BATTLESPACE BOOK CLUB
A COLD WAR
Front-Line Operations in Bosnia 1995-1996
By BEN BARRY
* An exciting and incisive personal account of battlegroup operations in Bosnia.
* A unique insight into the decisive role the British Army played in ending the Bosnian war, including first-hand descriptions of firefights and confrontations with ruthless warlords.
* ‘A clear, frank and perceptive account of these dangerous and challenging operations, as well as an authoritative analysis of battlegroup command and the human dimension of front-line peacekeeping operations.’ Professor Richard Holmes
The savage Bosnian civil war was ended politically by Dayton Peace Agreement. But this had to be implemented on the ground by NATO. How this was done by Second Battalion the Light Infantry is explained as never before in a richly detailed analysis of dangerous and challenging missions. The challenges of military operations in the war-torn Balkans are illustrated with vivid descriptions of operations and incidents – often in the words of the soldiers themselves. Writing in the Foreword the BBC journalist Martin Bell summarises their role: ‘The troops risked their lives to save the lives of others, swept away the road blocks and restored a minimal peace in Bosnia after three and a half years of war. I remember reflecting, not for the first time, on the extraordinary quality of the British troops participating, on the dangers they faced across a mine-strewn landscape, and on the unique and unprecedented nature of the task before them. They interpreted their mandates bravely. They made a difference.’
Subject: Military, modern
April 2008
£20.00
978-1-86227-449-5
Hardback
Extent: 320 pp. plus 32 pages colour
THE AUTHOR
Brigadier Ben Barry joined the Light Infantry in 1976. After service in UK, Northern Ireland, Germany and the Far East he commanded Second Battalion Light Infantry in 1994-6. He returned to Bosnia to command a NATO Multinational Brigade in 2003.
The Author’s share of the book’s profits are being donated to:
Help for Heroes – a new charity supporting our wounded.
The Army Benevolent Fund – the Army’s national charity.
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