Pathfinder: A Special Forces Mission Behind Enemy Lines

306 Pages·2012·2.67 MB·English

by  David Blakeley

For my mother and father, for always being there for me.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY KeVkRaY

Contents
Cover
Dedication
Title Page
Maps
Epigraph
Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifthteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
Glossary
Photo Credits
Picture Section
Copyright

‘It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust
and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and
again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; who knows the
great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at
the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall
never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.’
PRESIDENT THEODORE
ROOSEVELT
Speech at the Sorbonne, 23 April 1910
‘Happiness shall always be found by those who dare and persevere; wanderer –
do not turn around, march on and have no fear.’
ANONYMOUS
Unofficial collect of the Pathfinders
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A very special thanks to my sisters Anna and Lisa, for all your support over the
years and especially when I was away on operations with the military: I love you
and you continue to inspire me.
I would like to thank Damien Lewis, the master of jack brews, for the time
spent searching for inspiration while staring into the blanket fog of a southern
Irish rain; publishers Rowland White and Alan Samson, for their inspiration,
vision and guidance from the very earliest stages; Jillian Young and all at Orion
who did so much to make this book a success. Thanks also to Annabel Merullo,
literary agent, and her assistant, Laura Williams, for their support.
Thank you to: my steadfast friends Ewan Ross, Gareth Arnold, David Green,
Azim Majid and Stefan D’Bart. To the most loyal friend Jimmy Chew – thank
you for being there. Also thank you to Lara Fraser, Alice Clough, Rob Mussetti,
Francesca Mussetti, Matt Taylor, Andy Jackson, Sabina Skala, Janice Dickinson,
Sophie Ball, Laura Pradelska, Olivia Lee, Bonnie Gilmore, Josh Varney, Emma
Rigby, Richard Allen, Charles Towning, Luke Hardy, Andrew Chittock, Patrick
Hambleton, Katie Rice, Charlie Birch and Katerina Konecna. And thanks of
course to Eva, Chubbs, Logs and Podge, for putting up with my repeated
impositions upon your hospitality.
Very special and heartfelt thanks to the men of my patrol, Mayhem Three
Zero, with whom I shared so much and as is depicted in this book, and especially
Tricky, who saved my life on more than one occasion.
To the Pathfinders (PF): many great men have put huge amounts of effort
into developing this elite unit. The PF are the best in the world at what they do
because of your efforts. To the fallen; we will remember you. To the current and
future Findermen – move fast, stay low and enjoy it while it lasts.
‘FIRST IN’
Pathfinder Platoon Motto David Blakeley
March 2012.
Find out more about David Blakeley at:
www.davidblakeley.co.uk