Andy McNab
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| Andy McNab | |
| Born: | December 28, 1959 |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Soldier, Novelist |
Andy McNab DCM MM (born December 28, 1959) is a British former soldier turned novelist. McNab came to public prominence in 1993 when he wrote an account about the failed SAS mission Bravo Two Zero during the Gulf War. He has subsequently authored an autobiography and a number of works of fiction, including a specially commissioned story for the "Quick Reads Project".
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[edit] Background
McNab came originally from London, an adopted son. He wanted to be a pilot, but after failing the entrance test, he instead joined the Royal Green Jackets. He served in a variety of places including Northern Ireland and eventually tried for selection to the SAS, succeeding at the second attempt.
McNab's real name is not known to the public. He assumed the pseudonym Andy McNab when writing Bravo Two Zero. When he appears on television to promote his books or to act as a special services expert, his face is shadowed to prevent viewers from identifying him. As Larry King put it when McNab appeared on the Larry King Live show on CNN: "He's in shadow for his security, as he is wanted dead by some terrorist groups."
Following the Iraq war, it was subsequently revealed by Richard Tomlinson, the renegade MI6 spy in his book "The Big Breach" (ISBN 1-903813-01-8), that McNab was part of a special training team, readying new MI6 recruits in sabotage and guerrilla warfare techniques.
According to the biography published in Last Light (Pocket Books printing March 2003, ISBN 0-7434-0629-X):
- Andy McNab is a former member of the British SAS, one of the world's toughest and most respected elite special-forces commando units. Involved in covert and overt operations on five continents, McNab worked alongside Delta Force, the FBI, and the DEA. When he left the regiment in 1993, he was the most highly decorated serving soldier in the British Army. He is now a sought-after lecturer on security and remains closely tied to the intelligence communities on both sides of the Atlantic....
- Due to the extremely sensitive nature of his work with the SAS, Andy McNab is the only author who has to submit his fiction to the British Ministry of Defence for review, and he is still wanted by a number of the world's terrorist organizations. He is therefore forbidden to reveal either his face or his current location.
However, some other former SAS members, including Chris Ryan, Johnny "Two Combs" Howard and Shaun Clarke have also published fiction, with Ryan having also participated in the Bravo Two Zero patrol. Chris Ryan, and the former US Navy SEAL Richard Marcinko, are public figures with media careers, Ryan regularly appearing on television, most notably utilising his skills on one of Derren Brown's psychic stunt shows.
In his autobiography Immediate Action, McNab describes his involvement in a number of operations in Northern Ireland prior to his SAS selection, during which time he was in the Royal Green Jackets. During one such episode, he reveals his part in the shooting and killing of IRA operatives during a foot patrol. This, as well as his involvement with the covert unit 14 Intelligence Company during his special forces service may explain his concerns about his personal safety.
McNab also developed and runs a specialist training course for news crews, journalists and members of non-governmental organizations working in hostile environments and he spent time in Hollywood as technical weapons advisor and trainer on the Michael Mann film Heat.
In February 2007, McNab returned to Iraq in his position as The Sun newspaper Security Advisor with his old regiment the Royal Green Jackets for seven days[1].
[edit] Criticism
Although Bravo Two Zero brought him immediate fame and success, the authenticity of Mcnab's account of the mission has been questioned in a number of books. In Eye of the Storm, Twenty-Five years in Action with the SAS, Regimental Sergeant Major Peter Radcliffe is highly sceptical of the 200-250 soldiers reportedly killed by Bravo Two Zero. In particular Radcliffe notes that that if McNab and his team had continued killing at their present rate, the Gulf War would have been over within a few weeks. Radcliffe also notes that many of the more dramatic elements included within the Bravo Two Zero book were never mentioned in McNab's taped debriefing video.
In Michael Asher's book The Real Bravo Two Zero the author travels to Iraq to investigate the claims made by Andy McNab in Bravo Two Zero. Rather sensationally Asher appears to find a number of Iraqi's who supposedly witnessed the fate of the Bravo Two Zero Missions. Most notably Asher reveals that initially, Bravo Two Zero does not appear to have been engaged with the Iraqi Army at all, rather a small group of Nomadic Arabs who had fired warning shots into the air that Bravo Two Zero mistook to be incoming enemy fire. Furthermore, an interview with a taxi driver who transported McNab and some of his team also suggests that the patrol did not attempt to shoot their way through an Army Checkpoint as reported in Bravo Two Zero; instead it appears that McNab attempted to bribe the taxi driver to pick his team up on the other side of the checkpoint whilst him and his team ran around it. Having agreed to this, the taxi driver reneged on his promise and reported the team to the Iraqi sentries.
Perhaps more startling are the criticisms raised in Eye of the Storm, Twenty-Five years in Action with the SAS regarding the decisions made by McNab in his capacity as leader of the Bravo Two Zero mission. Radcliffe details how he pleads with McNab to take a Land Rover on the mission, so that he could extract his men from Iraq if they were compromised. He also asks McNab to reduce the amount of weight being carried by his men. Given the ultimate fate of the Bravo Two Zero mission, McNab’s refusal to take any advice from his seniors may be seen as a salient factor in the ensuring disaster. Radcliffe also strongly criticizes McNab for not following the escape route he had outlined in the event of a compromise.
Lastly, McNab has been criticized by both Asher and Radcliffe for naming the men who were killed in the Bravo Two Zero mission whilst McNab himself hides behind a pseudonym. Asher in particular comments on the derogatory tone taken by McNab to certain named members of his team who were killed in action.
[edit] Books
[edit] Non-fiction
- Bravo Two Zero (October 7, 1993)
- Immediate Action (1995)
[edit] Fiction
Nick Stone Missions
- Remote Control (February 17, 1998)
- Crisis Four (August 22, 2000)
- Firewall (October 5, 2000)
- Last Light (October 1, 2001)
- Liberation Day (October 1, 2002)
- Dark Winter (November 3, 2003)
- Deep Black (November 1, 2004)
- Aggressor (November 1, 2005)
- Recoil (November 6, 2006)
- Crossfire (scheduled for November 5, 2007)
Boy Soldier series (written with Robert Rigby)
- Boy Soldier (US title *Traitor, May 5, 2005)
- Boy Soldier 2: Payback (October 6, 2005)
- Boy Soldier 3: Avenger (May 4, 2006)
- Boy Soldier 4: Meltdown (scheduled for May 3, 2007)
Quick Reads project
- The Grey Man (May 8, 2006)
