Peterborough man’s gripping SAS tale is ‘the stuff of elite forces legend’

The men of Bravo One Zero stepped off the chopper, took one look at the flat desert devoid of any cover and decided that no way were they deploying into all of that. But Andy NcNab’s famed Bravo Two Zero patrol did deploy, with fatal results - all bar one being captured or killed. And then there was Bravo Three Zero. A strong patrol with Des Powell as second in command, these men decided to go down a different route. They thought differently. Acted differently. They were also lucky.

Treating as gospel the SAS’s saying ‘any fool can be uncomfortable’, they deployed with vehicles, and while there was nowhere to hide they could make a dash for the border if desperate.

Even as warnings came in that McNab’s patrol was on the run, Bravo Three Zero remained undetected - the furthest Coalition forces behind Iraqi lines. Slipping through enemy positions, a string of targets were taken out. But with the desert turning bitter and snow starting to fall, they were forced to fight a running battle against the elements as much as the enemy.

The achievements of this highly-decorated patrol are the stuff of elite forces legend. Now, for the first time, SAS veteran and second in command of Bravo Three Zero, Des Powell - who lives in Peterborough - reveals their story in gritty, blow-by-blow detail.

Written with acclaimed military author Sunday Times no 1 bestseller, Damien Lewis, Bravo Three Zero is a tale of edge-of-the seat daring deep inside enemy lands. Brutal, savage, unrelenting - it is a tale that proves utterly the SAS motto - Who Dares Wins.

You can meet Des at a book launch and signing at Waterstone’s in Bridge Street on October 30, 11am to 1pm.