Product Description

The SBS was first into battle a month before the SAS in the Falklands War and again in the Gulf War, yet hitherto it is the SAS that has had by far the higher profile. The SBS draws its man-power solely from the Marine Commando Units and the Royal Marines are the oldest and most battle-honoured regiment in the world. This volume is a Special Boat Services memoir written from the inside. It tells how Duncan Falconer trained with the Royal Marines in Deal before being recruited into the SBS at Poole in Dorset. The regimen of ruthless training is graphically described and the book also includes accounts of SBS operations in Ulster, Bosnia and the Gulf War, and the intense rivalry between the SAS's individualist mentality and the more team-based, marine ethos of the SBS.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #190548 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 446 pages

About the Author
Duncan Falconer grew up in Battersea in London, spending the first ten years of his life in an orphanage. He became a Special Forces operative at the age of nineteen (it is unlikely there will ever be one as young again). He is now a successful screenwriter in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews

Excellent
I finished reading this in a day and a bit so that in itself is a testament of sorts to its' readability.

The style is good, there is no heavy going and although lacking a little in 'meaty bits', it is still pretty much 'unputdownable'.

I would rather there have been more operational detail but that in no way detracts from what is very much a worthwhile read.

An unexpected bonus is that it gives an added insight into the SAS which is not always complimentary. That, in a way, is somewhat refreshing as it means these 'supermen' are like the rest us in that they are still flawed.

Overall, an excellent read and very highly recommended - I would venture to suggest no-one would regret reading this.

First into Action
A book about a life Less Ordinary.
A brillianly written, sometimes funny and sometimes sad story of what it takes to go through some of the toughest training possible. Life in the SBS is not as well documeted as life in the SAS which makes an account such as this so much more ineresting, they truly are an exceptional body of men who are aside from the finest training in the world are just as flawed as the rest of us. This is the story of Duncan Falconers amazing journey through that world. Brilliant I read it in one sitting. If you liked this try his fiction as well it's great if you enjoy a good thriller.

First Into Action
I thought the book was excellent and I do not usually read this type of material. Its a force I want to find out alot more about now and rightly or wrongly, it has lead me to view the SAS with much distrust and almost, to a point, disgust (I must point out that this is not the authors intention).

However, I write this review mainly to correct some of the information provided in the review by Rennie Petersen from Denmark. He states:

"On the back cover of the paperback edition I read it said that Mr. Falconer had a "leading role" in SBS operations in the Falklands"

This is untrue, it states: "Graphically describing the physical and mental rigour of the selection process, recounting the operations in Northern Ireland, the Falklands and the Gulf..."

I must recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the military. Its a very down to earth, raw, honest account of what goes on and I feel a definate must of a read over ANYTHING produced by the SAS.