Though probably big news in the UK, the events surrounding the crisis in Sierra Leone in west Africa went pretty much by the wayside here in the US. This book is the first that I can recall reading about it. It was your typical hostage crisis where British Army peace-keepers went down a road in the lawless countryside of Sierra Leone and were captured along with their vehicles and weapons, by an organized group of lawless rebels called the West Side Boys. These were a heavily armed group that was keeping the countryside in terror during the Sierra Leone civil war. The British had gone in there to not only keep the peace, but train a new Sierra Leone army.

Apparently drugs and alcohol were some of the main staples of the West Side Boys as their behaviour and demands were erratic and eccentric to say the least. What the British were concerned about was the rescue of the men taken hostage as well as the release of a number of Sierra Leone men and women who had been captured during raids and were being rather badly mistreated.

As is the norm in this series, the author has a look at the background of the events, the initial strategy for getting out the hostages, and the eventual plan. Then there is considerable space allocated to the actual raid. Here there is a great deal of detail from several points of view. The SAS and 1 Para groups were flown in to separate locations on Chinook helicopters while above, Lynx attack helos helped to keep the enemy at bay. The fighting was ferocious and intense, however the British were able to successfully extricate all with only minimal casualties in a very short period of time.

It is another gripping description of events and thanks to a bevy of photos, many in color, and some superb artwork that includes maps and charts, we get a real idea of what went on during this crisis. Like the other books I've read in this series, it holds your interest and is well researched. It is a book I enjoyed and one that I can easily recommend to you.

June 2010

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