What do you think?
Rate this book
SAS: The Ambush: The True Story of One of the SAS's Most Dangerous Assault Missions
'Tony is the real deal.' Andy McNab
Sierra Leone, 2000.
While on patrol as part of a peacekeeping mission, eleven British soldiers are kidnapped.
The captors are a dangerous rebel group known as the West Side Boys. Fuelled by alcohol and drugs, the behaviour of the rebels is notoriously unpredictable. How long the soldiers have, no one knows. Rescuing them becomes the British military's highest priority, and so they bring in the SAS for Operation Barras, a mission that will go down in special forces history.
After negotiations break down, there are fears that the men being held in the compound could be executed at any moment, but there is no easy way in to save them. The only option is to shock the enemy on their home turf. A plan is put in place. The ambush begins.
Told from the perspectives of multiple people involved in the operation, and with Tony Hoare's expert insight into the forces, this is a heart-pounding retelling of one of the SAS's most dangerous missions.
Sierra Leone, 2000.
While on patrol as part of a peacekeeping mission, eleven British soldiers are kidnapped.
The captors are a dangerous rebel group known as the West Side Boys. Fuelled by alcohol and drugs, the behaviour of the rebels is notoriously unpredictable. How long the soldiers have, no one knows. Rescuing them becomes the British military's highest priority, and so they bring in the SAS for Operation Barras, a mission that will go down in special forces history.
After negotiations break down, there are fears that the men being held in the compound could be executed at any moment, but there is no easy way in to save them. The only option is to shock the enemy on their home turf. A plan is put in place. The ambush begins.
Told from the perspectives of multiple people involved in the operation, and with Tony Hoare's expert insight into the forces, this is a heart-pounding retelling of one of the SAS's most dangerous missions.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 22, 2025
3 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Tony Hoare
2 books1 followerTony Hoare joined the Army Cadets, where he learned to fire a gun at the age of 13. He then signed up to the Infantry on his 17th birthday and enlisted into the Royal Green Jackets. He passed SAS selection in 1978 and with them, went on multiple tours and trained numerous recruits, including Andy McNab. Since leaving the Army in 1996, he has undertaken security and consultation on various highly dangerous projects, including a stint as a UN Security Officer in South Sudan. His first book, Born For War, retold his story of the Falklands War and was a WHSmith Travel Book of the Month.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 10, 2025
ELEVEN British peacekeepers were kidnapped in Africa in 2000 by the West Side Boys, 600 drug-fuelled, heavily armed terrorists hiding in thick jungle.
The soldiers' lives hung by a thread. Only solution - send in the SAS.
Falklands veteran Hoare tells the story through personal memories of SAS troopers and support forces.
An account of military cuts after the Cold War and a history of Sierra Leone from ex-slaves homeland to anarchy set the scene.
As Operation Barras kicks off you can feel the adrenalin of controlled aggression crackling.
A gripping tale bang on target.
The soldiers' lives hung by a thread. Only solution - send in the SAS.
Falklands veteran Hoare tells the story through personal memories of SAS troopers and support forces.
An account of military cuts after the Cold War and a history of Sierra Leone from ex-slaves homeland to anarchy set the scene.
As Operation Barras kicks off you can feel the adrenalin of controlled aggression crackling.
A gripping tale bang on target.
Displaying 1 of 1 review