Immediate Action: The Explosive True Story of the Toughest-and Most Highly Secretive-Strike Force in the World

By Andy McNab

He is one of the most highly decorated soldiers alive.  He is also the first to break the code of silence about the most elite fighting force in the world. What Andy McNab has to say is so explosive that the British government tried to stop him.

A street fighter, a hard case, and a flawless soldier, Andy McNab became one of the elite fighting men in "the Regiment"--Britain's covert SAS.   His actions behind the lines in the Gulf War made him a hero.   But the full story of his life and his amazing career in Special Forces has remained a secret...until now.

In harrowing detail, McNab takes us inside the Regiment, chronicling nine years of covert operations on five continents.   Plunging us into a world of surveillance, counterintelligence, and hostage rescue, he takes us behind the scenes on some of their top secret missions.   For the first time, he reveals the shocking details of their training--physically severe, mentally grueling, and sometimes deadly.   And he dares to expose some of their highly confidential codes and rules--including the one that sanctions murder.

This is the story of the fighting men of the SAS.  Here is how they live.   And here is how they die...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9780307831873

Andy McNab

Andy McNab joined the infantry at the age of sixteen and was a British soldier for eighteen years. ‘Badged’ as a member of 22 Special Air Service Regiment in 1984, he was involved for the next ten years in both covert and overt special operations worldwide. During the Gulf War he commanded Bravo Two Zero, a patrol that, in the words of his commanding officer, ‘will remain in regimental history for ever’. Awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and Military Medal (MM) during his military career, McNab was the British Army’s most highly decorated serving soldier when he finally left the SAS. He wrote about his experiences in three books: the phenomenal bestseller Bravo Two Zero, Immediate Action and Seven Troop. He is the author of the bestselling Nick Stone thrillers. Besides his writing work, he lectures to security and intelligence agencies in both the USA and UK and is on the board of a private security company operating in hazardous environments. Now Andy McNab has joined forces with ApostropheBooks.com to bring you some of the world’s greatest military classics.

Reviews for Immediate Action

[zare_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First modern [non-WW2] book on SAS that I have read. Gripping tale of SAS operators and their actions worldwide. As it is always the case with this sort of history books do not expect that all secrets of the trade will be revealed.

[matthewn_97 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a fairly quick read. I thought the author did a good job keeping the story going. A lot of military biographies are so slow getting to the point in their career where they are doing the stuff that made them famous. They feel the need to go on and on about some point in their life that doesn't really make the book any more interesting. Andy McNab seems to have side-stepped that landmine and gets you to the good stuff pretty quick.I love reading about the military. I am extremely fascinated with special forces soldiers as the hardships they go through just to become special forces soldiers are more than many people are able to bear. Having said that, I have to say that my favorite part about this book was not how difficult things were for the author. Yes, there were times in the book where I was glad I was in the comfort of my bed reading about it instead of being in the jungle at night, or in the cold and damp Irish night patrolling for IRA types. That stuff was interesting, but the main thing I enjoyed was the author's honesty about his own shortcomings. Especially, the shortcomings in his personal relationships. If I recall correctly, he went through 3 different women in the course of the book. However, he makes it pretty clear that he was generally the cause of it due to his own selfishness. I find that kind of brutal honesty lacking in so many biographies. Take for example, Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko. That was a good book filled with all kinds of SF type exploits, but good grief! He probably has to drive a pickup truck just to haul around his ego.If there was one thing I found lacking in this book, it was that it kind of left you hanging at the end. I wanted to hear more about his life in the "regiment". I have yet to read his other book, Bravo Two Zero, about his experience in the 1991 Gulf War. That will probably fill in some gaps for me.One final caveat for the non-English(as in United Kingdom) reader. There are a lot of terms that are used in the book that are quite odd to the foreigner. There is a glossary in the book, but you'll still possibly get confused by the fair amount of slang thrown around. I spent some time over in England so some of the terms I understood. However, I still found myself trying to make sense of certain terms or phrases that weren't in the glossary. It wasn't enough to make the book unreadable though.

[tukangroti_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good book. Gives good description of life inside the SAS and the British army in general.