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Andy McNab has become a bestselling fiction author in the UK. But his first book, Bravo Two Zero, was supposed to be the nonfiction true story of the ill fated mission behind Iraqi lines that he commanded during the Gulf War. But the truth is that McNab was writing fiction from the very beginning! It has been proven that McNab exaggerated and blatantly lied about what happened during the mission. Those looking for a true account of a Special Forces mission should look elsewhere. All McNab does is tell fairytales to turn himself into a pop culture war hero. So many credible sources (including other surviving members of the BTZ patrol) have given reliable testimony that McNab's version of events was false that I find it hard to believe that he has not become a laughing stock to the general public (supposedly he is now regarded with "contempt and ridicule" within the SAS itself). Basically, McNab took a real event that he was involved in and turned it into a pop culture Rambo fantasy of what an SAS mission is like. His lies and misrepresentations are so numerous that its embarassing. The squad's mission was NOT to hunt down and attack mobile SCUD launchers and destroy an all-important fibre optic communications line. Their mission was to man an observation post and report any significant activity on an Iraqi Main Supply Route. As for the SCUDs, they were to report any sightings of the mobile launchers so that those targets could be marked for airstrikes (not to attack the launchers themselves). This stuff may not sound as action-esque and sexy as the mission McNab describes, but it makes a lot more sense, and it is the way a small spec ops patrol alone behind enemy lines would really operate. The patrol did NOT charge into an entire platoon of Iraqis, driving off or killing all of them and blowing up their Armored Personnel Carriers. When they were discovered by enemy forces, they actually did the smart thing and immediately broke contact and ran away into the desert, going into "escape and evasion" mode. Although they did return some fire to cover their retreat, they certainly did not kill any significant number of enemy troops let alone blow up any APCs. Later, after the remaining members of McNab's group hijacked a taxicab in order to drive across the border to Syria, they did not assault a vehicle checkpoint and lay massive damage on the enemy troops garrisoned there. Again, they actually did the smart thing by getting out of the car before reaching the checkpoint and attempting to bypass the checkpoint covertly on foot. At this point their sole objective was to reach Syria and escape to safety. They were certainly not about to start any unnecessary fights to get themselves killed. McNab claims in his book that according to intel reports, the squad inflicted 250 casualties on the enemy throughout their ordeal. This is complete nonsense, as according to the official statements given to the SAS command during debriefing, there were no more than several confirmed kills mentioned. McNab has never bothered to produce the alleged "intelligence report" to confirm the statements in his book. Fellow surviving members of the mission have even testified in court that McNab lied about some of the more extreme instances of torture he described in his book. According to one of the men who was with him in captivity, instances in mcNab's book where he describes getting his tooth pulled out with pliers and having a burning hot spoon placed on his tongue never happened. If you are looking for a more credible firsthand account of what happened during the mission, pick up "Soldier Five" by Mike Coburn. Coburn was with McNab during the mission and he gives an honest and rational view on what happened. His version does not support McNab's. He does not sensationalize the mission, nor does he glorify himself or his teammates. He surely doesn't even imply that the patrol had any significant number of confirmed kills, let alone 250. He himself never mentions personally witnessing or inflicting any confirmed kills at all. I'm sure that the team must have inflicted some degree of casualties but there is no way to be certain of the amount, and the fact remains that the actual number of confirmed kills were few. When compared with the reliable facts surrounding the mission, Coburn's account holds up but McNab's falls apart. What the Bravo Two Zero business shows is that although Special forces soldiers have a very admirable and elite profession, they are not superhuman Rambos capable of taking out armies by themselves. They are only human. And just like in any group of humans, you will find dirtbags and opportunists among them. Andy McNab is one such opportunist. With his shamelessness, he has deceived the public and distorted the true nature of Special operations and modern warfare. He wanted fame and fortune. In order to get it he gave the public just the type of fantastic hero story they wanted to believe, rather than giving them a true insight into his real experiences that they could learn from. He and those like him are a disgrace to their proud profession. Don't buy his books, and don't let yourself be misled.