* These stories of bravery are unlike any that have filtered back from the battlefield since the Korean War.
* Patrick Bishop's many years experience as foreign correspondent for the Daily Telegraph mean that his contacts and knowledge of the situation in Afghanistan are unrivalled.
Afghanistan, Summer 2006. This is war. In blazing heat in remote outposts the 3 Para battlegroup is pitted against a stubborn enemy who keep on coming. Until now, the full story of what happened there has not been told. This is it.In April 2006, the elite 3 Para battlegroup was despatched to Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. They were tasked with providing security to reconstruction efforts, a deployment it was hoped would pass off without a shot being fired. In fact, over the six months they were there, the 3 Para battle group saw near continuous combat -- one gruelling battle after another -- in what would become one of the most extraordinary campaigns ever fought by British troops. Around parched, dusty outposts reliant on a limited number of helicopters for food and ammunition resupply, troops were subjected to relentless Taliban attacks, as well as energy-sapping 50 degree heat and spartan conditions. At the end of the tour, the Taliban offensive aimed at driving the British and Afghan Government troops out of Helmand had been tactically defeated.But 3 Para paid a high price: fourteen soldiers and one interpreter were killed, and 46 wounded.
'3 Para' will tell the stories of the men and women who took part in this extraordinary and largely unreported saga. Best-selling author Patrick Bishop has been given exclusive access to the soldiers whose tales of courage and endurance provide an unforgettable portrait of one of the world's finest and most fascinating fighting regiments, and a remarkable band of warriors. Their bravery was reflected in the array of gallantry medals that were bestowed on their return, including the Victoria Cross awarded to Corporal Bryan Budd and the George Cross won by Corporal Mark Wright, both of whom were killed winning their awards.
Reviews
Guardian
'An exciting, eye-opening book...Bishop draws vivid pictures of army life.'
The Observer
'The best reporting I have read on the war in Afghanistan is in Bishop's 3 Para.'
Daily Mail
'The frenzy of close-quarters combat...is captured particularly vividly...Fast-paced and absorbing.'
Times
'Written with the fluent, rich and engaging fashion typical of the author.'
Daily Telegraph
'3 PARA is as fine a book as you'll ever read on modern warfare.'
News of the World
`captures the intensity of relentless fire-fights superbly but doesn't shrink from the reality and futility of the situation...'
Sunday Times
`compelling... brings a far-away war into sharp focus'.
Author Biography
Patrick Bishop worked a senior correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He is the author of 'The Irish Empire'; the acclaimed book 'The Provisional IRA' with Eamonn Mallie; the bestselling 'Fighter Boys'; and most recently 'Bomber Boys'. He lives in London.
