Dead Men Risen
A frontline account of the Afghanistan war that reconstructs British soldiers' experiences and the realities of combat through close reporting.
Work Information
A frontline account of the Afghanistan war that reconstructs British soldiers' experiences and the realities of combat through close reporting.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Quercus Publishing
- Published
- 2011-03-17
- Pages
- 640 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 15.5 x 4.8 x 23.5 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9781849164221
- ISBN-10
- 1849164223
- Category
- 洋書/History/Asia/Afghanistan
WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE 2012. This is the tale of the Welsh Guards in Helmand in 2009. Underequipped and overstretched, guardsmen from the coal mining valleys and slate quarry villages of Wales found themselves in Helmand in some of the most intense fighting by British troops for more than a generation. They were confronted by a Taliban enemy they seldom saw, facing the constant threat of Improvised Explosive Devices and ambush. Leading them into battle was Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, destined for the highest ranks. He was a passionate believer in the war but was dismayed by how it was being conducted. Dead Men Risen will unnerve politicians and generals alike. In chilling detail, Toby Harnden reveals how and why Thorneloe was killed by an IED during Operation Panther's Claw. Harnden, who had known Thorneloe since they met in Northern Ireland in 1996, was on the ground in Helmand with the Welsh Guards. He draws on a trove of military documents, including many by Thorneloe, the first British battalion commander to die in action since the Falklands war of 1982. Major Sean Birchall left behind an unvarnished account of the shortcomings of the Afghan forces that represent Nato's exit strategy. Lieutenant Mark Evison wrote a diary that raises questions from beyond the grave. It was more than half a century since a British battalion had lost officers at these three key levels of leadership. By the time the fighting was over, almost no rank had been spared. A visceral and timeless account of men at war, Dead Men Risen conveys what it is like to be a soldier who has to kill, face paralysing fear and watch comrades perish in agony. Given unprecedented access to the Welsh Guards, Harnden conducted more than 300 interviews in Afghanistan, England and Wales. The searing heat of the poppy fields and mud compounds of Helmand to the dreaded knock on the door back home, the reader is transported there. Harnden weaves the experiences of the guardsmen and their loved ones into an unsparing narrative that sits alongside a piercing analysis of military strategy. No other book about modern conflict succeeds on so many levels. Dead Men Risen is essential for anyone who wants to learn the reality of Britain's war in Afghanistan.
Toby Harnden is a veteran foreign correspondent who has reported from all over the world. He has covered the Welsh Guards in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan over the past fifteen years. His last book was the critically acclaimed bestseller Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh (1999). Harnden currently lives in Washington DC, where he is the US Editor of the Daily Telegraph.
Reviews
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Truly sad , and mind p revoking , halt British Troops deaths and casualties
Dont know how the writer gathered all the information , names , actions, locations , causalities , the scenarios of battle , its a credit to the author to bringing all the facts and stories to world attention . My heart goes out to our brave soldiers , and deepest sympathy to all the relatives of our ultra brave troops , under resourced who have died making world a saver place !!!
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A great piece of journalism
I've read quite a few books about the war in Afghanistan, and this is the best of them. It features an incredible amount of research, but never gets bogged down in the kind of military jargon that can sometimes blight books of this nature. Even if you're completely new to the genre, you'll find the narrative easy to follow, the author's style being very precise and engaging. Having conducted several hundred hours of interviews with the soldiers themselves, Harnden is able to drop the reader right into the heart of Helmand Province, giving us the sweat and terror of the Green Zone at the height of the fighting season. Both as a collective and as individuals, the soldiers come to life on the page in the most stunning, unforgettable detail, showing themselves to be ordinary men who become extraordinary in the face of terrible hardship. A superb piece of writing, backed up with meticulous research, this is a book which deserves to be at the top of any reading list about the war in Afghanistan.
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Spread Thin
Great story about the fighting in Helmand Province, it is hard to belive how much these men did with so little resource. The stories of the IED casualties due to both a lack of helicopter support and under armoured vehicles are heartbreaking. The intimate personal style of telling the story is very effective. A little more proofreading and editing would make the writing perfect.
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This author is writing from a political perspective, supported ...
This author is writing from a political perspective, supported by the perspective from troops on the ground. The book is well-written and is a very worthwhile read in helping to explain the unique British perspective on their commitment and human cost to neutralize Taliban tyranny in the Central Helmand River Valley and give Helmand Province back to the people of Afghanistan.
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Enlightening.
This book goes a long way to explaining the frustrations of the men on the ground, fighting with their hands tied behind their backs and without proper and full kit, this country should never been drawn into such a war and a waste of brave men's lives. Well done those who survived, rest in peace those who did not return.
Related Literary Awards
- Orwell Prize Edition 19 (2012) ・Winner