: 11 Nov 2010

ISBN 10: 0091935989
ISBN 13: 9780091935986
Book Overview: The first oral history of Gulf War One, published for the conflict's 20th anniversary

Media Reviews
The completely gripping story of Britain in the Gulf -- Chris Ryan
Author Bio
Hugh McManners was a captain in148 Commando Forward Observation Battery, serving with the Special Boat Squadron during the Falklands War. Brought up in Australia, he joined the British Army in 1972 and in 1975 was sponsored by them to read geography at Oxford University. He subsequently spent thirteen years with 3 Commando Brigade before attending Staff College, working in the MoD and leaving the army in 1989. After co-producing various television documentary series for the BBC, ITV, Discovery and Channel 4, Hugh spent five years as the Sunday Times' defence correspondent. He was the co-presenter of the popular BBC2 survival series Bare Necessities. Hugh is the author of many military, military history and outdoors books, including Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, The Scars of War, Commando - Winning the Green Beret, Top Guns, Falklands Commando and The Commando Survival Manual. He lives in London, and has a cavalry offi cer son in the Light Dragoons.