The War That Never Was

For the very first time, The War That Never Was tells the fascinating story of a secret war fought by British mercenaries in the Yemen in the early 1960s.

For the very first time, The War That Never Was tells the fascinating story of a secret war fought by British mercenaries in the Yemen in the early 1960s. In a covert operation organised over whisky and sodas in the clubs of Chelsea and Mayfair, a group of former SAS officers - led by the irrepressible Colonel Jim Johnson - arranged for a squadron of British mercenaries to travel to the remote mountain regions of the Yemen, to arm, train and lead Yemeni tribesmen in their fight against a 60,000-strong contingent of Egyptian soldiers.

It was one of the most uneven running battles ever waged; the Egyptians fielded a huge, professionally-trained army. The British fought back at the head of a ragtag force of tribal warriors and, ultimately, won. Egypt''s President Nasser described the battle in the Yemen as ''my Vietnam''.

It''s a fascinating, forgotten, and rip-roaringly entertaining pocket of British military history, much in the spirit of Ben MvIntyre''s bestselling Agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat.

• | Author: Duff Hart-Davis
• | Publisher: Cornerstone
• | Publication Date: May 24, 2012
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9780099553298
• | ISBN-10: 0099553295