The retreating adoo lost at least forty men – perhaps thirty dead, and ten wounded and taken prisoner – as well as the last of their prestige. The battle begun with Operation Jaguar was completed with the Battle for Mirbat, which became a turning-point in the war, ultimately leading to defeat for the adoo.
The ‘secret’ war in Oman remained secret for many years, but that night in July 1972, in the Paludrine Club, the survivors of the campaign, including Ricketts, Gumboot, Jock, Andrew and Sergeant Lampton, were able to toast their lost friends with a great deal of pride.
They did not discuss the dead, or those who had failed to ‘beat the clock’, but engaged in their traditional, good-natured bullshit before making their way back to their bashas.
‘Where are we going next?’ Gumboot asked as they entered the dark, silent spider.
‘Belfast,’ Lampton replied briskly. ‘Have pleasant dreams, lads.’
The men groaned melodramatically, then crept off to the spider, and their beds.
Discover other books in the SAS Series
Discover other books in the SAS Series published by Bloomsbury at
www.bloomsbury.com/SAS
Soldier A: Behind Iraqi Lines
Soldier B: Heroes of the South Atlantic
Soldier C: Secret War in Arabia
Soldier D: The Colombian Cocaine War
Soldier F: Guerillas in the Jungle
Soldier G: The Desert Raiders
Soldier H: The Headhunters of Borneo
Soldier J: Counter Insurgency in Aden
Soldier K: Mission to Argentina
Soldier L: The Embassy Siege
Soldier M: Invisible Enemy in Kazakhstan
Soldier N: Gambian Bluff
Soldier O: The Bosnian Inferno
Soldier P: Night Fighters in France
Soldier Q: Kidnap the Emperor!
Soldier R: Death on Gibraltar
Soldier T: War on the Streets
Soldier U: Bandit Country
Soldier V: Into Vietnam
Soldier W: Guatemala – Journey Into Evil
Soldier X: Operation Takeaway
Soldier Y: Days of the Dead
Soldier Z: For King and Country
This electronic edition published in 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
First published in Great Britain 1993 by Bloomsbury Publishing
Copyright © 1993 Bloomsbury Publishing
All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise
(including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying,
printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the
publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The moral right of the author is asserted.
eISBN: 9781408841532
Visit www.bloomsbury.com to find out more about our authors and their books You will find extracts, author interviews, author events and you can sign up for newsletters to be the first to hear about our latest releases and special offers