Battle Cry by Leon Uris, based on his own experiences in the WW2 with the 6th Marine Regiment. Very strong read.
Task Force Black and The Big Boys Rules, both by Mark Urban both about SAS and CT/AT operations in Iraq and Northern Ireland.
Movies are mainly classics: The Dirty Dozen, Patton, Das Boot, Cross of Iron, A Bridge Too Far and The Longest Day etc. Wild Geese is highly recommended for those who enjoy Roger Moore. Of the contemporary war movies The Lone Survivor and Black Hawk Down (which is also a good read as a book of the same title), The Hurt Locker was sh1t, but 0 dark 30 was ok, We were soldiers was great!. Lawrence of Arabia is a classic as is Zulu
"I mean, she almost kills bond...with her ass."
-Mr Arlington Beech
I like TV series such as "Band of Brothers", "The Pasific" and "Generation Kill". I also like boy's own adventures like "Guns of Navarone". Antony Beevor's books about Berlin and Stalingrad are superb! For a different perspective on the war I suggest the brutal and harrowing "Go and see" ("Idi I Smotri"), a Bellarussian war movie by Elem Klimov.
I don't know how many are translated, but biographies of legendary SOE agents such as "Underwater saboteur" by Max Manus, "Report from No.24" by Gunnar Sønstby and the biography "We die alone" about Jan Baalsrud are great. A very unconventional, but brilliant, WWII novel is "City of thieves" by David Benioff comes highly recomended.
Definitely "Zulu", "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "Saving private Ryan", "The Last of the Mohicans", "Gettysburg", "Run Silent, Run Deep", "The Horse Soldiers", "Fort Apache" and "Twelve O'clock High". One of my favorite war novels is "Bomber" by Len Deaton.
"I don't know if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or imbeciles who mean it."-Mark Twain
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
Conspiracy ... TV film but absolutely brilliant with stunning acting. It's about the Wannsee Conference where 'the final solution to the Jewish question ' is put together ... Basically the plans to murder them all.
Brilliant cast with Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth and a lot of others you would recognise ...
Conspiracy ... TV film but absolutely brilliant with stunning acting. It's about the Wannsee Conference where 'the final solution to the Jewish question ' is put together ... Basically the plans to murder them all.
Brilliant cast with Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth and a lot of others you would recognise ...
There was a 'factual' account as written by a 007esque MI6 spy of WW2 who claimed that he had been sent into Berlin at the close of WW2 to rescue Hitler from his bunker & deliver him to allied (western allied) lines. Supposedly he got Adolf out of the bunker but he was killed en route to British lines by shell splinter or something.
As it turned out the 'agent' in question was nothing more than a Walter Mitty & his whole story was a fabrication. He managed to suck in the literary world for a while & got a massive advance from the publishers. Does anyone remember this & the title of the book? If I remember correctly he may have claimed to have known IF & hinted at being the inspiration for Bond.
That's Op JB (1996) by Christopher Creighton and he claimed he and Fleming smuggled Martin Bormann out of Berlin in 1945 and brought him to South America as he knew where Nazi gold was hidden. It all sounds rather dubious and I know that Andrew Lycett is one that has pooh-poohed the story. Creighton reproduces a letter from Fleming however but that could easily have been referring to something else.
Indeed, for many years I didn't know what to think about the whole thing but it seems now that he's been exposed and it was all a fabrication by, as stag says above, a "Walter Mitty" type with too much time on his hands. Sadly this sort of thing happens in the world of publishing.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
This sort of thing spoils it for the rest of us trying to sell our mémoires. Now
No one will believe all my great adventures, how I saved Andy Mcnab and
Chris Ryan, when it got too tough for them ! )
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
This sort of thing spoils it for the rest of us trying to sell our mémoires. Now
No one will believe all my great adventures, how I saved Andy Mcnab and
Chris Ryan, when it got too tough for them ! )
Was that the mission that went tits up while Chris and Andy used just a Biro and broken rubber band to hold off a hoard of a thousand Iraqis charging them shouting "nein nein tommy shvihund!!"?
Not as much as you'd think,
perhaps dressing as The Lady Gaga was a mistake.
But Andy insisted, Chris wanted us to be The Stig, Prince and
Margaret Thatcher. As these were likely not to arouse suspicion !
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
So many great war films but my stand out favourite would have to be Where Eagles Dare. To be honest.. This one runs Bond close...
Also on the list;
Heroes of Telemark
The Wooden Horse
The War Lover
The Eagle has Landed
The Eye of the Needle
Escape to Victory (sort of, but as a Tractor Boy it's special
Special mention to The Wild Geese.
"Any of the opposition around..?"
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
There was a 'factual' account as written by a 007esque MI6 spy of WW2 who claimed that he had been sent into Berlin at the close of WW2 to rescue Hitler from his bunker & deliver him to allied (western allied) lines. Supposedly he got Adolf out of the bunker but he was killed en route to British lines by shell splinter or something.
As it turned out the 'agent' in question was nothing more than a Walter Mitty & his whole story was a fabrication. He managed to suck in the literary world for a while & got a massive advance from the publishers. Does anyone remember this & the title of the book? If I remember correctly he may have claimed to have known IF & hinted at being the inspiration for Bond.
That's Op JB (1996) by Christopher Creighton and he claimed he and Fleming smuggled Martin Bormann out of Berlin in 1945 and brought him to South America as he knew where Nazi gold was hidden. It all sounds rather dubious and I know that Andrew Lycett is one that has pooh-poohed the story. Creighton reproduces a letter from Fleming however but that could easily have been referring to something else.
That's the one! I remember 'Newsnight' doing an expose on him. The reporter was scheduled to meet this Creighton character in a hotel room. When he turned up there was our hero surrounded by upturned furniture claiming that he had just fought off a couple of foreign agents. As I recall subsequent investigation revealed that Mr Creighton was about 16 or 17 in 1945 & a drama student. A few of his fellow luvvies who knew him at the time were interviewed & they all marked him down straight away as a fantasist.
Yes, thank you for that further information, stag. I've long wondered about this and I even started a thread on CBn about this many years ago.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
I know they're as corny as hell these days but I do enjoy the old
John Wayne war films from RKO etc. All made during the war so
All full of ( keep your spirits up ) propaganda.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
I've never seen The Train, and I really want to check it out. I also enjoyed Dunkirk when I watched it a few years ago. I think a rewatch would be good.
As for Force 10 From Navarone, I've always really liked it. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure in some ways but I find it very entertaining viewing, and the cast is pretty damn good! I also like that it is directed by Guy Hamilton, and the score by Ron Goodwin is pretty good.
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
That's the one! I remember 'Newsnight' doing an expose on him. The reporter was scheduled to meet this Creighton character in a hotel room. When he turned up there was our hero surrounded by upturned furniture claiming that he had just fought off a couple of foreign agents. As I recall subsequent investigation revealed that Mr Creighton was about 16 or 17 in 1945 & a drama student. A few of his fellow luvvies who knew him at the time were interviewed & they all marked him down straight away as a fantasist.
Yes, thank you for that further information, stag. I've long wondered about this and I even started a thread on CBn about this many years ago.
I still distinctly remember this incident & the Newsnight report as it made reference to James Bond. By the time it was made the cat was well & truly out of the bag for Creighton. After doing a search on the net it would appear that his 'exploits' have passed into folklore in some quarter. Firstly it is said he rescued the then Mr & Mrs Hitler before going back for Bormann.
Our hero also had supporting letters supposedly written by Churchill which, obviously, turned out to be fakes so one has to question the authenticity of any correspondence from Fleming. As already mentioned. when interviewed his fellow drama students told of Creightons tall story telling & that he was well known even then as a Walter Mitty.
I'm unsure if he was ever prosecuted for fraud or any civil action was taken to recover the several hundred thousand pounds advance he received.
Yes, he should certainly be sued for breach of contract for fabricating this story; perhaps he already has?
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
Comments
Task Force Black and The Big Boys Rules, both by Mark Urban both about SAS and CT/AT operations in Iraq and Northern Ireland.
Movies are mainly classics: The Dirty Dozen, Patton, Das Boot, Cross of Iron, A Bridge Too Far and The Longest Day etc. Wild Geese is highly recommended for those who enjoy Roger Moore. Of the contemporary war movies The Lone Survivor and Black Hawk Down (which is also a good read as a book of the same title), The Hurt Locker was sh1t, but 0 dark 30 was ok, We were soldiers was great!. Lawrence of Arabia is a classic as is Zulu
-Mr Arlington Beech
I don't know how many are translated, but biographies of legendary SOE agents such as "Underwater saboteur" by Max Manus, "Report from No.24" by Gunnar Sønstby and the biography "We die alone" about Jan Baalsrud are great. A very unconventional, but brilliant, WWII novel is "City of thieves" by David Benioff comes highly recomended.
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
Conspiracy ... TV film but absolutely brilliant with stunning acting. It's about the Wannsee Conference where 'the final solution to the Jewish question ' is put together ... Basically the plans to murder them all.
Brilliant cast with Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth and a lot of others you would recognise ...
Left me quite cold after watching it.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_(2001_film)
I remember watching that at the time...it was brilliant, but you were left with a cold shiver when you thought about what they were discussing...
That's Op JB (1996) by Christopher Creighton and he claimed he and Fleming smuggled Martin Bormann out of Berlin in 1945 and brought him to South America as he knew where Nazi gold was hidden. It all sounds rather dubious and I know that Andrew Lycett is one that has pooh-poohed the story. Creighton reproduces a letter from Fleming however but that could easily have been referring to something else.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Op-JB-Christopher-Creighton/dp/0684817861/ref=la_B001HPJDJG_1_1
s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422205134&sr=1-1
Indeed, for many years I didn't know what to think about the whole thing but it seems now that he's been exposed and it was all a fabrication by, as stag says above, a "Walter Mitty" type with too much time on his hands. Sadly this sort of thing happens in the world of publishing.
I see on the Amazon UK page for this book that there are calls from readers to have this book placed in the 'Fiction' listings!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Op-JB-Christopher-Creighton/dp/0684817861/ref=la_B001HPJDJG_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422205134&sr=1-1
No one will believe all my great adventures, how I saved Andy Mcnab and
Chris Ryan, when it got too tough for them !
Was that the mission that went tits up while Chris and Andy used just a Biro and broken rubber band to hold off a hoard of a thousand Iraqis charging them shouting "nein nein tommy shvihund!!"?
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
A bus, The sneaky Iraqi guard wished me " Good luck!".
perhaps dressing as The Lady Gaga was a mistake.
But Andy insisted, Chris wanted us to be The Stig, Prince and
Margaret Thatcher. As these were likely not to arouse suspicion !
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
Also on the list;
Heroes of Telemark
The Wooden Horse
The War Lover
The Eagle has Landed
The Eye of the Needle
Escape to Victory (sort of, but as a Tractor Boy it's special
Special mention to The Wild Geese.
Yes, thank you for that further information, stag. I've long wondered about this and I even started a thread on CBn about this many years ago.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
John Wayne war films from RKO etc. All made during the war so
All full of ( keep your spirits up ) propaganda.
(never said by JW, but funny non the less)
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
+1 for Force 10 from Navarone. Yes a bit corny, but what a cast.. {[] Always enjoy watching it.
I've never seen The Train, and I really want to check it out. I also enjoyed Dunkirk when I watched it a few years ago. I think a rewatch would be good.
As for Force 10 From Navarone, I've always really liked it. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure in some ways but I find it very entertaining viewing, and the cast is pretty damn good! I also like that it is directed by Guy Hamilton, and the score by Ron Goodwin is pretty good.
Yes, he should certainly be sued for breach of contract for fabricating this story; perhaps he already has?
Could well be - I'll have to look into it. -{