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Operation Certain Death
- The Inside Story of the SAS’s Greatest Battle
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 19 hrs and 37 mins
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Operation Certain Death
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Summary
Operation Certain Death chronicles the story of the single most daring Special Forces operation since World War Two - Operation Barras; the attempted rescue by the SAS of the British Forces who were being held captive by guerrilla gang the West Side Boys in the Sierra Leone jungle. The West Side Boys were a strange-looking bunch, wearing pink shades, shower caps, fluorescent wigs and voodoo charms they believed made them invulnerable to bullets - an impression re-enforced by ganja, heroine, crack cocaine and gallons of sweet palm wine. In 1999 a twelve man patrol of Royal Irish Rangers, who were training government troops in Sierra Leone, were captured and held hostage by the West Side Boys. They were held prisoner in a fortified jungle hideaway, with severed heads decorating the palisades, defended by some 400 heavily armed soldiers.
Operation Barras, the rescue mission, was a combined force of 100 Paras, twelve members of the Special Boat Squadron, helicopters from the Navy and RAF and, spearheading the operation, 40-strong D squadron of the SAS. Against amazing odds the hostages were rescued - over 150 of the enemy were killed. Operation Certain Death is a thrilling true story of all out war. No hostages taken. Blood-letting on a vast scale inflicted on a very blood-thirsty enemy.
A gripping piece of true military history, perfect for fans of action adventure stories and anyone interested in the top secret division of the British Army.
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What listeners say about Operation Certain Death
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- erickhen
- 28-03-24
Clear narration
Started a little bit slowly, and I almost put it down. I’m glad I persevered. It turned into an absolutely fascinating and gripping story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mike Wilkins
- 06-04-24
Great listen
I am already a fan of Damien Lewis and this story didn't disappoint. The narration is clear and helps the listener to understand the intricacies of the incidents described.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gray
- 28-07-24
More than the story
A insight to the country before, during and after the operation. How it fits into the surrounding countries. How the UN operated and the cost to achieve? How other mean have been sorted and worked but then the international community see this way as to risky then to watch after all the work to stabilise a region it to fall apart when the UN and other send unprepared people to do a role at a higher cost to the people and the that country in the end.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-07-24
Great story
True, intense and amazing story, opens up the mind and bring you back to reality
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-06-24
Rivetting story + excellent narration
I found this book to be hard to put down, as much because of the excellent narration as the captivating description of a truly remarkable drama.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian Murdoch
- 01-03-24
A rolicking good read.
I found this book to be a rare gem among "military accounts" of the UK's past operations. It was detailed and precise, though didn't lose any pace because of it. I was gripped...
I also liked the dissection of the political situation at the time, that I have never heard in other accounts.
Recommended for military history buffs, or just because you like a good story, about brave men, doing heroic things, in the face of huge odds.
Research, writing, and reading performance all first class.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ejfanjo
- 12-09-24
Impressive detail
With friends and colleagues in the military I am familiar with this incident. This account reveals a lot more background and detail than others I’ve seen. A great tale of professional and truly heroic men.
I feel there could have been some post production editing by military advisors though to remove some erroneous pronunciations. E.g. it’s “hee-low” not “hell-oh” and “dee-marc-oh” not “dime-acko”. Nonetheless a great listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-06-24
Good story and exceptional reading
Very interesting story of an incident I didn’t know anything about, but the best is the reading and the performance to give life to all the aspects and individuals with a gripping and absolutely great delivery!
Recommend strongly
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kristan
- 26-01-24
Rescue and reasons
The book talks about not just the hostage rescue but the direct and indirect causes
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- GRAHAM GILBERT
- 08-02-24
An extremely detailed book
This book is extremely detailed. In fact if anything too detailed, the performance of the reader is excellent. The research must’ve been extensive. It’s an exciting story and there is a wealth of detail within the book so much so that it does take a determination to finish the story, but nonetheless Please stick with it as the author has worked so hard to tell the story of many heroes. I loved some of the characters within the book, particularly some of the SAS team
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