Burning Horizon: British Veteran Accounts of the Iraq War, 2003

by Julian Whippy, Prof. Peter Caddick-Adams Narrated by Nigel Patterson

Overview

Codenamed Operation Telic, the British component of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was the largest gathering of British troops since the Second World War.



While the British public prepared for the worst as its soldiers were facing weapons of mass destruction, most servicemen and women were under no illusion that they were invading Iraq to rid the people of Saddam Hussein.



While much has been said about WMD and Tony Blair's government, not nearly enough has been heard from those men and women that took part in Operation Telic.



From controlling the vast Allied Air Forces in an AWACS plane down to submariners beneath the Persian Gulf firing Tomahawk Cruise missiles, from the steaming hot turret of a Challenger Tank as it is peppered with RPGs, to being on your belly in a sandstorm disarming unexploded bombs-these veteran accounts cover the whole spectrum of experiences.



Polarized public opinion and the post-war media portrayal of the war has detracted from what was achieved by these forces, when tasked to do so, often with insufficient or inadequate resources. These are their stories of courage, fortitude, pride, and brotherhood amidst the harsh realities of modern asymmetric warfare.

Editorial Reviews

Musings on Iraq

"There are dozens of books about the U.S. involvement in Iraq but very few about what the British experience so Burning Horizon helps fill in that part of the history. Basing it upon first-hand accounts also makes it much more engaging than your usual military account."

General James N. Mattis

In these detailed and compelling recollections of British soldiers at the very start of the Iraq war in 2003, Julian Whippy not only captures the chaos of those earliest days of the war but also how the UK militarystood shoulder-to-shoulder with the US as they have done so often and for so many years. Burning Horizon reminds us how British and American servicemen and women train together, learn together, and, when called upon, fight together to defeat threats to our common values.

Midwest Book Review

"... [a] fascinating contribution to our understanding of the Iraq War…

The Military Historical Society Bulletin

This is an important book. . .The chapters dedicated to that fighting, and especially that of the battlegroups of 7 Brigade, can make uncomfortable reading. But what emerges is the invariably unwavering fortitude of the British soldier and marine during a period of often intense combat in the utter confusion of the urban environment of Basra and its environs.

Brigadier (Retd) Jim Tanner OBE for The Military Historical Society

Burning Horizon is unofficial history; detailed, confused and unadulterated. It is probably too much to hope, as Peter Caddick-Adams alludes in his fine foreword, that an official campaign history is in the offing. In the meantime this book will keep memories alive.

Lieutenant General Robin Vaughan Brims

"This is a wonderful collection of different perspectives of the same big event."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159303929
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	02/20/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos