Necessary Force

Raiding Forces #6

by Phil Ward

Maj. John Randal is back in Book VI in the Raiding Forces Series. He travels to the RAF Base located at Habbaniya sixty miles south of Bagdad to see Lt. Pamala Plum-Martin be awarded her pilots wings from the flying school located there. RAF Habbaniya is a base that the war has passed by, senior officers at the end of their career are assigned as well as pilots who are not considered good enough for combat flying or pilots who have become combat fatigued from flying combat tours and need a rest. Maj. Randal, the MI-6 senior officer Jim 'Baldie' Taylor and Lt. Penelope Honeycutt-Parker fly into the RAF Base the same day the Iraqi rebels of the Golden Square lay the place to siege by occupying the heights just outside the perimeter wire. They find themselves in a situation that is described to Maj. Randal "in terms an American can understand…this is 1836 and you just checked in to the Hotel Alamo". What happens next is an action packed story of a battle that has been lost to history.

Genres: War, Military Fiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2014

About the author

Phil Ward is a decorated combat veteran commissioned at age nineteen. A former instructor at the Army Ranger School, he has had a lifelong interest in small unit tactics and special operations. He lives in Texas on a mountain overlooking Lake Austin.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now onto book seven, Desert Patrol . Have enjoyed the series.

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessary Force. Phil Ward

Major John Randal has traveled to an RAF base in Iraq to see a friend awarded her flying wings. A real honor for Pamela Plum Martin. He also plans on getting some much needed rest. The base they are at has a reputation for its swimming pool, tennis courts etc. The R&R is extremely short lived. Apparently the Iraqi military has other plans. They plan on taking over the base which theoretically should be a walk in the park . Major Randal is again tasked with defending the base which is poorly staffed and equipped from a military standpoint. His manpower or staffing at the base are people nearing retirement, largely not cream of the crop material. Overall they are dedicated defenders of the crown and are more then willing to fight. Actually there are a small number of Damn good soldiers mixed in with the general populace. There will be no surrender offered. There is also a large civilian population with women and children. Another action packed thriller in this series! Enjoyed immensely!!

[Peter Hendrycks · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the previous 5 books in the series, I have grown to enjoy Mr. Wards ability to describe a scene, and what and how the people involved are feeling. I have read many books on the WW2 era, but what I like about this series is that there are a number of battles and operations that have been obscured, even though they were important. I had never heard of Habbaniya before, or the battle with the Iraquis, who were supposed to be British allies! I am sure that if this battle had turned out differently, the tide in that area may have affected the Allies ability to gain an advantage in this area. Randal is once again put in a less than ideal situation, but uses all available resources he has. Maybe he will get to use that pool and tennis courts!

[Richard Cowart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great lead up to strong finish

Book 7 is filled with adventure and story little less romantic involvement. Major Randle's vacation turns into a full blown military operation. A unique mix of military and civilian specialties make a good combined force to deal with opposition forces.

[John Scheibelhut · Rating 5 out of 5]

It all comes together, and then some.

Some vacation. I personally was amazed by the amount of work required to put a force together. I also realized how a group of civilians , of that time period, could come to an understanding and act. I don't believe that could happen today. A very eye opening book. Worth reading.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read need to be read in order

[Raymond Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic job of getting the reader engrossed!

Mr . Ward has a fantastic grasp of the fast and engrossing entrainment. Keep up the fast pace and enjoy the ride..

[Robert Besserman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep em coming Phil. I’m binge reading the entire series.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. Very different than the other war novels I’ve read.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining military novel

I love the stories and characters. Nice flow. Easy read. Goid series if you are looking for something. Well done.

[David Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

Another great story in the continuation of this series. Each book makes you look forward to the next. Can't wait to start the next.

[Matthew Purdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The usual cast of characters doing their best with less as usual. The involvement of civilians on the base was a great addition. I felt like the whole point of the story was a bit unclear though. Why exactly were the enemy forces there? Why didn't they just roll down the hill and wipe them all out? The explanation seems to be "They were confused" All of that aside the story was still a great read.

[HARRY L WINTERS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once Again A Riveting,Action Story!

If no one had told me that this was fiction, I would've easily believed the account to be reality! The author throws in just enough funny stuff to help you know the difference. Other than that, the story in every little detail is very accurate. It's fast moving, action packed and amazing to see the operation unfold and be carried out. I am waiting for the next book with great expectations.

[Lewis F. Fierke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole series , now what am I going to do.

I truly enjoyed all of the six books of this author. These gave me many hours of pleasure. Each was a good read on it's own,but together they combined to make a really good experience.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a vacation. John Randall gets to Habbaniya just in time for the vacation spot to be surrounded by the Iraquies and an unofficial/official war begun. Terrific and highly recommended.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read!

I really love this series. Can't wait for the next book to be released. If you like action novels, you will not be disappointed.