Review (PDF) War That Never Was
For the very first time, "The War That Never Was" tells the fascinating story of a secret war fought by British mercenaries in the Yemen in the early 1960s. In a covert operation organised over whisky and sodas in the clubs of Chelsea and Mayfair, a group of former SAS officers - led by the irrepressible Colonel Jim Johnson - arranged for a squadron of British mercenaries to travel to the remote mountain regions of the Yemen, to arm, train and lead Yemeni tribesmen in their fight against a 60,000-strong contingent of Egyptian soldiers. It was one of the most uneven running battles ever waged; the Egyptians fielded a huge, professionally-trained army. The British fought back at the head of a ragtag force of tribal warriors and, ultimately, won. Egypt's President Nasser described the battle in the Yemen as 'my Vietnam'. It's a fascinating, forgotten, and rip-roaringly entertaining pocket of British military history, much in the spirit of Ben MvIntyre's bestselling "Agent Zigzag" and "Operation Mincemeat".
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Century; hardcover edition (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1846058252
ISBN-13: 978-1846058257
Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 1.5 x 8.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #2,522,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #79 in Books > History > Middle East > Yemen
In light of the American withdrawal from the Middle East and now Yemen, this book isa timely reminder of the unsettled nature of the region. This story is UK and Frenchmercenaries [without official government visible support] aided the tribes and shieks and Prince of Yemen in thwating Nassars attempted controlof Yemen on the way to enlarging his influence in the Middle East. Nassar, a client of the Soviet Union, wanted to oust the West and then control the flow of oil to Europe and the U.S.Operating on a shoe-string and with periodic Egyptian gold, the mercenaries held on for almost a decade. The military leadership kept the tribes in line and also to protect thetribal interests.The story line is engrossing and the account well researched and written. End notes oftenilluminate a passage. Truly an amazing story and one worth a reader's time.
What happened in Yemen about 50 years ago mirrors what is happening in the middle east TODAY. For ALL THOSE WHO CARE AND THOSE HAVING ANY MEASURE OF CONTROL this book is essential reading.
Fasinating history!
This is a real and interesting account of how the world powers acted in the cold war area - war by proxy and plausible deniability!
Extremely long winded--
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